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Garlic Confit Ghee

Whole garlic cloves cook gently in ghee until golden, soft, and mellow. The fragrant fat is ready for savory cooking, while the tender cloves can be spread or mashed into a dish.

Garlic Confit Ghee
Recipe link
Prep time15 min
Cook time1 hr 25 min
Total time2 HOURS
Course
Condiments, Cooking Fats
Cuisine
Indian Inspired, Global
Difficulty
Easy
Est. calories / serving
120

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Traditional Stovetop Ghee (or high-quality store-bought ghee)
  • 3 heads fresh garlic (about 30–36 cloves, peeled)
  • fine sea salt (optional, to taste)

Optional Finish for the Confit Garlic

  • flaky sea salt
  • black pepper (coarse, freshly ground)

Instructions

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Oven: Heat the oven to 225°F. Make sure the baking dish, utensils, strainer, and storage containers are completely clean and dry.clean, dry equipment
  2. Prepare the Garlic: Separate and peel the garlic cloves. Trim away the hard root ends, leaving the cloves whole. Blot them thoroughly with paper towels so no washing water remains on the surface.3 heads garlic
  3. Melt the Ghee: Add the ghee to a small saucepan and warm over low heat just until completely liquid. Do not allow it to smoke.2 cups ghee
  4. Assemble the Confit: Arrange the garlic cloves in a small, deep oven-safe dish or saucepan. Pour in enough melted ghee to submerge the cloves completely. Use a smaller vessel if necessary so the garlic remains covered.peeled garlic, melted ghee
  5. Cover the Dish: Cover tightly with an oven-safe lid or foil. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any accidental spills.covered garlic and ghee
  6. Confit the Garlic: Bake for 60–90 minutes. Begin checking after 50 minutes. The ghee should show only occasional gentle bubbles; the garlic should not fry vigorously.garlic submerged in ghee
  7. Check for Doneness: The garlic is ready when the cloves are completely tender, easily crushed with a spoon, and pale golden with a few slightly deeper golden edges. Do not cook until dark brown.confit garlic
  8. Stop the Cooking: Remove the dish from the oven and carefully uncover it away from your face. Let the garlic rest in the hot ghee for 10 minutes.finished garlic ghee and confit garlic
  9. Remove the Garlic: Use a clean slotted spoon to transfer the cloves to a shallow, clean heat-safe container. Allow excess ghee to drain back into the cooking dish.ghee-confit garlic cloves
  10. Strain the Ghee: Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth or an unbleached coffee filter. Strain the warm ghee into a clean, dry heat-safe jar, removing all garlic particles.garlic-infused ghee
  11. Season Carefully: Taste a small amount once it is cool enough. Add a small pinch of fine sea salt if desired, or leave the ghee unsalted for maximum versatility.fine sea salt as needed
  12. Cool Promptly: Let both containers cool briefly until no longer steaming, but do not leave them at room temperature for more than 2 hours.garlic ghee, ghee-confit garlic
  13. Cover and Refrigerate: Cover the garlic and ghee separately and refrigerate immediately. The ghee will firm as it chills.finished garlic ghee and garlic confit
  14. Serve the Garlic Ghee: Use the ghee for sautéing, pan-searing, roasting, frying, blooming spices, brushing bread, or finishing hot foods.garlic ghee
  15. Serve the Confit Garlic: Mash the tender cloves into potatoes, pasta, sauces, soups, vegetables, bread, rice, or compound butter. Finish with flaky salt or black pepper if desired.ghee-confit garlic, flaky sea salt, black pepper

Notes

  • One Recipe, Two Yields: The infused ghee is the primary recipe. The tender cloves are a valuable secondary yield best described as ghee-confit garlic.
  • Make the Ghee First: Do not add raw garlic while butter is still clarifying. Garlic introduces moisture and makes it harder to judge when the butter’s water has evaporated and its milk solids have browned properly.
  • Why Ghee Works for Confit: Ghee is nearly pure butterfat and can gently transfer heat to the garlic while adding its own toasted dairy character.
  • Keep the Cloves Whole: Whole cloves cook more slowly and evenly than sliced garlic. They are also less likely to brown or burn before becoming tender.
  • Dry the Garlic: Surface water can cause hot ghee to sputter. Dry the peeled cloves thoroughly before submerging them.
  • Submerge Completely: Exposed portions can dry out or brown faster than the submerged garlic. Use a compact vessel so the ghee covers every clove.
  • Low Heat Matters: The goal is soft, pale-golden garlic—not crisp fried garlic. Vigorous bubbling means the temperature is too high.
  • Color Cue: Pull the garlic when it is tender and lightly golden. Carryover heat will deepen the color slightly after the dish leaves the oven.
  • Strain Thoroughly: Small pieces of garlic left in the ghee affect its texture and storage. Cheesecloth or a coffee filter produces the cleanest result.
  • Not Pantry-Stable: Plain ghee can be shelf-stable when properly made, but fresh-garlic-infused ghee must be treated as a refrigerated perishable food.
  • Food-Safety Storage: Refrigerate both the garlic ghee and the confit garlic at 40°F or colder and use within 4 days. Do not store either at room temperature.
  • Freezing: Freeze the ghee in 1-tablespoon portions and the garlic cloves in small recipe-size portions for up to 3 months. Thaw only what you need in the refrigerator.
  • Avoid Storing the Cloves in the Ghee: Separate storage makes portioning easier and reduces the amount of fresh garlic material remaining in the infused fat.
  • Longer-Storing Alternative: Ghee flavored with completely dried garlic can be stored longer, but it will not produce soft confit cloves and will have a different flavor.
  • Using the Garlic Ghee: Use for steak, chicken, seafood, eggs, rice, pasta, roasted vegetables, potatoes, corn, naan, flatbreads, grilled bread, popcorn, or blooming whole spices.
  • Using the Ghee-Confit Garlic: Mash into mashed potatoes, pasta sauce, hummus, soups, gravies, dressings, compound butter, garlic bread, cooked vegetables, or rice.

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

About 1¾ cups garlic ghee and approximately 1 cup ghee-confit garlic — Serving size: 1 tablespoon garlic ghee

Calories
120
Carbohydrates
0 g
Protein
0 g
Fat
14 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
36 mg
Sodium
1 mg
Potassium
1 mg
Fiber
0 g
Total Sugars
0 g
Vitamin A
425 IU
Vitamin C
0 mg
Calcium
0 mg
Iron
0 mg

Equipment

  • Small deep oven-safe saucepan, Dutch oven, or baking dish
  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • Small saucepan
  • Oven-safe lid or aluminum foil
  • Slotted spoon
  • Fine-mesh strainer
  • Cheesecloth or unbleached coffee filter
  • Heat-safe glass jar with lid
  • Shallow airtight container for the garlic
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • Paper towels
  • Measuring cups

Full recipe: https://gbbutterclub.com/recipes/garlic-confit-ghee/