Garlic Confit
Whole cloves poached slow in olive oil until spreadable — and the oil becomes liquid gold.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 30 cloves Garlic
- 250 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp Thyme (optional)
- 1 leaf Bay leaves (optional)
- ¼ tsp Salt (optional)
Method
- Smash the garlic cloves lightly with the flat of a knife and slip off the skins.
- Put the peeled cloves in a small pot, pour in the olive oil to fully submerge them, and add the thyme and bay leaf.
- Set the pot over the LOWEST possible heat until tiny bubbles just appear around the cloves — never frying.
- Poach the cloves until they are golden and completely soft when pressed with a spoon, about 30 minutes, checking the bubble level occasionally.
- Season the confit with the salt and store the cloves and oil together in the fridge up to two weeks — spread, whisk, or drizzle.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Garlic Confit
Garlic confit is a French slow-cooking technique that transforms whole raw cloves into something entirely different. Submerged in olive oil and poached over the lowest possible heat, the cloves lose all their harsh, pungent bite and turn golden, mellow, and soft enough to spread like butter. The defining rule is temperature control: you want only tiny bubbles ringing the cloves, never a fry, so the garlic poaches gently rather than browning or crisping over roughly thirty minutes, perfumed by thyme and bay.
You end up with two ingredients for the price of one. The cloves themselves are sweet, nutty, and jammy, ready to smash into dressings, mash into potatoes, or spread straight onto bread; and the oil, now infused with garlic and herbs, becomes a finishing fat for pasta, vegetables, or eggs. Stored together in the fridge, they keep for up to two weeks and quietly upgrade whatever you're cooking. Naturally vegan and suited to low-carb and keto eating, it's less a dish than a staple worth always having on hand.
Garlic Confit: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Garlic Confit?
One serving of Garlic Confit has about 87 calories, with 1g of protein, 3g of carbs, 8g of fat and 0g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Garlic Confit gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Garlic Confit has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Do I need every ingredient to make Garlic Confit?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out thyme, bay leaves, salt — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Garlic Confit make?
This recipe makes 8 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.