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Garlic confit is a simple and delicious recipe that involves slow-cooking garlic cloves in oil until they become soft, creamy, and aromatic. This versatile dish can be used as a spread for bread, or added to mashed potatoes, pasta, or roasted vegetables for a touch of garlicky goodness.
Try this spooned over our Best Baked Pork Tenderloin, as the olive oil base for our Easy Bread Dip, or dip Air Fryer French Fries into the garlic oil – this easy recipe is ultra indulgent!
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of contents
Oil Poached Garlic
Confit sounds intimidating – but it’s really just the French term for poaching something in oil instead of water. Poaching = water; confit = oil. Slowly roasting garlic in oil leads to a rich, sweet, and pungent garlicky spread that is good on just about everything.
This recipe is so delicious, you’ll want it on everything you eat – and don’t be surprised when you wouldn’t mind rolling around in it, too!
Garlic confit is a versatile and delicious recipe that involves slow-cooking garlic cloves in oil until they become tender and flavorful. The resulting garlic cloves are soft, creamy, and incredibly aromatic, with a mild, slightly sweet flavor that is less pungent than raw garlic. The oil used in the cooking process also takes on a rich garlic flavor, making it a great addition to dressings, sauces, and marinades.
Garlic confit can be served in a variety of ways. It is a perfect spread for crusty bread, or can be used to add depth of flavor to mashed potatoes, pasta dishes, or roasted vegetables. The garlic-infused oil can be used in salad dressings or as a cooking oil for sautéing meats or vegetables. The possibilities are endless, and once you start using garlic confit in your cooking, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. So, next time you want to add a touch of garlic flavor to your dishes, give garlic confit a try and savor its creamy, garlicky goodness.
The garlic-infused oil can also be used in dressings or as a cooking oil for sautéing meats or vegetables. Try making garlic confit and elevate the flavor of your dishes with its mild, sweet garlic flavor and rich aroma.
We’re going to show you two methods to make this magical garlic – you can either pop it in your oven, or slowly simmer on your stove, with our methods below.
How to Make Garlic Confit
To make this recipe, you will need:
- Garlic cloves: Garlic is the star ingredient of garlic confit and is responsible for the mild, sweet flavor and rich aroma of the dish. The cloves become soft and creamy during the slow-cooking process, making them a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is the traditional oil used in garlic confit and is a key ingredient that provides a rich, garlicky flavor to the dish. The oil is also used to cook the garlic cloves, ensuring that they become soft and tender.
- Red pepper flakes, optional: Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat and spice to the garlic confit. They are optional and can be adjusted to taste.
- Italian herbs, optional: Italian herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or bay leaves are often used to add flavor to garlic confit. These herbs provide a subtle, aromatic flavor that complements the garlic and olive oil. Other herbs and spices such as parsley, oregano, or black pepper can also be used, depending on personal preference.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:
- Prep. To make garlic confit, you will need whole garlic cloves, olive oil, and some herbs or spices, such as thyme, rosemary, or bay leaves. You can make this recipe two ways – in the oven, or on the stove. Begin by peeling the garlic cloves and placing them in a small, oven-safe dish or a pan. Cover the garlic with olive oil, making sure all the cloves are submerged. Add in your chosen herbs or spices.
- To Bake: To bake, cover the dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for around an hour, until the garlic is soft and golden.
- Stovetop: To make on the stove, heat garlic just until oil begins to bubble, then reduce to medium low and let garlic slowly soften for 1-1.5 hours, until golden and soft enough to be squished with light pressure from a fork.
- To Use: Let cool and store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Garlic Confit
Use good quality garlic: Choose fresh, firm garlic bulbs that are free of bruises or soft spots. The quality of your garlic will affect the final flavor of your garlic confit.
Use a low temperature: Cooking garlic confit at a low temperature, around 325°F, or medium-low on the stove, will help prevent the garlic from burning and becoming bitter. Slow cooking at a low temperature also allows the garlic to become soft and tender.
Cover the garlic completely with oil: Be sure to cover the garlic completely with oil to prevent it from drying out during the cooking process. Use enough oil to fully submerge the garlic cloves.
Use herbs or spices: Adding herbs or spices, such as thyme, rosemary, or bay leaves, to your garlic confit will enhance the flavor and aroma of the dish. You can experiment with different herbs and spices to find your favorite combination.
Let the garlic cool in the oil: After the garlic confit is cooked, let it cool in the oil before transferring it to a container for storage. This will allow the garlic to fully absorb the flavor of the oil.
Store in the refrigerator: Garlic confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Make sure to keep it in an airtight container and cover the garlic with the oil to prevent it from drying out.
FAQs
Garlic confit is a dish made by slow-cooking garlic cloves in oil until they become tender, creamy, and flavorful.
Garlic confit has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that is less pungent than raw garlic. The garlic cloves become soft and creamy, and the oil takes on a rich garlic flavor.
Garlic confit can be used as a spread for bread, added to mashed potatoes, pasta, or roasted vegetables, used in dressings or sauces, or used as a cooking oil for sautéing meats or vegetables.
Garlic confit can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Yes, garlic confit can be frozen in an airtight container for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Yes, you can use other oils such as vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil. However, olive oil is the traditional oil used in garlic confit and adds to the overall flavor of the dish.
You can make garlic confit on the stovetop by gently simmering the garlic cloves in oil on low heat for about an hour until tender.
What to Serve With Garlic Confit
Garlic confit is a perfect addition to pasta like Lemon Zucchini Pasta, or even Easy Greek Orzo Pasta Salad.
We love to spread garlic confit on breads like Overnight Garlic Herb Focaccia, The Best Easy No Knead Bread, and even with Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread. It’s a knockout spread on Wine Grilled Cheese, too.
The rich flavors of roasted garlic are great when used to make the grilled bread croutons in our Salade de Chèvre Chaud (a magical salad with bubbly hot goat cheese croutons), or blended to emulsify in our Easy Champagne Vinaigrette.
You can also use this garlic alongside (or in) our Best Easy Bread Dip recipe for an over the top snack with bread!
Try these other dips and spreads:
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Garlic Confit
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic, cloves peeled, with hulls discarded
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons Italian herbs blend
Instructions
- To make garlic confit, you will need whole garlic cloves, olive oil, and some herbs or spices, such as thyme, rosemary, or bay leaves. You can make this recipe two ways – in the oven, or on the stove.
- Begin by peeling the garlic cloves and placing them in a small, oven-safe dish or a pan.
- Cover the garlic with olive oil, making sure all the cloves are submerged. Add in your chosen herbs or spices.
- To bake, cover the dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for around an hour, until the garlic is soft and golden.
- To make on the stove, heat garlic just until oil begins to bubble, then reduce to medium-low and let garlic slowly soften for 1-1.5 hours, until golden and soft enough to be squished with light pressure from a fork.
- Let cool and store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve used the oil from the confit garlic in mashed potatoes and they were the best mashed potatoes ever. Got so many compliments and people are always asking how I managed to make them so creamy
Thats a great way to use it! Ill have to try it myself!
First time I’ve roasted garlic it came out great. The only issue was that I didn’t make enough my daughter added it to her mash potatoes, my granddaughter loves garlic she ate half of it . I like it on crusty bread. Delicious
So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this recipe using stove top. Came out AMAZING. Never knew that garlic could be soo buttery and creamy. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe.
Can garlic confit be canned in a water bath
Yes! You can also freeze it. I like to use an ice cube tray to freeze it then you can transfer those to a ziplock bag and freeze till you need them. You can reheat them or add them straight to a hot pan as you need garlic confit!