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Add a flavor bomb to your meal's sweet, creamy, and nutty flavors by adding Garlic Confit.
Here are a few dishes for confit garlic: Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti, White Wine Chicken Pasta, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
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What is Garlic Confit?
Confit means cooked in fat for a long time at low temperatures. It means "preserved" in French. That fat can be olive oil, duck fat, or beef tallow; it really depends on what flavor you are going for. The origin started with duck confit when duck legs were cooked in their fat and stored in the fat all winter long.
Garlic confit is simply garlic cooked in oil, often mistakenly spelled as garlic cofit. You cook it at low heat to keep the garlic cloves from burning, turning them into a soft, golden, caramelized, buttery texture that will enhance any dish.
Garlic confit is a chef's secret weapon. It's your everyday garlic but elevated. We're talking about slow-cooked garlic in oil at a low temperature until it becomes wonderfully soft, golden, and caramelized. The results are a delicate, sweet, and mellow garlic flavor that's just irresistible.
It can be used in everything from tomato sauce to mashed potatoes, but you also end up with this fantastic garlic-infused oil. Use it for salad dressings and sautéing - the possibilities are endless.
Key Ingredients
Here are the garlic confit ingredients you'll need to be successful every time.
Fresh Garlic
You can use whole heads of garlic to get your cloves, but buying pre-peeled garlic cloves is much easier.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I like to use extra virgin olive oil for its great taste. However, you can use regular olive oil or whatever you have at home.
How to Make Garlic Confit?
Making garlic confit is relatively easy. It only requires patience and a little bit of time.
Add peeled garlic cloves to a small pot, cover with oil, and turn the heat to medium. Cook until oil begins to simmer (tiny bubbles), cover, move to the lowest powered burner, usually in the back, and reduce to low heat.
Cook for 40 minutes until garlic softens and turns a golden brown. It is easy to place it with a knife. Remove with a slotted spoon and store in an airtight container.
How To Store Garlic Confit
After garlic cools off, place in an airtight container in the fridge for 14 days. For longer storage, store the garlic in oil. It's imperative not to keep garlic confit at room temperature because of botulinum bacteria (botulism). Simply put, it's a bacteria that thrives in low-oxygen and low-acid environments like confit garlic.
Store garlic oil in a container or dispenser for up to 1 month.
Pro Recipe Substitutions, Tips & Tricks
Here are the best practices, techniques, substitutes, and flavor builders for a delicious garlic confit recipe.
- Prepare the garlic confit either the day before or an hour before cooking. You can save the garlic oil for later use. Colavita olive oil is my favorite olive oil, and next is Chosen Avocado oil. They cost more but are way healthier than most cooking oils.
- To make in an oven, add garlic cloves to a baking dish, cover with cooking oil and foil, and bake at 250°F/121°C for 40 minutes.
- Enhance the flavor of your garlic confit by adding fresh thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns, or rosemary. Not only will your garlic taste incredible, but your infused oil will be incredible!
- Always use the lowest burner on low heat on the stove (back burner) to ensure the oil doesn't get too hot and begin to fry the garlic.
- Use the leftover oil to make an eggplant or tomato confit. Cook both for 40 minutes with a few herbs and six garlic cloves in a 250°F/121°C oven.
FAQs
Here are readers' top questions about making garlic confit.
What is garlic confit used for?
Garlic confit is versatile and can be used in various ways. It can be added to pasta and sauces, mixed with salad dressing for a spread, smeared on grilled steak or toasted bread, used as a puree, and included in dips, marinades, and veggies. The first time I tried it was on hummus.
Is garlic confit healthy?
Garlic confit is a delicious ingredient that can enhance dishes, but it needs proper preparation and storage to prevent the risk of botulinum bacteria (botulism). Although garlic has health benefits, it's important to refrigerate the confit and use it within a few weeks. It can be a healthy addition to a balanced diet when enjoyed in moderation.
How to make garlic confit in the oven?
Place garlic cloves in a baking dish for oven preparation, cover them with cooking oil and foil, and bake at 250°F/121°C for 40 minutes.
Is garlic confit the same as roasted garlic?
While both methods produce delicious, versatile garlic, the cooking process and result differ. Roasting garlic involves slicing off the top of a whole head of garlic, drizzling it with oil, and roasting it in the oven until soft and caramelized. The resulting flavor is intense and sweet, distinguishing it from garlic confit.
Garlic confit involves poaching peeled garlic cloves in olive oil at a low temperature and yielding a soft, tender garlic infused with the oil's flavor. The oil also embodies a delicate garlic taste, making it a versatile ingredient for various dishes.
More Delicious Recipes
Here are a few more recipes you can serve with garlic confit.
- Southern Pot Roast
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo
- Root Beer Braised Short Ribs
- Greek Chicken Burgers
- Southern Green Beans
Before You Begin
To begin, here are the steps I follow to get organized.
Step 1: Read the recipe once before pulling the ingredients out.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: Follow the recipe and prepare for the best garlic confit recipe you've ever had.
So there you have it! If you've never tried garlic confit, you're in for a real treat. This versatile ingredient is a game-changer in the kitchen, adding a depth of flavor to your dishes that's both subtle and mesmerizing.
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📖 Recipe
Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- 1 cup peeled garlic cloves
- 1 ¾ cups extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add peeled garlic cloves to a small pot, cover with oil, and turn the heat to medium. Cook until oil begins to simmer (tiny bubbles), cover, move to the lowest powered burner usually in the back and reduce heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes, until garlic turns a golden brown and is easy to place with a knife.
Notes
- Prepare the garlic confit either the day before or an hour before cooking. You can save the garlic oil for later use. Colavita olive oil is my favorite olive oil, and next is Chosen Avocado oil. They cost more but are way healthier than most cooking oils.
- To make in an oven, add garlic cloves to a baking dish, cover with cooking oil and foil, and bake at 250°F/121°C for 40 minutes.
- Enhance the flavor of your garlic confit by adding fresh thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns, or rosemary. Not only will your garlic taste incredible, but your infused oil will be incredible!
- Always use the lowest burner on low heat on the stove (back burner) to ensure the oil doesn't get too hot and begin to fry the garlic.
- Use the leftover oil to make an eggplant or tomato confit. Cook both for 40 minutes with a few herbs and six garlic cloves in a 250°F/121°C oven.
- If you double the recipe you do not need to increase the cooking time.
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