Garlic Confit

Garlic confit is the liquid gold of condiments! Oil roasting the cloves on the stovetop or oven makes a versatile spread and oil.

Here’s the gold of the condiment world: garlic confit! Slow roasting garlic cloves in oil turns them golden and brings out a subtle garlic flavor that’s absolutely divine. You can use the jar in two ways: mash the tender garlic onto crusty bread as an appetizer spread, or use the infused oil for cooking. Add it to pizza sauce, vinaigrettes, or use it for sautéing: the sky’s the limit!

What is confit?

Confit is a French word that comes from the root word “to preserve.” In cooking, it refers to any food cooked at a low temperature in grease or oil (or when it comes to fruit, in sugar syrup). This long, slow cooking method makes the food very tender and brings out flavor in a different way than deep frying or roasting does.

The most popular confit is duck confit, which cooks in its own rendered fat. For garlic confit, oil is added so that it cooks low and slow, bringing out a nuanced, mellow garlic flavor.

How to make garlic confit

Garlic confit is simple to make, but it does require one thing: time! It takes about 1 ½ hours to cook it down to golden brown, oil-roasted tenderness. There are two methods for garlic confit: stovetop or oven. We like the stovetop method, but if you’re not able to babysit your stove for 1 ½ hours, the oven works as well. Here is the basic method:

• Peel the garlic cloves. This takes quite a while, but the effort is worth it. (For a shortcut, you can try submerging the cloves in hot water for 15 seconds until the skins peel easily, or this stand mixer method.)
• Add oil. Place the garlic in a small saucepan and add olive oil until it just covers the garlic. If desired, add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano or sage.
• Cook on low for 1 ½ hours. Heat over low heat, reducing the heat to very low once you see bubbles appearing (but do not simmer!). Cook until the garlic turns golden brown, about 1 ½ hours.
• Enjoy or store. Remove the herbs. You can eat immediately or store for later use!

Garlic confit in the oven

Don’t have time to occasionally check on your garlic confit on the stovetop? You can make garlic confit in the oven too. Simply place the garlic and oil in an oven safe container, then bake at 300°F for about 1 ½ hours, until tender and golden.

How to store it

Store homemade garlic confit in its oil in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Keep in mind that while confit is a traditional preservation method, the garlic cannot be stored for long periods of time or without refrigeration because of the risk of bacteria. So once it’s beyond 2 weeks, it’s best to toss and make another batch: if you haven’t eaten it all first!

Ways to serve garlic confit

There are two main components to garlic confit: the tender cloves and the oil used for cooking. You can eat both in different ways! Smash the garlic cloves onto crusty bread as an appetizer, or use the mellow garlic infused oil for cooking. Here are a few ways to serve garlic confit:

• Mash the cloves onto sourdough bread or crostini
• Use the cloves as a pizza topping
• Add the cloves to garlic mashed potatoes
• Use the oil to add a garlicky punch to pizza sauce
• Mix the oil into salad dressings like balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing
• Use the oil for sauteing vegetables, fish or chicken
• Mix the oil with roasted vegetables or grilled vegetables

And that’s it! Let us know how you like to serve your garlic confit and what you think in the comments below.

More garlic recipes

Garlic makes the world go around in our kitchen! Here are a few more garlic recipes to try:

• Make Roasted Garlic
• Go for Easy Garlic Butter or Garlic Bread
• Fire up the oven for Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Roasted Potatoes, or Garlic Fries
• Mix up Garlic Butter Sauce, or preserve the cloves in Pickled Garlic
• Make Honey Garlic Salmon

01

Roasted Garlic

02

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

03

Easy Garlic Butter

04

21 Best Garlic Recipes

This garlic confit recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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