A step-by-step tutorial on how to roast garlic to make any dish the bomb diggity! It’s so simple with just two ingredients, and it’s done in only 30 minutes.
This post is dedicated to all you garlic lovers out there. If you’re anything like me, you can’t imagine cooking any dish without garlic. But you can level up your garlic game by roasting it first. Not only is it super easy, but the flavor and texture it has after roasting is seriously amazing. It’s much more mellow, just a little bit caramelized, and so buttery, you can spread it onto bread. Like I said: amazing.
Why It’s Totally Worth Roasting Garlic
Once you learn how to roast garlic, you are going to be making it on the regular. Here’s what makes it so great.
- Ridiculously easy. Seriously, it takes a minute or two to prep, two ingredients, and only 30 minutes in the oven.
- A different side of garlic. Raw garlic is sharp and pungent, but roasting it brings out a nutty, sweet taste that is irresistible.
- So versatile. You can add it to almost anything. Whip up a quick roasted garlic aioli to add some flavor to a sandwich, add it to pasta, crunchy bread, homemade pizza dough, or just eat it straight up.
What You’ll Need
You can roast as many (or as few) heads of garlic as you like. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Whole garlic bulbs – Try to find ones that are similar in size so they all finish roasting at the same time.
- Olive oil – It doesn’t have to be a fancypants kind—an inexpensive olive oil is fine.
- Salt – You can add some pepper too if you’d like.
How to Roast Garlic
Here’s a quick overview to show you step-by-step what you’ll need to do. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Peel the outer layers of papery skin from the garlic bulb, then cut off the top of the bulb to expose all the cloves. Place the garlic with the cut side up in a baking dish, drizzle with oil, and season with salt. Tent with foil.
- Roast. Bake the garlic for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cloves are tender, buttery, and golden brown.
- Remove the cloves. Let the garlic cool completely, then use a fork to pull out each clove or squeeze them out into a bowl.
Tips for Success
These pointers will help you make sure your roasted garlic turns out perfect every time.
- Choose fresh garlic. For the best results, use fresh, firm garlic bulbs without any brown spots or green sprouts. Older garlic may have a bitter flavor when roasted.
- Don’t skip the foil. Wrapping the garlic in foil helps it roast evenly and prevents it from drying out.
- Keep an eye on it. Oven temperatures can vary and different size garlic bulbs will cook at different rates. You may even need more than 40 minutes for extra-large heads of garlic.
Ways to Use Roasted Garlic
I think once you give this recipe a try, you’ll have endless ideas for putting roasted garlic to use, but here are some of my favorites.
- Spread it on bread. Roasted garlic makes an incredible spread for crusty bread or toast. Just mash the cloves with a fork (maybe with some butter? a little Parmesan too? and herbs!) and spread it on your favorite bread.
- Mix it into mashed potatoes. Add a few roasted garlic cloves to your mashed potatoes for a rich, buttery, and flavorful upgrade.
- Stir it into sauces. Jazz up store-bought pasta sauce by adding cloves of roasted garlic.
- Use it as a pizza topping. Add whole roasted garlic cloves to your next pizza. They’d be great on this Butternut Squash Chicken Flatbread Pizza.
- Blend it into dips. Hummus takes on a completely different dimension when you swap the fresh garlic for roasted.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Store roasted garlic cloves in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: You can also freeze whole heads of roasted garlic or individual cloves for up to 3 months. Just make sure they are wrapped well and stored in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
More Cooking 101 Recipes
How to Roast Garlic
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 32 mins
- Yield: 2 whole garlic bulbs 1x
- Category: Herb
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
A step-by-step tutorial on how to roast garlic in the oven. It’s so simple, with just two ingredients and it’s done in only 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 4 whole garlic bulbs
- 4 teaspoons of olive oil
- salt to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Peel away the outer layer of the garlic bulb, leaving the individual cloves intact.
- Cut off about 1/4 of the garlic bulb with a knife, so the top of the garlic cloves are exposed.
- Line a baking dish (or small ramekin) with tin foil. Place the garlic bulbs, cut side up, in prepared baking dish. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the top of the garlic bulb and season with salt. Make a little tin foil tent over all the garlic bulbs so they are enclosed.
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves are deeply golden brown and feel soft when pressed in. Allow the garlic to cool.
- To remove, just use a fork to pull out each clove or gently squeeze them out.
- Store in an air-tight container or add to recipes like mashed potatoes, aioli, hummus and more.
28 comments on “How to Roast Garlic”
Ohhh I love roasted garlic! What a great how to! Im pinning and sharing this tomorrow!
Thanks so much Kelly! I definitely appreciate the share and pin love! 🙂
This is great! My hubs and I were just discussing how to do this last night! Thanks for the step-by-step!
Your welcome Ronda, I promise I wasn’t ease dropping on your conversation last night. 🙂 hehe
Brilliant using a muffin tin!
haha… thanks Jennifer! 🙂
Krista, I’m seriously salivating over here! I love the whole step by step to making this amazing treat. Nothing compares to roasted garlic… love it!
I know seriously!!! Its amazing! 🙂 Glad I made you drool, just make sure to clean up your keyboard afterwards. hehe
This was helpful – I’ve never roasted garlic before! Beautiful photos, by the way.
Thanks so much Ashley! Glad you found it to be helpful, it is seriously so easy. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
i love roasted garlic. these look great!
Thanks Dina! 🙂 I am falling more and more in love with the stuff!
What an awesome tutorial Krista 🙂 I love roasted garlic, it totally rocks and so does your photography – gorgeous pics girl!
Thanks Kelly, glad you found it useful and pretty to look at. 🙂 hehe
How about as an appetiser with high end crackers and brie?
oh… sounds delicious Rick!
Hey, nice job on the photos….this reminded me that I need to roast my garlic to use in my hummus. Yes, I too, am a garlic lover and am in a dither if my garlic basket is empty. 🙂
Thank Pat! Yes, that is a great idea. Roasted Garlic Hummus sounds awesome, how bout you send some over this way when your done. 🙂
Great tutorial, Krista! I love roasting garlic!
Thanks Ashley, I’m a newbie but I LOVE it!
Oh yum! I love the flavor that garlic adds to any dish!
Thanks Emily, me too. Garlic totally rocks out any dish!
I cannot believe I have never done this! Roasted garlic is one of my favorite things (talk about adding flavor!) so this needs to happen asap!
haha.. yes it so does need to happen Mary Frances. 🙂
Roasting garlic is one of the best kitchen secrets, isn’t it?! Like, it doesn’t really take a whole lot of work, but what happens to that garlic in the oven is an utterly beautiful transformation!
For real!!! LOVE IT, can’t believe it has taken me this long to make it!
Arch loves roasted garlic! How long can I store them?
Awesome Emily! 🙂 They will keep up to two weeks in an air tight container stored in the refrigerator. Or you could freeze them in which case, probably no longer than 2 months or 8 weeks.