Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil
Make this easy garlic confit recipe and transform your everyday meals with the delicious, subtle, savory taste of garlic oil, and it’s made with only two ingredients. If you want to know how to make garlic oil recipes, and how to use garlic that’s been slowly roasted in garlic, this is the recipe for you! I like this cooking method so much I even made an onion confit, as well.
If there’s ever a recipe that has changed my life, it’s this garlic-flavored olive oil. Well, and also the Chocolate Cheesecake. Oh, and I can’t forget the Frozen Banana Bites. Clearly, I have a wide variety of culinary favorites.
OK. Truth be known, lots of recipes have “changed my life.” But garlic olive oil recipes are special because they aren’t your typical “gone in a few minutes” dishes.
This is the recipe that keeps on giving because of its potential for use in so many other dishes.
I found it when leafing through The Breakaway Cook by Eric Gower. The concept here is garlic — lots and lots of garlic, slow-cooked in oil. A more technical definition of a confit is meat cooked slowly in its own fat. Since I have been a vegetarian now for oh-so-many years, I’ve not been exposed to a lot of confits in my life. Thanks to Mr. Gower I didn’t have to live with that disappointment one more minute.
What is Garlic Confit?
Confited garlic consists of peeled garlic cloves cooked slowly over low heat in olive oil. Other seasonings can be added, like fresh thyme, but the simple approach of cooking garlic in olive oil is amazing!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Slow-cooking whole cloves of garlic in oil makes them soft and tender
- The oil becomes infused with the flavor of garlic, making it perfect to use in other recipes
- A garlic confit is stored in the fridge in its oil. You won’t want to let any of it go to waste because the oil is left with a delicate garlic flavor that can be used in a variety of ways.
What You Need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
How to Make Garlic Confit
If you’re wondering how to make garlic-infused olive oil, I’ve got answers. This garlic-infused olive oil recipe is easy to make.
- Prepare the garlic by peeling it and cutting off the root end.
- Place prepared garlic in a medium saucepan and pour in enough oil over to cover it.
- Turn the heat up to medium-low, bringing it to a low simmer (few bubbles), and cook for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the heat but allow the pan to sit on the burner until it’s completely cooled.
- Pour the cooked garlic and oil into a glass jar and refrigerate.
Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions.
Step One: Prepare the Garlic
Begin with peeling the garlic and use a knife to cut the brown root off each peeled garlic clove. In fact, when making garlic olive oil, peeling the garlic can be the hardest part.
Step Two: Add Garlic and Simmer
Place the peeled garlic in a medium saucepan. Then pour oil over the garlic; enough to cover it. Stir the olive oil and garlic to ensure all the garlic is coated.
Then turn the heat up to medium-low. You want it to reach the point where there are small bubbles in the oil, but not so much that it’s technically boiling. Continue cooking garlic slowly in the oil for roughly 45 minutes. Not only will the oil be garlic-infused, your house will be, too. It’s a wonderful and intense aroma.
Step Three: Cool, Store, and Refrigerate
Once the garlic is done, turn off the heat but allow the pan to sit on the burner until it’s completely cooled. Next place the garlic confit in a jar and refrigerate.
Storage Tips
Store the confit in the fridge in its oil. It will keep up to 2 months if stored properly. Add this roasted garlic to your favorite dishes, and you won’t have to worry about storing it because it will be gone much sooner than that.
Finding Peeled Garlic
Some farmer’s markets will sell bags of peeled garlic, but this is seasonal. Costco sometimes sells bagged and peeled garlic.
This is nice because it can be a hassle peeling all of the garlic yourself. And if you have a large bag of peeled garlic, having a double batch of confit garlic in the fridge is not such a bad thing, either.
Using Garlic Confit
Your kitchen will benefit from this garlic-infused olive oil for many reasons. Imagine the slowly cooked garlic that you can add to recipes like black bean burgers, lentils loaves, vegan garlic bread, salads, and more. You’ll also love having this delicious homemade garlic oil on hand.
The thing is, we love garlic. It’s like the “dark and stormy night” of cooking; so many of our meals begin with sauteing garlic in olive oil. I even find ways to sneak a clove or two in dishes that may not traditionally call for it, like my vegan garlic mashed potatoes.
Now with this garlic olive oil recipe, that sneaking around has become even more delightful. That’s because garlic confit results in succulent, roasted, oil-infused cloves just waiting to be included in favorite recipes.
There are a number of ways you can use a garlic confit. The garlic is so tender it can be smashed with a fork and added to sauces, left whole on a vegan pepperoni pizza, and thinly sliced in salad dressings, such as this Italian vinaigrette.
Vegan Italian Recipes
A confit is technically a French recipe, but you can use the tender garlic and its garlic oil to make some amazing vegan Italian dishes. Here are some favorites:
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Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil
Ingredients
- 50 medium garlic cloves peeled
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
Instructions
- Peel the garlic and use a knife to cut the brown root off each peeled garlic clove; then place them in a medium saucepan. Then pour oil over the garlic; enough to cover it.
- Turn the heat up to medium-low. You want it to reach the point where there are small bubbles in the oil, but not so much that it’s technically boiling. Continue cooking garlic slowly in the oil for roughly 45 minutes. Not only will the oil be garlic-infused, but your house will also be too. It’s a wonderful and intense aroma.
- Once the garlic is done, turn off the heat but allow the pan to sit on the burner until it’s completely cooled. Next, place the confit in a jar and refrigerate.
- Store the confit in the fridge in its oil. It will keep up to 2 months if stored properly. Add this roasted garlic to your favorite dishes, and you won’t have to worry about storing it because it will be gone much sooner than that.
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
This sounds so good! Garlic makes everything taste better!! One question, can I use other oils instead of Olive oil? Like, say, grapeseed oil?
Hi Winnie. Yes, you can substitute other oils. I think grapeseed oil would be great because it doesn’t have a flavor that would compete with the garlic.
How long would the oil last without the garlic in it? And would I still have to refrigerate? Thanks
I keep the oil refrigerated to help it last longer. I think it should last at least a couple of months in the fridge. It depends on the oil you use, of course. Some extra virgin olive oils may have a shorter shelf life, but I’ve found that most can last a long time when refrigerated.
Fabulous…am a big lover of garlic and this garlic confit
Gracious the recollections you’ve recently introduced for me… I used to make this all the time in expert cafés. It makes everything taste better. Particularly when pureed! Much obliged for the update!
I am so infatuated with garlic.
Fabulous…am a big lover of garlic and this garlic confit looks are fantastic and sounds too delicious..i also try it few days later…Thanks for sharing…!
Thanks, Sam! So glad you like this!
We are huge garlic lovers in our house – now I know what to do with those giant bags of garlic from Costcos!
Oh the memories you’ve just ushered in for me… I used to make this all the time in professional restaurants. It makes everything taste better. Especially when pureed! Thanks for the reminder!
I’m so in that fan club. These photos are fantastic, Marly!
I am so in love with garlic and I would wear its letter jacket.
We could start a fan club! We ❤ garlic.
I have used this technique for peeling large quantities of garlic. It works.
https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/video-How-to-Peel-a-Head-of-Garlic-in-Less-Than-10-Seconds
I love any instructions that end in “shake the dickens out of it.” Great link!