Learn how to roast garlic without foil with my easy hacks!
I love roasted garlic. It’s so mild yet flavorful, and almost buttery-smooth and caramelized.
What I don’t love is wrapping my food in aluminum foil. It just creeps me out.
But most roasted garlic recipes instruct you to do just that. For the longest time I figured there was no way out of it.
Until I started experimenting with different methods…
How to Roast Garlic Without Foil
Today I’m going to show you how to roast garlic without aluminum foil 3 different ways.
Okay, let’s dive in!
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Method 1: Slice and Go
This first method is the simplest and easiest way, because it requires no equipment.
Slice the top off of a head of raw garlic.
Leave all of the papery skin on the garlic. This helps it to roast evenly.
Now the individual cloves are garlic are exposed!
Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on top. You can also use avocado oil if you prefer.
Sprinkle some salt on top…
And grind some pepper on top of that.
Now put the entire head of garlic in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and put the top back on.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the roasted garlic cloves are soft.
And it’s a simple as that!
Now, this method can result in cloves that get kind of browned or even blackened. But it is really handy that you can just slice and go!
Method 2: Parchment Paper Packet
For the second method, you’ll be wrapping the head of garlic in parchment paper.
Follow the steps for preparing the head of garlic above.
Place it on a square of parchment paper.
Gather up the parchment paper around the whole bulb of garlic.
Tie some baker’s twine around the parchment paper, and then tie it into a bow.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the roasted cloves are soft.
Now the disadvantage to this method is you have to untie the whole packet if you want to check for doneness.
But I usually just bake for around 50 minutes and call it good.
If your head of garlic is quite large, you’ll want to go more towards the 1 hour mark, and if it’s smaller, 45 minutes will probably be fine.
Method 3: Ramekin MacGyver
This method is basically a hack your own garlic baker. It’s my personal favorite way to roast garlic without foil.
Prepare the head of garlic the same way as outlined in the previous 2 methods.
Put the head of garlic in a baking dish.
Now invert an oven safe ramekin on top of the head of garlic.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.
The advantage of this method is you can more easily check on the doneness: simply lift the ramekin off!
Also, there’s no need to use up parchment paper or baker’s twine.
Another way to accomplish this is to put the garlic bulbs inside of the ramekin.
Then put a larger ramekin on top to act as a lid.
You can also put the ramekin on right side up if that fits better.
Now carefully slide the whole baking dish into the hot oven for about 45 minutes – 1 hour.
The result will be just fantastic: exquisitely soft garlic cloves!
In hind sight I wish I would have lined the ramekin with parchment paper
The downside to this method is you have to be very careful when you put the pan in the oven, otherwise the ramekin could slide off and break.
So definitely use caution with this method!
So there you have it! Three ways to roast garlic without foil so you get that lovely, mellow flavor. Which method will you try out first?
Storing:
Store any leftover roasted garlic in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
BTW, feel free to roast multiple heads of garlic at once and store the leftovers for later.
How to Use Roasted Garlic:
There are so many uses for roasted garlic! Here are just a few:
- Spread it on toast.
- Put it into salad dressings.
- Stir into mashed potatoes.
- Puree it into soups
Recipes that use Roasted Garlic:
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Soup
- Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia
Here’s a video tutorial in case you learn better that way!
Recipe Card:
How to Roast Garlic Without Foil
Even if you don't have aluminum foil on hand, you can still enjoy oven roasted garlic!
Ingredients
For all Methods:
- 1 head garlic
- 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
For all Methods:
-
Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C).
For the Slice and Go Method:
-
Slice the top off of the head of garlic. Put it in a baking dish. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put the top back on the head of garlic.
-
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cloves are tender.
For the Parchment Paper Method:
-
Slice the top off of the head of garlic. Put it in the middle of a square of parchment paper. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put the top back on the head of garlic.
-
Gather the edges of the parchment paper around the head of garlic and tie it up with some baker's twine, tying it into a bow.
-
Place in a baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cloves are tender.
For the Ramekin Method:
-
Slice the top off of the head of garlic. Put it in a baking dish. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put the top back on the head of garlic.
-
Invert an oven safe ramekin on top of the head of garlic in the baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cloves are tender.
Rachel
Monday 9th of October 2023
This is totally 100% useful and solved my issue with the aluminum foil yuckiness THANK YOU! I searched "roasting garlic without foil" and this was right on top.
D
Wednesday 19th of July 2023
Can roasted garlic be frozen?. I know the oil roasting won't allow for dehydrating, but if several heads are roasted at one time, a longer storage might be preferable.
Bea
Sunday 6th of August 2023
@D, yes! After the garlic is roasted, remove the skins. Then I’ve packed the roasted cloves in ice cube trays or silicon molds and frozen. Pop out the frozen cubes and store them in a zip bag in the freezer. Works great and so convenient!
Virginia
Wednesday 21st of September 2022
All you need to do is put the whole head of garlic, without any cutting, in a pan, drizzle olive oil on it and roast it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. That’s it.
Melissa J
Thursday 22nd of December 2022
@Virginia, seems easy enough! I was thinking though, if you don’t cut the tops; adding any seasonings won’t penetrate the garlic bulbs. Although you can do it like that, seasoning the bulb won’t do it any justice, until after you’ve removed the roasted garlic. Olive oil is used to allow it to cook without burning and maintain heat.
Erica Kastner
Friday 23rd of September 2022
Cool! I'll have to try that sometime!