Techniques
How to Confit Garlic and Onions Moroccan Style
Confit — cooking slowly in oil at low heat — is how Moroccan cooks turn sharp raw garlic into something sweet and spreadable, and how sliced onions become a jammy, caramelised mass. Used as a tagine base, spooned over bread, or tucked into sandwiches, these slow-cooked alliums are a cornerstone of Moroccan flavour.
At a glance
- Cook garlic cloves submerged in olive oil at very low heat for 45–60 minutes
- Slow-cook sliced onions in olive oil until jammy and golden — never burnt
- The infused oil is as useful as the alliums themselves
- Both keep refrigerated for 1–2 weeks and freeze well in portions
Guide
For garlic confit, peel whole cloves — as many as you like — and submerge them in olive oil in a small saucepan or oven dish. Cook on the lowest possible heat (or in the oven at 120 °C) for forty-five minutes to an hour, until the cloves are golden and completely soft when pressed with a spoon. They should melt, not crunch. The oil becomes garlic-infused and is just as valuable as the cloves themselves — use it for dressing, dipping or frying.
Onion confit follows a similar principle but starts on the hob. Slice several onions thinly, add to a generous amount of olive oil, season with salt, and cook over the lowest heat for forty-five minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. The goal is deep golden, jammy onions — not brown or burnt. A pinch of sugar or a spoonful of honey halfway through helps caramelisation. Some Moroccan cooks add cinnamon, saffron or cumin to the onions as they cook, turning the confit into a ready-made tagine base.
Both confits keep well. Garlic in its oil will last two weeks refrigerated in a sealed jar (keep the cloves submerged). Onion confit keeps a week refrigerated. Both freeze well in portions. Having a jar of each in the fridge means a tagine is half-built before you even start — spoon the onion base into the pot, add garlic-infused oil, and you are already two layers in.
Practical tips
- 1
Keep the heat as low as possible — confit is gentle cooking, not frying.
- 2
The garlic cloves should be soft enough to crush with a spoon when done.
- 3
Save the garlic-infused oil for dressing, dipping bread or frying.
- 4
Add a pinch of cinnamon or saffron to onion confit for a ready-made tagine base.
- 5
Freeze confit in ice-cube tray portions for quick weeknight tagines.
Frequently asked questions
How long does garlic confit take?
About 45–60 minutes at very low heat. The cloves should be golden and completely soft — meltingly so — when pressed with a spoon. Never rush it with higher heat.
Can I store garlic confit?
Yes — keep the cloves submerged in their oil in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. The oil is garlic-infused and equally useful. Both freeze well.
What can I use onion confit for?
As a tagine base (it is already half the sauce), spread on bread, tucked into sandwiches, spooned over grilled meat, or stirred into couscous. It adds sweet depth to anything savoury.
Try the recipes
Put the tip into practice with these free step-by-step recipes: