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!
Made this on Easter. First time I saw this site. My family raved about this dip and couldn’t get enough of it. Thanks, Rachel!
I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot!
This was great, like being at an Italian restaurant!
So glad you enjoyed it!
There are some awesome recipes here. I am going to try about five of them. Thank you so much for your hard work putting this together.
So glad to hear it, I hope you enjoy!
First time making this and it’s wonderful. I used mostly fresh herbs. I’m trying to incorporate more olive oil as it is so healthy and the older I get, the more healthy I need help with. Anyway, I say, when you get home from work, make yourself a nice drink or a glass of wine. Pour yourself up a saucer of of this delightful dip, slice up some crusty bread, plop down in a comfy glider, put your feet up and dip away. Enjoy the evening sunset if you have a view. Every bite makes you healthier and healthier. About to indulge right now. After all, when you’re retired, any time is Olive Oil Dipping Spice time.
Yes that sounds absolutely divine! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Harriet, it means a lot!
Hello,
You mentioned dried herbal like thyme, parsley…
Can we use the fresh one instead? Or it should be dried only? I thought the fresh one might have a better smell and taste.
Would you mind if you let me know?
Thank you
You can use fresh, but you’ll have to adjust the measurements significantly. This makes a larger batch so you can store it and use it a few times, and the fresh herbs won’t keep in the same way.
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!
Yes! Great points. Thank you for the kind comment, and I’m glad you liked the recipe. ❤️
I read the comments about it being better. The secret is using light tasting olive oil. When you do that this is absolutely perfect.
Oops. Bitter. Not better.
Excellent flavor!!
Thank you so much!
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.”
Thanks for your feedback.
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
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.