Easy Smoked Garlic Recipe

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Smoked garlic is a thing of beauty, and if you’ve never had it, you don’t know what you’re missing. These soft, tender, subtly sweet garlic cloves with a hint of smoky flavor will add a depth of flavor to so many of your favorite dishes.

2 heads of smoked garlic on a white plate.

Smoking garlic at home is easier than you think and magically transforms regular garlic into the most flavorful garlic you’ve ever tasted. If you love roasted garlic, smoked garlic is going to rock your world!

Smoked garlic has many uses. It’s a flavorful addition to sauces, marinades, compound butter, and vegetables, and it makes the most incredible garlic bread.

Tri-tip steak with smoked garlic and horseradish sauce on a white platter.

The smoked garlic was a perfect accompaniment for our Smoked Tri-Tip Steak. The buttery, rich flavor seeped into the meat, creating a symphony of flavors that takes deliciousness to the next level.

If you enjoyed making this recipe, make sure to check out our caramelized onions recipe. It’s another delicious way to add flavor to your favorite dishes.

Table of Contents:

Ingredients to make Smoked Garlic

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our easy smoked garlic recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How to Smoke Garlic

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F.
Add your favorite wood chips to the smoke tube. For this recipe, we used hickory wood chips.

We love our electric smoker, but you can also make smoked garlic using a Trager pellet grill, charcoal grill, or gas grill using indirect heat.

Using a sharp knife, slice the top of the bulb of garlic so the fresh garlic cloves are visible.
Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic bulbs, coating the top and letting it seep down into the cloves.
Place the garlic bulbs directly on the wrack of the preheated smoker.
*Place the aluminum foil boat or cast iron pan underneath to catch any drippings from the olive oil during the smoking process.
After the first hour, add more wood chips to the smoke tube and continue to cook for an additional 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Remove the garlic from the smoker and allow to cool slightly before using.

Make a small aluminum foil boat with a rim and place the garlic in it.
*You can also use a cast iron pan or foil pan

There are so many delicious ways to use smoked garlic. It’s a simple and delicious way to add a smoky, earthy, savory flavor to many of your favorite dishes!

Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. For longer storage, remove the individual cloves from the head and place them in an airtight container, covering the cloves with olive oil. Refrigerate for up to 10 days.

You can also freeze the individual room-temperature smoked garlic cloves on a parchment-lined baking sheet; then, when completely frozen, transfer them to a Ziploc freezer bag. You can also place the cloves in an ice cube tray, cover them with olive oil, and place them in the freezer. When completely frozen, pop them out and put them in a Ziploc bag.

Recipe FAQ’s

How can I use smoked garlic in recipes?

You can use it in any recipe that calls for garlic. It adds a smoky, robust flavor to soups, stews, marinades, sauces, salad dressings, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables. It can also be mixed with butter to make a delicious spread for bread or as a topping for meats and seafood.

What does smoked garlic taste like?

It has a rich, smoky flavor that complements garlic’s natural pungency. It’s milder than raw garlic and sauteed garlic and has a slightly sweet, caramelized taste.

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