Garlic Confit Recipe

An easy garlic confit recipe! The garlic cloves develop a subtly sweet flavor and a soft, spreadable texture, making them perfect for spreading on crusty bread. And you can use the amazing garlic-infused oil to make any dish of your choice!

Have you heard of garlic confit? If you haven’t yet, it’s about to change your life in the most amazing way! This cooking method transforms bitter garlic cloves into a sweet, mild-tasting spread that’s easier to make than you may think. 

Plus, the cooking process also yields a generous amount of garlic-infused olive oil. And I won’t blame you if you end up using it on absolutely everything! So, grab the ingredients (90% of which are garlic) and run to the kitchen to make this deliciousness as soon as you get a chance.

What is garlic confit?

To confirm something is basically to cook it in olive oil for a very long time over a low heat until lightly browned. The results are very similar to roasted garlic. The cloves become soft, tender and caramelised. They develop an incredibly rich and savory flavor that every garlic lover like myself needs in their life.

And the texture is my favorite part! During the cooking process, the cloves become very soft and spreadable. So soft, in fact, they actually become quite fragile to the touch and may break apart between your fingers. Keep reading to find out my top tips on serving garlic confit!

Ingredients you need for this garlic confit recipe

Garlic. Use as much or as little as you’d like, depending on how quickly you plan to eat it. 

Olive oil. This is the oil that’s most commonly used during the confit process, yielding a distinctive, yet not overpowering flavor. 

Peppercorns and chilli flakes. These ingredients are optional, but I find that they do add a nice kick to the overall flavor profile. You can adjust the amount you use depending on personal preference.

Fresh herbs. I used rosemary and bay leaves, but you can add any other ones depending on what you like. For example, sage and thyme also work really well. He rather generous with these, as they do really take the garlic confit up a notch!

How to make garlic confit

Firstly, peel the garlic. This is the most time-consuming and hands-on part of the process of how to make garlic confit. But, there’s a shortcut! Simply place a few cloves of garlic inside of a sealed jar and shake it vigorously. This way, the skins will become loose and easy to remove. Repeat with the rest of the garlic.

Next, place garlic inside of a large saucepan and cover it in the olive oil. Now add the peppercorns, chilli flakes, rosemary and bay leaves.

Bring the oil to a light simmer, then turn down the heat as low as possible. It’s very important for the heat to not be too high - the oil shouldn’t be bubbling. Allow to cook for 30-45 minutes, until the garlic is soft but not completely falling apart.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool down fully. You can place it in a cold water bath to speed up this process. Then, season to taste with salt and pepper and use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to a jar. Now pour in the oil, seal, and store in the fridge.

How to store garlic confit

It’s really important to store garlic confit in the fridge, not at room temperature, in a sealed jar. Typically, it’s recommended to consume within around 2 weeks.

How to serve garlic confit

What I love about garlic confit is how versatile it is! If I’m being honest, I often just eat it by itself straight out of the jar because the flavor’s always on point. But you can also:

Add it to bread. This is probably my favorite method of serving garlic confit. For instance, make some homemade cinnamon bagels or olive oil skillet bread, and spread the garlic cloves on top for an amazing breakfast or snack. You can also serve it as an impressive side dish on dinner rolls.

As part of a charcuterie board. Add the garlic confit to a charcuterie board together with crackers, vegetables and other dips of your choice for a way to impress any guests.

Add it to mashed potatoes! Because after all, garlic mashed potatoes always make a winning side dish.

Stir it into bread dough. I tried doing this with my simple tomato focaccia recipe, and the result was seriously impressive. 

Purée it to make a dip to serve with roast potatoes or crispy sweet potato wedges.

You can also add garlic confit puree to pasta sauces of your choice! Whenever a pasta sauce recipe calls for fresh cloves of garlic, you can simply replace each clove with 1 tbsp of the puréed garlic and the result will be even better.

How to use the garlic-infused olive oil

One of the things that I love about garlic confit is that you're also left with garlic-infused olive oil! This makes a delicious and versatile condiment that you can use for a whole variety of cooking and baking needs. For instance, you can drizzle it on bread, use it to make roasted butternut squash, or add as a topping to vegan tomato soup.

If you give this garlic confit recipe a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@ohmyveggies) and leave your feedback in the comments below together with a star rating! I'd love to hear from you.