Garlic Confit

Jere Folgert
Mar 14, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Nov 14

Garlic Confit is basically, culinary alchemy, transforming humble garlic cloves into buttery, silken jewels

The Quiet Luxury of Garlic Confit

"How a beautiful, simple jar of slow-cooked cloves became the secret weapon of every serious cook"

There is a moment, about ninety minutes into the gentle simmer, when the kitchen smells less like garlic and more like seduction. The sharp, sulfurous bite that once made you step back from the cutting board has surrendered. What remains is sweet, nutty, almost buttery—an aroma that drifts through the house like a promise. This is garlic confit at its peak: dozens of cloves bathed in oil, collapsed into silky submission, ready to elevate everything they touch.

Confit (from the French confire, “to preserve”) is one of the oldest cooking techniques we still use. Duck legs, lemons, even tuna have their devoted confit followers. But garlic confit may be the most democratic luxury in the pantry: it costs pennies, requires almost no skill, and delivers flavor that restaurants charge twenty dollars a plate to approximate.

What is Garlic Confit?

Garlic Confit is basically, culinary alchemy, transforming humble garlic cloves into buttery, silken jewels that practically melt on your tongue. That's the magic of garlic confit! It's an irresistibly simple technique where fresh garlic is submerged in olive oil (or another neutral fat) and gently, patiently cooked over low heat—think of it as a long, luxurious spa day for the allium. The result is pure gold: cloves that lose their sharp bite and become sweet, creamy, and profoundly savory, alongside a bonus gift of intensely flavorful, garlic-infused oil perfect for drizzling, dipping, and dreaming. This spreadable delicacy adds a whisper of gourmet elegance to everything from toast and pasta to roasted vegetables and dips.

How is Garlic Confit Made

The Science and Art of Garlic Confit: The transformation of sharp, pungent garlic into sweet, mellow confit is a masterful display of both culinary patience and basic food chemistry. Raw garlic's potent flavor is primarily due to sulfur compounds, notably allicin, which is released when the cell walls are broken (chopping).¹ However, when submerged in oil and heated slowly to a temperature well below the boiling point of water (ideally around 180 F to 200 F), two key processes occur. First, the low, moist heat (derived from the garlic's internal water content) gently denatures the enzymes responsible for allicin's formation, thus preventing the harsh bitterness. Second, this gentle cooking allows for thermal softening, breaking down the complex starches and structural pectins within the clove walls without browning, yielding a luscious, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The resulting aromatic oil is then a beautiful emulsion of garlic's fat-soluble compounds and its essential flavors, ready to elevate any dish.

Hardneck vs. Softneck: Does It Matter?

Yes, dramatically. Hardneck varieties (Purple Stripe, Porcelain, Rocambole) have a complex, musky depth—think roasted chestnut and a whisper of funk. Their cloves are larger, easier to peel, and they brown beautifully. Softneck garlic (Artichoke, Silverskin—the supermarket default) is milder, sweeter, and slightly stickier when cooked, with a cleaner, almost honeyed finish. Most professional kitchens reach for hardneck when they can get it; most home cooks happily use softneck and still end up with something transcendent.

The Oil Question

Extra-virgin olive oil is the classic choice—fruity, peppery, expensive. Many chefs now prefer a 50/50 blend of olive and a neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado, or sunflower) to stretch the budget without dulling the flavor. A few renegades use rendered duck fat or ghee for animal richness. Avoid peanut oil; its flavor fights the garlic rather than marrying it.

The Master Recipe (Foolproof, 2025 Edition)

Ingredients

4–6 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 2 cups)
2–3 cups good fat (see above)
Optional aromatics: 4 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, 6 black peppercorns, a strip of lemon peel, or a small dried chile

Method

Combine everything in the smallest saucepan that will hold the cloves in a single layer. The garlic must be completely submerged; add more oil if needed.
Set over the lowest possible heat. On most stoves this means the “lo” setting or a heat diffuser. Ideal temperature: 190–200 °F / 88–93 °C. Tiny bubbles should just kiss the surface.
Cook 1½–2½ hours, until cloves are golden-blond and soft enough to mash with a finger. Do not let them darken past mahogany or the flavor turns bitter.
Cool completely in the oil. Transfer to a clean jar, ensuring cloves stay submerged. Refrigerate.

Yield: about 2 cups confit + 1½ cups priceless garlic oil.

Shelf Life & Safety

Properly made and stored (cloves fully submerged, refrigerated), garlic confit keeps 3–4 weeks—sometimes longer if you’re meticulous. Freeze in ice-cube trays for 6–12 months. The real enemy is botulism, which loves low-acid, low-oxygen environments. Commercial producers add phosphoric acid; home cooks prevent risk by refrigerating immediately, never storing at room temperature, and tossing anything that smells off or bubbles suspiciously.

Ten Ways to Use It (Beyond the Obvious)

Smash a few cloves into mashed potatoes with the oil—pure velvet.
Whisk the oil with lemon and Dijon for the silkiest vinaigrette you’ll ever taste.
Spread warm cloves on grilled bread, top with flaky salt: instant gourmet crostini.
Fold into risotto in the last two minutes; the starch blooms.
Blend with soaked bread, almonds, and a touch of sherry vinegar for Catalan romesco 2.0.
Stir into store-bought hummus—transforms it.
Finish scrambled eggs with a spoonful of oil and a crushed clove.
Toss with pasta, lemon zest, and Parm for midnight aglio e olio that tastes like it took hours.
Use the oil to confit cherry tomatoes or shallots next—flavor compounds upon flavor.
Gift a small jar with a ribbon; watch friendships solidify.

Pros & Cons (The Honest List)

Pros

Transforms harsh raw garlic into something mellow and sophisticated
Infinitely versatile
Makes your kitchen smell like a Michelin-starred restaurant
The leftover oil is liquid gold

Cons

Takes 2+ hours of babysitting (though mostly hands-off)
Botulism anxiety if you’re paranoid (follow rules and sleep fine)
Your partner may kiss you less for 24 hours post-consumption (worth it)

The Ultimate Garlic Confit Recipe Variations

Smoked Paprika & Orange (Spanish leaning) Add 1 tsp smoked paprika and wide strips of orange zest to the pot. Use for romesco or spooned over grilled octopus.

Black Garlic & Miso (Umami bomb) Include 2 Tbsp shiro miso and a few fermented black garlic cloves. Blend into mayonnaise for the world’s best sandwich spread.

Herbes de Provence & Lemon Classic French bistro vibes. Serve the cloves whole alongside roast chicken.

There are nights when a single jar of garlic confit feels like cheating—too much flavor for too little work. Then you taste it again, smeared on warm bread, or folded into warm beans, or swirled into soup at the last second, and you remember: this is what cooking is supposed to be. Simple ingredients, time, heat, and a little reverence. Make a batch this weekend. Your future self, standing at the open fridge at midnight with a spoon, will thank you.

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GroEat Farm, LLC is a small, sustainable family farm located in Bozeman, Montana. We’re located in the beautiful Hyalite foothills, below the Gallatin Mountain Range. The hardneck varieties that grow at our farm (Ophioscorodon) flourish here, due to the combination of the cold winters, temperate summers, moist spring, and the dynamic alluvial soils, washed down from the Gallatin Range (comprised of Archean metamorphics, Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, and Eocene volcanics). Not only are the GroEat Hardneck garlic healthy and beautiful, the flavors are robust and delicate. www.groeat.com