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Cherry tomato confit is slow roasted in extra virgin olive oil with whole heads of garlic, fresh herbs, lemon zest, and balsamic until the tomatoes are soft and jammy. Once roasted, I squeeze the garlic right back into the tomatoes and oil for an extra-garlicky confit that’s perfect for spooning over toast, pasta, eggs, and more.
Tomato confit is one of those recipes I make when cherry tomatoes are especially good and I know I’ll want to use them in a few different meals. After making it a few different ways, I’ve found that I prefer the texture from a low oven. The tomatoes soften and concentrate without completely collapsing, while the garlic turns almost buttery.
Tomato Confit Is All About Low and Slow
Unlike tomatoes roasted quickly at high heat, tomato confit cooks gently in olive oil. The tomatoes gradually soften and wrinkle instead of browning around the edges, which gives them that soft, jammy texture while still leaving some of their shape.
A few things make this recipe a little different:
- Use two whole heads of garlic. They roast right alongside the tomatoes until the cloves are soft and creamy, then get squeezed directly back into the tomatoes and oil.
- Balsamic and lemon keep everything balanced. The balsamic deepens the sweetness of the tomatoes while the lemon zest adds just enough brightness to the garlic and olive oil.
- I stop before the tomatoes completely collapse. I like them soft and jammy with wrinkled skins, but with plenty of tomatoes still holding their shape.
Ingredients Worth Talking About
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes. Use ripe tomatoes with plenty of flavor since they’re the base of this recipe. Either variety works, although smaller tomatoes may soften more quickly.
- Whole garlic heads. Roasting the garlic intact keeps the cloves protected while they soften. By the end of the cook time, they should be creamy enough to squeeze easily from their skins.
- Extra virgin olive oil. Since the infused oil is part of the finished confit, use one you actually like the flavor of. Regular olive oil will also work, but extra virgin gives the finished oil more flavor.
- Balsamic and lemon zest. These balance the richness of the olive oil and garlic while bringing out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
- Fresh herbs. Fresh herbs work best because their flavor slowly carries into the oil during the long cook time.
How to Make Tomato Confit
Step 1. Arrange the tomatoes and garlic. Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Add the tomatoes to a 9×9-inch or similar-sized baking dish in a single layer, then nestle the garlic heads between them.
Step 2. Add the oil and seasonings. Pour in the olive oil, then add the balsamic, lemon zest, salt, pepper, thyme, and basil. Gently move the tomatoes around so everything is coated in the oil. The oil should come about one-third to halfway up the tomatoes.
Step 3. Slow roast. Roast uncovered for about 1½ hours. The tomatoes are ready when they’re soft and jammy with wrinkled skins, but many should still hold their shape. Smaller tomatoes may be ready a little sooner.
Step 4. Finish with the roasted garlic. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and cooked basil. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, gently squeeze the soft cloves from their skins directly into the tomatoes and infused oil.
How to Know When the Tomatoes Are Done
The tomatoes are ready when they’re soft, wrinkled, and jammy, but many are still holding their shape. I don’t wait for every tomato to burst. Once they start collapsing into the oil, they’ve gone farther than I prefer.
A few things to watch for:
- Check the tomatoes, not just the timer. Smaller cherry tomatoes may be ready before larger grape tomatoes, so use their texture and appearance as your guide.
- The garlic should be completely soft. A knife should slide easily into the cloves, and they should squeeze from the skins without much effort.
- Don’t crowd the baking dish. Keeping the tomatoes in a single layer helps them cook evenly instead of steaming on top of one another.
- Use the right size pan. A much larger dish spreads the oil too thin, while a smaller one can leave the tomatoes piled on top of each other.
My Favorite Ways to Use Tomato Confit
I usually make tomato confit knowing I’ll use it a few different ways over the next couple of days. The tomatoes are great, but don’t forget the garlicky tomato oil left behind. It’s one of the best parts.
- Spoon it over toast. Add cottage cheese or ricotta, then finish with the tomatoes and a drizzle of the infused oil.
- Toss it with pasta. The tomatoes and a few spoonfuls of oil make an easy sauce without needing much else.
- Add it to chicken or fish. It’s an easy way to add acidity, sweetness, and garlic to simply seasoned proteins.
- Use it on flatbreads or pizza. I especially love it with my Air Fryer Garlic Bread and Chicken Pesto Flatbread.
Make Ahead and Storage
Tomato confit is easy to make ahead, especially if you know you’ll use it in a few different meals.
- Refrigerate: Let the confit cool, then transfer the tomatoes, garlic, and oil to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, portion the cooled confit into freezer-safe containers, leaving a little room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- To serve: The olive oil will firm up in the refrigerator. Let the confit sit at room temperature briefly or gently warm what you need until the oil loosens again.
Other condiments and Dressings to try
Sauces & Dressings
Creamy Pesto Dressing
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Spinach Walnut Pesto
Sauces & Dressings
Lemon Honey Dressing
Sauces & Dressings
Creamy Lemon Herb Tahini
Tomato Confit
Equipment
- 1 9×9 baking dish or similar-sized baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, any color will work.
- 2 medium heads of garlic, sliced in half horizontally so garlic cloves are exposed for slow roasting (see photo for example)
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp salt, more as needed
- ½ tsp pepper, more as needed
- several sprigs of fresh thyme
- several sprigs of fresh basil, rough chopped for garnish and to infuse the oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Place cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a 9×9-inch or similar-sized baking dish. Nestle the garlic between the tomatoes.
- Pour olive oil into the baking dish, If your dish is larger than the suggested size, you may need more oil. Add balsamic vinegar. Next, add the lemon zest, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and basil.
- Slow roast, uncovered, for 1-½ hours (cooking time will depend on the size of the cherry tomatoes, keep an eye on them). Don’t cook the tomatoes until they’ve fully burst. Cook them until they are tender and soft, slightly wrinkled.
- Cool tomatoes in the pan until they are room temperature. Pull out the sprigs of thyme, any tomato sprigs and basil leaves, discard them. Gently squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb to store in the tomato confit. Add the oil, tomatoes, garlic to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.
- Add to toast, cottage cheese, bread, flatbreads, salad, chicken and more!
Notes
-
- Cook low and slow. Roast at 250°F for about 1½ hours so the tomatoes soften without completely collapsing.
- Watch the tomatoes, not just the timer. They’re ready when soft, wrinkled, and jammy, but many should still hold their shape.
- Check the garlic, too. The cloves should be completely soft and easy to squeeze from their skins.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups of tomato confit.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The olive oil will firm up when cold; let it sit briefly at room temperature or gently warm before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delish and easy!
This was scrumptious, really easy to make.