Instant Pot Roasted Garlic | How to Make it Fast

Roasted garlic. Doesn't the sound of it just make your mouth water and taste buds tingle? Use this simple method and your Instant Pot to make roasted garlic when you don't have the time to do it in the oven!

I really like roasted garlic, but I'm not the best at remembering that 45 minutes before supper time. With the traditional roasting method, you roast oiled garlic bulbs wrapped in aluminum foil in the oven for 45-60 minutes! That's a lot of time!

This Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) method takes less than half the time, and although the garlic technically isn't roasted, the end result is pretty darn close. It's also a nice option if you aren't going to be using the oven to cook supper because you don't need to heat it up JUST to roast some garlic. In the summer, you can still have roasted garlic without turning your house into a furnace!

Why Roast Garlic?

Ever tasted raw garlic? It's very strong and almost sharp! Roasting garlic mellows, softens and deepens the flavor. Using roasted garlic in your cooking adds another flavor layer to your dish. It's a simple way to up your cooking game!

You can take your meal prep to the next level and prepare 4-5 days worth of roasted garlic at once to use throughout the week. Don't do more than that, as it should only stay in the fridge for a maximum of 5 days.

Is Roasted Garlic Healthy?

Did you know that Hippocrates (Greek physician) used to prescribe garlic to treat many medical conditions? Yup, it's good stuff! Garlic:

• contains small amounts of many vitamins and minerals
• can fight sickness
• can improve heart health
• contains antioxidants (may reduce the risk of many diseases)
• may benefit bone health

Is Roasted Garlic Keto?

Yes! Since garlic is mainly used to flavor dishes, it will barely add any carbs to your meal. If you eat a whole head or more, then it starts to add a little bit of bulk to your daily carbs, which on a keto diet, are supposed to stay somewhere between 20-25 grams per day.

What to Do With Roasted Garlic

• Eat it plain! Yes, roasting it makes the flavor mellow enough that you can enjoy it on its own! This is something my husband likes to do when he feels a cold coming on. He roasts a whole head of garlic and eats it, so he gets a ton of garlic in him to combat the cold and enjoys it as it goes down.
• Puree with a bit of salt to make a garlic spread. Use it on a slice of bread, toast or crackers. Even just fresh out of the instant pot, you can spread it on toast and it almost just melts in.
• Make garlic butter. Mash roasted garlic cloves with a fork or potato masher in a small bowl and mix with butter and a pinch of salt. Spread on toast, use to saute vegetables or melt on a hot piece of cooked salmon.
• Add to any dish where garlic fits (really, almost any lunch or dinner dish!) Think, steak, chicken, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, soups, spreads (roasted garlic hummus, black bean dip, etc.), pizza. I can guarantee that almost anything you put this on will be improved by it!

Tools You May Need

Instant Pot

Trivet (often comes with Instant Pot)

Tongs

Oven (optional- for broiling after)

Instant Pot Roasted Garlic Ingredient List

2-6 garlic bulbs

1 cup of water

2-6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

Instant Pot Roasted Garlic Method

Place trivet in Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup water (for a 6 quart Instant Pot). If you have a larger model, add more so that the water level is just below the trivet.

Cut about ¼ inch from the top of each head of garlic, exposing the garlic cloves inside. It's okay if not every clove is cut open.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto each bulb, spreading it around to cover the cut surfaces of the cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on trivet in Instant Pot.

Place the lid on, move the valve to "sealing" and set for 8 minutes on high pressure. Turn off the "keep warm" setting. Once done, you can either do a quick pressure release after at least 10 minutes of natural release or allow a full natural release if you have the time. You can then carefully open the valve to release the remaining pressure. Remove bulbs from Instant Pot with tongs.

(Optional) For a nice golden brown color, place on a baking sheet and broil on high for 2-6 minutes (time will depend on how far your garlic is from the element and how golden you like it). Watch closely so as not to burn! You can also remove the water from the inner pot, turn the Instant Pot saute function on and place the cut side of the garlic bulbs down for about 1 minute to brown the tops. (Again, watch closely, that saute function is hot!!)

The garlic should be very soft and easily come out of the papery skin.

How to Store Roasted Garlic

Remove garlic cloves from the skin. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Add Roasted Garlic To...

CRISPY OVEN FRIES FROM SCRATCH

CHINESE VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE MADE WITH PORK

SKIPJACK TUNA RECIPE MADE WITH CANNED TUNA

Let me know in the comments your favorite ways to use roasted garlic!