This is the most irresistible restaurant-style bread dipping oil recipe! You’ll feel like you’re at a fancy Italian restaurant and you won’t be able to stop dipping!
Give me a loaf of bread that’s the perfect balance of crusty and soft, and this bread dipping oil, and I’m a happy girl. Throw in a glass of wine and you’re pretty much making all my dreams come true.
I mean, this stuff is absolutely irresistible. Someone asked me to develop a recipe for this, quite some time ago now…and I did…and then I sat on the floor of my studio after I photographed it and ate bite after bite…after bite. It’s garlicky, herby, a little spicy, a little salty, and 100% amazing.
Drizzle over some incredible extra virgin olive oil and you have the perfect precursor to pretty much any meal. I mean…if you want to make it a meal in and of itself, you won’t find me judging. You’ll probably find me saying, “Could you please pass me the bread?”
This bread dipping oil is the best concoction of herbs, garlic, and of course, rich, flavorful olive oil. It makes a lot, but it stores well in the fridge for about a week. If you want to extend the shelf life further, leave out the fresh garlic and just add that when you’re ready to use it. That’s what I typically do.
What Is in this bread Dipping Oil?
So much great stuff! It all works together so well for the perfect bite with every dip of bread.
- garlic, of course!
- oregano
- basil
- parsley
- onion powder
- cracked black pepper
- red pepper flakes
- thyme
- rosemary
- garlic powder
- and of course, the star, olive oil! Try to find a really rich, bold, extra virgin olive oil.
Want to take this oil mixture to the next level?
Try adding:
– a splash of really good balsamic vinegar
– freshly grated Parmesan cheese
This bread dipping oil goes great with
- Chicken Marsala Pasta (one pan!)
- Instant Pot Pasta with Spinach, Sausage, and Tomatoes
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- One Pan Rigatoni with Creamy Red Wine Tomato Sauce
- Chicken Tuscan Pasta Bake
Bread Dipping Oil Recipe | Restaurant-Style
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (2-3 large cloves) minced garlic – use fresh, not the refrigerated kind in a jar! (SEE NOTE)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl EXCEPT olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese (see note about garlic).
- When ready to use, mix ONLY 1 tablespoon of mixture with about 1/2 cup of olive oil. If desired, add 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Store remaining mixture in fridge for up to a week (unless you didn't use fresh garlic, then you can store dry herb/spice mixture in your pantry for up to 6 months).
Notes
- If you’d like to store this mix longer, leave out the fresh garlic and just add it when you’re ready to serve. If you do this, you don’t need to refrigerate the mixture and it will keep for up to 6 months in your pantry.
- For a more mild garlic flavor, omit fresh garlic and increase garlic powder to 1 teaspoon.
- Nutrition information is for dry mix only and does not include olive oil or cheese.
- This is also really good with some high quality balsamic mixed in.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I just made this and it’s delicious just from tasting the utensil I mixed with! Coming from someone who is cooking illiterate, it’s nice to hear specifics like fresh Italian bread loaf, or focaccia bread or baguette when we ask what in the world do we dip in this now that we made it? :) and for the other commenters that have asked about what EVOO to use, I was taught to always buy one that says it was made in California (because they have the best) and in a dark jar. Hope that is good advice! And thanks for this recipe hope I buy the right bread!
So glad you liked it! Truthfully, it’s amazing on any bread! Italian bread – yes. Focaccia – yes. Baguette – yes. Ciabatta – yes. Basically anything that will grab onto it and soak it up!
I’ll be making this with a garlic confit. Have you any suggestions for adjusting the oil/mixture?
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure, but I’m assuming the garlic confit has some oil in it? I’d just reduce the oil a little and keep everything else the same probably.
I add dried shallots. I only do the dry ingredients, then add garlic (a teaspoon) with each batch at the time I make it up for use. No need to refrigerate! I use about 1 T dry with just about 2-1 balsamic to olive oil.
Great idea!
Not a fan! Way too much going into it, and no flavor as a result. Less is more sometimes. Literally pulled nearly every seasoning in my cupboard for this with hogh hopes and give it a 1 out of 5. Maybe my expectations were too high….
Sorry to hear you didn’t like this one! I think it has a ton of flavor and I’ve never heard otherwise from anyone. Are your spices old? They lose flavor the longer they’re in your cabinet.
Surprising!! I’ve never heard of anyone NOT liking this concoction!
Right?!?
Maybe they had the COVID lol
Lol! Maybe!
I made this and it is AMAZING!!!!! I’m making up several baggies of this without the olive oil and putting in freezer to have any time we want! Thank you for the recipe!!!! Better than any we’ve had!
What a great idea to freeze it! Genius!
I dipped triscuits in this and ohhhhhh my! Thanks for the recipe.
Yummy! Glad you liked it, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
This is really good! I’m terrible at measuring and following recipes. I usually look at a recipe to get a basic idea, then do it my own way. But this time, I had all of the ingredients on hand… so I followed it exactly. It’s as yummy as I’ve had at any Italian restaurant…if not better.
Put it this way, I ate so much bread and dipping oil….I was too full to eat the spaghetti I made for my family.
Hahah yeah this will definitely get you to eat lots and lots of bread! I’m so glad you liked it…thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
What brand of olive oil would you suggest?
Any good extra virgin olive oil will work!
WOW! This is good. It’ll be even better tomorrow with a fine wine, beside a beautiful mountain lake, and the woman of my dreams.
Thank You!
So glad you liked it! That sounds like a wonderful day/evening!
I loved this dipping sauce. I went to an Italian restaurant and was obsessed with the dipping sauce. I found this recipe and I went to the market right away to get the ingredients. It was sooo delicious!!! The only thing is that it had a little too much salt for my taste. Other than that it was very good. My kids loved it.
I’m so glad you like this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!