Oven-Roasted Garlic Confit
Soft, spreadable nuggets of golden-brown roasted garlic cooked low and slow in a bath of olive oil and herbs. Swoon! Garlic confit can be used so many ways like folded into soups and stews, spread across grilled bread, whipped into aioli and more! Find my easy method for how to confit garlic below!
The flavor of garlic confit is rich and nutty. Each clove softens as it cooks in the oil becoming tender, creamy, and spreadable. Garlic confit can be blended it into soups, sauces, folded into creamy whipped potatoes, or spread it onto warm grilled bread. No matter how you use it, adding confit garlic will instantly make any dish more flavorful and complex!
5 Ways to Use Garlic Confit:
- In place of roasted garlic. Garlic confit can be used in place of roasted garlic in almost any recipe. The flavors are very similar!
- Folded into creamy mashed potatoes like these Garlic-Miso Butter Mashed Potatoes.
- Blended into a creamy salad dressing. How good does “roasted garlic caesar dressing” sound? For an extra layer of flavor, swap out raw garlic cloves for garlic confit in this zesty buttermilk caesar dressing.
- Spread on homemade crostini or grilled bread for an easy appetizer.
- Blended into soups to add depth and richness. Check out this Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup by my friend Karen at Family Style Food.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need to make garlic confit is a few simple ingredients: whole garlic bulbs or a store bought pack of pre-peeled garlic cloves, olive oil, fresh thyme and/or rosemary, black peppercorns and a pinch of salt.
If you do decide to use whole garlic bulbs and peel them yourself, check out this video for how to peel garlic fast and efficiently!
Recipe Step by Step:
Step 1. Roast
Place the garlic cloves, herbs, salt and pepper in a high sided baking dish. Pour the oil overtop and bake for 45 minutes or until the cloves are golden brown and tender.
Step 2. Storing
Let the garlic and oil cool completely then transfer the mixture to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Though made differently, roasted garlic and garlic confit are very similar in flavor and texture. Roasted garlic is made by roasting whole heads of garlic until they are deeply golden brown, then squeezing or peeling the cloves out of their skin. With the confit method, peeled garlic cloves are cooked in olive oil low and slow until soft and lightly golden. Roasted garlic has a richer more deeply caramelized flavor while garlic confit is a bit more mellow and nutty.
Garlic confit stays fresh for up to three weeks in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.
You can make garlic confit on the stovetop, though you will need to keep a close eye on the garlic as it cooks and stir frequently to prevent burning. Add all of the ingredients to a pot then simmer on low until the garlic is soft and lightly golden brown.
Check Out More Delicious Recipes
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Oven-Roasted Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- 5 heads garlic, cloves peeled - or 2 heaping cups of store-bought pre-peeled garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 c olive oil
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 5 whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Place the garlic cloves, herbs, salt and pepper into an oven-safe baking dish. Pour the oil on top. The garlic should be at least 75% submerged in oil. If its not switch to a smaller container or add more oil.
- Bake the garlic uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the cloves are soft and golden in color.
- Let cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Peeling garlic is one of my least favorite tasks! I am all for using store bought pre-peeled garlic cloves for garlic confit. Whole Foods sells a big pack in their refrigerated section that’s super-convenient to use. If you do decide to use whole garlic bulbs and peel them yourself, check out this video for how to peel garlic fast and efficiently!
- Rosemary/Thyme/Peppercorns: You can really play around with the herbs and spices here. In the fall you may like to add some fresh sage. In the spring/summer basil or oregano would be nice. Peppercorns are totally optional!
- Leftover garlic confit can be stored covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to thee months.
As a warning to folks using this recipe, DO NOT COOL THE GARLIC IN OIL FOR MORE THAN 2 HOURS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. Doing so can lead to botulism, which causes serious health complications and can be fatal. This disclaimer should really be in the recipe somewhere.
I recommend transferring the garlic to an airtight container and refrigerating or freezing as soon as possible.
I just made this & it turned out amazing!! So simple! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Just made this…Came out great! Thank you!
I put the garlic and olive oil in a jar in the fridge, but the next day the oil was semi solid. Did I use the wrong olive oil? Is there a brand I should use?
Hi Shannon – that is totally normal! Oil solidifies when it’s reaches about 50F. Take the jar out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, or place it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to warm up the oil.
Love! I made this at the same time I had some focaccia rising, so got to use the oil for the top of that. Sooooo good.
If cloves are covered do you have to refrigerate
Yes!
They’re amazing, but do I store them with or without the oil?
Hi Eric – yes, store them in the oil. The oil can be used for sauteing, dressings, or drizzling on bread etc.. enjoy!
Outstanding! My son has a new found love for all things roasted garlic and I wanted to make ground chicken burgers infused with roasted garlic. I keep a large bag of peeled garlic from Costco in my freezer and this recipe worked so well! The garlic consistency was perfect to incorporate into the ground chicken along with other ingredients and the burgers came out perfect! Thank you for such an easy and tasty recipe!
I made this for a friend’s birthday party and it was a huge hit! I’m making it for our next family gathering. Should I stir it throughout the cooking process, that way more cloves get a nice golden brown on them?
Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! If you’re finding that the cloves are not cooking evenly then giving them a stir once or twice throughout the cooking process is a good idea. You may also want to bake them in a smaller baking dish to ensure that they are all evenly submerged in olive oil. That will help with even cooking too.
Super easy and fabulous results. Versatile. Been stirring these lovely golden nuggets into many recipes. Nicely flavored oil.
Thank you Chrissy. I’m so happy to hear you liked this one.