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!
Easy and inexpensive. Delicious. My family loved it. I made extra and put it in a jar. Just add olive oil and garlic. Thank you.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Hi! I was really looking forward to this recipe, I made the mix as listed and even followed the oil ratio. The chili flakes in it was a weird addition but I wanted to try it. It was okay, not that great. Did add some balsamic vinegar to it to add some flavor which helped. Then headed to bed, that’s when the problem started, I woke up feeling like the chili flakes got stuck in the back of my throat and breathing in was pain. I ended up having to eat a lot of whipped cream to stop the pain and burning, Im not angry at you I’m angry at the chili flakes (all seasonings were brand new since we just got an apartment) I ended up having to throw out the remaining spice mixture as to not repeat this again. 2/5 would not do again unless its without those chili flakes.
Hi JT – Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with the chili flakes. Have you ever eaten them before? You may want to chat with your doctor about a possible allergy. I love the depth and the slight heat they add to this spice mixture, but there is plenty of flavor without them, so you can definitely still enjoy it that way!
Hi I’m 14 years old and I’m trying to become a chef. I would like to know how to make rassato and beef Wellington. I like watching Hell’s Kitchen and i would love to know how to make these dishes. Thank you.
That’s so great! I’ll keep those recipe ideas in mind and see what I can do!
This recipe was so easy and amazing! I also added it to sauteed pasta and veggies to boost their flavor. Add a bit of balsamic vinegar for bread dipping and voila!
I love adding balsamic to it, too! I’m so glad you liked it, and I love the idea of flavoring pasta and veggies with it.
It’s delicious. If I leave out the fresh garlic do you think I could make a large batch of this in December and send a tablespoon packet out in all my Christmas cards? How quickly would it need to be used?
I think that would work and without the garlic (and I’m assuming you’ll leave the oil out too?), it will keep for a few weeks. Need my address? ;)
you can use dried garlic powder instead
You definitely can! You won’t need a tablespoon though, a teaspoon will be more than enough.
I overlooked giving this a rating. it deserves 5 stars.
Thanks so much!!
This is a superb dipping oil. I’ve made it several times now and each time my husband says how much better it is than store bought dipping oils
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
This mix is excellent! Thank you so much for sharing. I love the addition of fresh garlic when serving. It’s so important not to store fresh garlic in oil for more than a couple of days or botulism will develop.
I’m so glad you like it!
Would you be able to share the name of a quality EVOO for this recipe? Thx it really sounds yummy.
There are a number of good ones, but I always reach for California Olive Ranch. :)
AMAZING. Thanks for the recipe. I made homemade baguettes and used this dipping oil recipe ad it was a huge hit.
So irresistible, isn’t it? Glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!