Garlic lover or not, everyone will love this buttery, spreadable garlic confit! The low-and-slow cooking process completely mellows out the flavor, transforming raw garlic cloves from sharp and pungent to soft, sweet and caramelized. Add them to essentially any dish for some extra gourmet flavor!
We normally have a bit of a battle in our house when it comes to garlic. My husband and I can't get enough of it, but our kids just aren't there yet (one day, right?).
For dishes that go heavy on it, like this spicy spaghetti arrabbiata, I'll just make something separate for the kids altogether. But for things like everyday hummus, which my kids also eat, I'm always trying to find that balance of how much garlic I can actually add without them complaining.
However, all this goes out the window when it comes to garlic confit. When submerged in olive oil and cooked slowly on low heat, the garlic becomes almost buttery with a sweet and nutty flavor. We each take however much we want, adding the softened cloves to pasta dishes or pizza, mixing it in with salad dressings or simply spreading it on toast or garlic bread.
Garlic confit is incredibly versatile as it makes for a wonderful addition to almost any meal. On days where I make it, the garlic feud in our home is temporarily put to rest... that is, until I make the next batch of hummus!
What is Garlic Confit?
Confit is the method of submerging something in liquid (typically oil or fat) and cooking at a low temperature for a long period of time. Historically, this cooking method was used as a way to preserve foods without having to refrigerate them. In fact, in French the word confit translates to "to preserve."
Since garlic does not contain any fat, it is cooked in olive oil in this recipe. The flavors of the olive oil actually infuse into the garlic cloves, giving it more complexity. And as a bonus, the flavors of the garlic actually infuse into the olive oil as well!
Why You'll Love this Garlic Confit
- Easy recipe - just submerge peeled garlic cloves in olive oil and let the oven do the rest!
- Simple ingredients
- Sweet, buttery flavor
- Luxurious, velvety texture - perfect for spreading
- Versatile - pairs well with any dish
- Kid-friendly
Ingredients
I only use 3 ingredients for this incredibly gourmet dish:
- Fresh garlic: Unlike roasted garlic which cooks exposed cloves while still attached to the bulb, here we peel each clove entirely.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good quality olive oil as this plays a huge role in giving garlic confit its flavor. Plus, the resulting garlic infused olive oil can be saved for future use in other dishes.
- Salt: Even just a little bit of salt brings out all of the flavors.
You can certainly add more ingredients to infuse the cloves of garlic with additional flavors, but this is completely optional. I love adding a couple springs of fresh thyme, rosemary and red pepper flakes (for a little heat).
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
How to Make Garlic Confit
I tested this recipe multiple times at various temperatures and 250 degrees F is definitely the sweet spot. At 225 degrees, it took way too long to cook and even still it didn't soften or caramelize enough. At 275 degrees, it came close to burning, causing me to have to check on it often, especially towards the end. Cooking at 250 degrees turned out just right!
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Separate the garlic cloves from the bulb and peel them. Place the peeled cloves in an even layer in a small dish.
3. Add the olive oil and salt. Use enough olive oil to fully submerge the garlic so it does not burn.
4. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the garlic has become golden brown and soft. You can test for doneness by removing one clove - it should easily mash using the back of a fork or spoon.
5. Serve immediately or store (submerged in the olive oil) in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
The size of the dish matters. Finding the right size will save you some olive oil as the cloves need to be fully submerged (see the next tip). If only cooking a little bit of garlic, use a smaller oven-safe dish like a ramekin. If cooking a lot of garlic, use a casserole dish.
Submerge the entire cloves in olive oil! You can use as much olive oil as you want as long as you use enough oil to at least cover the top of the cloves. Any part of the clove that is exposed will not cook evenly and will likely burn.
Use fresh heads of garlic. Better quality ingredients means better flavor! Look for firm, slightly heavy bulbs where the papery skin is tightly bound around the tip. Avoid bulbs that are mushy, brown or shriveled around the sides.
Save the olive oil! Your olive oil will come out tasting better than where it started, thanks to the infusion of flavor from the garlic. I love drizzling the oil as a garnish over dips or enjoying with crispy socca. And my husband absolutely loves it for dipping crusty bread to sop it all up!
The Best Way to Peel Garlic
This recipe requires peeling lots of garlic and is essentially the only step that requires a little effort. I've found that the most efficient way to peel the cloves are to cut off the ends and smash them with the side of a large knife. It's actually pretty fun!
- Lay the cloves out on a cutting board.
- Use a large knife to chop off the ends of each clove.
- Use the side of the knife to smash each clove. The skin will separate and can easily be peeled off with your hands.
Storage and Food Safety
Store garlic confit by fully submerging the cloves in the olive oil in a mason jar (or any airtight container) and placing it in the refrigerator. The olive oil will preserve the garlic for about 2 weeks.
Improperly stored garlic confit actually creates a risk of botulism. If the garlic bulbs used contain even just a small amount of a certain strain of bacteria, the bacteria can grow if left at room temperature. This has to do with the lack of oxygen given it is submerged in oil. Therefore, it is recommended that garlic confit be refrigerated anytime it is not in use.
Note that the olive oil may congeal when refrigerated. This is perfectly fine! Once removed from the fridge, it will settle back to its normal liquid state within a few minutes.
Serving Suggestions
There is no shortage of delicious ways to enjoy garlic confit! When prepared this way, you can eat a significant amount of garlic without any of the spiciness. Below are some examples, but it seriously fits well with almost any type of food!
- Veggie Side Dishes: Easy Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas with Garlic and Shallot
- Dips: Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip
- Pastas: Olive Oil and Garlic Pasta
- Pizzas: White Pizza with Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions
- Pasta Sauces: Roasted Veggie Tomato Sauce
- Soups: Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic
- Salads: Cucumber Beet Salad with Garlic Dill Dressing
- Breads/Wraps: Avocado Toast with Roasted Tomatoes
- Entrees: Easy One-Pot Ratatouille
You can also throw garlic cloves in with this easy tomato confit recipe!
Health Benefits of Garlic
Garlic is widely believed to have medicinal benefits and therefore has been used in health and medicine for centuries. Nutritionally, it is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, manganese and antioxidants.
The active ingredient in garlic, allicin sativum, is proposed to have antiviral and antimicrobial effects on the common cold (source). Garlic, like onions and leeks, is a prebiotic, which essentially is food for the microorganisms found in probiotics. The microbes that break down fibers into short chain fatty acids, stimulating immune cell activity, and these work in tandem with probiotics to promote gut health (source).
I hope you enjoy this easy garlic confit recipe! Please feel free to tag @eatingbyelaine so I can see your creations!
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Easy 3-Ingredient Garlic Confit (Oven Roasted)
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Garlic lover or not, everyone will love this buttery, spreadable garlic confit! The low-and-slow cooking process completely mellows out the flavor, transforming raw garlic cloves from sharp and pungent to soft, sweet and caramelized. Add them to essentially any dish for some extra gourmet flavor!
Ingredients
- 3 large heads of garlic (~38 large cloves)
- ⅓ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (or more as needed to fully submerge the garlic - see instructions)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Optional: sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate the garlic cloves from the bulb and peel them. Place the peeled cloves in one even layer in a small dish (14.5 ounce capacity is ideal for 3 heads of garlic).
- Add the olive oil and salt. Use enough olive oil to fully submerge the garlic so it does not burn.
- Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the garlic has become golden brown and soft. You can test for doneness by removing one clove - it should easily mash using the back of a fork or spoon.
- Serve immediately or store (submerged in the olive oil) in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
The size of the dish matters. Finding the right size will save you some olive oil as the cloves need to be fully submerged (see the next tip). In the photos above the dish I used is here which comfortably holds 3 heads of garlic (38 cloves of garlic). If only cooking a little bit of garlic, use a smaller oven-safe dish like a ramekin. If cooking a lot of garlic, use a casserole dish.
Save the olive oil! Your olive oil will come out tasting better than where it started, thanks to the infusion of flavor from the garlic. I love drizzling the oil as a garnish over dips or enjoying with crispy socca. And my husband absolutely loves it for dipping crusty bread to sop it all up!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
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