This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Learn how to roast garlic in the oven in a few simple steps! If you’re a garlic fan, but don’t always like how strong garlic can taste, then this how to roast garlic in the oven tutorial is for you!
A whole bunch of years ago, when I was in my first apartment and wanting to impress people with my mad cooking skills, I learned how to roast garlic. I have always been a huge fan of garlic, but this method is pretty awesome. And the smell while it’s roasting is fantastic!
How to Roast Garlic
- First time you’ll want to preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Grab an oven safe pan that will easily fit your garlic. I was able to fit four heads of garlic in a glass pie dish.
- Next you’ll need a sharp knife to cut off the tops of the garlic (where the paper comes to a point), then peel as much of the paper off as you can without the cloves falling off. Using your fingers in a rubbing motion works well. Also notice that I sliced the tops of the outer edges as well to make sure everything was exposed.
- Cut pieces of foil big enough to completely wrap each head of garlic. Place one head of garlic in the center of each piece of foil, cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap up in the foil, so the garlic is completely covered and seal the ends together, then place in the dish.
- Roast the garlic in the oven for about 50 minutes. Pull the foil back gently as it can stick to the foil. You’ll know they are done because your house will smell AMAZING and the bulbs of garlic will be soft and caramel in color.
- Give those beauties about a half hour to cool, completely unwrapped, before gently squeezing the garlic out of them.
Helpful Tips and FAQs
- If you see any green sprouts inside, that’s ok, just dig them out with a knife if you can. They won’t really affect the flavor – if you were using raw garlic however, I’d make sure to get them out as they can give a bitter taste.
- The fresher the garlic, the better the taste. If it’s been sitting in your pantry for a while you could get a bitter taste.
- Check on your garlic about halfway through, to make sure it doesn’t get too dark. If you know that your oven runs hot, try turning down the temp to about 400.
What to do with Roast Garlic
Now comes the fun part. Grab a fork, and mash that roast garlic all up. Add some salt if you’d like, and spread it on french bread for a uniquely flavored garlic bread. It’s also one half of a delicious sauce in our Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Fettuccine Alfredo. Add whole roasted garlic cloves to pasta, vegetables or mashed potatoes.
Some more of our favorite garlic recipes that would be great with roast garlic include:
- Homemade Garlic Butter
- Tortellini with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- Garlic Bread Cheese Dip
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Penne Pasta Primavera
To make the garlic bread, slice a loaf of french bread into 1 inch slices and place them on a cookie sheet. Place the sheet under the oven broiler for a few minutes. Be sure to watch it, it can burn quickly after starting to brown.

How to Roast Garlic in the Oven
Ingredients
- Full sized heads of Garlic
- Olive Oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops of the garlic (where the paper comes to a point), then peel as much of the paper off as you can without the cloves falling off. Using your fingers in a rubbing motion works well.
- Place each head of garlic on a small piece of foil, enough to completely wrap the garlic in.
- Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and wrap the foil around each head and place in an oven safe dish.
- Roast the garlic in the oven for about 50 minutes. They will be a nice golden caramel color.
- Let them cool for at least half hour, unwrapped, before gently squeezing the garlic out.
- Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash the garlic and spread on toasted bread, stir into mashed potatoes and use when cooking veggies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Just did this and apparently my oven runs a bit hot. I preheated it to 420 and it was still too much. They’re close to being burnt and I even shut the oven off after about 30 minutes. So just be aware of that being a possibility.
I’m sorry that happened – I’ve never had this issue!
What is the best way to store it after if you don’t use it all?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Mine usually is used up within a couple of days so I can’t speak to how long it’s good for. I imagine it would be good for a while.
An old friend of mine used to do this with the roasted garlic and then add it to cream cheese before spreading it on the bread.
So simple! I have so much garlic right now that I should do this with! Thanks!
EVERYONE needs to have this tutorial in their cooking arsenal!