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These roasted garlic cloves are wonderfully creamy and flavorful. They're ready in just 30 minutes and are very easy to make.
They make a wonderful topping for bread, mashed cauliflower, meat, or cooked vegetables.
While raw garlic is sharp and pungent, cooked garlic is creamy, flavorful, and mild in comparison to raw.
These roasted garlic cloves are a delicacy. It's amazing how cooking eliminates their sharpness, replacing it with a creamy sweetness.
Ingredients
You'll only need three simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Peeled garlic cloves: You'll need two or three heads of garlic for this recipe. To make life easier, you can buy peeled garlic cloves at many grocery stores.
- Olive oil: I love cooking with this delicious oil. It adds wonderful flavor to the garlic.
- Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use by half.
Variations
I don't usually vary the basic recipe. It's really good, and I find that there really isn't much need for spices and seasonings, since the garlic itself is so very flavorful.
The best way to change this recipe is to use melted butter instead of olive oil to coat the garlic. The combination of garlic, butter, and salt is wonderful.
One more thing that I sometimes do is to sprinkle the garlic cloves ever so lightly with some dried thyme. It adds an interesting layer of flavor to the dish.
Roasted Garlic Cloves Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
- You start by placing the garlic cloves in a bowl and coating them in olive oil. I use about one tablespoon of oil. (Photos 1-2).
- Next, arrange them on a rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet. Season them with salt. (Photo 3).
- Bake them in the oven until they are tender, golden, and creamy. (Photo 4).
- Depending on how hot your oven runs, this should take between 20-30 minutes in a 400°F oven, and you should stir them midway through baking. (Photos 5-6).
Expert Tip
Most recipes for roasted garlic use a whole garlic head, but I'm a lazy cook and I can't stand peeling it! So I use peeled garlic cloves that I get at Whole Foods. It's just as tasty and it's so much easier.
Recipe FAQs
Can you really eat garlic cloves?
Personally, I wouldn't eat them raw. But when roasted, the answer is yes! You can even eat them on their own if you wish - you'll be amazed at how creamy and sweet they become in the oven.
But most people, myself included, use them as a topping or addition to other recipes.
Can I make this recipe without oil?
No, you can't. The garlic cloves should be coated in some type of fat such as olive oil or melted butter prior to being baked.
Should I bake the garlic covered or uncovered?
You should roast them uncovered. You want them to roast, not to steam, and you want to brown them. The best way to achieve that is to avoid covering them.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use roasted garlic cloves! Here are just a few suggestions:
- Mash them on top of warm slices of almond flour bread.
- Use them to top mashed cauliflower or mashed butternut squash.
- They make a great topping for vegetables such as roasted radishes, steamed broccoli, roasted green beans, roasted vegetables, and roasted asparagus.
- Add them as a topping to salads such as asparagus salad, steak salad, or keto chicken salad.
- They make a great addition to soft-scrambled eggs, microwave eggs, or fluffy scrambled eggs.
- They're excellent with slow-cooked meats such as beef cheeks, slow cooker beef ribs, or boneless short ribs.
- Try them as a hamburger topping! I love them with turkey burgers, lamb burgers, and bison burgers.
- I also like adding them to pasta and noodle dishes such as Hearts of Palm pasta, zucchini noodles, and spaghetti squash noodles.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. They'll be just as good as when freshly cooked.
- Roasted Onions
- Quick Pickles
- Roasted Red Onions
- Pickled Red Onions
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Recipe Card
4.98 from 272 votes
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Roasted Garlic Cloves
These roasted garlic cloves make a wonderful topping for warm bread, mashed cauliflower, or any cooked vegetable.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 56kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
Ingredients
- 24 garlic cloves peeled (from 2-3 heads of garlic)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with high-heat-resistant parchment paper.
Place the garlic cloves in a bowl. Add the olive oil and mix to coat.
Spread the garlic cloves on the prepared baking sheet, in a single layer. Season them with salt.
Bake until golden brown and fork-tender, stirring halfway through cooking. Depending on your oven, the total baking time should be between 20-30 minutes.
Video
Notes
Variations:
The best way to change this recipe is to use melted butter instead of olive oil to coat the garlic. The combination of garlic, butter, and salt is wonderful.
One more thing that I sometimes do is to sprinkle the cloves ever so lightly with some dried thyme. It adds an interesting layer of flavor to the dish.
Leftovers:
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. They'll be just as good as when freshly cooked.
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Nutrition per Serving
Serving: 6garlic cloves | Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 143mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.2g
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Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
More Vegetable Recipes
- Fried Cabbage
- Roasted Eggplant
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Green Beans with Bacon
About the Author
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Bonnie Bercume
I love onions. I panic when I run out! For those people who don't like them raw I would recommend VIDALIAs which are SWEET in their raw form. You didn't specify what type of onions you use.
Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Bonnie,
I think you meant to leave this comment on this roasted onions recipe. I use yellow onions. You are absolutely correct about Vidalia onions!Reply
Steph
Thanks for making a recipe that isn’t based on whole heads of garlic! It’s so much cheaper to get a bag of peeled cloves at sams club than to buy them whole. I used this for Guy Fieri’s garlic aioli. Yum!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Steph! Glad you found this recipe useful.
Reply
