• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Get my FREE Meal Prep Lunches eBook!

New? Start Here
  • About
  • What’s For Dinner?
  • Videos
  • Shop

Project Meal Plan

Project Meal Plan is a food blog dedicated to make-ahead recipes, meal planning and preparing ahead.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Filter
    • Popular
    • Meal Prep
    • Latest
    • Videos
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Sweets
  • Season
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Method
    • Baked
    • Stovetop
    • Air Fryer
    • Instant Pot
    • No Heat
  • Meal Prep
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Lunches
    • Breakfasts
    • Chicken
    • Beef & Pork
    • Tips & Tricks
    • All Meal Prep
Home Method Air Fryer
5 /5
GF Gluten Free DF Dairy Free LC Low Carb V Vegetarian P Paleo 30 30 Minutes or Less 5 5 Ingredients or Less

How to Roast Garlic in an Air Fryer

Jump to Recipe
By: Danielle18 Comments Posted: 03/15/2019 Updated: 11/18/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

No need to heat up the oven – you can roast garlic in your air fryer! It’s quicker than using the oven and simple for air fryer beginners. Making roasted garlic has never been easier! Here’s How to Roast Garlic in an Air Fryer.

golden brown roasted garlic made in an air fryer
The smell of roasted garlic makes me feel like I’m at a super classy Italian restaurant or like it’s Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle’s house (uhm hi roasted garlic mashed potatoes).

Roasting garlic has always seemed like a treat, until recently when I went on a garlic roasting spree in my air fryer! 

I never like heating up the oven for one small thing. And a head of garlic really does feel like one small thing.

Normal recipes don’t call for roasted garlic, so it’s just not something I even felt the need to make. But now, I will make it all the time. 

Recipe Overview

Total Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Method: Air Fryer
Prep: 5 ingredients or less

Can you roast garlic in an air fryer?

Yes! You can “roast” garlic in your air fryer. Nobody get mad that I’m calling it roasted garlic.

Air fried garlic just does not have the same ring to it, and honestly sounds like a different kind of thing altogether. Everyone knows what you’re talking about if you say roasted garlic, and it’s used in the same ways.

My absolute favorite use of roasted garlic is spreading it on to sourdough bread. OMG.

Second favorite way to use it: Mashed potatoes.

Third favorite way is to just mix it into recipes in place of regular garlic! Can you tell I’m into garlic!?

What kind of air fryer do you use?

I (used to!) own the Philips 2.75 qt Viva Air Fryer (affiliate link!), and I liked it! Frozen things that are normally baked or fried come out crispier than I’ve ever tasted. It also seems to work for drying ingredients out (like apples in my recipe for How to Make Apple Chips in an Air Fryer!).

Plus you always save time by not having to heat up the oven, so that’s definitely a win. There’s a digital version of this air fryer that’s a bit more expensive.

Update 11/18/21: I recently upgraded to a larger air fryer, the Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!), and I love it even better than the Philips I previously owned. Browse through all my latest air fryer recipes to see the newer air fryer in action!

Air Fryer Preference

Now that I’ve tried two different styles of air fryers, I can say that I prefer the kind with the non-stick coated basket over the metal grate style basket.

How do you roast garlic in an air fryer?

Essentially, you’re following the same method as you would with the traditional oven roasting way, except you’re doing it in an air fryer.

This means you’ll need some oil (I use avocado oil for high heat cooking but olive oil would work too!), and some aluminum foil.

Chop the top 1/4 inch or so off the garlic head so the cloves are exposed. Place the head of garlic in the center of the foil, drizzle with oil, and then wrap up the garlic, all edges of the foiling meeting at the top to completely close the foil around the garlic.

Place the foil wrapped garlic heads into the air fryer basket, making sure the foil is not above the max fill line (you don’t want it to be touching the heating element).

Up to four heads of garlic would fit into my air fryer at once, but you can stick with one if that’s all you need!

Air fry at 390F for 20-30 minutes. Smaller heads of garlic will take about 20 minutes, while larger heads of garlic will take up to 30 minutes. When it’s done, unwrap, squish the garlic out of the skins, and mash it up or use it however you please!

cutting a head of garlic to roast in the air fryer
Prepared garlic heads are in the air fryer to be roasted
How to roast garlic in the air fryer
black cosori air fryer.

My favorite air fryer!

I upgraded to this larger Cosori air fryer and I love it! The nonstick basket is the best!

See it on Amazon

Roasting Garlic in an Air Fryer vs an Oven

  • Oven takes 7-10 minutes to preheat up to 400F. That’s 7-10 minutes longer than required with the air fryer. Preheating your air fryer can help with quick cooking items, but it’s not required here. The manual of my air fryer says “add 3 minutes to cook time if using a cold appliance”.  So it will save you around 3 minutes if you preheat your air fryer, but it’s not a requirement.
  • Oven roasted garlic recipes at 400F take about 40 minutes of cook time. Plus 10 minutes to heat up, equals 50 minutes with the oven on, compared to maximum 30 minutes for a large head of garlic.
  • Ovens are large, and they probably take more energy to operate on a per minute basis compared to my small air fryer. Not to mention the additional preheat and cooking time.
A head of garlic freshly roasted in the air fryer.
Roasted garlic made in the air fryer. Mash it up for an excellent bread topping!

What are some ways to use roasted garlic?

  • Garlic mashed potatoes: A special treat made by my aunt on some holidays. Mix roasted garlic cloves into your regular mashed potatoes for a good time!!
  • Appetizer with bread or crackers: Some people are garlic obsessed (hello!) and you can really impress those people by having some bread and roasted garlic around as an appetizer. Super easy to make and use up if there are leftovers.
  • Add to mayo: For quite possibly the best mayo variation I’ve ever thought of. Roasted garlic mayo turkey sandwich I’ll take three.
  • Use in salsa and dressings: I’m craving everything on this list by now, so let’s throw in some chips and salsa like any good feast. YUM.
  • Add in place of regular garlic: Instead of sauteing some garlic in a soup or stir fry, I’ve been straight up adding gobs of roasted garlic to our dinners. It’s a thing and I’m into it.

Serve this with…

One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta

Loaded Ground Turkey Burger Salad

Freezer Friendly Black Bean Burgers

All Dinner Ideas
A spread of sourdough bread with roasted garlic to spread on top

How to store roasted garlic:

Leave cloves in the bulb and wrapped in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to one week, removing roasted garlic cloves as needed.

Store mashed roasted garlic cloves in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to freeze roasted garlic:

Freeze roasted garlic in trays such as the Souper Cubes 2 Tablespoon Freezing Tray (affiliate link!) and then store in an airtight container and use within 6 months.

Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!

Recipe
5 from 3 reviews

How to Roast Garlic in an Air Fryer

Yield: 1 head of roasted garlic 1x
Print Save Rate it
Prep: 5 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 30 minutes

No need to heat up the oven – you can roast garlic in your air fryer! It’s quicker than using the oven and simple even for air fryer beginners. Here’s How to Roast Garlic in an Air Fryer!

Scale:

Ingredients

  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil

Instructions

  1. Prepare the garlic bulb: Peel the papery outside wrapping from the garlic bulb. Slice the top 1/4 inch off the garlic head to expose the cloves. Place each garlic head into the center of a piece of aluminum foil and pull the sides up, but leave the top open. Drizzle the garlic bulb with oil and then wrap tightly, sealing the foil at the top.
  2. Air fry to perfection: Place 1-4 prepared garlic bulbs into the air fryer basket, being sure that the foil is below the “max fill” line. Air fry at 390F for 20-30 minutes, or until the cloves are soft and the top is barely golden. Check at 15 minutes for small heads of garlic.
  3. Storage: Leave cloves in the bulb and wrapped in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to one week, removing roasted garlic cloves as needed. Store mashed roasted garlic cloves in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze mashed garlic cloves in an ice cube tray for small even portioning (use a silicone freezer tray or line the ice cube tray with plastic wrap and then use it to pull the frozen garlic cubes from the tray). Store frozen cubes in an airtight container or freezer bag and use within 6 months.

Equipment

OXO Utility Cutting Board

Buy Now →
black cosori air fryer.

Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer

Buy Now →

Notes

I recently upgraded to a larger air fryer, the Cosori XL 5.8 qt Air Fryer (affiliate link!) and I like it much better than the Philips brand. Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: 1 head of garlic
  • Calories: 80
  • Fat: 3g
  • Carbohydrates: 10g
  • Protein: 2g
© Author: Danielle
Method: Air Fryer

Did You Make This?

I love seeing what you made! Leave a review below, and be sure to tag me at @ProjectMealPlan when you share a photo!

Tag me on Instagram Rate recipe
Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Save
  • Email

About Danielle

Hi, I’m Danielle! My passion for meal planning was born from a desire to save money and reduce food waste, and I want to share it with you! Besides cooking and photography, I absolutely love my cats & dog, growing food in my yard, and cheesy sandwiches! Read More...

You May Also Like...

  • How to Make Apple Chips in an Air Fryer
    How to Make Apple Chips in an Air Fryer
  • 4 photos of easy air fryer recipes including salmon, smores, hot dogs, and potato wedges.
    10 Easy Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
  • cover photo for must try air fryer chicken recipes
    10 Must Try Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
  • air fryer everything bagel chips on a plate with smoked salmon dip.
    Air Fryer Everything Bagel Chips
10 Meal Prep Lunches cover.

Get my FREE Meal Prep Lunches eBook!

Subscribe and receive my FREE Top 10 Meal Prep Lunches eBook PLUS recipes and meal prep tips weekly!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Steve says

    Posted on 6/4/22 at 6:26 pm

    So what is the ratio of roasted cloves to raw minced cloves in recipes?

    Reply
    • Danielle says

      Posted on 6/6/22 at 9:11 am

      I think it depends on how much you like garlic – there is no hard and fast rule for it. I would guess that around 3-4 cloves of roasted garlic would equal one clove of raw minced (taste & strength wise), but that’s an estimate. Roasted garlic is more mild and a lot easier to consume than raw garlic. There are lots of uses for it that I would not use raw minced garlic for, such as spreading on toasted bread or using as a dip. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  2. Mary says

    Posted on 1/13/23 at 12:05 pm

    I thought you can’t use foil in an air fryer

    Reply
    • Danielle says

      Posted on 1/13/23 at 12:50 pm

      Yes, you can use foil in the air fryer! Works just fine. I would not cover the entire bottom of the basket with foil as that could reduce air flow. But there’s no problem using foil in the air fryer for something like this.

      Reply
  3. SusaninPortugal says

    Posted on 1/28/23 at 5:36 am

    I’m going to try this soon in our Tefal Actifry.. it’s the one with the ‘dragon’s tail’ as we call it to gently tumble the chips, sausages etc. I don’t see a reason why this idea for roasted garlic won’t work in there..do you? I’m addicted to garlic too!






    Reply
    • Danielle says

      Posted on 1/29/23 at 4:22 pm

      Yes I think that would work! Sounds delicious 🙂 Let me know how it goes! Thanks Susan! -Danielle

      Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

bio
Follow Danielle on Instagram for more meal planning inspiration!
whats for dinner printable activities available now.

Popular

air fryer boneless bbq chicken thighs on a plate with tongs.

Air Fryer Boneless BBQ Chicken Thighs

meal prep unstuffed pepper bowls in glass 2 compartment containers.

Meal Prep Unstuffed Pepper Bowls

Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Bake

Cilantro lime tahini dressing is perfect for salads and veggies!

Cilantro Lime Tahini Dressing

Meal Prep Lunches

Get my FREE Meal Prep Lunches eBook!

In Season

glass meal prep container with the green food lunch box meal prep.

Green Food Lunch Box Meal Prep

air fryer french toast bites on a plate with cup of syrup.

Air Fryer French Toast Bites

instant pot ginger chicken & rice soup in a bowl with a spoon

Instant Pot Ginger Chicken & Rice Soup

make ahead freezer friendly breakfast burrito cut in half on a plate.

Make-Ahead Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

Chia Pudding Breakfast Parfaits Four Ways

Instant Pot Cinnamon Apple Steel Cut Oats

explore

Free Meal Planning Resources

Weekly meal planner.
free downloads

Meal Planning Templates

Project meal plan
meal plan inspo

Join the Facebook Group

Favorite Cooking Tools
shop

Favorite Cooking Tools

10 Helpful Tips For Beginners
tips & tricks

10 Helpful Tips for Beginners

Explore Meal Prep

Breakfasts

Main Dishes

Tips & Tricks

Snacks

Lunches

Air Fryer

Instant Pot

Freezer Friendly

Meal Prep

Get My FREE Meal Prep Lunches eBook!

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 Project Meal Plan
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top