Garlic confit is slow-cooked garlic at its most seductive; cloves bathed in olive oil until they turn silky, golden, and sweet.
At one of my first restaurant jobs, we served bread with a small dish of golden olive oil with a few cloves of meltingly tender garlic confit in it for dipping. I cannot tell you how many hundreds of times I refilled those little dishes before the appetizer course had yet arrived.
There’s something quietly luxurious about garlic confit. You take a few handfuls of sticky, freshly peeled cloves, drop them into a pool of olive oil with a couple of sprigs of herbs, and let the oven—or your slow cooker—work its magic. Two hours later, you’ve got a golden combination ready to upgrade nearly anything you make. The garlic goes mellow and jammy, and the oil becomes rich with roasted garlic aroma. It’s proof that patience is sometimes the secret ingredient.
Once you’ve made this garlic confit recipe, you’ll wonder how you ever cooked without it. Spoon it onto bruschetta, mash it into potatoes, or use it to slather a roast chicken. The infused oil? Drizzle it over grilled vegetables, sauteed shrimp, or to make a salad dressing, and watch everything glow a little brighter.
Table of Contents
Garlic Confit Ingredients
The shopping list for this garlic confit recipe is about as short as they come. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Garlic: You’ll need about 2 cups (12 ounces) of whole garlic cloves for this recipe. Look for firm heads of garlic with tight skin. Fresh garlic is key; I wouldn’t recommend using garlic that has begun to sprout. Yes, you can use refrigerated pre-peeled garlic. More on this in a moment.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The difference between roasted garlic and garlic confit is that in the latter, the whole, peeled cloves poach gently while submerged in oil, which becomes beautifully infused and flavorful. Roasted garlic uses less oil and is covered with a dish or foil. For the best flavor, I like to start with a high-quality extra virgin olive oil like our Nocellara, from Sicily. Another name for Castelvetrano olives, I think this oil’s smooth, rich, and buttery profile makes it ideal for this application.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme adds a subtle herbal note that adds dimension, while rosemary adds a wonderfully savory, woodsy aroma that perfumes both the oil and the garlic. Both are optional! I throw them in because these herbs grow like crazy where I live. Feel free to leave them out or use 1/2 teaspoon of each in dried form.
- Kosher salt seasons the garlic, which I think enhances the garlic’s natural sweetness as it cooks.
- Whole black peppercorns: A few peppercorns infuse the oil with gentle warmth and complexity without muddying the color of the oil, which ground pepper might.
How to Make Garlic Confit in the Oven
With just a few minutes of prep and a little patience, you’ll have a big jar of spreadable garlic and golden, aromatic oil you’ll want to drizzle on everything. Here’s how to do it:
- Prep the garlic: Use a paring knife to trim the stem end of 2 cups (12 ounces) whole garlic cloves. Peel the garlic by placing the cloves, in batches, in a large bowl. Overturn a second bowl of the same size on top and pinch the edges of the bowls together to make a capsule. Shake vigorously, pausing every 10 shakes or so to remove peeled cloves. Repeat as necessary until all garlic is peeled. Alternatively, you can use a silicone garlic peeler to peel the garlic or start with 12 ounces of pre-peeled cloves.
- Get ready: Preheat your oven to 250°F. Add the peeled garlic, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns to an 8 x 8-inch baking dish or a loaf pan. If you like, add 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, tucking the herbs down into the oil so they’re submerged. It’s ok if the garlic floats and the cloves are not completely submerged.
- Confit the garlic: Bake the garlic, uncovered, for 2 hours. For the first hour, it will appear that little is happening, but in the second hour you’ll see the oil bubbling gently. It’s ready once the garlic cloves are lightly browned and completely tender. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The olive oil will seize slightly in the fridge, but bring it to room temperature to use, and it will re-liquefy. Freeze for longer storage.
How to Make Garlic Confit in the Slow-Cooker
To make garlic confit in a slow cooker, add the garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt, and peppercorns to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the garlic is completely soft and spreadable.
Pre-Peeled Garlic vs. Freshly Peeled Garlic
Curious to know if using whole pre-peeled garlic cloves would impact the results of this recipe, I made two batches of garlic confit side by side.
For one batch, I peeled whole garlic cloves from fresh heads. For the second, I used store-bought pre-peeled garlic cloves, measuring them both by weight. I cross-tested 12 ounces of each in identical tempered glass pans, using the same bottle of olive oil.
I noticed that the pre-peeled garlic had a way more intense aroma even through the packaging. I wondered if that would mean the finished product would have a sharper flavor.
Once cooked, I could detect no difference between them. I’m delighted to share that this is one instance where I think it’s totally fine to take a shortcut, and I would definitely reach for the pre-peeled cloves as a time-saver in the future!
How to Use Garlic Confit
I think garlic confit should be a candidate for a fridge staple! It’s so endlessly versatile, an easy way to upgrade almost any savory dish. Here are a few places it shines.
- With bread: Enjoy the cloves and their oil as is for dipping a baguette into or use them to top a batch of rosemary focaccia or an easy shortcut to homemade garlic bread. You can also spread the cloves onto crostini and finish them with a little flaky salt.
- As an ingredient: Use garlic confit to make roasted garlic mashed potatoes or roasted garlic hummus. It’s also wonderful smushed into a seasoning paste on a pork loin, under the skin of a roast chicken, or paired with fresh rosemary on roast lamb.
- Tossed with pasta: Toss both the cloves and oil with your favorite homemade or store-bought pasta to make a version of spaghetti aglio e olio, Italy’s famous garlic and olive oil pasta. It adds a mellow richness to the dish that’s wonderful with a little spice and parsley. It also plays well in nearly any other pasta recipe!
- Paired with cheese: Garlic confit’s mellow sweetness pairs beautifully with creamy cheeses like burrata, mozzarella, fresh goat cheese, or labneh. Add a dish of cloves to a mezze platter or charcuterie board.
- Mixed into a dressing: Don’t waste that gorgeous garlic-infused olive oil! Whisk it into your favorite salad dressing recipe or drizzle it over roasted or grilled vegetables for an instant upgrade.
How to Store Garlic Confit
- Garlic confit must be stored in the refrigerator in a clean container. The olive oil will solidify slightly; bring it to room temperature to use, and it will re-liquefy.
- It will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- You can freeze it for longer storage, just remember to thaw it in the refrigerator before using.
- Do not store it on the countertop due to the risk of bacterial growth.
More Recipes For Garlic Lovers
How To
How to Roast Garlic
Soups and Stews
Garlic Soup with Aleppo Pepper Oil and Fried Garlic
How To
How to Mince Garlic
Sides and Small Plates
Boiled Potatoes with Garlic and Fresh Herbs
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Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- 2 cups (12 ounces) whole garlic cloves
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the garlic. Use a paring knife to trim the stem end of each clove. Peel the garlic by placing the cloves, in batches, in a stainless steel prep bowl. Overturn a second bowl of the same or similar size on top and pinch the edges of the bowls together to make a capsule. Shake vigorously, pausing every ten shakes or so to remove peeled cloves. Repeat as necessary until all garlic is peeled.
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 250°F. Add peeled garlic, olive oil, salt, and peppercorns to a 8×8 baking dish or loaf pan. If using, tuck the herbs down into the oil so they’re submerged. It’s ok if the garlic floats and the cloves are not completely submerged. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Confit the garlic. Bake the garlic, uncovered, for 2 hours. For the first hour, it will appear that little is happening, but in the second hour you’ll see the oil bubbling gently. It's ready once the garlic cloves are lightly browned and completely tender. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil used in this recipe.
- To Use Dried Herbs: Feel free to use 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme leaves or rosemary in dried form.
- Slow cooker method: Add garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt, and peppercorns to the bowl of a slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the garlic is completely soft and spreadable.
- How to Store Garlic Confit:
- Garlic confit must be stored in the refrigerator in a clean container. The olive oil will solidify slightly; bring it to room temperature to use, and it will re-liquefy.
- It will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- You can freeze it for longer storage, just remember to thaw it in the refrigerator before using.
- Do not store it on the countertop due to the risk of bacterial growth.
- Nutrition Information is calculated per tablespoon of garlic confit in oil.
Nutrition
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