Tomato Confit

Tomato confit is really easy to make. It consists of halved cherry tomatoes slow-cooked in olive oil, garlic, sugar, and herbs.

Sweet and garlicky flavors with herby and caramelized notes meet a soft, juicy, and silky texture, causing a heavenly, melt-in-your-mouth feel.

Best of all, they are a simple and elegant way to elevate any dish, from bruschettas to pasta, salads to pizza toppings.

Confit (pronounced con-fee) is a cooking and preservation method where the food is cooked slowly, at a low temperature, usually with some fat and sugar.

It comes from the French word “confire,” which means to preserve. Cherry tomatoes are particularly suitable for confit.

Roasting them slowly, at a low temperature, with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, and dried oregano supercharges their flavor and makes them irresistibly juicy and tender.

Without a doubt, confit tomatoes are one of the best ways to add flavor to any dish.

You’ll love them on focaccia, pizza, and pasta dishes. They are delicious in salads and grain bowls, and my favorite is Mediterranean dips and spreads.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Tomatoes

You can use any small fresh tomatoes to make confit.

We usually use cherry tomatoes, but you can also use date, plum, or grape tomatoes.

The tomatoes should be ripe, so they’ll get beautifully sweet and juicy.

Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest (also for cooking) and the most flavorful.

Substitute regular olive oil for extra virgin.

Sugar

Sugar helps caramelize the tomatoes and bring out their natural sweetness. It also balances the tomatoes’ acidity, so we recommend it.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is best, as it is more fragrant and zesty than garlic powder. It should be very finely chopped, minced, grated, or pressed.

If you like garlic, go all in and add it, as it is truly delicious here. If you don’t like it, feel free to omit it. The tomatoes will still taste wonderful.

Dried oregano

I don’t have to tell you how delicious dried oregano is with tomatoes.

You can substitute dried or fresh thyme sprigs, rosemary, or sage for oregano.

Salt

Sea salt and kosher salt are best. Black pepper, red pepper flakes, and chili powder are optional.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Preheat the oven to 300°F or 150°C. Prep your baking tray; we use a quarter sheet pan, but you can use any as long as it fits all the tomatoes without overlapping.

In a small bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, finely grated garlic, dried oregano, sugar, and sea salt. Stir well and set aside.

Tip: add more or less garlic depending on your tastes. You can make confit tomato without garlic if you prefer.

Cut the tomatoes in half, and arrange them cut side up on a single layer without overlapping.

With the help of a teaspoon, season each tomato with the dressing.

Slow roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes at 300°F or 150°C.

Before serving, baste the tomatoes with the juice they released on the baking tray.

Tip: “To baste” means to pour juice over. You can do that with a spoon.

Appetizer: Try them on focaccia, flatbread pizza, bruschetta, crostini or farinata. You can combine them with caramelized onion and olive tapenade for even more flavor.

Dips and spreads: Use them as topping for hummus, muhammara, and white bean dip.

Pasta: They are excellent to add flavor to broccoli pasta, zucchini pasta, spaghetti aglio olio, and mushroom pasta.

Grain bowls: Impress your friends at the next potluck by adding confit tomatoes to a rice salad, farro salad, or pasta salad.

On pizza or in a sandwich: here’s our quick pizza dough or Neapolitan pizza dough and a delicious hummus sandwich.

Storage

Make ahead: Confit tomatoes are an excellent recipe for meal prep. They keep well in the fridge for days and can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.

Refrigerator: Store in the fridge for up to 6 days. To store them, put them in a clean jar and add a little olive oil to keep them moist. Don’t store them longer than that.

Freezer: If you want to preserve them longer, we recommend freezing them in small airtight containers. Let them cool down completely before freezing them for up to 6 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Do not freeze multiple times.

Important: We do not recommend preserving confit tomatoes wholly submerged in oil in a sealed jar for more than six days unless you know exactly what you are doing.

If done incorrectly, preserving food in oil can create the right environment for botulism bacteria to grow, which we don’t want to encourage.

More cherry tomato recipes

Cherry tomatoes are a convenient and versatile year-round ingredient. Try them in our lentil salad, chickpea salad, and Mediterranean salad.

They are also fantastic for cherry tomato pasta, our creamy-dreamy tomato risotto, and divine tomato galette.