Our homemade Olive Oil Bread Dip brings all the flavors of your favorite Italian restaurant straight to your dinner table in minutes. It transforms simple crusty bread into the perfect easy appetizer or side dish that everyone will want a piece of.
Roasted garlic with Romano cheese. Fresh herbs and a touch of heat. What more could you need?
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Bread and dipping oil have been a thing in Italy and Greece for centuries, and honestly, I get it. It’s simple, comforting, and just plain good!
I started playing around with this recipe after falling in love with the dip at my favorite Italian restaurant. After a few tweaks here and there, like roasting the garlic, adding a bit of Romano, and finding the right sprinkle of chili flakes, I finally landed on the flavor I’d been chasing.
Now we make it all the time. It’s an easy recipe that takes very little effort but makes your whole meal feel extra special.
Our simple Olive Oil Bread Dip takes just 5 minutes to mix together, then a quick 30-minute rest to let the flavor soak in before serving.
It makes an excellent starter for an Italian-style dinner, such as our Chicken Picante or Spicy Sausage Pasta.
What is the best bread for olive oil dip?
We prefer using Italian bread, a French baguette, or sourdough bread, but you can use your favorite bread or whatever you have on hand.
And serving homemade fresh bread, like our Homemade Artisan Bread or soft Focaccia, makes soaking up every last bit even more satisfying.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Olive oil bread dip recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Make Adjustments to the Recipe?
Absolutely, the great thing about his recipe is it uses simple ingredients that are easy to adapt to the flavors you love.
We made our dip with roasted garlic for a sweet and nutty flavor, but you can use garlic powder or fresh garlic if that’s what you’ve got. If you’re using garlic powder, start with about a teaspoon and taste as you go.
Pecorino Romano adds a sharp, salty bite, but grated Parmesan cheese works just as well. And if you want to keep it dairy-free, you can leave the cheese out entirely and still end up with something tasty.
We used a mix of dried herbs and fresh parsley, but if you have a go-to Italian seasoning blend, you can use that instead. Start with a light touch and adjust to taste, so it doesn’t overpower the dip.
Leave out the red pepper flakes if you’re not a fan of spicy food.
Take it to the next level with a splash of aged balsamic vinegar for sweetness, or a sprinkle of lemon zest for a bit of brightness.
How to Make Olive Oil Bread Dip
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make olive oil bread dip in your home kitchen.
- Add the olive oil, Romano cheese, and roasted garlic to a small bowl.
- Whisk together to combine.
- Add the dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt to the mixture.
- Whisk together to combine.
To improve the flavor, let the mixture sit for 30 minutes before serving. Stir before serving, then pour onto a shallow plate or bowl, so the seasonings and oil can spread out for a larger dipping surface.
Bring it out for a dinner party, holiday spread, or just a pasta night at home and watch what happens.
Just one taste, and Italian dinners at your place will start here from now on.
How to Store Olive Oil Bread Dip
Store any leftover olive oil bread dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
Let it come to room temperature and give it a good stir before serving again.
If you only use dried herbs and garlic powder, they can be safely stored at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Don’t skimp on the olive oil. Restaurants typically keep it simple, using high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, a touch of kosher salt, and a robust herb blend. However, if your oil isn’t good, no amount of seasoning will save it. Start with good quality, rich olive oil, and everything else will fall into place.
Oil and herbs naturally settle over time. Just give it a good stir before serving, and everything will come together again. Letting it sit at room temperature helps the oil loosen up.
Absolutely. You can mix it a few hours in advance and let it sit at room temperature, allowing the flavors to blend together. Just give it a quick stir before serving. This recipe yields approximately 4 to 6 servings. If you’re hosting a larger group, feel free to double or triple the recipe (click the 2x or 3x buttons in the recipe card for easy scaling). And make sure you’ve got plenty of your favorite crusty bread on hand, too, because once people start dipping, it disappears fast.
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Olive Oil Bread Dip
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon roasted garlic minced or fresh garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt to taste
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Instructions
- Add the olive oil, Romano cheese and roasted garlic to a small bowl.
- Whisk together to combine.
- Add the dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt to the mixture.
- Whisk together to combine.
- For a bolder flavor, let it sit for 30 minutes before using. Stir before serving.
- Pour onto a shallow plate or shallow bowl so the seasonings and oil can spread out for a larger dipping surface.
- Serve at room temperature with your favorite breads or rolls.
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