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Home » Recipes » Course » Sauces and Condiments

Updated Jan 14, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Stovetop Cherry Tomato Confit

Cherry tomato confit is one of my favorite savory treats of summer. It’s the perfect way to use up tomatoes that are just past their prime…a little too squishy for salads but still perfectly delicious and edible. Confit requires some patience, but very little attention, and with a jar of this goodness in your refrigerator you will always be a couple of ingredients away from a delicious meal.

JUMP TO RECIPE

You don’t have to read very much of my blog to figure out that I am a tomato person through-and-through. I have a hard time assembling a dinner without including tomatoes somewhere, even if it’s just tossing a few cherry tomatoes in a salad. And of all the things it’s possible to do with tomatoes, cooking them slowly in olive oil to create this cherry tomato confit is at the top of my list. It lasts up to a month in the refrigerator and can be used in about a million and one different ways!

What is confit?

A confit is a meat or vegetable that is infused with some kind of rich fat. Most foodies are familiar with duck confit, which is a heavenly (but not-so-healthy) dish in which duck meat is cooked in its own rendered fat until it is rich and tender. Tomato confit is made using the same principle, except-obviously-that the fat must come from elsewhere.

As you might guess, the source of fat for tomato confit is usually extra virgin olive oil. Tomatoes and olive oil are magic together in just about any form, but a confit is just a whole ‘nother level of delicious. The tomatoes come out tender and rich, with a fully developed sweet+umami flavor profile.

Ideas for using cherry tomato confit

  • Spread grilled bread slices with Macadamia Nut Pesto and top with cherry tomato confit for a delicious and easy summer appetizer.
  • Spoon on top of scrambled eggs, grilled chicken or steak, or Sear-Roasted Halibut.
  • Use in place of tomatoes on a Margherita pizza.
  • Swirl tomato confit into Baked Farrotto with Basil-Walnut Pesto instead of (or in addition to) asparagus.

Ingredients

ingredients for stovetop cherry tomato confit
  • Tomatoes: Any small tomatoes will work for this recipe, including cherry, grape, or pear-shaped varieties. Homegrown tomatoes that are slightly past their prime are especially good, and their skins are usually thin enough to be left whole. Hothouse tomatoes work fine too, but they have thicker skins and I generally cut them in half before cooking.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is a major source of flavor in tomato confit, so it’s a good time to bring out the good stuff. The California Olive Ranch oil pictured above works great and is affordable. When I can, I like to use a Sicilian olive oil such as this one from Bono Val di Mazara.
  • Salt: I use kosher salt. If you use table salt, reduce your initial amount by half and adjust your seasoning carefully at the end. 
  • Optional ingredients: You can flavor your cherry tomato confit however you’d like! I almost always throw in a couple of cloves of garlic (be sure to discard these after a day or two as confitted garlic can harbor botulism) and a couple of sprigs of herbs. Oregano, basil, and rosemary are classic additions. A pinch of saffron is delicious too!

How to make cherry tomato confit

The basic technique for making tomato confit is simple: just simmer tomatoes very gently in olive oil until they are rich and tender. In the case of tomato confit, this takes about an hour. Thankfully, once you get a confit started, it only requires your attention for a quick stir every 10 minutes or so, making it a cinch to prepare while you are doing something else in the kitchen.

stovetop tomato confit 3 minutes in
stovetop tomato confit halfway through
stovetop tomato confit done

Here are some tips for a perfect cherry tomato confit:

  • Use ripe tomatoes. Your cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes can be ripe or slightly past ripe, but any tomatoes that aren’t quite ripe won’t produce the rich tomato-y flavor you are looking for.
  • Keep the olive oil at a bare simmer. You want to see bubbles coming up through the oil, but only just. Once you bring the oil up to temperature in the beginning, try to avoid allowing it to simmer vigorously or boil.
  • Don’t forget to stir! I set two timers when I’m making tomato confit, especially if I’m distracted by another task in the kitchen. One timer is set for the full cooking time (60 minutes), and another gets set in 10 minute increments. My Amazon Alexa comes in very handy when I need to set multiple timers.

FAQ: Stovetop Cherry Tomato Confit

Q: What can I do with cherry tomato confit?

What can’t you do with it?!? There are so many yummy ways to use tomato confit I hardly know where to begin. My personal favorites are to spread it on grilled bread or spoon it over pesto scrambled eggs and spinach. It’s delicious mixed into beans and a great substitute for sauce on a simple grilled pizza. I toss my tomato confit with pasta, roasted zucchini, and stir it into sauteed greens, or use it as a topping for grilled fish. The sky's the limit!

The oil is also flavorful and delicious and a worthy condiment of its own. Drizzle it on anything you can think of, especially grilled meat, fish, and vegetables. Brush some on pita bread before you throw it on the grill, or on the outside of your grilled cheese sandwich.

Q: Can I make tomato confit with larger tomatoes?

Yes, although I typically will confit them in the oven rather than on the stovetop. Roma tomatoes are particularly well suited to confit because of their lower moisture content. Geoffrey Zakarian has an excellent oven tomato confit recipe that has served me well the past few summers.

Q: Can tomato confit be frozen?

Yes it can! It's an easy way to save some peak-of-harvest goodness for the winter months. I find freezing works best with tomatoes that have been confitted whole. Just remove any garlic cloves and use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to a freezer-safe container. Pour enough of the oil over them so they are just barely covered and seal the container. Tomato confit will keep for up to six months in your freezer, although they are best before the three month mark. 

Storage and reheating

Cherry tomato confit can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a month. Be sure to remove any whole cloves of garlic after a day or two, as garlic confitted in olive oil can harbor botulism. Include the oil the tomatoes were cooked in for maximum flavor and freshness. Tomato confit can also be frozen in an airtight container (in oil) for up to six months. 

Reheat your tomatoes gently in oil on a stovetop or (covered) in your microwave at half power. 

I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!

What’s your favorite thing to do with homegrown cherry tomatoes? How did you like this stovetop cherry tomato confit? Drop me a question, a comment, or a rating and let me know...you’ll make my day! And don’t forget to save and share this recipe by pinning it to Pinterest or saving to Whisk or Flipboard.

tomato confit with grilled bread
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5 from 15 votes

Stovetop Cherry Tomato Confit

Cherry tomatoes are simmered gently in olive oil until tender, rich, and extra delicious.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr
Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 137.1kcal
Author: Parsley & Parm

Equipment

  • 8 or 10 inch skillet
  • Spoon or spatula for stirring

Ingredients

  • 2 cups 300 g ripe cherry tomatoes halved or whole
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil use the good stuff!
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste

Optional add-ins:

  • 2-3 cloves garlic peeled and trimmed, or
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh basil
  • 2 sprigs fresh oregano
  • 1 pinch saffron

Instructions

  • Add the olive oil and tomatoes to a skillet and set over medium heat.
  • When tomatoes just start to sizzle a little, immediately turn the heat down to medium low. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and any garlic, herbs or spices you’d like to include.
  • Cook over low to medium low heat for 60 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the tomatoes at a bare simmer. You should see bubbles coming up in the olive oil, but barely. Stir gently every 8-10 minutes.
  • At the 60 minute mark, taste your tomatoes and make sure they are very tender and the flavor is concentrated and rich. Sometimes larger cherry tomatoes need a little more time.
  • Just before your tomatoes are done, taste and adjust the sodium level.
  • Remove any garlic or herb sprigs from your confit and cool for 10-15 minutes before using or transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Notes

For best results, do not use under-ripe cherry tomatoes. 
This recipe can be made with halved or whole cherry tomatoes. I usually halve tomatoes with thicker skins, and leave thin-skinned tomatoes whole. 
Cherry tomato confit can be frozen for up to six months. See FAQ in blog post for freezing instructions.
IMPORTANT: Remove any garlic cloves from the confit before storing.

Need more servings?

To adjust a recipe for more or fewer servings, hover your cursor over the number servings on the recipe card. This will bring up a slider that you can move to the number of servings you want to make.

Nutrition*

Calories: 137.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.9g | Fat: 13.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.9g | Sodium: 154.3mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 1.9g | Vitamin A: 413.9IU | Vitamin C: 18.7mg | Calcium: 22.4mg | Iron: 0.9mg

*All nutritional values are estimates only. They are calculated by an online resource.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 15 votes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Nicole says

    June 26, 2025 at 2:34 pm

    5 stars
    I love how simple and easy this is. Perfection.

    Reply
  2. Liz says

    June 26, 2025 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    This made such an easy, delicious, summer appetizer! My family and friends all loved it!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      June 26, 2025 at 12:54 pm

      That's great! I really appreciate you letting me know :). It made my day.

      Reply
  3. Paula says

    June 26, 2025 at 10:03 am

    5 stars
    We made this cherry tomato confit with grilled cheese last night and it was a HUGE HUGE hit with my whole family. Great summer recipe

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      June 26, 2025 at 12:55 pm

      That's an awesome pairing! Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply
  4. Suparna Lokare says

    August 01, 2024 at 3:26 am

    5 stars
    I am so thankful that I stumbled across your recipe. Sounds perfect and I am going to try it out!

    Reply
  5. Mandy says

    July 03, 2024 at 10:14 am

    5 stars
    This was so good! I spread it on toast...*chef kiss*!

    Reply
  6. kushi says

    July 03, 2024 at 10:12 am

    5 stars
    WOW! I love the flavors in this recipe. Can't wait to try. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  7. Beth says

    July 03, 2024 at 9:53 am

    5 stars
    This was really good! I love the concentrated flavor the tomatoes get when you cook them like this.

    Reply
  8. Paula says

    July 03, 2024 at 9:36 am

    5 stars
    these tomatoes were unbelievably amazing! Loved every bite!

    Reply
  9. Erin says

    June 11, 2024 at 11:25 am

    5 stars
    I ate the entire serving of this confit with some crusty bread and it was delicious. Heveanly dish!

    Reply
  10. Dennis says

    June 11, 2024 at 5:24 am

    5 stars
    I added garlic and basil to the confit, and it was delicious! It was easy to make and everyone in my family loved it!

    Reply
  11. Amy Liu Dong says

    June 11, 2024 at 4:25 am

    5 stars
    Oh my, this; cheery tomato confit looks really great and yummy! A perfect spread for out pastries to pair! Totally love the what this looks like plus it's very enticing!

    Reply
  12. Krystle says

    June 10, 2024 at 5:30 pm

    5 stars
    I made this with some cherry tomatoes I forgot about from the farmer's market. SO great on fresh bread

    Reply
  13. Nora says

    June 10, 2024 at 11:43 am

    5 stars
    So flavorful and perfect for dipping! Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Lisa says

    August 21, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  15. Lisa says

    August 21, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    Thank you so much :).

    Reply
  16. Spillt User says

    July 16, 2023 at 9:35 pm

    5 stars
    So easy and delicious!!!

    Reply
  17. Spillt User says

    March 14, 2023 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    OBSESSED

    Reply
  18. Spillt User says

    October 11, 2022 at 7:44 pm

    5 stars
    This one was really yummy and super easy. Like all recipes, it lies a little bit on time and takes about an hour but most of that was passive time.

    Reply
  19. Spillt User says

    October 02, 2022 at 11:24 am

    5 stars
    Smells amazing, So so easy to make.

    Reply
  20. Spillt User says

    October 02, 2022 at 9:00 am

    5 stars
    Lots of flavor!

    Reply
  21. Spillt User says

    September 28, 2022 at 4:27 am

    5 stars
    So delicious and easy!

    Reply
  22. Spillt User says

    September 20, 2022 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely love this recipe! I've made it twice exactly as written and it does not disappoint! I wish I had made a double batch last time I made it so I could have leftovers!

    Reply
  23. Spillt User says

    September 09, 2022 at 9:28 am

    5 stars
    Big crowd pleaser and very easy. Great for bringing to a summer dinner party!

    Reply
  24. Spillt User says

    August 31, 2022 at 4:02 pm

    5 stars
    This was so easy to make and perfect for a hot summer day! I made a double batch for my coworkers and everyone loved it!

    Reply
  25. Spillt User says

    August 14, 2022 at 10:14 pm

    5 stars
    I always make this when I have tired fresh tomatoes—cherry or otherwise. So easy and good

    Reply
  26. Spillt User says

    August 04, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    5 stars
    This is just brilliant. Can't wait until they are in season to make this on repeat.

    Reply
  27. Spillt User says

    July 31, 2022 at 5:01 pm

    5 stars
    Easy and tasty!

    Reply
  28. Spillt User says

    July 31, 2022 at 3:24 am

    5 stars
    So quick and easy but also super yummy!

    Reply
  29. Spillt User says

    July 24, 2022 at 11:13 am

    5 stars
    A classic.

    Reply
  30. Spillt User says

    July 23, 2022 at 12:15 pm

    5 stars
    This was DELICIOUS! Everyone loved it. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  31. Spillt User says

    July 07, 2022 at 7:06 am

    4 stars
    Fast and easy! Also it really held up for a couple days in the fridge which was great

    Reply
  32. Spillt User says

    June 23, 2022 at 4:30 am

    5 stars
    This is one of my favs. Soooooo good!

    Reply
  33. Spillt User says

    May 13, 2022 at 10:33 am

    5 stars
    easy peasy

    Reply
  34. Spillt User says

    April 04, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    5 stars
    Love

    Reply
  35. Spillt User says

    April 01, 2022 at 6:11 am

    5 stars
    Tasty

    Reply
  36. Spillt User says

    March 27, 2022 at 9:39 pm

    5 stars
    Always a hit

    Reply
  37. Spillt User says

    February 10, 2022 at 7:13 am

    5 stars
    I need to try?

    Reply
  38. Spillt User says

    March 27, 2022 at 10:05 am

    5 stars
    This is the one.

    Reply
  39. Spillt User says

    December 26, 2021 at 11:43 am

    5 stars
    Yum.

    Reply
  40. Spillt User says

    November 05, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    Wow such a good recipe!

    Reply
  41. Spillt User says

    November 04, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    5 stars
    Quite simply the best

    Reply
  42. Spillt User says

    November 30, 2020 at 3:19 am

    5 stars
    Very very tasty dish

    Reply
  43. Spillt User says

    November 25, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe!

    Reply
  44. Spillt User says

    November 30, 2021 at 5:36 pm

    5 stars
    I love how simple this recipe is - basically combine everything in a pan and let it cook for awhile which is my ideal recipe!

    Reply
  45. Spillt User says

    November 23, 2021 at 12:01 am

    5 stars
    Oh, My God! It very tasty!!!

    Reply
  46. Spillt User says

    November 18, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    Added balsamic vinegar at the end

    Reply
  47. Spillt User says

    November 09, 2021 at 12:21 pm

    5 stars
    This was great!

    Reply
  48. Spillt User says

    November 30, 2021 at 2:25 am

    5 stars
    Very tasty

    Reply
  49. Spillt User says

    November 29, 2021 at 2:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is SO. GOOD.

    Reply
  50. Spillt User says

    November 18, 2021 at 7:20 am

    5 stars
    Turned out great!

    Reply
  51. Spillt User says

    November 15, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    5 stars
    so easy and fool-proof

    Reply
  52. Spillt User says

    November 07, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    5 stars
    I make this all the time and keep lots in my freezer. So good with fresh fancy bread

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Lisa!

I’m a midlife foodie on a mission to eat healthier—without giving up the foods I love.

Parsley & Parm is all about big flavor, fresh vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, and healthy proteins…with zero diet vibes.

I believe healthy eating should be about what you do eat—not what you can’t. Guidelines replace rules. Balance beats restriction. And fresh, seasonal veggies always steal the show.

More about me→

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