Bread Dipping Oil Recipe | Restaurant-Style
Posted: 04/29/2019
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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
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
tablespoons dry mix
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!
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.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1g, Calories: 6kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Sodium: 228mg, Fiber: 1g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Anne Fescada says
This is absolutely fantastic! Reminds me of what we’ve had in upscale Italian restaurants. I pretty much only cook with fresh herbs, because they just taste better, but tonight I used my dried herbs, and it turned out a SO delish! My wife absolutely loved it.
So… I read through the reviews about this being bitter. It’s not at all from your olive oil or old spices, as much as it is from the quality of the spice. Unfortunately, both, DRIED thyme and rosemary, can taste bitter from the bottle, due to tiny pieces of stem/bark being left on the leaves/nettles while processing. It leaves you with this… slightly unpleasant, bitterness, but it would literally only be overpowering if one, say… used ALL this spice in a half cup of olive oil.
I’ve been guilty of not reading a recipe ALL the way through, even as a chef, and thoroughly effing it up, but ya know, we’re all grownups. We take responsibility, laugh it off and not blame the writer of the recipe, or post trashy things about them on their site. Obnoxious.
Anyway, we loved it, and I’ve already saved your recipe for next time! Thank you so much!
Rachel Gurk says
Yes! Great points. Thank you for the kind comment, and I’m glad you liked the recipe. ❤️
Lorelei Jennifer Kahn says
I read the comments about it being better. The secret is using light tasting olive oil. When you do that this is absolutely perfect.
Lorelei Jennifer Kahn says
Oops. Bitter. Not better.
Ttbluebird says
Excellent flavor!!
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you so much!
Erik Bakken says
We found it to be overly bitter. I followed the recipe correctly and used just the tablespoon in the 1/2 cup oil. Sorry but our spices are fresh as is the oil. Just not for us. Now I’ve got a pile of it sitting in our fridge that I don’t know what to do with. I should remember to read the whole recipe before I start. Had I done so I wouldn’t have gotten to the end to read “now just use a tiny bit of this and hope that you can find a use for the rest in a few days.”
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks for your feedback.
Cheryl says
Hi Rachel. I stepped out of my comfort zone and made this. Yes, spices and oil even intimidated me. I know nothing about spices and for that matter cooking. But I’m learning. I love dips and dressings but hate how commercially made ones left me feeling. So………..I tried this and it’s really good. Especially topped with Parmesan. I need something to dip my sprouted grain bread and this is perfect. One thing though, what is giving it the slight bitter taste and how can I cover that up a bit for this bottle and then going forward when I make it again. Thank you so much
Rachel Gurk says
Hmm, I feel like the bitterness may be coming from either slightly old spices and/or old/rancid oil. I’ve never experienced a bitter flavor in this, sot that’s the only thing I can think of.
Kimberly says
I haven’t tried this yet but wondered if it could be served from a cruet?
Rachel Gurk says
Possibly, but it would need a fairly large opening to let the herbs out.
Alex says
This was terrible. My husband and I both agree it tasted rancid or very bitter. I’m not a fan of thyme and it is extremely strong in the recipe. Maybe go without. I did a small shake of red pepper flakes and it didn’t make it spicy. But really overall this is wayyy too overly spiced. I used a whole quart of beritolli olive oil and it was still too overpowering. I ended up filtering my oil out so it wasn’t completely wasted but this is not restaurant quality at all. Felt more like trailer park throw together spices and hope it turns out. It definitely did not turn out. Sorry.
Alex says
Maybe do what Louise did with some vinegar, Italian seasoning, a dash of sugar too.
Rachel Gurk says
Hi – Is there a possibility that you used ALL of this mix? You’re only supposed to use 1 tablespoon of the mixture per ½ cup of oil. If you used all of the mixture, it would definitely be overly spiced.
I feel like “Felt more like trailer park throw together spices and hope it turns out” is sort of uncalled for (we thoroughly test our recipes and I’ve personally made this one many times) and seeing as there are many many positive reviews on this recipe, I’m wondering if something could have gone wrong on your end.
Perhaps some of your spices were rancid? Did you use fresh garlic? Was your oil old?
Renee says
This is a very good mix. I added more powdered garlic rather than fresh garlic. Grated Parmesan is a must to mix in the olive oil. thanks for sharing Rachel.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!
Louise Lawson says
This was absolutely delicious. I used Italian seasoning blend so I cheated a little bit. I used dehydrated garlic and fresh parmesan and the olive oil that you recommended. I also used
fresh ground pepper and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. I had it with fresh focaccia bread and it was outstanding.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing a photo!
Kathy says
How much dry dip would you recommend for serving 10 people? Is it 1 Tbl of dry mix to 1/2 c of EVO?
Rachel Gurk says
Yes – one tablespoon of mix to ½ cup of EVOO is correct. It depends on how big of eaters you’re serving and what else is being served, but I will say it’s easy to eat a lot of this! I’d plan on at minimum 2 tablespoons of dip per person.
Dave says
Awesome just made another batch for New Years
Rachel Gurk says
Isn’t it just the best? I made it on Christmas Eve.
Naomi Morales says
Bread dipping oil recipe
Rachel Gurk says
:)
EILeen says
I very seldom rate a recipe it this was awesome. Been making bread dip for a while but this was the best. Got many compliments and request for the recipe.
Rachel Gurk says
Ahh thank you so much! Really appreciate you taking the time!
Mary Ann Corson says
I have tried to find good olive oil but I have not find it yet. What brand olive oils do you usually have for bread dipping oil?
Rachel Gurk says
I like California Olive Ranch but there are lots of great options. Look for one that’s labeled extra virgin.
L kramer says
What olive oil should I use?
Extra virgin olive oil for cooking or for sautéing/marinating
Rachel Gurk says
Use an olive oil that you’d just for a salad dressing – a high quality, flavorful extra virgin olive oil is what you’re looking for with this recipe.
Clara says
Delicious! I mixed all the dry ingredients a few days ago and kept it in the pantry.
Yesterday I made up the tablespoon of mix with olive oil, parmesan cheese and minced garlic then served with crusty bread. We had other nibbles as well but this dipping sauce disappeared before I could blink. I quickly had to mix up another batch.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed it!