Garlic confit is one of those kitchen secrets that effortlessly elevates your cooking without requiring any skillful techniques or a lot of time. When you gently poach garlic cloves in warm oil, you turn them into silky, spreadable bits that are vastly more aromatic and flavorful than the raw version. Rather than sharpness, garlic confit brings sweetness and tenderness along with a flavor hovering near that of roasted garlic — ideal for sauces, pastas, spreads, marinades and dressings, great as a bread topping. And it’s workhorse-ingredient material in restaurant kitchens where huge flavor is packed into a dense, ready-to-leaven hunk of volatile dough. In this guide, you’ll learn how to cook garlic confit in a safe and efficient way while maintaining that same smooth workflow and structure that your long-form recipes call home.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
- Fresh garlic cloves, peeled
- Neutral or mild olive oil
- Fresh thyme or rosemary
- Salt to enhance richness
- Chili flakes optionally, it warms the body up
- Whole peppercorns for subtle depth
Essential Tools for the Recipe
- Small, heavy saucepan
- Heat-resistant spoon
- Airtight glass jar
- Fine mesh strainer
- Oven-safe dish (if you bake it instead)
- Clean workspace for peeling garlic
What Is Garlic Confit and Why Does It Work?
Garlic confit is fundamentally a preserving method, using fat rather than water-based liquids. A slow, low-temperature cook shatters the natural fibers in garlic, so every clove emerges as soft and buttery. Oil serves as both the cooking medium and the storage liquid, protecting the garlic from air while ensuring that it stays moist. It’s this transformation that makes confit different from roasted garlic. Roasting brings out caramelization and a certain dryness on the outside, while confit means that the garlic stays submerged – it’s richer and softer. It also brings to bear the aromatic properties of herbs such as thyme and rosemary, which slowly impart themselves in the oil while you cook, yielding a flavored oil that can be at least as useful as the garlic itself.
How to Make Garlic Confit: STEP-BY-STEP METHOD
To make garlic confit, begin by peeling a whole lot of fresh cloves. You’ll make 2 to 4 heads of garlic, depending on the size of your batch. Put the peeled cloves into a small saucepan and add enough oil to cover them all-the garlic should be entirely submerged in it. Serving Suggestion: Add in thyme, rosemary, peppercorns or chili flakes if using. Then turn the heat to the very lowest and let the garlic cook slowly. You are poaching slowly, not frying, so the oil should never bubble hard. In about 45 to 60 minutes, the garlic will soften and briefly turn some shade of golden; it’ll be beautifully tender. You can also decide to bake instead, by putting everything in a baking dish and cooking slowly at the lowest possible oven temperature until meltingly tender.
Storage Tips and Safety Considerations
Since garlic is a low-acid food, storage does matter when confit’s the plan. Take it off the fire and let the garlic cool completely. Pour the cloves and the infused oil into a sterilized glass jar, making sure everything is still nice and covered with the oil. This sealed in oil environment also helps it stay fresh. For safety’s sake, garlic confit should be refrigerated and not kept at room temperature because the cold environment discourages undesirable bacterial growth. When made correctly, it’ll last fresh in the refrigerator for two weeks. If you prefer to store the confit for a longer time, freezing is an easy and effective alternative. I like to freeze my cloves in small batches so I can grab a couple at a time, rather than thawing the whole bag for just one or two.
Ways to Use Garlic Confit in Recipes
Once you have a jar of garlic confit in your pantry, the world is your oyster. A few cloves mashed and spread on warm bread make a sudden appetizer. You can add them to pasta (the fat coats it like crazy for a silky restaurant-style finish) or blend in sauces, soups and dressings for a deeper layer of flavor. The oil it becomes infused with is great for sautéing vegetables, cooking eggs, tossing in a salad or brushing over pizza dough. Confit garlic also elevates mashed potatoes, roasted meats, grain bowls and dips. Its delicate sweetness and smooth, creamy texture render it a great match for most any savory accompaniment. Given such perforated versatility, it’s easy to understand why home cooks and professional chefs have embraced garlic confit as a beloved beneficial staple in the kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does garlic confit keep in the fridge?
And when kept in a clean jar, fully submerged in oil, it will keep for two weeks in the fridge.
Can you freeze garlic confit?
Yes. Freezing is a great way to keep it fresh longer. Cloves freeze well and can be defrosted as needed.
Does garlic taste strong?
Not at all. The long cooking time even further tempers the garlic, leaving it sweet and buttery instead of sharp.
Can I use any type of oil?
You can employ olive oil, or a neutral option like grapeseed, sunflower, or canola. Select according to the taste you like.
Could I put more herbs in that blend?
Absolutely. Thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns or chili flakes can all add to the final flavor.
Garlic confit is one of those ridiculously easy recipes that completely alters the way you cook once you’ve tried it. When they are stirred into each other, this sweet garlicky paste forms the most seamless of flavor bases — and you can use it to lift up dishes that would otherwise require a lot more work. And whether it’s spread on bread, stirred into pasta or blended in sauces, garlic confit adds a depth and richness that elevates home cooking. Preserving it safely combined with some good technique, plus the flexibility of a creative cook make this recipe an easy way to have gourmet flavoured salt in your kitchen any time you want.
