Air fryer recipe for roasted garlic (Vegan)

There is a restaurant in LA that puts garlic in everything from appetizers through dessert. It is what they are known for.

We went there for Valentine’s Day when David and I just started dating. I think it was the first time that I’d ever had roasted garlic cloves brought to the table along with warm slices of bread.

The softened cloves spread easily onto the bread, like butter. And while people get anxious about the potency of garlic, roasting mellows it out. It has all of the flavor and warmth without any of the sharpness.

Now I roast it at home fairly often. And with the help of this air fryer recipe, roasting garlic just got easier!

In this post:

Use it as a pizza topping

Roasted garlic is one of my favorite pizza toppings.

Since I usually eat my pizza cheeseless, adding roasted cloves gives a dominant flavor to tie everything together. Plus, it has some creaminess and spreadability that gives the essence of cheese without being an actual vegan cheese.

When I’m making pizza it’s easy to throw a garlic head into the air fryer while I’m waiting for the dough to come to room temperature and oven to heat.

Tip: If it isn’t totally creamy before getting added to the pizza, that’s okay since it will still cook for a while longer on top of the pizza.

Use it instead of raw garlic in recipes

Roasted garlic is a lovely warming change to homemade hummus or cilantro basil pesto.

It has a mild sweetness that gives that garlic flavor without the sharpness. Just swap out the raw and put in roasted instead.

Smash it into potatoes

Roasted garlic is a wonderful addition whipped into mashed potatoes or smashed into air fryer baked potatoes.

Use it as a spread

Or you can get really simple and give a nod to that Valentine’s Day appetizer from many years ago by just smearing roasted cloves on toasted baguette.

I like to dip my baguette into extra virgin olive oil & balsamic glaze. Then I smash a clove or two on top of it.

This wintery time of year when a cold kale salad with lemon tahini dressing isn’t quite as appealing, having a side of warm bread with roasted garlic makes that dinner of salad a bit more inviting.

Cut ¼ inch off the top of a head of garlic, showing the cloves underneath.

Drizzle the exposed parts of the cloves with extra virgin olive oil, wrap it in aluminum foil like a pouch, and pop it into the air fryer.

A medium sized head takes about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. The timing will vary depending on the size.

You’ll know it’s done when the cloves have some give to them. You can also pull one clove from the head and smear it onto a cracker to see if it’s ready. If it spreads easily, you’re good to go. If not, continue to air fry in 5 to 10 minute increments until it’s ready.

The head will be hot, of course, when coming out of the air fryer. So allow it to rest for a bit before fully digging into it.

Once it’s had a chance to cool, remove the garlic from the peel by giving each clove a light squeeze. Each one should pop right out of its skin.