This herby oven roasted garlic confit is a two in one: it gives you buttery and spreadable garlic cloves and a fragrant herb oil to drizzle on everything throughout the week! Slow-roasted with rosemary, sage, and thyme until the cloves are buttery soft and golden - it's savory, rich and pleasantly aromatic. Great on toast, tossed in some pasta, or drizzle the herb oil on your eggs for breakfast! It's an easy way to add another depth of flavor to your food throughout the week.
This herby garlic confit is actually the base for my sardine toast which is great for parties along with my high protein cream cheese rangoons!
What is oven roasted garlic confit?
Garlic confit (pronounced "kon-FEE") is a French cooking technique where you slowly cook something submerged in fat at low heat. If you're familiar with duck confit, it's the same idea but with duck instead of garlic.
When you confit garlic, the sharp, pungent bite of raw garlic mellows out completely. The cloves turn soft, golden, slightly sweet and buttery enough to spread straight onto bread. The olive oil that it's cooked in also absorbs all of that garlic herb flavor, becoming a rich, fragrant oil that can be enjoyed with the garlic confit or enjoyed on its own.
There are many versions of garlic confit, like a classic garlic confit made with two ingredients of garlic and olive oil, but this version uses rosemary, sage, and thyme for an herby flavor!
Why you'll love this oven roasted garlic confit
- Two ingredients in one - You get buttery, spreadable garlic cloves and a herb-infused olive oil, all in one!
- Completely hands-off - Put it in an oven safe dish and place it in the oven. The oven does the work and you just wait.
- Versatile - Put it on toast, eggs, pasta - you name it! Goes great with so many things.
- Easy elevated cooking - Sounds fancy and impressive, but comes together so easily.
Jump to:
- What is oven roasted garlic confit?
- Why you'll love this oven roasted garlic confit
- Ingredients
- How to make Oven Roasted Garlic Confit
- Top tips for success!
- Substitutions and Variations
- Storage
- Ways to use oven roasted garlic confit
- FAQ
- Other recipes to try:
- Oven Roasted Garlic Confit (with herby garlic oil!)
Ingredients
- Olive oil: Use a good quality olive oil since it's doing a lot of the flavor work here. I like using Partanna, Brightland, La Tourangelle, or Graza.
- Head of garlic: I like using fresh garlic but you can also purchase a bag of pre-peeled garlic from the grocery store.
- Rosemary: Adds a piney, fragrant depth to the oil.
- Thyme: A classic pairing with rosemary and garlic. Adds more earthy notes.
- Sage: For a slightly earthy and floral flavor profile. Optional, but adds a nice touch.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Oven Roasted Garlic Confit
- Preheat your oven to 250F.
- In a small oven-safe dish, add thyme, rosemary, sage, and whole head of peeled garlic. Pour in the olive oil, making sure the herbs are submerged.
- Cover and bake on a small sheet pan at 250°F for 45–60 minutes, until the garlic cloves are completely soft and tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool before handling. Place the garlic cloves and oil in an air tight container and place it in the fridge. Enjoy throughout the week!
Top tips for success!
- Low and slow is a must!
- Allow the oil to cool completely before transferring to an air tight container for storing.
- Store in the refrigerator! Leaving it at room temperature can lead to bacteria growth.
- Always use a clean spoon. Every time you scoop from jar, use a clean utensil to keep it fresh and contamination-free.
Substitutions and Variations
Herb swaps or add ins:
- Bay leaves - Add 1-2 for a subtly woodsy flavor.
- Chili flakes - Toss a few crushed red pepper flakes in for a little heat.
- Black pepper - Add a few whole peppercorns for a peppery kick.
Storage
Store the garlic confit in an air tight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. This is critical, as garlic oil left at room temperature can be prone to Clostridium botulinum bacteria or botulism. To help maintain freshness, use a clean spoon every time.
The oil will solidify slightly in the fridge. This is normal. Adding it on warm toast will help loosen up the oil.
Ways to use oven roasted garlic confit
- Spread it on toast or a baguette - Smear it on warm bread and top it with tinned fish and flaky sea salt.
- Add it to mashed potatoes - Swap out the butter for garlic confit and herby olive oil for a not so basic mashed potato recipe.
- Mix it into pasta - Mash a few cloves and toss it into cooked pasta with olive oil, parmesan and pasta water for the easiest weeknight dinner!
- Blend it into hummus - Use the oil and garlic in a hummus recipe for a deep herby and garlicky flavor!
FAQ
Garlic confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. If the oil smells rancid, it's time to toss it out.
This is due to your heat being too high. If your oven runs hot, I would reduce the temperature and check again.
Separate the garlic cloves from each other and place them in a glass jar or in between two metal bowls. Give it a vigorous shake for 30 seconds and the garlic peels should come loose!
Yes! Using pre-peeled garlic is a great way to speed up the process.
Other recipes to try:
Oven Roasted Garlic Confit (with herby garlic oil!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
- 3-4 sage leaves
- small bunch of thyme
- 1 garlic head
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250F.
- In a small oven-safe dish, add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and whole head of peeled garlic. Pour in the olive oil, making sure the herbs are submerged.
- Cover and bake on a small sheet pan at 250°F for 45–60 minutes, until the garlic cloves are completely soft and tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool before handling. Place the garlic cloves and oil in an air tight container and place it in the fridge. Enjoy throughout the week!
Notes
- Low and slow is a must!
- Allow the oil to cool completely before transferring to an air tight container for storing.
- Store in the refrigerator! Store the garlic confit in an air tight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. This is critical, as garlic oil left at room temperature can be prone to Clostridium botulinum bacteria or botulism.
- Always use a clean spoon. Every time you scoop from jar, use a clean utensil to keep it fresh and contamination-free.
Leave a Reply