Don't Turn On Your Oven, Roast Garlic In The Air Fryer Instead

There's just something about roasted garlic that makes it an incredible part of pasta dishes, mashed potatoes, even pizza. Roasting takes away the allium's sharp and pungent bite, and instead, gives it a sweet, smokey, and almost-caramelized flavor. It also softens the ingredient until it's creamy enough to spread like butter, making the beloved allium even better than raw.

The most obvious way to get this flavor and texture makeover is to pop garlic in the oven. However, be prepared to wait for about an hour for the allium to roast. Instead, a much quicker alternative is to use an air fryer — it reduces the cooking time by half and gives you warm roasted garlic in as little as 16 to 20 minutes!

To roast garlic in an air fryer, you'll want to preheat the appliance to 380 degrees Fahrenheit and keep it at that temp for the cooking period. Rather than individual cloves, take an entire bulb of unpeeled garlic and slice off its top — about a quarter-inch or so — until each clove inside is partially exposed. 

If you then place it chopped side up on a piece of aluminum, you can have a mess-free cooking container that allows you to add in oils and seasonings too for richer flavor. A good option is a generous tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper (or any other seasoning you desire). To finish, wrap the foil tightly around the garlic, and cook around 20 minutes. When the time is up, you can then squeeze the garlic right out of its skin.

Although an air fryer typically roasts garlic in under 20 minutes, the exact time will vary depending on the size of the bulb. Smaller bulbs cook much faster whereas larger ones can take as long as 30 minutes. That said, the cooking time isn't affected by the number of garlic bulbs that you put in the air fryer. You can roast either one at a time or a dozen in one go — as long as they are of a uniform size, the time will remain the same.

If you're in doubt about whether or not your garlic is ready, you can always open the air fryer, unwrap the foil slightly, and take a quick peek inside. If the cloves still look a tad pale, pop them back inside and continue roasting at two-minute intervals. Always be very careful when you check on the allium midway through cooking and when removing it once it's done roasting. 

Even if the foil looks cool enough on the outside, there may still be some hot steam trapped inside. Open it gently using tongs or oven mitts, and avoid handling it with bare hands to err on the side of caution. Once it is ready, store that roasted garlic in the refrigerator, or use it to upgrade a plain tuna salad. You could even turn it into David Guas's magical roasted garlic compound butter!