Oven Roasted Garlic Confit Recipe

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Roasted garlic confit is garlic cooked in olive oil and fresh herbs at low heat over a long time until you have tender, golden brown, buttery garlic, and a fragrant garlic oil. This versatile condiment can be used in salad dressings, sauces, and much more!

Looking for more confit recipes? Try my cherry tomato confit recipe or shallot confit.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

Flavorful – oven garlic confit spread has an incredible flavor that’s much more complex than raw garlic or garlic powder. It’s a must for garlic lovers!
Hands-off – confit is a mostly hands-off slow cooking method. The only work is peeling the garlic skins.
Easy – this condiment requires minimal effort and is a great way to add tons of flavor to any dish. It’s ridiculous how good it is for being so simple.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade garlic confit in the oven:

Whole cloves of garlic – from several heads of garlic. When roasted, the garlic develops a natural sweetness and a mild flavor compared to the sharpness of raw garlic.
Extra-virgin olive oil – the cooking fat.
Fresh thyme sprigs.
Kosher salt.
Freshly cracked black pepper.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Confit: Step By Step

Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!

1. Place peeled raw garlic cloves in an oven-safe dish or Dutch oven pot. Pour the extra virgin olive oil over the top. They should be completely submerged in the oil.

2. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir to combine everything and then spread them out into an even layer. Nestle in a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

3. Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours until golden brown and soft.

Helpful Tips

Don’t use pre-peeled garlic cloves. When making garlic confit, fresh garlic is best. With pre-peeled garlic cloves, you have no idea how long they’ve been sitting on the grocery store shelf.
The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the individual cloves.
Don’t leave garlic confit out at room temperature. This helps prevent the risk of botulism, a food-borne illness.

Quick Tip: Use enough oil so it completely covers the garlic cloves. If you have some extra large cloves like I did, you can slice them in half lengthwise so they are submerged. Otherwise, add more oil.

Storage & Reheating

Side of caution: it’s very important to store garlic confit properly to avoid a food-born illness called botulism.

Fridge: Once the garlic confit has cooled slightly, transfer it directly to a sterilized airtight container or tightly sealed glass jar and place it in the fridge. To store, the softened garlic must be completely submerged in the cooking oil. When stored properly, it’ll keep for 2-3 weeks.

Freezer: To freeze, transfer the garlic confit and infused oil into silicone ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop them out into a freezer-safe bag where they can be stored for up to 3 months.

Reheating: The oil will firm up in the fridge. Run the jar under warm water to return to its liquid state. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge or add directly to a warm pan.

Garlic Confit Uses

The infused oil and roasted garlic cloves have many uses such as: salad dressings, dipping oil, garlic bread, sauces such as confit garlic aioli, and spreads such as garlic confit butter.

Drizzle the oil over pizza, or sauteed vegetables. Add the confit garlic to pasta, hummus, or pesto. Serve it with roasted chicken, steak, or dairy free mashed potatoes. The options are endless.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this garlic confit recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

No fresh thyme? – use any sprigs of fresh herbs such as a sprig of rosemary, sage, or oregano, or a mix of herbs.
Add-ins – pinch of red chili flakes, lemon slices, bay leaf, black peppercorns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is garlic confit?

Confit garlic is a slow-roasted method of cooking fresh garlic in oil at a low temperature over a long period of time until you’re left with spreadable cloves.

Can you leave confit garlic on the counter?

No, it is never safe to leave garlic confit on the counter. You must keep it refrigerated.

What is Botulism?

Botulism is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness. The toxic bacteria Clostridium botulinum that causes botulism thrives in low-acidic environments, without oxygen, and at room temperature. Because garlic is a low-acid food, you must store it in the refrigerator.

What’s the garlic confit oven temperature?

The standard oven temperature for making garlic confit is 250 degrees Fahrenheit or 120 degrees Celcius.

More Olive Oil Recipes

I hope you love this Roasted Garlic Confit! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating so I know how you liked it!