How to Make Garlic Confit and Homemade Garlic Oil
Let’s talk about this incredible garlic confit. Have you heard of garlic confit? Your life will be forever changed after this post. Learn how to make garlic chips while you’re at it!
Until a few years ago, my understanding of the term ‘confit’ was pretty limited. Sure, I knew that duck confit was a thing (a very delicious thing) and it was French–most likely learned when I butchered the word at some point or another, and someone in my family corrected me.
Before that, I was not intimately familiar with the cooking technique.
Food Safety Disclaimer: Garlic is a low-acid ingredient, and if stored improperly in oil (without oxygen) and in warm temperatures (at room temperature), it can produce a very serious toxin that causes botulism. Homemade garlic confit and garlic oil should always be made and immediately stored in the refrigerator for food safety reasons. Per food safety guidelines, it is recommended that you use them within 4 days of making – but if prepared and stored properly, it can often keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Please use your own discretion, but be aware that storing homemade garlic confit and garlic oil improperly and for a long period poses an inherent food safety risk.
What Does It Mean to Confit Something?
When I started culinary school, I was introduced to all sorts of delicious French cuisine and classic cooking techniques. After school, I worked in a restaurant under a French-trained chef.
To confit became part of my daily routine. We confited so many foods. Garlic, tomatoes…you name it and we probably confited it.
For those unfamiliar, confit is a French cooking technique that involves submerging and cooking a food in fat over low heat for a long time. It was originally used as a preservation technique. For the most part, the fat is usually butter, oil, or animal fat (e.g. duck confit, which is cured duck legs cooked in duck fat).
Confiting is the polar opposite of frying, which is cooking a food in fat over high heat for a short amount of time.
What is Garlic Confit?
Of all the things I learned to confit over that year, garlic confit remains as one of my absolute favorites!
Whole garlic cloves cooked in lots of fragrant extra virgin olive oil, for about 20 minutes, until they are incredibly tender. While I’m partial to cooking these in olive oil, you can also use avocado or other oils.
Similar to roasted garlic, the cloves become very sweet, soft, and extremely flavorful.
What To Use Garlic Confit For?
As far as what you can do with garlic confit, the possibilities are endless. Since the garlic cloves are cooked through and soft, you can mash the garlic cloves easily and spread them on top of bread for a delicious spread or garlic bread. You can also add them to dips, such as homemade hummus, salads, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, or roasted broccoli or other vegetables!
You can also leave the cloves intact and sprinkle them on top of homemade pizza, add them to a marinade (such as my easy chicken marinade), put them under the skin of roast chicken, or just add them to a hot pan for sautéing with any number of vegetables.
If you’d like to infuse the oil and garlic cloves with fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme, you can do that as well. Just follow the instructions in the recipe below!
Use the remaining homemade garlic oil for delicate cooking, drizzling on top of soups or dishes, adding to salad vinaigrette, or serving with a crusty baguette for dipping.
Does Garlic Confit Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes, garlic confit and infused oils absolutely need to be refrigerated, due to a risk of developing botulism and other bacterias. Per food safety guidelines, it is recommended that you use them within 4 days of making – but if prepared and stored properly, it can often keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Please use your own discretion, but be aware that storing homemade garlic confit and garlic oil improperly and for a long period poses an inherent food safety risk.
Feel free to spoon out the garlic cloves or oil and add directly to a pan for cooking, or let the oil come to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour if you are using it for dipping or finishing, etc.
Can You Freeze Garlic Confit?
Yes, however this mixture should store in a refrigerator for up to a week or longer – if you are concerned about food safety, I recommend using it within 3 to 4 days of making.
Homemade Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil
Ingredients
- 3 whole heads of garlic dry, fresh cloves with zero bruising
- 2 cups (480 mL) extra virgin olive oil
- fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, or dried chiles optional
Instructions
- Food Safety Note and Disclaimer: Garlic is a naturally low-acid ingredient, and if stored improperly in oil (without oxygen) and in warm temperatures (at room temperature), it can produce a very serious toxin that causes botulism. Homemade garlic confit and garlic oil should always be made and immediately stored in the refrigerator for food safety reasons. Per food safety guidelines, it is recommended that you use them within 4 days of making - but if prepared and stored properly, they can often keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Please use your own discretion. .
- Use the palm of your hand to carefully separate the heads of garlic. Using a sharp small knife, trim the ends of each garlic clove and then peel each clove, leaving it intact. Discard any bruised cloves.
- Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan (2 quarts or larger), cover with the olive oil, and place over very low heat on the stove. As the oil begins to warm, you will slowly see small bubbles form. The bubbles will gradually get larger until the oil is simmering slowly.
- Continue to cook the garlic in the oil over very low heat, stirring carefully every few minutes, for 15 to 30 minutes (time will vary depending on your garlic clove sizes, adjust time as necessary), or until the garlic cloves are tender and cooked through, yet still retain their shape and aren't heavily caramelized. Use a long sharp knife to pierce the cloves, they should meet little to no resistance once they are finished cooking.
- Remove from the heat. Add fresh herbs to the oil, if using. Transfer to a clean heat proof jar, cover with a tight-fidding lid, and immediately refrigerate. Food Safety Storage Note: Homemade garlic confit and garlic oil should always be stored in the refrigerator for food safety reasons as infused garlic oils have a botulism risk if stored at room temperature. Per food safety guidelines, it is recommended that you use them within 4 days of making - but if prepared and stored properly, they can often keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Please use your own discretion.
Does Garlic Confit Need to Be Refrigerated?
- Garlic is a low-acid ingredient, and if stored improperly in oil (without oxygen) and in warm temperatures (at room temperature), it can produce a very serious toxin that causes botulism. Homemade garlic confit and garlic oil should always be made and immediately stored in the refrigerator for food safety reasons. Per food safety guidelines, it is recommended that you use them within 4 days of making - but if prepared and stored properly, they can often keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Please use your own discretion. .
Can You Freeze Garlic Confit?
- Yes, however this mixture will store well in a refrigerator for several weeks or up to a month. Please allow the mixture to thaw in the refrigerator before using.
121 Comments on “How to Make Garlic Confit and Homemade Garlic Oil”
Did this and put it in the fridge. Now the next day it is just a white hardened block in the mason jar?
Was it supposed to do that?
Olive oil (and many other fats) will solidify below certain temperature thresholds, especially in the refrigerator. You can simply use a spoon to scoop some out and add it to a pan for cooking, etc. If you are interested in having the oil for dipping or vinaigrettes, just simply allow it to come to room temperature – remove it from the fridge about an hour or so before you want to use it. The cloves should be refrigerated for general storage, but it won’t harm it to be at room temperature for an extended period of time!
How long can we store this oil??
You should be able to store the garlic oil in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.
Wow, it looks it tasts really good, but it is a pity that I seldom eat GARLIC, I don’t like the smell, but I would like to try it out using your method, thanks
Chew a coffee bean it will take away garlicbreath got it from Gilroy garlic capital
Love using this garlic oil on my homemade bread. Just a simple, but perfect, combination!
This is an elegant recipe. . And I intend to make it. My question is : Could I cheat and use those the convenience jars of peeled cloves?
Thanks so much Jay! Yes, you could certainly use the peeled cloves–I recommend using the fresh ones that are usually in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, as opposed to other jars? Does that make sense? You will still want to try any tough clove ends before cooking. Let me know if you have any questions!
Just wandering can you use garlic paste for making this oil recipe
No, please don’t do this, but thanks for your question! The garlic will burn and the flavor won’t be the same (there are often additives in garlic paste). Fresh peeled garlic cloves are best.
For anyone who is interested.
Just learned a new trick on how to peel whole head of garlic. Just take a small empty container such as a mason jar or an empty plastic peanut butter jar that has been cleaned and put the whole head of garlic inside and screw on the lid. Then shake vigorously but not too hard for a minute or two and Wala your garlic whole head has been peeled all at one time. Just pour the contents of the jar on the counter pick out your whole peeled clean garlic cloves and throw the skins in the trash. Try it it really works!
Yes! I’ve also done this in two stainless steel bowls! Thanks for the advice Jerry! I’ve actually posted a video of this on the blog before, so I should add a link to the bottom of the article 🙂
Could you slow cooker this?
Hi Deborah! Thanks for your comment (sorry it took me longer than usual to reply, I was mini-mooning!). I personally have never tried to do this in a slow-cooker (mostly because I did not own one!), so I wouldn’t recommend it. Since the garlic only has to cook for about 20 to 30 minutes on the stove, I’m not sure if it is necessary? I did just get a slow cooker as a wedding gift though, so I may try it in the next few months and if it works, I’ll be sure to add the instructions to the recipe! 🙂
I have been known to do this using half salted butter and half olive oil. But only when I have a loaf of good crusty bread on hand to dip in the irresistible mixture while cooking. =)
Ooh! Love that idea! Thanks Cindy!
Can I separate some oil (keeping it unrefrigerated)? Or if not once I use all the garlic out of the fridge can I leave oil out and for how long?
Hi Jen! Thanks for your comment (sorry it took me longer than usual to reply, I was mini-mooning!). You’ll want to store the oil and garlic confit in the refrigerator for food safety purposes.
Hmmm, could you make this in a small crock pot such as the one I have for cooking oatmeal overnight (I like oatmeal in a gruel consistency)?
Hi Vicki! Thanks for your comment (sorry it took me longer than usual to reply, I was mini-mooning!). I personally have never tried to do this in a slow-cooker (mostly because I did not own one!), so I wouldn’t recommend it. Since the garlic only has to cook for about 20 to 30 minutes on the stove, I’m not sure if it is necessary? I did just get a slow cooker as a wedding gift though, so I may try it in the next few months and if it works, I’ll be sure to add the instructions to the recipe! 🙂
I am eternally thankful to have found your site. Love reading your blogs and the pictures are amazing. Not to mention the recipes are fabulous, uh, yeah ALL THAT!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness!!! Thank you so much Leslie!! Such an incredibly sweet comment, I really appreciate all of the kind words, the support, and for following along. This made my day.
Silly question–if I want to add some fresh rosemary, should I add the whole sprig or should I only add the leaves?
Not a silly question! 🙂 If you just want to infuse the oil and garlic with rosemary, I would recommend just using a whole sprig, as opposed to just the leaves.
A friend of mind recently gave me a jar of garlic confit, but until now I didn’t realize exactly what made it “confit”! These photos are INSANELY gorgeous Laura, I can’t stop looking at them!!
That is pretty much oil and garlic HEAVEN. I foresee myself putting it all over ALL THE THINGS. Or just drinking it.
Drinking it is totally acceptable! 🙂
I love garlic confit. I often use the ad hoc cookbook version, and now I get to try this pretty version.
Hi! Amazing recipe. Just made it for the 1st time, amazing! One question, is it ok that I let it cool on the counter after cooking and then loses the jar and put in the fridge?
Yes, you can let it cool on the stove for a short period, but it should be stored in the fridge for safety purposes.
I want to confit all the things!
Me too!!! 🙂
Um, I visit your sit on a regular basis, and I always enjoy your posts, but what you said about this one changing my life… OMG so true. I haven’t even made this delicious stuff you call garlic confit, but I want to stop what I’m doing and make it yesterday. total social media share!!!!
Yummy! Thanks for sharing!
We did this in culinary school all the time!
Ugghh, as if it’s snowing!! It’s not here in Montreal, but it’s supposed to tomorrow (WHYYYYYY????). Making garlic confit sounds like the perfect thing to try while I’m inside this weekend!
There seriously may be nothing better than garlic oil. Plus, this is gorgeous!