How to Prepare Roasted Garlic

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Roasted Garlic Adds Rich Flavor to Recipes

With the hearty comfort foods of fall, there is nothing like a thick slice of french bread, hot from the oven, covered with real butter and a clove of roasted garlic.

Whether you prepare roasted garlic in the oven, on the grill, or in an electric garlic roaster, its so easy to transform the pungent, crunchy segments of this vegetable (related to the onion) into rich and creamy morsels for use in a wide range of recipes.

After you learn how to do it, you may find yourself with dinner guests more often! Use the cloves in mashed potatoes, on pizzas, with stir-fried vegetables, salads, sauces, and appetizers. We even incorporate roasted garlic into homemade salad dressings!

Roasted garlic can be prepared several days ahead. You can refrigerate for up to four days before using it in your favorite recipes.

Cook Time for Roasted Garlic (Whole Head)

Prepare Roasted Garlic in the Oven

You can use either a whole head (my favorite method) or individual cloves. In about 45 minutes, you'll have an aromatic kitchen!

For the whole head of garlic:

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Second, prepare the garlic heads by slicing them in half, horizontally. If any of the cloves starts to slide out of the surrounding membrane, gently push them back in.
3. In a rimmed baking pan, place the garlic heads cut-side-down and add about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Be sure to leave space around each head to allow it to caramelize.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Garlic juices will be oozing around the edges of each clove.

For a slightly different texture and faster baking time, you can roast individual cloves:

1. Remove cloves from the head, peel, and add to a baking pan along with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
2. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. Individual cloves will have a slightly crunchy exterior. These are great in pastas and salads!

Some people like to use foil:

1. Simply preheat the oven to 350 and slice off the top of the heads of garlic.
2. In a large square of foil with the sides slightly turned up, add 3-4 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic heads cut-side down. Fold the foil around the garlic loosely, leaving the top open.
3. Roast for about 45 minutes.

How to Roast Garlic

Make Roasted Garlic in a Garlic Roaster

I absolutely love using an electric garlic roaster! It's simple, convenient, and uses far less energy than the oven.

1. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the garlic bulb.
2. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the base of the roasting dish, then place the bulb into the oil, cut side down.
3. Put the dish into the electric garlic roaster, plug it in, and press the button! In less than half an hour, you'll have tender, delicious roasted garlic.

If you wish, peeled cloves can also be roasted in this appliance. Use slightly less olive oil and reduce the roasting time approximately 5-8 minutes.

Prepare Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic Cooking Tips

• Always use fresh for best results—garlic should not be soft or discolored.
• If roasting individual cloves, peel them immediately before baking so that they do not dry out beforehand.
• Consider reserving the olive oil in which you roast garlic for other recipes. Its rich flavor will add another layer of interest!

Prepare Roasted Garlic on the Grill

Grilling foods is so convenient and it's a great way to get outdoors any time of year. You can roast garlic on the grill at the same time you cook your burgers or chicken.

1. Slice the garlic heads horizontally.
2. Take a large square of aluminum foil and fold up the sides.
3. Add 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, then place the heads of garlic with the cut sides up and root sides down (note that this is different than when roasting in the oven) so as to prevent scorching from the higher heat of the grill. Close the foil most of the way around the garlic, then place on the grill.
4. Close the lid on the barbecue and cook about 30 minutes over medium high heat.

You can also grill individual cloves in the same way. Peel them first, then place in the olive oil in foil. Grill for about 15-20 minutes.

Recipes with Roasted Garlic

Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is certainly a delicious addition to any recipe or meal, but did you know that its very healthy, as well?

A number of claims regarding the health benefits of garlic have been made, including...

• reducing inflammation
• improving cardiovascular health, including reducing the risk of dangerous blood clots
• helping to manage high cholesterol
• antibacterial effects
• high in antioxidants

While the health benefits of garlic are most effective when ingested raw, cooked garlic is still beneficial. Some people claim that eating two to three cloves per day helps prevent the common cold. There is research to support the claim that garlic can help regulate the formation of fat cells. Of course, that effect may be diminished when the garlic is eaten in large quantities of pasta and cheese!

Nutrition Information for Garlic

© 2011 Stephanie Marshall

Comments

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on October 10, 2013:

Thanks! Roasted garlic is so easy to make, healthy and flavorful.

Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on October 10, 2013:

I only knew one way to roast garlic and now I have several. Excellent work, easy to understand, and so healthful, to boot.

stessily on February 18, 2012:

Steph, A favourite dish for me is mashed potatoes with roasted garlic; it's exquisite, and so simple!

Your step-by-step directions are helpful. Your recipe suggestions have my attention.

Thank you for sharing.

Kind regards, Stessily

Kristin Trapp from Illinois on November 12, 2011:

I have never roasted garlic before, but this sounds delicious. I especially like the idea of adding it to pizza!

~voting up and useful~

Tara on November 09, 2011:

I love garlic! Thanks for the tips...just in time for the holidays too. Maybe this year's meals will have a lot more garlic. ;)

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 09, 2011:

Hi Simone,

Each of these methods results in a slightly different taste or texture. For example, roasted garlic on the grill is over intense heat and the flavor ends up less subtle than from the oven. Hope you enjoy! Best, Steph

Simone Haruko Smith from San Francisco on November 09, 2011:

Ooooooooohmygosh. I really want to roast some garlic now. I always just did it in my oven with a bit of olive oil, but I'll have to check out your alternate methods!

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 08, 2011:

Hi pharmacist,

Yes - enjoy that thick slice of bread with roasted garlic, along with some pasta or hearty soup. Yum! Cheers, Steph

Jason Poquette from Whitinsville, MA on November 08, 2011:

You had me right from "a thick slice of french bread..." Great article on one of my favorite appetizers! I've never done it at home...but now I shall try it. Thanks!

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 08, 2011:

Hi mljd - I remember the very first time I made roasted garlic (years ago at my parent's house). I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when we enjoyed it with bread. Hope you try it yourself. Best, Steph

mljdgulley354 on November 08, 2011:

Very informative article. I didn't think about using foil when roasting garlic. I use a lot of olive oil and garlic in my cooking.I voted this article up, useful and informative

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 07, 2011:

Thank you all! How funny that I am reading these comments during the dinner hour, as I am adding chopped garlic to my spaghetti sauce? So glad you enjoyed the hub and I do hope that readers realize how easy it is to roast garlic and add it to their recipes (or just enjoy it on bread). Cheers, Steph

Paula from The Midwest, USA on November 07, 2011:

Steph, I loved all the ways you shared how to roast garlic here. Garlic is a favorite in my family, and I really ought to be roasting it more and enjoying that in recipes. Thanks for the tips and ideas, it sounds so good! :)

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on November 07, 2011:

We love roasted garlic and garlic in all forms for that matter. Good and informative hub Steph! You will have many more people trying this simple way of incorporating that mild creamy roasted garlic into many of their foods. Votes up!

Paul Cronin from Winnipeg on November 07, 2011:

That looks so good, who doesn't love garlic. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 06, 2011:

Hi Rob and cebu,

Thanks for the comments - roasted garlic ice cream.... hmmm! But the taste is quite yummy in savory dishes. Best to you, Steph

Rob Jundt from Midwest USA on November 06, 2011:

Steph,

What a great and timely hub. Garlic is one of my favorite flavors. I love it in just about everything, except dairy. I'm still trying to figure out that garlic ice cream thing. Anyway, as you've mentioned, a creamy clove of roasted garlic is good for the soul, and the heart! Voted up.

cebutouristspot from Cebu on November 05, 2011:

Voting Up. This is one of my fav food (sadly people around me don't appreciate this hahaha) I would try this instruction.

Again Thanks

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 04, 2011:

Hi Gordon,

I have seen those terra cotta garlic roasters, too. You can use them in conventional ovens. But I wonder if they were more like a solar cooker, using sunlight rather than ovens, to roast the garlic.

BTW, I don't think it matters if the garlic head is slightly charred. Leaving the peels around the cloves will protect them so that they still taste rich - and maybe deliciously smokey - either way!

Thanks for the great comment and question. Best, Steph

Gordon Hamilton from Wishaw, Lanarkshire, United Kingdom on November 04, 2011:

Hi, Steph

Garlic is my absolute favourite foodstuff and I eat it every day, in one form or another. I love your ideas for roasting it but am intrigued by garlic roasters. I have never heard of them before but they may help answer a question that has puzzled me for years...

A few years ago, when I was touring the Czech Republic, we found an open air market in this tiny village, where a man was putting whole bulbs of garlic in to a small clay pot that looked not unlike these garlic roasters and bringing them out looking like lumps of coal. They were literally scorched black all over. I was up for trying it and couldn't believe how sweet and delicious the cloves were when the bulb was halved and they were squeezed out on to bread.

Unfortunately, we were the only "outsiders" around and no one spoke any English or German, so we were frustrated never to know precisely how he was cooking them. Do garlic bulbs come out of these roasters blackened like coal?

Great Hub! :)

Gordon

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 04, 2011:

Hi Gypsy and MM,

Hope you enjoy roasting garlic at home. So easy - no need to go to a restaurant for the delicious flavors. Cheers, Steph

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 04, 2011:

Hi EuroCafe,

I am a huge onion fan, as well, but garlic is my favorite. Isn't it nice to know that these foods are so good for us? Best, Steph

Movie Master from United Kingdom on November 04, 2011:

I must confess I am drooling!

I have never roasted garlic, that's about to change!

voting up, useful and awesome.

Gypsy Willow from Lake Tahoe Nevada USA , Wales UK and Taupo New Zealand on November 04, 2011:

I love roasted garlic, now I know how to do it at home, thanks.

Anastasia Kingsley from Croatia, Europe on November 04, 2011:

super-eech-ko! What a nicely done hub! I am really impressed. Photos, videos, survey, nutritional info - you really outdid yourself. As far as the garlic goes, I have never tried this myself, but after reading Zsusy Bee's Hub on healthy foods I have been thinking of eating more garlic and onion. Now I know how! THANX! Voted up and awesome!

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Hi Claudia, fantastic! I hope the hub helps you make your own roasted garlic at home. Cheers, Steph

Claudia Tello from Mexico on November 03, 2011:

I once ate roasted garlic in an Argentinean Grill, as a side, and it was delicious! Now I know how to make it myself.

Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on November 03, 2011:

Thanks, Steph, for clarifying that for me!

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Hi Victoria,

Thanks! Yes, you are correct that you do not peel the garlic when you roast it whole. After it comes out of the oven or roaster, allow it to cool, then gently squeeze the garlic head and the finished cloves will slide out. Delish! Best, Steph

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Hi anginwu, I will have to try sauteing the garlic. I thought about including those directions, but then it wouldn't really be roasted. Garlic is great anyway we can enjoy it though. Best, Steph

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Princessa, I am with you! Potatoes and baguettes with roasted garlic. Delicious!! Cheers, Steph

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Hi melbel - I love eating sauteeed onions right out of the pan, so the two are probably not very different. :) Best, Steph

Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on November 03, 2011:

I love garlic, but I've never tried it roasted. Am I correct in that you don't peel it before cutting it in half to roast? Will have to boookmark this one. Voted useful, interesting, awesome, and up!

anglnwu on November 03, 2011:

I've never roasted garlic before, not in the oven at least. I usually do it over the stove. I'm glad to learn how to do it and since it can keep for 4 days in the fridge, it's definitely a great idea for the holiday seasons. Thanks and rated up.

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Hi Cloverleaf, roasted garlic on crostini with brie sounds awesome. Yum! Steph

Wendy Iturrizaga from France on November 03, 2011:

Roasted garlic mmmm... lovely I like it on a hot baguette and with baked potatoes

Melanie Palen from Midwest, USA on November 03, 2011:

This might sound really gross, but I sauté garlic and eat it straight. :S This hub makes me hungry. I don't think I've ever had roasted garlic, but I already know it's yummy!

Cloverleaf from Calgary, AB, Canada on November 03, 2011:

Hi Steph, I make roasted garlic quite often and serve it with crostini and brie....yummy! Thanks for a great hub. Voted up / useful.

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Thanks Will - happy cooking! Cheers, Steph

Stephanie Marshall (author) from Bend, Oregon on November 03, 2011:

Thanks Sherri and Susan - I just love roasted garlic! I am now inspired to write some follow-up hubs with recipes and other ideas for garlic. Yum, olive oil too!

Susan - that garlic roaster is a cinch to use. I hope Santa brings one for you. :)

Best, Steph

WillStarr from Phoenix, Arizona on November 03, 2011:

Very useful, and bookmarked!

Sherri from Southeastern Pennsylvania on November 03, 2011:

This is one of those invaluable articles that we home cooks need to refresh the memory about a technique we might not use very often.

Loved the Chef's Pencil video. I've never roasted garlic at such a low temp with so much oil...but I know the outcome, after squeezing the cloves out, must be heaven.

Great hub...Up and Awesome (much, much more than useful).

Susan Zutautas from Ontario, Canada on November 03, 2011:

MM MM Garlic! The only way that I've ever roasted it was in foil with olive oil. And I've always peeled it. After reading your hub I am glad to see so many different ways to do it. The garlic roaster is now on my Christmas Wish list.

Up, useful and awesome.