Did you know you can roast garlic in the air fryer in half the time it takes in the oven? Air fryer roasted garlic turns out perfect every time and has so many delicious uses in pastas, pizza, sandwiches and more!

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If you love using roasted garlic in your recipes, then you have to try this air fryer roasted garlic. It is super simple to make and requires just four pantry staple ingredients.

I love using my air fryer to make roasted garlic because it is ready in a fraction of the time it takes in the oven and comes out perfectly soft, golden and aromatic every time.

Air fryer roasted garlic is a fantastic ingredient to have in your fridge to spruce up your favorite recipes. It can be used in a wide variety of ways (inspiration below) but roasted garlic can be used in almost any recipe that calls for raw garlic.

This recipe works with any type and brand of air fryer and you can make as many heads of roasted garlic as you wish at one time.

Looking for more air fryer recipe inspiration? Check out my air fryer garlic parmesan chicken wings and my air fryer crispy smashed potatoes.

What Does Air Fryer Roasted Garlic Taste Like?

Unlike raw garlic, which has a sharp, pungent flavor that can overpower the senses, roasted garlic has a milder, sweet and slightly caramelized flavor. This is because the compound allicin, which gives garlic its characteristic strong flavor, is broken down during the roasting process.

Roasted garlic should be very soft and easily mashed with your fingers or a fork. It should also have a golden brown caramelized color and will have shrunk away from the garlic skin slightly.

Ingredients

Heads of garlic: since roasted garlic stores well, you can make anywhere between one head of garlic up to as many heads of garlic that will fit in your air fryer.
Olive oil: you’ll need one tablespoon of garlic per one head of garlic. Use a high quality olive oil.
Salt & pepper: just a sprinkle of salt and pepper on each head of garlic is all you need.

Equipment

Air fryer – this is the air fryer I use and love for its easy to use settings and wide flat basket.
Cutting board and knife
Aluminium foil
Air tight storage container

Instructions

Cut the tops off of each head of garlic. Be sure each clove is exposed, but don’t cut off too much garlic.
Drizzle each head of garlic with one tablespoon of good quality olive oil. Sprinkle garlic with salt and pepper.
Wrap up each head of garlic separately in aluminum foil. Place aluminum foil wrapped garlic on air fryer basket.
Air garlic at 400°F for 20 minutes. Allow garlic to cool for 10 minutes.
Once garlic has cooled, use one of the two below methods for removing the air fryer roasted garlic from the peel.

How to Remove Roasted Garlic

There are two ways to remove the roasted garlic from the garlic skin:

To keep the garlic cloves whole: working from the outside inward, peel the skin away from the garlic cloves and gently remove the cloves with a knife or your fingers.
To mash the garlic cloves: simply squeeze the garlic from the bottom near the root to remove the garlic from the peel. Mash roasted garlic with a fork.

Ways to Use Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

On toast: spread roasted garlic on toast or crostini either on its own or before adding additional toppings such as cheese, tomatoes, pesto, etc.
On pizza: use as a pizza topping or mix into your favorite pizza sauce.
In pasta: roasted garlic is delicious in marinara, pesto, butter and cream based pasta sauces.
In soup: use instead of regular garlic in almost any soup recipe for a unique flavor.
On a sandwich: spread roasted garlic on the bread before adding your other sandwich ingredients.
In mashed potatoes: mix air fryer roasted garlic into mashed potatoes with your other traditional mix ins like butter and cream.
On roasted veggies: give your traditional roasted veggies a boost of flavor.
Garlic bread: use on garlic bread in place of raw garlic.
In a dip: mix into mayonnaise with herbs to make an aioli, or mix into hummus or white bean dip.
Mixed Into bread: add whole cloves of roasted garlic to your favorite bread dough (would be incredible with rosemary added, too).
In butter: make a roasted garlic compound butter, add to softened butter to spread on toast, grilled cheese, etc. or add to melted butter and drizzle over potatoes, steak and veggies.
In oil: add roasted garlic to high quality extra virgin olive oil along with dried herbs, salt and pepper and dip bread into it.

How to Store Roasted Garlic

Allow the roasted garlic to cool completely and remove the cloves from the skin. Store garlic cloves in an air tight jar or container either on their own or covered in olive oil.

Store air fryer roasted garlic in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to two months.

More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love

If you make Air Fryer Roasted Garlic, be sure to leave a comment below and rate this recipe! If you snap a pic, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thechowdown! I love seeing your creations!

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