This roasted garlic confit recipe in the oven is soft and creamy with a sweet caramelized flavor. It’s incredibly easy to make with just a few ingredients. Use this garlic confit and garlic oil in spreads, soups, sauces, dressings, and more!
Confit is French for the word “preserved.” It refers to a cooking process where food is slow-cooked for a long time at low temperatures and stored in fat. Traditionally this cooking process was used as a way to preserve meat.
Roasted garlic confit is so simple to make in the oven and is an easy way to elevate pasta, pizza, toast and so much more. Its applications are nearly limitless. Best of all, when it’s done cooking you’ll have soft spreadable garlic as well as a delicious garlic oil to use however you please!
This delectable slow-roasted garlic has a mild yet sweet garlic flavor with subtle notes of thyme and peppercorns. Herbs and other additions are completely customizable and can be omitted altogether. No matter what, it will be delicious. You can’t ruin this confit.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- There are only a few ingredients needed to make this delicious confit.
- It tastes good on everything and elevates every meal you add it to.
- It’s incredibly easy to make, only 5 minutes of prep is needed.
- This recipe also produces garlic oil, which can be used in a variety of different ways.
Oven Garlic Confit Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this oven-roasted garlic confit recipe:
Garlic – the most important ingredient in garlic confit! Fresh raw garlic cloves or pre-peeled garlic cloves can be used for this recipe.
Fresh Herbs – I like to use fresh thyme when making garlic confit but you can add any herbs you would like, such as a sprig of rosemary or bay leaves.
Spices – I add in black peppercorns and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little extra flavor
Oil – extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil works best in this recipe.
How to Make Confit Garlic In Oven Step-by-Step
Step 1 – Peel your garlic cloves and cup the hard tips of each clove.
Step 2 – Place garlic and all other ingredients in a small oven-safe baking dish. Make sure the garlic is fully submerged in oil. If you find you do not have enough oil to cover your garlic cloves, add more oil.
Step 3 – Slow roast the garlic for 45-60 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit until the garlic is lightly browned and tender. Don’t leave it in the oven for too much longer as overcooked confit can have a bitter taste. Let your confit cool down for about 10 minutes, move the confit to a sterilized jar, and store it in the refrigerator immediately.
How to Make Garlic Confit Without Botulism
Botulism is a dangerous toxin created by a bacteria that thrives in low oxygen, low sugar, and low acid environments at room temperature. If you leave your confit unrefrigerated it becomes the perfect habitat for botulism to form.
If garlic confit is stored correctly the risk of botulism is low. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports an average of 110 cases per year and only 25% of those are caused by food.
To prevent botulism in your garlic confit, the USDA recommends that you keep all confit refrigerated below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and for no longer than a week. To be safe, follow the USDA guidelines and never leave your garlic confit sitting out at room temperature unless you are consuming it.
What is Garlic Confit Used For?
When you make garlic confit, you’re left with two delicious components – the spreadable cloves of garlic and garlic oil. Their applications are nearly limitless. Use the buttery garlic confit as a topping on pizza, thrown into pasta, as a spread for sandwiches and wraps, blended into soups or stews, or simply spread on warm crusty bread. The garlic oil can be used to make dressings, pasta sauces, or bread dip. You really can’t go wrong, it’s delicious on everything! You can never have too much garlic, right?
How To Store Roasted Garlic Confit
Garlic confit should always be stored in the refrigerator to decrease the risk of foodborne illness. All garlic should be fully submerged in olive oil, add more if necessary. Your garlic confit can be kept in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Does homemade garlic confit need to be refrigerated?
Yes, garlic confit should be refrigerated at all times to lower the risk of botulism. NEVER leave your garlic confit out at room temperature.
How long does garlic confit last?
The USDA recommends that garlic confit be stored in the refrigerator below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for up to a week. I don’t keep mine longer than 3 days to be on the safe side.
Can you freeze garlic confit?
Freshly made garlic confit can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer-safe container for longer storage. Always thaw your garlic confit in the fridge, never leave your garlic confit out at room temperature. Consume within 2 days of thawing. If you only want to thaw a small amount of garlic confit at a time, you can store your confit in ice cube trays and thaw only what you need.
Can garlic confit sit out overnight?
No, under no circumstances should garlic confit be stored outside of the fridge. If you forget it on the countertop, throw it away. The risk of botulism is too high and it should not be eaten. You don’t want to mess around with the risk of getting botulism, it’s no joke. Always air on the side of caution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Garlic confit has a caramelized sweet and nutty flavor with a luscious creamy texture. A stark difference from the sharp and almost spicy flavor of raw garlic.
Yes, you absolutely can. My favorite way to use the garlic-infused oil is as a dip for bread, added to pasta dishes, drizzled on roasted vegetables, and as a base for salad dressings.
Garlic confit often solidifies in the fridge because of the high-fat content of the oil it’s stored in. Fat solidifies when it’s cold. If this happens, scoop out the amount of garlic confit you intend to eat and bring it to room temperature. It should be ready to eat and no longer solid within a few minutes.
If you make this oven-roasted garlic confit recipe be sure to leave a comment, give a rating, or share on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me, I love looking through photos of the recipes you make!
Roasted Garlic Confit Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic fresh
- 1 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel your garlic and remove the hard ends.
- Add peeled garlic cloves, oil, herbs, and spices to a small oven-safe dish. Make sure all the garlic is submerged in the oil and bake for about 45-60 minutes until the garlic is soft and tender but not brown.
- Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy! Never let your garlic confit sit out at room temperature. Store any confit you aren't planning on eating in the fridge immediately.