Simple Garlic Confit

For simple step by step instructions on how to make garlic confit and ideas on how to utilize it in the kitchen, keep reading!

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What is garlic confit?

Garlic confit is a gooey and delicious condiment that is the perfect addition to just about any dish! The Webster definition of confit is, “a garnish made usually from fruit or vegetables that are cooked until tender in a seasoned liquid.” Garlic, being a vegetable, is cooked low and slow in oil to make garlic confit. This process also produces a delicious and versatile roasted garlic flavored oil!

Is pealing all of that garlic worth it?!

100% YES! I use the garlic oil in everything and I use the garlic confit for every Italian dish I make in my home. It adds a delicious flavor that I cannot replicate any other way. Taking some time out of my schedule to peel and make this garlic confit has greatly benefited my cooking!

Tip: you can also buy whole garlic cloves already peeled! I have done this before, but I personally prefer organic garlic and haven’t seen that available.

What’s the difference between roasted garlic and garlic confit?

They both result in spreadable whole garlic cloves. As far as I can tell there is no real authoritative answer, but Gordon Ramsey does talk about garlic confit as being poached in oil. Whereas roasted garlic is cooked at a higher oven temperature and a dryer environment. Meaning that the garlic confit clove will be full of oil and the roasted garlic clove will be more dehydrated. They are both delicious and add great flavor to your dishes! I personally prefer garlic confit to roasted garlic because it is super easy to make up a big batch and store it in the fridge! Plus you get a bonus ingredient to use in your kitchen, the roasted garlic infused oil! YUM!

When to Use Garlic Confit

• Pizza topping– Just toss it on top!
• Spaghetti sauce– toss it right in while making the sauce!
• Garlic Bread– smeared on Italian herb bread and topped with parmesan and placed under the broil for 1-2 minutes. YUM!
• Any pasta dish– you can add the garlic confit frozen to the hot pasta and it defrosts quickly!
• Pasta Salad– I often just add it straight into my pasta salad! When I stir up the pasta salad the garlic breaks up and mixes into every bite.
• Salad Dressing– just mash it with a fork in the jar you’re making dressing in and it adds a lovely depth of flavor and a sweetness.

Why You’ll Love It

• It elevates the flavor of any dish in a matter of moments.
• It tastes like you’ve spent hours cooking, but it came out of the freezer and required hardly any prep!
• Roasted Garlic adds a sweetness that you cannot get from any other ingredient!
• It stores so well in the freezer!

Recipe Variations

You can add herbs into the oil during the cooking process to infuse it with additional flavors. You can even use a combination! Herbs such as:

• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano

I prefer no additional herbs, because I add the garlic to so many different things and prefer to season my dishes in the moment.

How to Store Garlic confit

My official recommendation is to put the oil in the fridge. Leaving it out on the counter is not officially recommended. For the garlic cloves themselves, I store these in small 4oz mason jars and freeze them. They thaw quickly and I will often add the entire jar into whatever I am making!

Tools you may need:

• Pairing Knife
• Casserole Dish
• Measuring Cups
• 4oz Mason Jars
• Spatula
• Wide Mouth Funnel
• Oil Bottle
• Narrow Mouth Funnel

Do I need to strain the oil off of the garlic confit?

This oil is super delicious and so I highly recommend straining the garlic out with a sieve and using a funnel to pour it into your favorite bottle! It is an amazing by product of making garlic confit and was the reason I was first convinced to make it myself! I wanted that delicious looking oil!

When to use Garlic Infused Oil

• Ground Beef or Italian Sausage- place a little in the pan while cooking and it adds great flavor
• Cooking oil for any Vegetables- Get the oil really hot and you can PAN FRY GREEN BEANS!
• Salad Dressing- replace the olive oil with infused garlic oil.

Ingredients!

• 5 lbs Garlic, peeled and cloves left whole
• 4 c Avocado Oil

(This can be scaled to whatever amount of garlic you have. Just completely cover the garlic with avocado oil.)

Recipe

1.Preheat oven to 250F.

2. Place whole garlic cloves into a casserole dish.

3. Completely cover the cloves with avocado oil.

4. Place dish in preheated oven and let roast for 1-2 hours, depending on how much garlic you have and how caramelized you want the garlic confit. ( I cooked mine for closer to 2-2.5 hours.)

5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring to storage containers.

6. Enjoy!

Simple Garlic Confit

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Ingredients

• * 5 lbs Garlic, peeled and cloves left whole
• * 4 c Avocado Oil

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 250F.
2. Place whole garlic cloves into a casserole dish.
3. Completely cover the cloves with avocado oil.
4. Place dish in preheated oven and let roast for 1-2 hours, depending on how much garlic you have and how caramelized you want the garlic confit. ( I cooked mine for closer to 2-2.5 hours.)
5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring to storage containers.
6. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe can be scaled to however much garlic you have. Just ensure that the garlic cloves are fully covered by the oil.