This easy garlic confit recipe is the perfect flavor infusion for so many dishes!
Bulbs of garlic are roasted in oil with fresh thyme and then used whole or mashed to add savory depths of flavor to meats, veggies, sauces, and spreads! This is so easy to make and takes so little time.
What is Garlic Confit?
- Garlic confit is a cooking method where garlic is slowly cooked in oil until it becomes soft, tender, and infused with flavor. The garlic is typically cooked in a neutral oil like olive or canola, and can also include additional herbs or spices for added flavor.
- Roasting garlic gives it a mellow, caramelized flavor that’s very different from raw garlic’s pungent bite as the cloves become infused with subtle flavors of the herbs it’s cooked with.
- It doesn’t take long before the roasted garlic becomes soft and spreadable and will up-level any dish from pasta and vegetables to soups and sauces and is even delicious on its own with bread or crackers.
Ingredients and Variations
Garlic: Garlic bulbs (aka “heads”) are the whole plant that contains between 10-20 cloves all wrapped in layers of thin, papery skins. Choose heads that are full and heavy. Clean and brush or pick off the loose dry roots on the bottom (if any). Garlic bulbs can be smoked, or oven-roasted, if you have extra garlic bulbs and want to experiment with different cooking techniques, such as sous vide.
Oil: Olive oil has a high smoke point, which means it can get hotter than other oils before it starts to burn. It imparts a mild “herby” flavor to foods and is the best choice. Canola and vegetable oils will work if they are available as well. Avocado oil is an excellent choice due to its high concentration of healthy fats.
Herbs/Spices: Nearly any fresh herb can be roasted with garlic, depending on the flavor profile you’re looking for. Thyme has a mellow, earthy flavor and therefore a good multi-purpose choice for garlic confit. Rosemary, sage, oregano, and bay leaves create new flavors in garlic confit, either fresh, dried, or ground. Make a spicy confit by roasting garlic bulbs with red chili peppers, red pepper flakes, or even jalapenos. Even a sprinkle of homemade Italian dressing mix can be used when fresh herbs aren’t available and the result will be just as flavorful!
How to Make Garlic Confit
- Cut off the top third of the bulb, keeping the cloves intact.
- Arrange the bulbs and thyme in the baking dish and cover with oil.
- Bake in the oven as directed in the recipe below.
- Once cooled, gently squeeze the cloves out of the bulbs.
How to Use Garlic Confit
The uses for garlic confit are endless! Try it as a spread, or an ingredient in sauces, dressings, dips, marinades, tapenades, etc. Experiment with these starter recipes and discover new ways to use this delicious blend.
One of the easiest ways to use garlic confit is by adding it to tomato ketchup to use as a gourmet dipper for fries or blending it with butter to top a ribeye steak or garlic bread. Add garlic confit to an aioli sauce or mix into hummus. It’s also excellent when it’s added to the saute pan with mushrooms, baby bok choy, and other roasted or grilled vegetables. Garlic confit makes a perfect base for soups (especially French onion!) or hearty stews like beef bourguignon. Garlic confit adds another level of flavor to a sous vide prime rib, as well as this flavorful cream of mushroom pork chops.
How to Store Garlic Confit
- Store cooled and strained roasted garlic confit in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator up to a month.
- Freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a zippered bag for quick access and easy use as a base for soups and sauces or to add to mashed potatoes. Garlic confit can be frozen up to 2-3 months.
More Spreads
Garlic Confit Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8-10 bulbs garlic
- 2-3 cups olive oil
- 10-12 sprigs thyme
- salt optional
- black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- Cut and remove the top third of the garlic bulbs.
- Place garlic bulbs in the baking dish. Pour olive oil over the top each garlic bulb, and enough to just cover the garlic entirely. Add thyme, spreading between the bulbs.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Squeeze the garlic cloves out of each head of garlic or separate using a fork if you prefer to keep the cloves whole. If using, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Store in a mason jar or other air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Nutrition is calculated as an estimate, with only 1 cup olive oil remaining in the confit. The oil can be stored in the refrigerator and used in other recipes as well.
- Strain the confit from the oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 month.
- Garlic confit can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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