When garlic is slow cooked in olive oil with lots of herbs, something magical happens to it! Garlic confit has a soft and velvet like texture and a sweet and mild flavor. You can use the garlic and garlic-infused oil in absolutely everything you cook!
Garlic Confit
I find garlic confit to be one of the most beautiful things you can cook. Confit is a French cooking technique where something is cooked in lots of fat at a low heat and for a very long time. You’re probably most familiar with duck confit. While duck confit is made by slow cooking the duck in its own fat, garlic confit is made with butter or, my personal preference, a high quality extra virgin olive oil. For this reason, I have used Rich Glen Olive Oil. You can confit absolutely anything you like from tomato confit to salmon confit by using this technique.
Cooking Garlic Confit
The garlic is fully submerged in olive oil and simmers away until golden and brown and slightly caramelised. It will be soft to touch and have a buttery and velvet like texture that will melt at the slightest touch. To test the tenderness of the garlic, remove a clove and see if it can easily spread onto a piece of toast. I have infused the olive oil with extra flavour from the thyme leaves.
If you are still looking for a little extra flavour you can add rosemary, black peppercorns, bay leaves, lemon zest, flakey sea salt or dried chili flakes. Garlic confit can be made in the oven or on the stovetop in a saucepan. Once the garlic is cooked, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and place into sterilised jars. Fully submerge the garlic cloves with the garlic oil and use it as a cooking oil in anything you make!
How to serve garlic confit
You can use the garlic confit in almost anything from a pasta sauce, dips such as hummus, spreads on toast or sandwiches to the base of a comforting soup and salad dressing. You can also use them to make the most delicious roasted potatoes you will ever eat! The strong pungent garlic flavour softens and sweetens when it’s cooked confit style. This is why you might see me using double or even triple the amount of regular garlic! Garlic confit is a great protein that can be used in absolutely anything and everything!
Storing Garlic Confit
There are a few very important rules to follow when storing garlic confit. This is to avoid something called botulism.
Refrigerator – Once the garlic confit has slightly cooled, transfer them to sterilised air tight jars and place straight into the fridge. It’s important your garlic confit does not sit out at room temperature as this is when toxins that are created by the spores of bacteria that can increase the risk of botulism.
Timing – Confit is traditionally a preserving method and can allow the garlic to keep for several months. However, to be on the safe side I recommend to keep it for 2 – 3 weeks when stored correctly.
Peeling garlic cloves
I have tried every possible method out there on how to best peel garlic cloves. While you can resort to a big bag of pre-peeled garlic cloves, I always prefer to use fresh garlic.
Shake – You can place the garlic cloves into a jar, pop the lid on and shake them until the skin is removed. You need to shake the jar for a long time and you will get a sore arm!
Boiling hot water – In a glass bowl, fully submerge the garlic with boiling hot water and leave to sit for 5 minutes. The skin will loosen and will slide right off. This is my favourite technique for peeling lots of garlic!
Microwave – place the garlic into the microwave for 10 seconds and then skin should become loose. I don’t like this method as the garlic can slightly cook and also be very hot to touch!
Check out my other confit recipes:
Wild garlic confit & rosemary focaccia
Garlic confit crispy roasted potatoes
Garlic confit herb butter steak
Cheesy focaccia with tomato & garlic confit
If you make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- 6 heads garlic
- 3 cups Rich Glen olive oil
- 6 sprigs of thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius.
- Peel the garlic by breaking the cloves away and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Submerge in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and drain. The skin will become loose and easy to peel away.
- Place the garlic cloves and thyme into an ovenproof dish and fully submerge in olive oil. It's important the garlic is fully submerged in the olive oil so it does not burn. Bake for 2 hours or until the garlic has browned in colour.
- Allow to cool and store in an airtight container or jar for up to several weeks in the fridge.
That looks like more than 3 tablespoons of oil.
Thank you for pointing that out! It should have read 3 cups olive oil. I have now made that change.
Delicioso.
Thank you!
Hi it looks amazing but I wanted to ask if it was possible to make it on the stove and not in the oven
My oven is broken..
Yes you can! Just make sure the burner is on the lowest heat and the olive oil is at a slight bubble.
I am so excited to make this, here do I find the recipe for the baby pickled mushroom that you serve with this on Instagram?
You can buy them at a local deli or market that stocks them! I will be posting a recipe for them shortly though 🙂
Your IG account shows the garlic confit with chanterelle mushrooms – do you happen to have a recipe as to how you prepared the chanterelles?
You can buy that at your local deli or market but I will be posting a recipe on how to make them soon!
Do I have to wait for a week or can I eat it right away?
Eat your garlic confit right away! If you have leftovers, store it in a jar with the cloves fully submerged in the olive oil for up to 2 or 3 weeks.
Hello, I have enjoyed your videos a lot on tik tok🥰and I’ve tried the recipe
It is very awesome, thank you bery much❤️
Thank you very much! I am so glad you like the recipe 🙂
Thank you for this amazing recipe!!! Greetings from Crete Greece 😊
Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Cannot wait to try this! What does the temperature need to be for the oven?
It needs to be at 120 degrees Celsius. I hope you enjoy it!
Daen
Lovely dish and amazingly versatile….when you say 120° is this in a fan assisted oven?….the post with the bruschetta with confit garlic and tomatoes made me want to cook straight away!….thank you…Brian
Thank you Brian! 140 is for a conventional oven. If you are using a fan assisted oven I would use 120 degrees celsius. I hope that helps!
Can you use regular live virgin oil? How spicy is this with your brand? Looks yummy!
Extra Virgin Olive Oils works perfectly in this recipe!
Thanks for this! roughly how long do u keep the garlic in the oven and at what temperature? Isn’t it supposed to be a low temperature for a long time? Help a sister out with some numbers!
Hello! All cooking times and length are written in the recipe 🙂
First let me say that I love your recipes and I am a garlic lover myself! With that being said I was making the garlic confit last night and 120° C is 240 Fahrenheit I did not know this and so of course I put my oven as low as it would go cooked it for 2 hours and my garlic was still raw LOL I sat it on top of the stove overnight and this morning I put it in at 240 but my olive oil still isn’t bubbling and it’s been almost an hour what am I doing wrong?
Oh no! I am really not too sure what happened! Did you turn the oven up slightly higher? You just need to get it so the oil has a slight bubble and it should take no longer than 2 hours (that’s also for a huge batch of garlic). Sounds like there may be an issue with your oven!
It’s going to take a while at that temp and depending on your setup for the setup to bubble. Trust the process but know your equipment- if it’s not bubbling after 90 minutes crank it by 15 or 20 Fahrenheit
Great recipe! But after a day of it in the fridge…..the oil has now solidified with the garlic in there. So does it need to be heated before use? Should it do this?
Thank you! Olive oil will always congeal in the fridge and for this reason most antipasto vegetables you find at the deli are in vegetable or canola oil. It is still perfectly fine and will soften once you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes. If you are using the olive oil and garlic in soups, stews or sauces that need to be cooked just throw it straight in!
I cannot wait to make this! Quick question however, I love the dish so curious as to where you got it or the brand if your willing to share 🙂
Thank you
Thank you so much! It is by le Creuset.
The person I’ll be making this for is allergic to olives and olive oil. Would this recipe work with a good quality avocado oil?
Avocado oil should work! I have never tried it myself but have seen people do it. Let me know how it goes!
Tried with avocado oil and sliced avocados on top and it turned out amazing!!
Sounds like an incredible combo! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
What are your favorite ways to use the garlic confit? I definitely want to try making a focaccia with it, and already did it with bread, burrata, prosciutto, and hot honey, but would love ideas for other ways to use it!
You can use garlic confit in almost anything! I love throwing it into my stews, pasta sauces or salad dressings. I also just made a garlic confit puff pastry that I can’t wait to share with you all.
To start with, I rarely comment on anything. So bare that in mind when I say this is a wonderful recipe. I originally saw this posted on Instagram with the tomato confit, and ricotta cheese on toast. I made it as in the post for my wife and daughter, and they absolutely loved it. I have a hundred year family recipe for a soup I’m going to us the garlic confit with. Thank you for this
What a beautiful comment! I am so glad you liked it and I am sure it will make your soup very delicious!
Thank you for this recipe, I’ll have to make it and try incorporating it in my sourdough bread. I do have a quick question: do you discard of thyme prior to jarring the confi and placing it in the fridge? Also, does the thyme have to be fresh, or would dehydrated thyme also work? Thank you!
Definitley don’t discard the thyme. It will continue to infuse the olive oil when you’re storing the garlic. Also, you can use any herbs you like! I wouldn’t recommend using dried herbs as it will disrupt with the texture of the oil but that is really a personal preference!
Thank you so much fo this recipe. I’ m a garlic lover and I can’t wait to make the confit, but I wanted to know if it’s possible to use a slow cooker. Again many thanks 😃😃
I have never tried it in the slow cooker before so I’m not sure if it would work or not. You can also cook it on the stove top on a low heat for the same amount of time.
Thank you very much!!!
Garlic confit is amazing and I use it anywhere I can add it))))) may I ask, why you refer to it as “your garlic confit”? I believe garlic confit has been around since way before you or I were even born… just curious, as when you write “my garlic confit”, it sounds like it’s something you originally created
I reference the origins of garlic confit in this post!
This is the food of the gods! So delicious, and we’re also making the aioli with it and putting that on everything. Is there anything better than garlic? I think not. Thanks for such a great recipe; given the cost of garlic ($1.00 per small head), I might just have to grow my own given how much of it we use! Thanks again!
Thank you for that lovely feedback! I appreciate it so much.
I have been loving this! I’m wondering though, how do I know when the garlic has gone bad? How long is the infused leftover oil good for? Does the infused oil also have to be refrigerated? Thank you!
Hello! To safely store the garlic confit, ensure it’s fully submerged in olive oil. If i am using the olive oil faster than the garlic confit, I top it up with some fresh olive oil. I keep it in the fridge for up 2 weeks and never leave it out at room temp!
Thank you! You keep the garlic for up to 2 weeks but what about the oil? If you have a lot of oil leftover, can you throw away the garlic and keep the oil? Sorry I have so many questions haha I made this 3 weeks ago and it still seems fine (both garlic and oil) but I dk how to know for sure. I just ate some so hopefully it’s fine 😆
Hi! Would this recipe work with a regular mix of sunflower & olive
oil?
I can’t see why it wouldn’t! Any oil should work fine in this recipe but I like to use olive oil for its flavour and health benefits.
Can you eat it hot or do you have to wait until it’s refrigerated?
You can eat it hot and cold!
Nossa! As suas receitas parecem uma poesia de tão delicadas e belas! Estou encantada com o seu conteúdo! Muito obrigada por permitir conhecê-la.
Grande beijo de uma admiradora do Brasil 🇧🇷
Thank you!
Thank you for this simply amazing and yummy Garlic confit recipe! I needed to use up my shallots and grapes tomatoes so I added them to the confit. I made the confit this morning to have for lunch with my homemade crusty rosemary bread and it was sublime. Cheers from Monterey Bay, California. P.S. Love the photos!
I am so glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving that lovely comment.
I just love your recipes. Garlic Confit is absolutely amazing.
I have looked everywhere for your puff pastry recipe. I can’t find it to save my soul. Help. I want to make your garlic galette
Can’t wait to make!
Thank you so much! You will be able to find it if you search “potato tart” or “tomato galette”. Enjoy!
This looks absolutely amazing!
I want to try the method of peeling lots of garlic by using boiling water. I’m either not reading it properly or being a bit dumb. Should I put the garlic bulbs in boiling water for 5 minutes, or should I pour boiling water in another bowl where I have the garlic? I suspect it’s the latter, but I’ll ask anyway.
Hello! Break the garlic cloves away from the bulb and then pour boiling hot water over them and let them sit for at least 5 minutes. The skin should slide right off!
I love all of your videos – but can you tell me which le Creusets you are using in them? I thought I saw a mini cocotte but I’m not sure if it’s that small. Plus your larger le Creuset for the large amount of confit – I’m dying to know which ones. Thank you!
I am using the mini cocotte. I think it’s the smallest one you can buy!
I haven’t tried this yet but can’t wait. Does the baking dish need a lid?
It doesn’t need a lid!