Easy Homemade Tomato Confit: Sweet, Savory, and Versatile Roasted Tomatoes

Prepare to transform humble tomatoes into a gourmet delicacy with this incredibly easy and intensely flavorful Tomato Confit recipe. These slow-roasted tomatoes, gently simmered in rich olive oil with aromatic herbs, garlic, and shallots, burst into luscious, concentrated spheres of sweetness and umami. You’ll find yourself reaching for them constantly, and sometimes, the purest joy is simply savoring them straight from the pan – their rich, savory-sweet profile is truly irresistible.

Grape tomatoes in a pan with shallots, sliced garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper after roasting and made into confit.

From spreading them generously on crispy toast or delicate crackers, stirring their vibrant goodness into warm pasta dishes, or adding a sophisticated touch to fresh salads and omelets, the culinary possibilities for these delectable roasted tomatoes are truly boundless. The magic unfolds during a gentle, slow roasting process, where the tomatoes gracefully soften and meld with the infused olive oil. This creates an intensely sweet and savory flavor that perfectly captures and concentrates the essence of summer’s bounty. This versatile condiment isn’t just a fantastic appetizer; it’s a staple you’ll want to master and prepare with every perfectly ripe, peak-season tomato you can find, ensuring you can savor that sun-kissed taste long after the summer months have passed.

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What is Tomato Confit? Unlocking a French Culinary Secret

The term “confit” (pronounced kohn-FEE) is deeply rooted in French culinary tradition, referring to a method of cooking and preserving food slowly in its own fat or in a liquid like sugar syrup or oil. While its most famous application is perhaps duck confit, where duck legs are slow-cooked in their rendered fat, the technique adapts beautifully to vegetables, creating what we know as vegetable confit. In the case of tomato confit, since tomatoes don’t produce enough fat themselves, they are lovingly slow-roasted submerged in a generous bath of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

This gentle, low-temperature cooking process is the heart of confit. It allows the tomatoes to slowly break down, release their juices, and caramelize, intensifying their natural sugars and creating a profoundly sweet, complex, and savory flavor. The low heat ensures the tomatoes soften without burning, transforming into tender, melt-in-your-mouth morsels. Beyond the tomatoes themselves, the olive oil becomes a flavor powerhouse, deeply infused with the sweet and tart notes from the tomatoes, the earthy herbaceousness of fresh thyme and rosemary, and the sweet, pungent aroma of tender shallots and garlic.

This infusion creates a remarkably rich and aromatic oil that is just as valuable and versatile as the tomatoes themselves. It’s perfect for drizzling over a myriad of dishes, using as a base for vibrant dressings, or simply for dipping crusty bread. The confit method not only extends the shelf life of fresh tomatoes but profoundly transforms them into a gourmet ingredient, ready to elevate any meal from ordinary to extraordinary with minimal effort.

Why You Should Make Homemade Tomato Confit

There are numerous compelling reasons to embrace the art of making your own tomato confit at home, especially when compared to relying on store-bought versions. Firstly and most importantly, it allows you to capitalize on the season’s bounty. By utilizing the freshest, ripest, and most flavorful tomatoes available, particularly during the peak summer months, you capture their absolute best flavor and natural sweetness. This seasonality is key to an unparalleled taste that commercially produced alternatives simply cannot replicate.

Secondly, homemade confit offers complete control over the quality of your ingredients. You choose the finest extra virgin olive oil, the freshest herbs, and the best tomatoes, ensuring a pure, additive-free product. This means no artificial preservatives, unwanted sugars, or low-quality oils – just wholesome, natural goodness. The slow-roasting process itself is a wonderfully aromatic experience, filling your kitchen with an intoxicating perfume that builds anticipation for the delicious outcome.

Furthermore, tomato confit is an incredibly versatile ingredient, acting as a secret weapon in your culinary arsenal. It can transform simple everyday meals into something truly special with minimal effort. It’s also an exceptional way to preserve an abundance of tomatoes from a garden harvest or a farmer’s market haul, allowing you to enjoy the vibrant taste of summer well into the colder months. And let’s not forget the infused olive oil – a precious byproduct that’s a gourmet ingredient in its own right, perfect for enriching dressings, marinades, or simply drizzling over finished dishes for an extra layer of flavor.

The Essential Ingredients for Perfect Tomato Confit

The profound deliciousness of this tomato confit recipe stems from the harmony of its few, high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in building the complex flavor profile that makes this confit so utterly addictive.

Ingredients needed to make Tomato Confit.

Tomatoes: The recipe specifically calls for grape tomatoes, which are ideal due to their small size, thin skins, and inherent sweetness. Cherry tomatoes are an equally excellent alternative and behave very similarly during the roasting process, bursting beautifully and releasing their concentrated juices. While any small, ripe tomato variety can be used, aiming for consistency in size is beneficial for even cooking. If you opt for larger tomatoes like Roma, simply halve or quarter them into roughly 1-inch pieces to ensure quicker and more uniform cooking. The absolute key here is ripeness; perfectly ripe, flavorful tomatoes will yield the sweetest and most robust confit.
Garlic: We recommend using sliced garlic over whole cloves for this recipe. Slicing the garlic exposes more surface area, which allows it to soften, gently caramelize, and infuse its pungent yet wonderfully sweet aroma more effectively into the surrounding olive oil and tomatoes. During the slow roast, the sharp edge of raw garlic mellows into a wonderfully soft, spreadable, and subtly sweet consistency.
Shallots: These elegant members of the onion family offer a much milder, sweeter, and more delicate flavor profile compared to their larger onion cousins. When subjected to the slow roasting process, shallots virtually melt into a tender, buttery texture, contributing a significant depth of savory sweetness to the confit. If fresh shallots are difficult to find, a thinly sliced red onion can serve as a decent substitute, though be aware that its flavor will be slightly bolder and more assertive.
Fresh Herbs (Rosemary & Thyme): Fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme are classic, almost indispensable companions to tomatoes and garlic. Their earthy, woody, and herbaceous notes provide a beautiful aromatic backbone that perfectly complements the rich sweetness of the confit. Their essential oils gently release into the warm olive oil, adding layers of fragrance and taste. While these are traditional choices, don’t hesitate to experiment with other Mediterranean herbs like oregano, marjoram, or even a bay leaf for a slight variation in aroma.
Kosher Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper: These seasonings are far more than just flavor enhancers; they are critical for balancing all the other elements. The salt draws out the moisture from the tomatoes and highlights their sweetness, while the freshly cracked black pepper adds a subtle, fragrant warmth that prevents the confit from being overly sweet.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This ingredient is truly the star, serving both as the cooking medium and the primary preservative. It is absolutely essential to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). A good EVOO, with its fruity, sometimes peppery notes, will contribute significantly to the overall taste and quality of your finished confit. It’s crucial to use enough oil to almost submerge the tomatoes. This generous coating of oil is what facilitates the “confit” process, allowing the tomatoes to gently cook and infuse rather than simply bake or fry. The resulting infused oil is a culinary treasure in itself, packed with all the flavors of the tomatoes, garlic, and herbs.

The outcome is something truly delicious that you will want to make over and over again. When tomatoes are at their peak, I find myself preparing this at least twice a week. From tossing them generously through warm pasta, scattering them over a vibrant green salad, or topping creamy avocado toast, there is truly no wrong place to add these flavorful gems.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.

Crafting Your Homemade Tomato Confit: A Step-by-Step Guide

The process of making tomato confit is surprisingly simple, demanding minimal hands-on effort for an exceptionally high flavor reward. The secret lies in a low, slow heat and a bit of patience.

Preheat and Prepare: Begin by preheating your oven to a gentle 300°F (150°C). This low temperature is crucial for the slow confit process. Next, prepare your aromatics: thinly slice your garlic cloves. While whole cloves can be used, slicing them allows for greater surface area exposure, enabling them to soften and infuse their flavor more effectively. Peel and slice your large shallots in half.
Assemble Your Ingredients: Select an oven-proof dish or pan that is just large enough to accommodate all your tomatoes in a single layer. This is a critical step for ensuring even cooking and optimizing the amount of olive oil needed. Arrange your grape (or cherry) tomatoes evenly across the bottom of the dish. Scatter the sliced garlic, halved shallots, and fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme over and among the tomatoes. A light toss can help distribute them.

Sliced garlic that has been sliced on a mini mandoline that is sitting next to it.

Grape tomatoes in a pan with shallots, sliced garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper ready to be roasted and made into confit.

Add Olive Oil and Seasoning: Carefully pour enough high-quality extra virgin olive oil over the assembled ingredients to nearly cover the tomatoes. You want them mostly submerged, allowing the oil to act as a heat transfer medium and preservative. The exact amount of oil may vary slightly depending on the depth and dimensions of your baking dish. Finish by sprinkling generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper; these seasonings will draw out moisture and enhance all the other flavors.
Slow Roast to Perfection: Gently transfer the baking dish to your preheated oven. Allow the mixture to slow roast for approximately one hour. During this magical hour, watch as the tomatoes begin to soften, shrivel, and some will gently burst, releasing their sweet juices. The garlic slices will transform into a beautiful golden brown, losing their pungent bite and becoming wonderfully sweet and mellow. The shallots will similarly soften and caramelize, practically melting into a tender, buttery consistency that adds incredible depth to the confit.

Tomato Confit in a jar covered in oil, ready to be stored.

Cool and Store: Once the roasting is complete and the tomatoes are perfectly tender and flavorful, remove the dish from the oven. Allow the entire tomato confit mixture to cool completely to room temperature. This cooling step is essential before you proceed with storage. Once thoroughly cooled, carefully transfer the confit – including all the infused oil, softened garlic, shallots, and herbs – into a clean, airtight glass jar. Ensure that all the solid ingredients are fully covered by the infused olive oil, as this acts as a vital preservative. You have the option to leave the herb sprigs in the jar for continued flavor infusion, or you can remove them if you prefer. Your choice might depend on your intended use for the confit.

Creative Ways to Enjoy Your Homemade Tomato Confit

The true brilliance of homemade tomato confit lies in its incredible versatility. Once you’ve prepared a batch, you’ll discover countless opportunities to incorporate its rich, sweet, and savory flavors into almost any meal, elevating simple dishes to gourmet status:

Elevated Toast & Bruschetta: This is arguably the simplest and most satisfying way to enjoy confit. Spoon the tender tomatoes, soft garlic, and a generous drizzle of the infused oil over toasted sourdough, baguette slices, or any crusty bread. A sprinkle of fresh basil leaves or crumbled feta cheese can take this classic to the next level.
Flavorful Pasta Dishes: Toss the warm confit (tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and infused oil) through freshly cooked pasta for an instant, deeply flavorful meal. Add some grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, or a splash of pasta water to create a light, vibrant sauce that clings beautifully to the noodles.
Gourmet Salads: Transform any green salad, hearty grain bowl, or a classic Caprese salad with a spoonful of warm or room-temperature tomato confit. The soft, sweet tomatoes provide a wonderful contrast to crisp greens and other fresh vegetables.
Breakfast & Brunch Brilliance: Swirl the confit into scrambled eggs, fold it into an omelet or frittata, or serve it alongside fried or poached eggs for a remarkably gourmet breakfast or brunch experience.
Enhanced Sandwiches & Wraps: Use the confit as a flavorful spread or a core filling in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, paninis, or wraps. It pairs exceptionally well with fresh mozzarella, creamy goat cheese, pesto, or your favorite deli meats.
Pizza & Flatbread Topping: Scatter the tomatoes and garlic over homemade pizza or flatbreads either before or after baking for an explosion of rich, concentrated tomato flavor that’s far superior to plain sauce.
Accompaniment for Proteins: A generous spoonful of tomato confit makes an excellent, vibrant accompaniment to grilled chicken, pan-seared fish, roasted steak, or lamb. It adds a crucial layer of brightness and savory depth to cooked proteins.
Elegant Charcuterie Boards: Serve it as a star component of an antipasto platter or charcuterie board, nestled amongst cheeses, olives, cured meats, and crusty bread.
Dips & Spreads: Gently mash the confit and mix it with cream cheese or soft goat cheese for a delightful spread, or blend it into homemade hummus for an irresistible flavor boost.
Soups & Sauces Booster: Stir a few spoonfuls into tomato soup for extra depth and richness, or blend it into pasta sauces, stews, or casseroles for a concentrated tomato essence that deepens the overall flavor.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with these suggestions and let your imagination guide you! The rich, umami-packed flavor of tomato confit is truly a versatile culinary secret weapon that will inspire countless delicious meals.

Notes & Tips for Achieving Perfect Tomato Confit

While making tomato confit is relatively straightforward, a few key considerations will ensure your batch turns out perfectly every time:

The Right Pan Makes a Difference: Always choose a baking dish or oven-safe pan that is wide enough to allow your tomatoes to be arranged in a single, even layer. Over-packing the pan can lead to inconsistent cooking; tomatoes in the middle or underneath others may steam rather than confit, resulting in uneven texture and flavor development. A single layer ensures consistent exposure to both heat and the infusing olive oil.
Optimal Oil Quantity: The essence of “confit” is to cook and preserve in fat. Therefore, it’s crucial to nearly submerge the tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil. This prevents them from simply baking or frying and allows them to slowly infuse. To avoid using an excessive amount of oil, selecting a baking dish with a shallow depth but ample surface area is ideal. The goal is to maximize the contact between the tomatoes and the oil without requiring gallons of it.
Mastering Temperature Control: The low oven temperature of 300°F (150°C) is absolutely critical for the slow roasting process. Higher temperatures will cause the tomatoes to cook and brown too quickly, leading to a loss of the confit’s signature tender, bursting texture and the deep, concentrated sweetness that develops over time. Patience is a virtue here.
Tomato Selection Matters: While grape and cherry tomatoes are highly recommended for their ideal size and thin skins, other small tomato varieties work well. If you choose to use larger tomatoes, be sure to cut them into uniform, bite-sized pieces (approximately 1-inch) to ensure they cook evenly and within the suggested timeframe.
Visual Cues for Doneness: Keep an eye on your confit. The tomatoes should visibly shrivel, with some gently beginning to burst, and their skins should appear wrinkled and slightly caramelized. The garlic and shallots should be exceptionally soft, beautifully golden brown, and wonderfully sweet, not burnt, crispy, or raw-tasting.
Cool Completely Before Storing: This is an important food safety and quality step. Always allow the tomato confit to cool completely to room temperature within the baking dish before you transfer it to storage jars. Transferring hot confit to a sealed container can create condensation, which may compromise the quality and shelf life.

Storage & Preservation Tips for Your Homemade Confit

Proper storage is essential to safely enjoy your delicious homemade tomato confit for an extended period, ensuring its flavors remain vibrant and its texture perfect.

Refrigeration for Short-Term Use: For immediate enjoyment and short-term storage, carefully transfer the cooled confit – including all the tender tomatoes, softened garlic, herbs, and most importantly, the aromatic infused olive oil – into a clean, air-tight glass container or jar. It is paramount that all solid ingredients are completely submerged and covered by the infused olive oil. This oil layer acts as a crucial barrier, creating an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment that is vital for preservation and helps inhibit spoilage. Stored correctly this way, your tomato confit will maintain its quality beautifully in the refrigerator for approximately 2-3 weeks. However, in my experience, it’s so irresistibly delicious that it rarely lasts that long!
Freezing for Long-Term Storage: For more extended preservation, tomato confit freezes exceptionally well. Once the confit has cooled completely, you can portion it into individual servings using ice cube trays. Once these portions are frozen solid, simply pop out the cubes and transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or a sturdy freezer-safe container. Frozen confit can be stored for up to 3 months. When using frozen confit, keep in mind that the texture of the tomatoes may become slightly softer after thawing. Therefore, it is best utilized in cooked applications such as tossing into pasta sauces, enriching stews, blending into soups, or adding to casseroles, where a perfectly firm fresh texture isn’t the primary concern.

Important Safety Note: Always ensure the tomatoes and other solids are fully submerged in oil when storing in the fridge. While tomatoes are acidic, which generally makes them safer for oil preservation than non-acidic vegetables, refrigeration is still highly recommended for all oil-preserved products to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Never store confit at room temperature for extended periods.

Flavorful Substitutions and Variations

This tomato confit recipe is quite adaptable, allowing for creative substitutions to suit your pantry’s contents or to fine-tune the flavors to your personal preferences. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Tomato Varieties: While grape tomatoes are specified, cherry tomatoes are a perfect and common swap, yielding equally delicious results. If you have access to larger varieties like Roma, San Marzano, or even beefsteak tomatoes, simply chop them into smaller, uniform pieces (about 1-inch) to ensure they cook down properly and evenly. The goal is to achieve those concentrated bursts of sweet tomato flavor.
Garlic and Shallot Alternatives: Garlic and shallots are crucial for the foundational savory and sweet notes in this confit. If shallots are unavailable, a thinly sliced red onion can serve as a suitable substitute. When roasted slowly, red onion offers a similar sweetness, though it might impart a slightly bolder flavor than the more delicate shallot. For garlic, you can certainly use whole, peeled cloves if you prefer, but be aware that they might take longer to soften and may not infuse their flavor as rapidly or intensely as thinly sliced garlic.
Herb Experimentation: Fresh thyme and rosemary are classic pairings for good reason, lending their earthy, woody, and fragrant notes that beautifully complement the tomatoes. However, feel free to experiment with your favorite fresh herbs. Oregano, marjoram, or even a bay leaf can introduce wonderful nuances to the confit. For a Mediterranean twist, a small amount of high-quality dried oregano can also be used in a pinch, though fresh is always preferred for aroma.
Adding a Spicy Kick: If you appreciate a hint of heat, consider incorporating a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon over the tomatoes when you add the salt and pepper for a subtle warmth that beautifully contrasts the natural sweetness of the confit, adding another layer of complexity.
Citrusy Brightness: For an aromatic lift and a touch of brightness, consider adding a strip or two of orange or lemon zest (avoiding the white pith) to the pan during roasting. This can introduce a lovely, fragrant citrusy perfume. Remember to remove the zest before storing the confit, or just before serving if you desire a more pronounced citrus note.

Ultimately, the core principle of slow roasting tomatoes in oil remains constant, but the choice of aromatics is where you can truly personalize this recipe and make it your own. Enjoy the journey of flavor discovery!

More of My Favorite Tomato Recipes

If you’re a devoted fan of the vibrant and versatile flavor of tomatoes, you’ll undoubtedly love exploring these other delicious recipes:

Tomato Feta Salad: A refreshingly light and incredibly easy summer side dish that bursts with Mediterranean flavors.
Lemon Orzo Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes: A bright, savory, and satisfying one-pan meal that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner, combining tender chicken with tangy lemon and sweet tomatoes.
Giant Meatballs in Tomato Sauce: Hearty, comforting, and incredibly flavorful, these meatballs smothered in a rich tomato sauce are perfect for family dinners or a cozy evening.
Roasted Tomato Tart: An elegant and visually stunning appetizer or a delightful light lunch, showcasing the enhanced sweetness of beautifully roasted tomatoes.
Perfect Bloody Mary Recipe: The ultimate savory cocktail, brimming with fresh tomato goodness and a customizable kick, ideal for brunch or a spirited start to any day.
Tomato Salad with Banana Peppers: A tangy, zesty, and refreshing salad that offers a wonderful burst of complementary flavors and textures.
Tomato Pudding: A unique and surprisingly delicious sweet-savory side dish that adds an unexpected twist to your meal.

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📖 Recipe

Yield: about 2 cups

Tomato Confit

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cook Time:
1 hour

Total Time:
1 hour 5 minutes

This extremely easy Tomato Confit recipe is packed with so much delicious flavor you’ll want to just hover over the pan to eat it.

Ingredients

1 pound Grape Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic, sliced
2 large Shallots, peeled and sliced in half
3-4 sprigs Rosemary, fresh
2-3 springs Thyme, fresh
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or enough to almost reach the tops of the tomatoes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300˚F.

Place tomatoes in a single layer in a deep baking dish just big enough to fit them.

Add the sliced garlic, shallots, rosemary, and thyme. Toss lightly to combine.

Cover with olive oil, making sure to almost reach the tops of the tomatoes. You may need more olive oil depending on the size of your baking dish.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top.

Roast for 1 hour, or until garlic and shallots have become soft and sweet, and the tomatoes have browned on top and begin bursting.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Store in a jar for later use or serve immediately over toast, on crackers, or in pasta.

Notes

Notes & Tips

Use a dish or pan that allows your tomatoes to be in a single layer in it. This will allow them to cook evenly and in the time allotted. If you over-pack the pan, you may end up with tomatoes in the middle or under a layer that doesn’t get cooked.

Keeping one layer is also important because you want to nearly submerge the tomatoes in olive oil. But in an effort to not have to use too much oil, shallow layers are preferred.

To store the final product, place it in a glass container or jar with an air-tight lid. It will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, but mine never lasts that long.

You could also freeze it in ice cube trays, then place them in a zip-top bag for you to 3 months. Then use them to toss in pasta or sauces, it’s best used in a cooked product as it won’t taste as fresh after freezing.

Substitutions

I call for grape tomatoes in this recipe, however, you could also use cherry tomatoes. And while any tomato could be used, I would just recommend using something on the smaller side or cutting anything larger into pieces so they cook quicker and more evenly.

Garlic and Shallots offer such great complimentary flavor to this recipe. A good sub for the shallot would be a red onion.

Thyme and Rosemary are classic herbs to pair with tomatoes and garlic, but feel free to experiment with your favorite herb as a swap.

If you’d like to add a little kick, you can sprinkle over ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes when you add the salt and pepper.

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Slow-Roasted Tomato Confit