This smooth and buttery Garlic Confit recipe is a simple recipe with many uses! Try it on a goat cheese appetizer, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, mixed in mayo and so many more!
It can be smeared into a paste or eaten whole. Mix a little paste in this deviled eggs with relish recipe! The garlic and garlic infused oil has a sweeter more mellow flavor than fresh garlic.
Better yet, you can keep and use the garlic-infused olive oil! I use it while cooking veggies, making salad dressings, over burrata cheese and in my pasta with parmesan cheese. Garlic confit is as easy as putting all the ingredients into a baking dish submerged in oil then forgetting about it for a few hours while it cooks low and slow.
We use the confit method frequently in the kitchen at work. A few of our favorites include mushrooms, tomatoes, duck and garlic. Slather a little garlic toast with any of that and I'm happy as a clam!
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What Is Confit?
Confit is a French term that means 'preserved' and refers to the slow cooking process and storing of a meat in fat. Duck confit is one of most widely known confit recipes. Often times, the meat is salt cured before this process.
Duck confit is cooked in its own fat, duck fat. For this recipe, we'll use olive oil for the confit cooking process.
This term can be used in other recipes besides meat. For instance, garlic confit, tomato confit and lemon confit. During the process of making tomatoes confit, the cherry tomatoes with caramelize slightly.
When using a confit method for garlic, the olive oil allows the garlic to preserve its shape and texture. In general, confit cooking will give an end result that is soft, moist and flavorful.
Keep the oven at a low temperature, around 250°F so you can slow cook your food. Do not rush the process and boil it in fat.
For more in depth information on the confit cooking method, this article is a good read.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This Garlic Confit recipe is easy!! All you need to do is add the ingredients to one baking dish then let it cook low and slow in the oven. The end result is a soft buttery oven roasted garlic confit.
- This yummy garlic can go on so many things!! Mashed potatoes, hummus, garlic chicken pasta, toast and a charcuterie board just to name a few!
- The flavor is so delicious! Jazz up any dish with a little garlic confit. Not to mention all the health benefits of garlic!
Recipe Ingredients
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add any fresh herbs you like to the baking dish before making oven roasted garlic confit. Basil, thyme and rosemary work well.
- Any neutral flavored oil will work with this recipe.
- Add squeezed lemons or cherry tomatoes to the recipe. Cherry tomato confit with garlic is great for appetizers and spicy lobster pasta!
- Add some crushed red pepper for a little spice!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions. If you replace any ingredients, please let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Garlic Confit
Making this garlic confit recipe may be one of the easiest things you've done. Follow the step-by-step directions below!
Step 1: Preheat oven to 250°F. Add garlic, oil and salt to baking dish. Garlic should be just barely covered in oil.
Step 2: Bake 2 hours or until garlic is soft and golden brown.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Turning the oven temp up to speed along the confit cooking process is not a good idea. Low and slow is the way to go with this garlic recipe.
- Keep the garlic-infused olive oil! The flavored oil is great for harissa hummus, marinated olives, pastas, salad dressings and other recipes.
- Buy peeled garlic and save yourself some labor. It's perfectly fine to do, we use it in the restaurant industry all the time!
Storage
Refrigeration
This roasted garlic confit recipe is best stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Mason Jars or Tupperware work well. When using this storage method, oven roasted garlic confit is good for up to one month.
The garlic oil will solidify in the fridge. Take out the portion you're using, let it sit at room temp or heat it to bring the oil back to a liquid.
Freezing
Alternatively, you can freeze garlic confit for up to two months. The best method for doing so is freezing garlic along with the garlic infused oil in ice cube trays. This way it's easy to pop out a serving or two to use at one time.
Frequently Asked Questions
The short answer is no. Using a low and slow confit cooking method is ideal to get the same end result. Turning the heat up and cooking faster will not have the same soft, buttery and mellow flavor.
If you cook and store this garlic confit recipe correctly then you can rule out the risk of botulism. Simply store the confit in the fridge, below 40 degrees for 2 weeks or less. According to the Center For Disease Control, botulism grows in areas of low acidity, low sugar, without oxygen and in the temperature range of 40°F-140°F, also known as the temperature danger zone.
By all means, yes! Peeled whole garlic is the best way to go. Who wants to peel 45-60 cloves of garlic?!
Yes you can. Make oven roasted garlic confit up to two weeks ahead of time, stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Drizzle a little over this classic French stew!
More Appetizers You'll Love
Recipe
Garlic Confit Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 heads garlic peeled (about 45-60 cloves)
- 1½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F
- Add garlic, oil and salt to baking dish. Garlic should be just barely covered in oil
- Bake 2 hours or until garlic is soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and serve with bread, steak, pasta, antipasto platter or charcuterie
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