How to Roast Garlic in the Oven

In this post, we'll show you how to make Roasted Garlic in the oven using muffin tins. This cheap and easy-to-make food can amplify the flavor of any savory recipe. Enjoy it spread on toast, in hummus, on meats, appetizers, or alone. The creamy, rich, roasted garlic flavor is delicious without the pungent taste.

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Garlic is an important recipe ingredient in many cuisines around the world, including Portuguese, which is my heritage. We love it in all formats, but there is nothing quite as gourmet as a roasted bulb of garlic. From the heavenly scent, it produces while baking, to the rich, nutty, taste.

Roasting garlic in the oven takes about 45 minutes. That might sound like a long time, but it's so worth it for the POP of flavor it adds to almost any dish.

Best of all, it is so simple to make without foil thanks to two muffin tins. You all know how much we love muffin tins around here, so it was only natural to share this kitchen hack for roasting garlic bulbs without aluminum foil. Let's explore everything you need to know!

Ingredients

Before starting this recipe, you'll want to verify that you have the following simple ingredients:

• Garlic - This recipe requires full garlic bulbs. I always look for firm, large bulbs with no greenery growing out from them. You want it to be as fresh as possible. Older garlic will start to sprout and be dehydrated looking.
• Olive Oil - Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garlic pair together like peanut butter and jelly. They are a match made in foodie heaven. While you can technically use any oil, E.V.O.O. brings out the flavor of the roasted, sweet garlic.
• Spice - Sticking to the basics of sea salt and freshly crushed pepper is all you need for basic roasted garlic.

Equipment and Supplies Needed

We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.

• Chef's Knife - You will want to use a large, sharp knife to cut ½" of the pointed side top of the garlic. This will expose all the beautiful garlic bulbs.
• Cutting board - The surface needed to cut your garlic on.
• Two (2) 6 or 12-count muffin tins - *We roasted 4 bulbs of garlic and found two of the 6-count muffin tins worked perfectly to roast our garlic without foil.
• Oven - This bakes on the center oven rack at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Recipe Tips

This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Muffin Tin Roasted Garlic comes out perfectly.

Opt for Olive Oil

As mentioned, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garlic pair together like peanut butter and jelly. They are a match made in foodie heaven. While you can technically use any oil, E.V.O.O. brings out the flavor of the roasted, sweet garlic. Canola, Vegetable, Avocado, Coconut, etc. are all okay to use but may affect the final flavor.

Use 2 Muffin Tins Instead of Foil

Here's a tip to roast garlic without aluminum foil:

You'll need 2 muffin tins that are the same size. One muffin tin will hold the garlic bulbs and the second muffin tin will be flipped over on top like a lid to hold the heat during roasting.

Since you are using muffin tins, there is no need to wrap each garlic bulb fully in foil.

Storage

If you want to store your Roasted Garlic just follow these easy steps.

Refrigerator

Store whole heads of roasted garlic for short-term use (up to 4 days) in an airtight jar or bag.

To preserve them longer, squeeze out roasted bulbs into a small mason jar and top the jar off with Extra Virgin olive oil. Cover the jar tightly and store for up to 2 weeks- be sure to label and date for food storage safety.

Freezer

Once cooled, gently squeeze out bulbs, and place them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze cloves fully and then store them in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months.

Recipe

Follow the recipe below to make roasted garlic in the oven! This recipe makes 4 bulbs, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.

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