This easy cherry tomato confit recipe is one of my favorite ways to use fresh cherry tomatoes. Slow-roasted with garlic, herbs, and olive oil, the tomatoes become soft, sweet, and incredibly flavorful. They’re delicious on toast, pasta, pizza, salads, sandwiches, and so much more!
A Note From Kristen
Every summer I find myself looking for new ways to use fresh cherry tomatoes, and this cherry tomato confit is one of my favorites. It takes just a few minutes to prep before the oven does the rest. Slow-roasted with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs, the tomatoes become rich, sweet, and incredibly flavorful. I love spooning them over toast, pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and grain bowls, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
~Kristen
With tomato season just around the corner, making tomato confit is a great way to preserve surplus tomatoes long after harvest season. When tomatoes are preserved in a confit, they tend to retain their shape and naturally sweet flavor, all the while absorbing the complex olive oil, garlic, and herb flavors it’s cooked in.
Ingredient Notes
A few quick notes on the ingredients that matter most. Find the full ingredient list and instructions in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cherry Tomato Confit
- Set your oven to 325°F.
- Arrange the tomatoes and garlic cloves in a single layer in a large baking dish.
- Evenly scatter the basil and thyme on top, then drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of salt.
- Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened and the garlic turns a warm golden hue.
- Serve immediately, or allow it to cool before refrigerating for up to four weeks.
My Favorite Ways to Serve
- One of the best ways to enjoy tomato confit, is as a topping for bruschetta or as a spread for toast, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, or served with ricotta cheese or cream cheese for a delicious bite.
- Serve atop Tuscan white bean soup.
- One of my favorite ways to enjoy tomato confit is to swirl it through freshly cooked pasta and then sprinkle it with parmesan cheese.
- Use the confit as a salad dressing served over greens.
- As a side to your meals or as a topping to proteins like tempeh.
- As a topping for creamy hummus.
- You can even blend tomato confit to make a tasty tomato sauce.
Kristen’s Top Tips
- Add some heat. Stir a pinch of red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper into the olive oil before roasting. For even more spice, add a few dried chiles, such as chile de árbol, alongside the tomatoes and garlic.
- Switch up the herbs. Basil and thyme are classic choices, but fresh oregano, rosemary, marjoram, or dill also work beautifully in this cherry tomato confit.
- Balance tart tomatoes. If your cherry tomatoes are especially tart, stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar before roasting to help round out their flavor.
What is confit?
The word confit is a French word that refers to a preservation method that involves slow-roasting vegetables or fruit in fat until tender and infused with flavor, resulting in a deliciously rich and aromatic dish.
What can I do with tomato confit oil?
The flavorful oil that’s leftover from your tomato confit can be stored in the refrigerator and used for cooking and drizzling. Use it to cook or saute vegetables, eggs, and other proteins. You can also drizzle it on your salad or use it as a dipping oil for bread.
Can I use different tomatoes?
Definitely! While cherry tomatoes are the most popular variety for confit, you can use other types as long as they are fresh, ripe, and juicy. Plum tomatoes or grape tomatoes also work wonderfully well. Just take note that the confit will take longer to cook if you are using a bigger-sized tomato.
How to Reheat Tomato Confit
To reheat your tomato confit, simply place it on a baking dish and heat it in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 4 to 6 minutes or until it is warm. If you only need a small amount of confit, you can place a portion on a microwave-safe dish and heat the confit for 2-3 minutes.
More Summer Tomato Recipes You Might Enjoy
Easy Cherry Tomato Confit Recipe (With Garlic and Herbs)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cherry tomatoes
- 6 garlic cloves
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt I like to use coarse in this recipe but fine salt works well too
Method
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large baking dish place the tomatoes and garlic cloves in one single layer. Top evenly with the basil and thyme, then drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and the garlic has turned golden.
- Enjoy right away or let cool before storing in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
How Long Does Tomato Confit Last?
This versatile cherry tomato confit lasts up to a month in an airtight container in the refrigerator—just keep the tomatoes fully submerged in olive oil to block out air. In freezer-proof containers, it can be stored for up to three months. Before serving, let it come to room temperature, as the oil may solidify, or reheat in a baking dish at 300°F for 4-5 minutes.Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using a third-party calculator and is an estimate only.
This was delicious! I made it to serve with my homemade black pepper focaccia. I think it is great for picnics and dinner parties. Will make again!
This cherry tomato confit is one of the best spreads for toast! So tasty and enjoyable! I highly recommended it to my friends and they loved it as well!
These tomatoes are wildly good! Savory, sweet, and so easy to make. I’ll be making these alll the time!
We made this for an appetizer for friends and it was a hit. Served it with bread and ricotta. So easy to make and the cherry tomatoes were so good.
This cherry tomatoe confit recipe was very simple to make and super flavorful. I like it as a spead on a sourdough bread.
This confit is absolutely perfect! All of the flavors blend so well together. Delicious.
Brilliant recipe! Tried it last night to have with a pasta dish using shop-bought cherry tomatoes. Now I cannot wait for our own tomatoes to make this again 🙂 I’m sure they’ll taste even better!
This is such a flavorful recipe. I cant wait to have a bottle in my kitchen too. Thanks for all the detailing.
This is so good! I love to spread this over toast or just eat it straight up! Thanks for the great recipe.
These are so easy to make and super delicious. I love adding these to sandwiches and salads.