This easy and group-friendly olive oil dip comes together quickly and it never fails. I mean, who doesn’t want to dip bread into an herby, garlicky, parmesan cheese infused olive oil? Jump to the Ridiculously Good Olive Oil Dip Recipe or watch our video showing how we make it.
I’d like to say that we’re good at entertaining, but it doesn’t feel that way. Even though we have a whole bunch of appetizer recipes right here on this very blog, when we’ve got friends coming over, we find ourselves stuck on what to serve. That’s where this extra easy olive oil dip comes in. It’s a life saver. It comes together in 5 minutes and everyone loves it.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How to roast garlic in the oven — swapping raw garlic for mashed roasted garlic in this olive oil dip would be amazing. See our tutorial for roasted garlic.
How to Make a Dipping Oil Everyone Will Love
One of my favorite things about this is that I can swap ingredients based on what I have in the kitchen or based on who’s coming.
My go-to combination of flavors is something salty like capers and parmesan cheese, herbs like rosemary and lots of garlic.
I’ve also been known to make it spicy with some crushed red chili flakes and if I have it in the fridge a mashed up anchovy or a small squeeze of anchovy paste is delicious. If you want to add a little sweetness to the dip, add a small splash of high-quality balsamic vinegar.
Think of it as a total flavor bomb that when mixed with olive oil and bread is just the right amount of flavor to make you keep coming back for more. On that note, you might want to make a double batch. This stuff goes fast.
Chop everything into tiny bits then use a spoon to smoosh them together into a loose paste. Spoon it onto a plate then pour extra-virgin olive oil on top. Easy!
For more easy appetizer ideas, check out our Creamy Tzatziki Sauce with Feta, our Ridiculously Easy Roasted Shrimp Cocktail and our popular Homemade Hummus Recipe.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, review it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #inspiredtaste on Instagram. Happy cooking!
Ridiculously Good Olive Oil Dip Recipe
- PREP
This garlic and herb mixture is a flavor bomb. When topped with olive oil, it turns into a delicious dip for bread. Keep extra olive oil close by, you can always top up the plate with more.
You Will Need
2 garlic cloves, or more depending on how garlicky you want it
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
Pinch sea salt, if you have it try truffle salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional to make it spicy
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Crusty bread, cubed
Directions
Finely mince the garlic and capers. Add to a bowl along with the oregano, rosemary, thyme and cheese. Season with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Use the back of a spoon to smoosh the herbs into the garlic and capers.
Make one or two mounds of the garlic-herb mixture on a rimmed plate. Drizzle the olive oil on top. Serve with cubes of bread.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make-ahead: Prepare the garlic-herb mixture a day or two in advance and store, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. The fresh herbs may loose some color. When ready to serve, add the mixture to a plate and top with olive oil.
- Capers: We love the saltiness capers add to the dip, but if you do not have them in your kitchen, leave them out. The dip still tastes great without them.
- Dried herbs vs. fresh: We do prefer fresh rosemary and thyme for this, but you can use dried rosemary and thyme instead of fresh. Crush the dried herbs a little in the palm of your hand before adding them into the mix. You will also want to use a little less — about 1/2 teaspoon.
- Use high-quality olive oil — we really love Partanna olive oil in the red can. It tastes great and isn’t as expensive as some of the other high-quality olive oils.
- Adding a small splash of balsamic vinegar is never a bad idea.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. We did not include bread in the calculations.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Loved this recipe! Adding some chopped sun dried tomatoes would also be delish.
Fantastic and easy!
Olive oil is good for you. Cannot wait to try this!
Exceptional recipe! We make many similar dips ourselves as well, so we know we’re gonna love this one too:) Greetings from Greece! Mirella and Panos
This is a superb bread dip!
So delicious and easy
This was amazing! So much flavor and very versatile. First thing gone at the party.
Would the olive oil dip do well as a preserve?
Hi Sarah, I’m not sure about this one. We usually make it and serve that day. You could probably keep it in the fridge an extra day, but I’m not confident enough to advise canning or keeping much longer.
Love your easy recipes, most of which I have ingredients for in the pantry!