Roasted Garlic is incredibly easy to make and adds so much flavor to your favorite recipes. Here are my easy cooking tips on how to roast garlic.
Forget the old method of roasting whole heads of garlic. My method is so incredibly easy and the results are perfect every time! Make big batches of roasted garlic and use them in recipes like Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Garlic Beet Hummus.
HOW TO ROAST GARLIC
Once you try my roasted garlic recipe, I guarantee you’ll be hooked. I honestly feel like I’ve stumbled onto a cooking secret and I can’t wait to share this easy cooking method with everyone.
But first, a little history…
Although I’ve always been a fan of roasted garlic, it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I came up with this super easy method. Before that, I would make entire roasted garlic heads.
Now, to make a roasted garlic bulb, you simply cut off the end, drizzle it in olive oil, and bake it in the oven. This method works just fine, but it’s a lot of work and can be messy.
Rather than make whole roasted garlic, I now buy peeled garlic cloves in bulk at Costco and make roasted peeled garlic instead!
How to roast garlic cloves:
- First step is to line a baking dish with parchment paper. This step isn’t necessary, but it makes for easy clean up.
- I roast about 4 cups of peeled garlic cloves at a time. This may seem like a lot, but it keeps a lot longer in the refrigerator once it has been roasted versus raw. Plus, I throw my roasted garlic cloves in just about everything I make.
- Not a lot of olive oil is needed. Figure about a half tablespoon for every cup of garlic cloves.
- Then, to roast, simply start off with a 400 degree F oven and roast the garlic for about 20 minutes. This will make the tops nice and brown. At this point, I give it a good stir and reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.
- I like to stir the garlic about every five minutes during the second half of the cooking process to ensure even cooking and browning. Just make sure you’re careful not to smash them.
That’s it! No squeezing the roasted garlic out of the papery bulb. No mess. Perfect results every time.
How long to roast garlic:
When I made this batch, I cooked the garlic for a total of 40 minutes.
Short on time? No worries. You can crank up the temperature and cook for less time. Just be sure to stir it more frequently to avoid burning.
If you prefer the low and slow method of roasted, that will work too, but you will get less browning on the outside and an overall softer batch of garlic.
Either way, I love cooking large amounts of garlic so that I always have some on hand.
What does oven roasted garlic taste like?
Unlike raw garlic which is extremely strong and potent, roasted garlic has a much more mild flavor.
In it’s raw form, garlic is hard and crunchy. Once roasted properly, the golden brown outside is chewy and the inside is soft and creamy.
You can substitute roasted garlic for any recipe that calls for garlic. Since the flavor is more mild, you can double, triple, or quadruple the amount!
Best uses for roasted garlic:
I seriously use roasted garlic almost daily in my cooking. Here are some of my favorite methods for incorporating roasted garlic into your meals.
- Scrambled eggs – whether you like to mix in a ton of sauteed veggies or just eat plain scrambled eggs in the morning, some smashed roasted garlic adds amazing flavor.
- Garlic bread – I have found that roasted garlic makes the absolute best garlic bread! I cook an entire loaf until heated through. While it’s cooking, I mix together some high quality butter, a ton of roasted garlic, and some garlic herb blend to make a spread. Then, when the bread comes out of the oven, just lather each piece up with the spread.
- Garlic roasted potatoes – Stir in a handful and watch the flavor change from good to oh-my-god-what’s-in-these?
- Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic – Since I keep my roasted garlic in the fridge, I just toss some in with the sprouts for the last few minutes of cooking.
- Homemade pizza – technically we buy frozen pizzas all the time and add a bunch of veggies at home before we cook them. You better believe I add a ton of garlic.
- Roasted garlic aioli – aka the best spread or dip ever
And the list goes on and on!
How do you roast garlic?
I’d love to know the methods you use to roast garlic. Do you make it the same way I do? Or do you use the old school method of roasting entire bulbs?
Any time I show my friends how I do it, they’re always shocked not only to see how easy it is, but that people actually buy those huge bags of garlic at Costco.
So many people have told me that they want to buy the big bag of organic garlic, but they had no idea how they’d use it all before it went bad. My answer? ROAST IT!
Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
- 4 cups garlic cloves peeled
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line baking dish with parchment paper. Add garlic cloves and olive oil; toss to combine.
- Roast garlic in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Stir the garlic for even browning, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes - this time carefully stirring every five minutes. Take care not to smash the garlic cloves while stirring.
- Enjoy warm, otherwise allow to fully cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I also use the jars of peeled garlic. I place them in a ramekin, cover with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. I get great garlic and great oil.
Great recommendation!
Ours turned out perfect! Thanks so much!
I love doing this- roasted garlic is so awesome!
Roasted garlic is amazing. And I love the way my house smells, is that weird? LOL
Not weird at all!
This is one of my favorite ways to add flavor to any dish! I even make it smear all over fresh bread. It’s dangerously delicious!
Perfect fool proof way to make roasted garlic, comes out every time! Thank you.