Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic is an easy way to get a deep, mellow flavor. Here's how to roast whole heads of garlic in the oven so you can eat warm, toasty cloves right out of the garlic head.

Six heads of garlic with the roasted garlic cloves exposed.
Alison Bickel

Years ago a friend of mine showed me how to roast garlic whole and eat the warm, toasty cloves right out of the head. How wonderfully simple! And perfect for garlic lovers.

Roasting garlic changes the chemical makeup of the garlic so that it's easier to digest. You can eat a lot more garlic if it is completely cooked, with fewer side effects than you would get from eating raw garlic. (If you're into chemistry, you can read more about this process in the Wikipedia.)

Garlic roasted in foil.
Alison Bickel

How to Use Roasted Garlic

Eat the caramelized roasted cloves directly out of the heads, or add them to pasta dishes, mash them up and spread them over toast, or mix them with sour cream for a dip.

If you are sensitive to raw garlic, you may find that you can much more easily eat roasted garlic.

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How to Roast Garlic

Roasted Garlic

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4
Yield 1 head roasted garlic

Ingredients

  • 1 or more whole heads of garlic

  • Extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C):

    A toaster oven works great for this.

  2. Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the whole garlic bulb.

    Leave intact the skins of the individual cloves of garlic

    Fresh garlic on a wooden background.
    Alison Bickel
  3. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the top of cloves.

    This exposes the individual cloves of garlic.

    Fresh garlic with the cloves exposed and set on a wooden background.
    Alison Bickel
  4. Put garlic in baking pan or muffin tin:

    Place the garlic heads in a baking pan, cut side up. (A muffin pan works great for this, as it keeps the garlic bulbs from rolling around.)

    Fresh garlic with the cloves exposed set in a muffin tin.
    Alison Bickel
  5. Drizzle with olive oil:

    Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each exposed head, using your fingers to rub the olive oil over all the cut, exposed garlic cloves.

  6. Cover the bulb with aluminum foil.
    Foil wrapped head of garlic in a muffin tin.
    Alison Bickel
  7. Bake:

    Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves are lightly browned and feel soft when pressed.

    Roasted garlic cloves in a muffin tin.
    Alison Bickel
  8. Cool and remove roasted garlic cloves from their skins:

    Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

    Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
41 Calories
3g Fat
2g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 41
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 30mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.