Homemade Garlic Confit (Easy 2 Ingredient Recipe)

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Table of contents:

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How to Make Homemade Garlic Confit

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh garlic cloves (around 3 heads of garlic)
• 1 ½ cups Olive oil 
• Fresh herbs, peppercorns, or chili (optional)

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Equipment

• 1 pot (for boiling the water)
• 1 Small Baking Dish around 8 x 10 inches (for oven method)
• Aluminum foil (for oven method)

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Instructions (Oven Method)

• Preheat oven to 120°C /250°F
• Bring a pot of water to the boil, drop cloves (skin on) into the water, and soak for 1 minute.
• Remove from the hot water, allow to cool slightly then gently peel the skins from each clove. 
• Inspect each garlic clove and discard any cloves with rot (see picture attached). 
• Trim the root end of the garlic clove and remove the skin. Add to pan. 
• Add the garlic to a baking tray and cover the garlic in oil. It should cover the cloves by about a ½” inch.
• Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake for around 2 hours, or until the garlic is golden and soft. 
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before storing.

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Instructions (Stovetop Method) 

• Bring a pot of water to the boil, drop cloves (skin on) into the water, and soak for 1 minute.
• Remove from the hot water, allow to cool slightly then gently peel the skins from each clove. 
• Inspect each garlic clove and discard any cloves with rot (see picture attached). 
• Trim the root end of the garlic clove and remove the skin.
• Add the garlic to a saucepan and cover the garlic in oil. It should cover the cloves by about a ½” to 1” inch.
• Simmer over low heat until the cloves are lightly golden brown. Allow around 45 minutes.
• Remove from the stovetop and allow to cool to room temperature before storing.

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Cooking tips: 

• Storage: Store garlic in a sealable jar and ensure the garlic is submerged in oil to keep it fresh. It will last up to 2 weeks when refrigerated, or up to 3 months when frozen. 
• To use from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before use. 
• How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of confit oil and garlic confit to a small-sized saucepan and heat over low heat until warm.
• You can also use any confit fat that you may already have.
• This is an even better replacement for roasted garlic. Use it in the exact same manner.

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What is Garlic Confit? 

Confit is a French cooking technique which involves covering ingredients in fat (oil, lard, or butter) and simmering them at a low temperature until the ingredients soften. As the name suggests, garlic confit is exactly that; 2 ingredients garlic and oil that’s gently cooked until the garlic cloves are soft and golden. 

Simple, but oh so effective, garlic confit is a flavor booster you NEED in your cooking! The good news is it’s very simple and there are two easy methods for making homemade garlic confit: oven baked and on the stovetop.

How Much Garlic to Use

A lot! Allow around 2 cups worth of garlic cloves to make a 300ml jar worth of garlic confit. You can use any type of garlic, even bags of pre-peeled frozen garlic cloves will work (and save yourself considerable time). 

When using fresh garlic, be sure to check each clove and ensure there is no mold or rot.

A rotten clove can spoil the whole batch and increase the risk of botulism, a food-borne illness that is caused by bacteria borne in low-oxygen, low-acid, low-sugar environments. See the image below for an example of rot in a garlic clove.

How to Peel Garlic (The Easy Way!)

Save some time with this handy tip on how to peel garlic the easy way! Simply boil a small saucepan of water, submerge garlic cloves into the water for a minute or two, then drain off the water. The skins will fall off easily with minimal effort. 

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Stovetop or Oven Baked Garlic Confit. Which is Better?

Both cooking methods achieve the same result: delicious soft buttery garlic cloves that are incredibly rich in flavor. So which is better? Well, that depends on a few factors.

The stovetop method is by far the fastest way to knock up a batch of garlic confit, and once you’ve peeled and prepared your garlic cloves (around 10 minutes with the boiling water method to easily remove the skins), you’ll only need to gently simmer the cloves on the stovetop for around 45 minutes to an hour. 

While a low heat is used to gently cook the cloves, you’ll still need to be watchful of the cooking process as you are effectively cooking with very hot oil. 

The oven method is a more staple (albeit slower) method of cooking your garlic confit and requires very little attention. Cooking the garlic at 120°C /250°F takes around 2 hours and you’ll only need to check on it once or twice to ensure the oil levels are covering the garlic cloves. Other than that, the dish will bubble away and cook itself with minimal fuss. 

To summarize the points above:

• Use the stovetop method if you are short on time
• Use the oven-baked method for an easy relaxed approach.

How to Use Garlic Confit

Garlic confit is a fantastic way to make any recipe glow with flavor, and it is very versatile! Add your homemade garlic confit to any recipe that calls for garlic and you’ll notice the difference. It’s also great smeared onto some warm fresh bread or blended with your favorite dip or hummus recipe. Add some decadence to roast dinner gravy with a few soft confit cloves, or even add a spoonful or two of garlic confit to mashed potatoes for a delicious garlicky kick. 

The oil is also infused with plenty of garlic and is great for cooking with, used in marinades, or drizzled on salads or grilled veg or meats. The possibilities for how to use garlic confit are indeed endless, and after stocking some in your fridge for a while, you’ll soon be wondering if there’s anything that can’t be enhanced with flavor by adding a little (or a lot) of garlic confit.

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Add Extra Flavor to Your Garlic Confit

When it comes to boosting your garlic confit, a careful selection of herbs and spices are your best friend. Add a few fresh sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary to infuse a delicious flavor into your garlic confit (don’t forget to keep the cooking oil as it is liquid gold!). 

Add some subtle spice with red pepper flakes or whole black peppercorns (Szechuan peppercorns also work great). To really add some subtle layers of flavor, try adding a few stars of anise, bay leaves, or even cloves to your garlic confit. 

Storing Garlic Confit

When it comes to storing your garlic confit you have a few options. 

First option is the easiest and involves pouring the whole garlic cloves and the oil into a sealable jar. Ensure there is enough oil to cover the garlic and it will last up to 2 weeks when refrigerated and up to 3 months when frozen. 

Another great method for storing your garlic confit is to blend it (once it has cooled) and then put into ice cube trays and frozen. This way you can easily grab a small portion for adding to recipes with minimal fuss. 

Finally, you can easily make a garlic confit paste by blending the cloves and some of the oil. Start off with a little oil, then add some as required to get the desired consistency. Then store it in the fridge in a sealable jar or airtight container. It will last up to 2 weeks when refrigerated.

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Nutrition Facts

Servings: 30
Amount per serving
Calories	100
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10.1g	13%
Saturated Fat 1.5g	7%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 2mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 3g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0.2g	1%
Total Sugars 0.1g
Protein 0.6g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 16mg	1%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 36mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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