How To Air Fry Garlic

Learn how to air fry garlic in half the time it takes in the oven! Less than 20 minutes is all you need for soft, caramelized, and golden-brown garlic cloves. Add them to your favorite recipes, such as hummus, salad dressing, soup, and more.

Air fryer garlic

If you’ve never tried roasted garlic before, it’s a serious game changer when adding flavor to recipes. If I’m being honest, I never used to make it as much since roasting garlic in the oven feels like a chore.

Well, not anymore! Preparing it in the air fryer is virtually effortless and is ready in less than 20 minutes. I don’t even care about the bad breath that follows. It’s completely worth it!

Whether you have whole garlic heads or individual cloves on hand, this recipe will take you through the steps to ensure rich, creamy, and caramelized flavors every time.

Grab these ingredients

You don’t need much in terms of ingredients — just some garlic and seasonings! Jump to the recipe card for the full quantities.

• Garlic: Use full bulbs or pre-peeled cloves for this recipe. 
• Oil: I prefer olive oil when it comes to drizzling on garlic, but any vegetable oil will work like avocado, peanut, or canola.
• Salt: Salt enhances the flavors just a touch more, so don’t skip it! You can also add cracked black pepper for a kick.

How to air fry garlic

Once you find out how to air-fry garlic, you’ll never go back to the oven again. This is just an overview. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.

Step 1: Trim
Cut the top portion (stem end) of the garlic bulbs off to reveal the cloves underneath.

Step 2: Drizzle
Add the trimmed garlic cloves to squares of foil large enough to wrap them individually. Drizzle the tops with oil and a pinch of salt, then close them up tightly.

Note: If you have pre-peeled garlic cloves, add them to a piece of foil, season them with oil and salt, and close the foil up.

Step 3: Cook
Air fry the garlic at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until the cloves are golden brown and soft.

Recipe tips

Check your garlic: If it’s your first time making garlic in the air fryer, I suggest checking it around the 12-minute mark. Each air fryer cooks slightly differently, so it’s always a good idea to check before it burns.

Flavor enhancers: For more flavor, add herbs like sage, thyme, or rosemary to the heads of garlic before wrapping them.

High-quality oil: Since there are only three ingredients, I suggest using good-quality olive oil.

Wear oven mitts: The garlic comes out quite hot since it’s wrapped in tin foil. Give it time to cool down, or unwrap it with oven mitts to protect your hands.

Storing

If you’re a garlic fiend like me, you may have leftovers because you’ve cooked up a double or triple batch! Follow these simple storage tips to keep the cloves fresh:

• Fridge: Place your roasted garlic cloves in a clean glass jar once cooled. Pour olive oil over the cloves until they’re completely covered. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Freezer: Peel the garlic cloves and add them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Roasted garlic will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. To thaw, take out as many cloves as you need and thaw them in the fridge overnight. 

Note: Roasted garlic with olive oil should NEVER be stored at room temperature as it can produce botulism toxin.

How to use roasted garlic

Pretty much any excuse to use roasted garlic in a recipe, and I’m in! Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Make roasted garlic pumpkin hummus.
• Spread the cloves on toasted baguette slices or crackers.
• Use it for vegan garlic bread.
• Spread it on Caprese paninis, pressed eggplant sandwiches, or burgers.
• Whip up a roasted garlic aioli or creamy garlic dressing.
• Dehydrate it to make your own garlic salt.