How to Make Roasted Garlic

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How to make delicious roasted garlic and how to use it in healthy cooking. Spoiler: it adds a ton of flavor without a ton of extra calories!

Two heads of garlic on a baking sheet.

If you were to ask me my favorite vegetable I’d probably say broccoli or sweet potatoes, but I’d be forgetting about a simple vegetable that I eat almost every day… GARLIC. I guess I’ve always thought of it as an herb/spice but it’s technically a veggie, just like onions, shallots and chives.

Three heads of garlic sitting on a baking sheet.

Raw garlic has antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. It also helps to boost the immune system. For these reasons it’s been used medicinally to help treat cold and flu symptoms for ages. Eating garlic raw (chopped/crushed and set to rest for a few minutes) is best if you’re looking to take advantage of all the great health benefits, but if you’re just looking for a way to add an amazing amount flavor to your dinner, cooked garlic is where it’s at.

Raw garlic has a pungent and spicy flavor, while cooked garlic has a sweeter, mellow flavor that adds nice depth without being abrupt or particularly spicy.

Three heads of garlic sitting on aluminum foil.

Roasting is 100% my favorite way to prepare most veggies and garlic is no different.

Three heads of garlic in aluminum foil after roasting.

The whole roasted cloves get soft, warm and caramelized and come out tasting mild and sweet — the cloves can be eaten on their own, used as a spread for bread and crackers and/or add to soups, baked dishes and stir-fries for a boost of flavor. The possibilities are pretty much endless and I’ve found that roasted garlic is an awesome way to add a huge amount of flavor without adding a ton of additional calories to a dish. It’s great for health-conscious cooking!

Roasted garlic that's been peeled on a baking pan.

Since roasted garlic is something I use in my cooking often I wanted to share a quick recipe to show just how easy it is!

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4 from 3 votes

How to Make Roasted Garlic

How to make delicious roasted garlic and how to use it in healthy cooking. Spoiler: it adds loads of flavor without a ton of extra calories!
Servings: 1 bulb of garlic

Ingredients  

  • 1 head garlic, outer paper leaves peeled off and discarded
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • aluminum foil

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Cut the garlic bulb at the top (about 1/4 inch down) so you’re cutting off a small bit of each clove.
  • Place aluminum foil under garlic bulb, drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over top to cover all the exposed cloves. Wrap the foil around the bulb and place in the oven.
  • Roast for 30-40 minutes or until garlic is soft and golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool.
  • Once cool, remove each clove from it’s paper. Some cloves will pop right out and stay intact while others will be so soft they will need to be squeezed out. You’ll notice that sometimes the cloves get mushier than others — this just depends on how long you cook the garlic, the size of the bulb, the variety and it’s age. You can experiment with different types of garlic and the roasting time to find your favorite variety and what cook time works best.
  • Use the roasted garlic right away or store it for later. It will last about 2 weeks in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bulb | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Fiber: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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11 Comments

  1. I always forget about roasting and often end up overcooking or leaving garlic uncooked when roasting is such a better option. Thanks EBF!

  2. yum! I struggle with cooking the whole cloves until they are completely done – there is nothing sadder than a partially roasted clove of garlic. But I recently started separating the cloves and leaving the paper on, and have success every time!

  3. Thank you for sharing! I didn’t realize it was so simple. Do you typically add the whole head to dishes after you cook it or refrigerate it and use it sparingly?

    1. I usually eat a few cloves right after cooking it as a snack and then refrigerate it and use it sparingly. I have a few recipes that I’ll be posting soon that use roasted garlic. One recipe is for soup and I use the whole bulb (about 15 cloves) while the other is a sauce and I only use 2-3 cloves for the sauce.

  4. I love roasting veggies too and I’m fond of eating roasted garlic – especially if I’m feeling under the weather. Sometimes I add a dash of freshly ground black pepper. Thanks for sharing.

  5. Had some extra garlic tonight left from a bundle and remembered this post. Roasted it alongside my broccoli and parsnips and this was literally the best thing since sliced bread!! Most important question is: Is it possible to have too much garlic? 😉

    Thanks for the roasting tip; this is my new daily ritual!

  6. I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I absolutely
    loved every bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…

  7. put roasted in honey …place in a small container and cover with honey put in dark place for two weeks then eat very good