Fresh garlic is slow roasted with olive oil, thyme, and red pepper flakes to create this decadent Garlic Confit. Enjoy on toast, as a burger condiment, in soups and salads, or even on sauteed veggies.
Easy Garlic Confit Recipe
If you love garlic, you’re going to want to jump on this garlic confit recipe. It’s truly a garlic-lover’s dream!
Garlic bulbs are roasted in olive oil, along with seasonings like fresh thyme, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorn. You end up with soft, spreadable garlic that has the most robust flavor. Not as sharp as raw garlic but rich and decadent.
This garlic confit can be used in similar ways to a garlic butter spread but there’s no butter involved – just olive oil and garlic.
Once you try it, you’ll want to add it to everything – and I mean EVERYTHING. We love it on mashed potatoes but you can add it to pasta, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, salad dressings, soups, and more. Or just spread it on some toast and enjoy.
Why You’ll Love This Condiment
Here are a few reasons this garlic confit is about to become a staple in your fridge.
- Quick & easy. Making this condiment takes about 5 minutes of hands-on time. The rest is just letting it slow-roast in the oven.
- Incredible flavor. Slow roasting the garlic creates a mild flavor so it’s not as sharp as raw garlic and the oil and added seasonings create a more robust flavor.
- Endless ways to use it. There are so many ways to use garlic confit, from spreading it on toast to adding it to burgers, salads, pasta, and more. I’ve included lots of ideas below!
What Is Garlic Confit?
Garlic confit is garlic that has been slow roasted in fat, such as oil, to draw out the flavor.
You may have heard of other types of confit, such as duck confit, as the technique is popular in French cooking. While other types of confit are made with animal fat that’s rendered in the dish, garlic confit is made a bit differently, by adding oil to the dish.
The end result is garlic cloves so tender and soft that you can literally spread them on bread like butter. Plus, the slow-roasting method results in a flavor that’s much milder than roasted garlic.
Basically, garlic confit is liquid gold if you’re a garlic lover!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need just 5 ingredients to make this garlic confit recipe.
- Garlic – Be sure to choose bulbs that are fresh and not dried out.
- Seasonings – Fresh thyme, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorn add flavor to this condiment.
- Olive oil – Be sure to use a high quality olive oil for this recipe.
How to Make Garlic Confit in the Oven
Here’s how to make this easy roasted garlic confit recipe. It takes just a few minutes of hands on time!
- Prepare the garlic. Cut 1/2 inch off the tops of each head of garlic. Place cut-side down in a cast iron skillet.
- Add the other ingredients. Add the seasonings to the garlic then pour the olive oil over the top.
- Roast. Cover the skillet with foil. Roast for 45-50 minutes, until the garlic is soft.
- Broil. Remove the foil from the skillet. Turn the oven to high broil and broil for 3-4 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned.
- Peel and strain. Let the garlic cool enough to handle, then peel each bulb. Squeeze the garlic into a glass container, then strain the remaining oil to remove any leftover peels. Pour over the garlic. (If you have more oil than fits in the jar, store it separately.)
Tips for Success
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when preparing this recipe.
- Avoid pre-peeled garlic cloves. While it may seem like an easy hack to grab some of the pre-peeled garlic cloves at the store, I don’t recommend it. Those cloves tend to be a bit dried out and don’t produce the same flavor as fresh garlic cloves.
- Play around with flavors. Try using different herbs and seasonings, such as basil, bay leaves, rosemary, dried red chiles, or anything else that sounds good to you.
- Do I have to use olive oil? No, you can use other neutral oils like grapeseed oil if desired.
Ways to Use Roasted Garlic Confit
There are endless ways to use your garlic confit. Basically, you can add it to any dish that needs a pop of garlic flavor. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use it:
- Spread on toast or bread
- In mashed potatoes or on roasted potatoes
- With sauteed vegetables
- In salad dressings
- In soups
- In hummus and other dips
- On a cheese spread or charcuterie board
- In sandwiches & wraps
- In pasta
- As a burger topping
Be sure to reserve any extra garlic oil as well, to use in salad dressings, in marinades, and drizzled over veggies.
Proper Storage
It’s very important to keep the garlic confit refrigerated – it should not be kept at room temperature.
- Fridge. Store the roasted garlic confit in an airtight glass container in the fridge, with the oil. It should last for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze. You can also freeze it in the oil, I recommend doing so in ice cube trays so you can just thaw a small amount at a time.
More Recipes for Garlic Lovers:
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Garlic Butter Mushroom Stuffed Chicken
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
- Garlic Knots
- Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- 6 Bulbs garlic
- 5 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 2 Cups Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉, set an oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Cut about ½ inch of the tops off the heads of garlic, and place them cut side up into a 10” cast iron skillet.
- Add the fresh thyme, pepper flakes, and peppercorns. Pour over the olive oil and cover the skillet tightly with foil.
- Roast for 45-50 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Remove the foil, and set your oven to high broil. Broil the garlic for 3-4 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let the garlic cool until you are able to handle them.
- Lightly peel the garlic bulb and squeeze the garlic into a glass storage container, such as a mason jar. Strain the oil to remove any leftover peels and the aromatics. Pour oil in with the garlic. If you have leftover oil, store in a separate container and use for cooking.
- The garlic confit can be used immediately or it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in a mason jar with its oil.
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