This Italian restaurant copycat will rock your socks! Grab a baguette and your favorite extra virgin olive oil to make this delicious garlic herb bread dip! My family and friends absolutely ADORE this restaurant-style olive oil and herb bread dip.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Since it’s clearly not Christmas yet, what’s wonderful is that my sun bubble is back!!!
Aside from being as made up as Kim Kardashian, a sun bubble is that magical time when the morning sun hits my dining room window at the most perfect angle, with the most perfect intensity, at the most perfect time of day: NAP TIME! Oh and doves cry, and angels get their wings. Or I just get really awesome photos.
The latter seems a tad more practical.
I’m so excited to have found my sun bubble again that I’m not even going to acknowledge the fact that it’s about to pop. Or maybe I will. I’m moving. Actually I’m moving, and then I’m MOVING! Body and blog. Details to come; promise! But until then, I’m going to go ahead and require that you pretend it’s not hotter than Hades outside and roast your garlic.
Pretty please? With olive oil on top?
Thanks! You’re the best!
Restaurant-Style Olive Oil and Herb Bread Dip
Grab a baguette and your favorite extra virgin olive oil to make this delicious garlic + herb bread dip!
Restaurant-Style Olive Oil and Herb Bread Dip
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2-1 whole head of roasted garlic peeled
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt plus any extra to taste
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- a pinch of dried thyme
- a pinch of cayenne or white pepper
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
OPTIONAL EXTRA
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
- Grab an entire bulb of garlic and slice a little less than 1/4 of the top off, just enough to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and seal into a pinched pouch of aluminum foil. Roast anywhere from 40-60 minutes, depending on your oven and patience. Once the house starts to smell like heaven, resist the urge to dive in to the oven and spread the entire thing on toast. Better yet, roast a second bulb so you can do exactly that!
- Alternatively, you can roast the garlic ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to four days, and simply whip this up whenever you’re ready for some serious dippage. I typically roast a few bulbs and use the golden cloves in recipes throughout the week.
- Once the garlic is ready, the cloves should practically be bursting from the bulb. Remove anywhere from half the cloves to all the cloves in the entire head of garlic and blend together with the olive oil using a food processor or blender.
- Add the herbs and seasoning blend and let it sit so the flavors can infuse the olive oil. You can dig in after 20 minutes or give it an hour or so, totally up to you!
Notes
Nutrition
Creating that insanely addictive bread dip from Italian restaurants really is that simple, and if you run amuck with a hunk of parm and your cheese grater? Well then you know how awesome that first bite is about to get.
And second.
And third.
And…
I’m hooked!
but really . . . how was it?!
This Restaurant-Style Olive Oil and Herb Bread Dip is AMAZING! After making that garlic, parsley, and oregano olive oil spread for my Beetza the other day, this was naturally the next step.
Well a step, followed by a trip, followed by me falling face first into the bowl like I’ve never seen food before. In college my roommates and I were irrationally obsessed with this ultra processed, additive-filled parmesan herb bread dip seasoning mix that they sold at “Club Pub.” (aka Publix for anyone who didn’t live in Tallahassee) I’m pretty sure it became a makeshift hang over cure of sorts until we discovered brunch. Anywho! I always vowed to make a healthier version at home and, as is tradition, always forgot.
Can I just gush over how glad I am that I finally got my act together!? This stuff is amazing and about to be my new secret weapon when I have friends over for dinner.
I’ve got something else up my sleeve for my paleo buddies but as for everyone else, we carb. We carb hard. If you thought you were a fan of bread before, just wait and see what happens after you introduce your bread glorious bread to this crazy delicious dip.
If you get a chance to try this Restaurant-Style Olive Oil and Herb Bread Dip, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Looks so good!
This was amazing. Thank you!
Bowled over good!
So good! I use whole head garlic and the roasted cloves freeze well.
Ooh I need to freeze roasted garlic – genius! So glad you enjoyed the dip! xoxo
I love this recipe! I plan to make bread and attach the herb mixture along with a small bottle of EVOO for family Christmas gifts. Can your recipe be made ahead of time? If so, how long will it be safe to consume?
Thank you!
Karen
Hey Karen! So glad you love the recipe and I’m enamored with this cute gift idea!
What I would do is include a small card with the basic instructions, giving them the olive oil, a fresh head of garlic, and the herb mixture in a little jar. This way they can make it whenever they want (since holiday food is so plentiful they may want to make their delish dip once the holiday crazies wind down) and it will all be fresh for weeks.
If you wanted to completely make the dip with the roasted garlic and olive oil together it could be made in advance and just kept in the fridge until ready to be eaten. This way the garlic (the perishable part of the recipe) stays fresh. Once the dip is brought back to room temp (it’ll solidify slightly in the fridge bc of the oil) it will be ready to dive in with fresh bread. Hope this helps a bit! xoxo
Absolutely amazing! How long will it keep in the fridge if making a batch?
Hi Pilar! I’m so glad you’re loving the dip! It will last a few days like most standard leftovers (I think 4 days is the typical rule of thumb for leftovers, right?) and you’ll just let it come to room temperature before diving back in as the oil solidifies a bit when chilled and then gets nice and droppable after it thaws.
Hi! Every recipe I’ve tried of yours has been amazing. This didn’t turn out for me. I’m wondering what type of olive oil you use. Can you share a link for a specific brand?
Aw man! What olive oil did you use? It will vary based on personal taste (you want one you could drizzle on a salad or bread straight up and love) but my two favorites are from California Olive Ranch and Lucini. I almost exclusively buy those two brands but I just heard RAOS Homemade has one now too and since I adore their pasta sauce and pizza sauce I may try that one next! Let me ask my BFF and see which oil he uses and I’ll follow back up!
Ooh also! I’ve been adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and/or lemon juice to the mix lately (in place of the parm) and it has been glorious.
I also use this as a salad dressing. You just heat it to room temperature and it’s perfect.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. My family absolutely adores this delicious dip. I have made it many times and it never lasts long.
So happy to hear you’re loving the recipe, Amy! Thank you so much!
It vanishes fast here too! I’m so glad you’ve been loving the recipe Amy. xoxo
Blech. Ralf. It tastes like Aunt Ethel smells
I’m going to try this right now, hopefully it’ll come out good, I love olive oil. Thank you for the recipe. I’ll let you guys know how it comes out.
Not sure what I did wrong but it had a horrible smell and after taste. I think maybe I blended it too much?? I was pretty excited about this one too.
Oh no!!! What type of olive oil did you use? One you enjoy regularly? I’ve found the type of olive oil can make or break a good bread dip so I always try to snag one I adore the taste of straight up.
Hi I love this recipe. I also wipe my pizza dough with this when I make at home. Just wondering have you ever tried to freeze it??
Hey James! I haven’t but it might! I know you can freeze fresh herbs in olive oil and pestos and such… so maybe skip the parm and freeze? Then you could add the parmesan cheese before serving. Let me know if you get a chance to try it!
Family LOVES it. If you’re thinking it sounds like a lot of garlic, just know it absolutely does not even taste of it if you use less than half a head of garlic. This recipe is absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad y’all are loving it! Thanks Travis!
Oh my goodness! I didn’t know I hadn’t left a review for this yet! I would rate this a 10 if I could!
I found this recipe about 3 months ago and have made it about 10 times. My husband and I like to do a bread and cheese platter with wine for “in home” date nights but we were lacking a good oil recipe.
Guys I could literally just drink this oil like water! Make this and dip a good slice of baguette(toasted) in it. Game changer!!
I follow the recipe exactly except I use about 1 cup olive oil and 1 full bulb of garlic.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! I can honestly say it’s better than any Italian restaurant dipping oil I’ve ever had! My husband was in love with oil and Even my 18 year old said mom wow the bread with dipping oil was even better than the spaghetti tonight. I make my own sauce and my family begs me for it… so for him to say that, this oil definitely was a hit for my family! Thank you so very very much!!! It will be made in my home and has already become a family favorite from now on!!
Totally happy dancing over here! Thank you fo the rave review Stephanie – so honored!
I’m making it again tonight. I’ve only shared this link with everyone I know and this is like the 20th time I’ve made it now since the first time I made it!! ! The house smells magnificent ❤️ Still Such a hit at my home!!!
Stephanie you are the sweetest! Thank you so so much for sharing and for your glowing review! xo
Thank you for sharing, this recipe is the best! I have tried a lot of ‘from scratch’ recipes as well as add oil packaged mixes and none are as good as this. Can I ask where you got the dish shown? Thanks!! Karen
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe Karen! The little dish is from World Market and last time I checked they still have them! xoxo
could not find the bowl.
They were over by the sushi and appetizer dishes last time I was there. Hmm… Might be either out of stock or discontinued?
I want to make this for a couple of my family members for Christmas. How long can this be stored and how should I store it? I’m making for myself this week. I’m italian and your recipe is very close to my Nonna’s. Ty in advance for replying.
Hello Devoni! I’m so excited you’ll be trying this recipe! If you are experienced in traditional canning methods, it may be able to be canned and preserved for a later date. Because of the garlic, it would need to undergo canning/preserving in order to keep more than 4-5 days since the garlic has a shelf life.
Dear Jenn – I’ve searched & searched for genuinely authentic recipe for a truly excellent recipe for an olive oil Italian bread dip for sooo long & now I have it! You have truly hit the ball out of the park with this recipe! It is so very delicious & so authentic you could almost wear it as a perfume. lol thank you so very much! This will be my “go to forever recipe”! I’m 81 & considered an excellent cook but believe I love learning excellent recipes from young women like you!
BTW IF I were to make a larger amount would it keep for a longer period of time or is it best to make fresh every time?
Margo your sweet review brought the biggest smile to my face, thank you! I’ve found that garlic has a very set shelf life, so making a fresh batch each time, or a batch sized to last the week, will for sure be best! So glad you’re loving the recipe and that it earned go-to status! xoxo
This dip was amazing, thank you so much. Also then used it for roasting potatoes (with duck fat) and the dip coating…. yum.
Roasting the garlic in the air fryer keeps my house cooler (it’s an RV) and is so incredibly fast. Same way in foil with evoo, just way cooler and faster! I just adore olive oil for dipping, awesomeness!
Oh, and my mom used her instant pot do cook up her garlic the same way with excellent results as well!
Love these air fryer and Instant Pot hacks for the roasted garlic! Brilliant, Catherine!
I let my friend’s child make this all by herself, she’s thoroughly pleased with herself! Also, I’m going to be “that” person who corrects other’s grammar/spelling. You uses the incorrect form of “your” when it should be “you’re”.
Hey Regis aka: Grammar Police – volunteer at a school and let the rest of us enjoy this awesome recipe. So delicious and was a big hit with everyone.
lol! Hey Regis, check your own spelling/grammar before hitting “post comment.” You USED the wrong verb tense in your sentence. Anyway, this is an amazing recipe!!
Just thank the woman for a wonderful recipe and be on your you’re a twit way. Im all for proper grammar but to take time to point it out is sad and not warranted. Blogger goes out of her way to help others. YOU’RE a goob. Thank you for making sure I commented on how outstanding this recipe is though. Gooby comments get me motivated.
Amen to that Paula!
I was looking for a dipping oil for my home made artisan bread. I’m not a big fan of lot of garlic, so I was a bit skeptical. No more. It was delicious! I didn’t need to know how long to store the dip, because it doesn’t last that long. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Ahhhh yay! So super happy to hear it Eva – thank you!
where did you acquire the cute white divided bowl – would be nice to have some parmesan on one side. Thank you for the delicious recipe. I’ll comment once I/’ve tried it. It is sure to be good.
I’m SO excited for you to try it Amy! I’ve actually seen the divided bowl recently too – they have it at World Market!
If I make this today maybe have left overs how long is it good for? Thanks
Hey Liz! So excited you’ll be trying this recipe – it’s one of our favorite dips! The garlic gives it a refrigerated shelf life of typical leftovers which was 4-5 days last time I checked it! You can check the 2018 usda food safety standards for a more exact number! xoxo
How long does this last in the fridge for I do it in a Sous vide
Can you freeze it?
Looks awesome and I want to do itin my SousVide. How long to defuze and what temp?
I’m making this for Christmas gifts and bought matching container and bread plate with dipper that I got from Bath and body. Less than $10.00 each for together!
Thank you for your help
Hi Nancy! We don’t own a Sous Vide so I’m not able to advise on that cooking method/gadget. Garlic and parmesan don’t keep super long (about as long as typical leftovers really) so I think the best way to utilize the dip as a gift would be to pack the herbs in the oil in containers (minus the roasted garlic and parm) and then gift them a full fresh head of garlic with a little printed version of the recipe card from my site or a homemade recipe card with instructions on how to roast it and add it to the recipe. This way when they’re ready to dive in they can roast up some fresh garlic, sprinkle with a little optional parmesan, and dive in! Does that make sense? Hoping this helps a little (we ADORE this recipe and so do our friends and family!) and I’m here to help further if you need me! xoxo
How long does this keep?
Hi Linda! I believe the garlic gives it a shelf life of typical leftovers (I’m not up to date on the food safety guidelines these days but the last I checked it was 4-5 days?) I’d double check for sure but it’s worth making b/c holy cow this stuff is good!! xoxo
Can’t wait to try this recipe, we just made aunt leana’s hungarian peppers and the oil off them is superb. The peppers will be wonderful with Italian food. Yum.
Ooh those peppers sound marvelous – I’m so excited for you to try this bread dip. I think it will be marvelous with the peppers, thanks Edna!
Went to Carraba’s and ate like two loaves of bread with this stuff. Went online to find a way to make something similar and found this. Not only did you nail it, but this actually tastes better. Thanks for this, making it again tonight.
When do you add the grated cheese
Hey Claire! You can swirl it in with the herbs or sprinkle it on top as a tasty garnish — No rules when it comes to the cheese! 🙂
I’m confused… recipe measurements for dried or fresh herbs, and I am making thus as appetizer for about 25…how much(?) should I multiply by?
Hi Caryn! I use dry sometimes and fresh other times so I’m terribly sorry bout the confusion! Updating the recipe for dried herbs and you’ll just use extra if using fresh in it’s place (general rule of thumb is use more fresh since dried are more concentrated in flavor)
The recipe makes a little over 1/2 cup of olive oil dip and is typically enough for two to share for date night (with some leftover as desired) or for 4 hungry adults! I’d say to serve 24 (with other dishes present at the party), you would want to quadruple the measurements here. Hope y’all adore the recipe! My friends and I go gaga over this one!
Hi. Understand that fresh herbs are more healthy n delicious, but over here in Singapore, we don’t really have them. So can we replace it w dried herbs instead?? Will it be the same measurements?
Hi Jenny! This can be made entirely with dried herbs and that’s how I often make it as well! The measurements above are for dried so you’re all set!
This stuff is ridiculous. It’s SO GOOD! I made some To eat with my homemade Rosemary Parmesan for caccia and I basically died. Thank you for the recipe!
Can I make this with regular olive oil, not extra virgin?
Absolutely!
Hi, I want to make this for a Christmas gift. Can I use all these ingredients? Have been reading about bacteria if using fresh herbs. How long does it last if refrigerated?
Hey Joy! According the recent food safety regulations I’ve read: Raw or cooked garlic and/or raw herbs in oil must be refrigerated and used within 4 days. You can check out https://www.fsis.usda.gov/ for more info on safety guidelines 🙂 We pop it in the fridge and when we’re ready to dive in, run the sealed mason jar under warm water, shake well, and serve!
We made this, it was divine, my honey requested again this Weekend! Yay!,
Wooooot! Stoked it earned repeat status! 🙂
Can you make this ahead of time and store in the fridge?
Yes absolutely! Simply bring to room temperature when you’re ready to serve and you’re good to go! 🙂
Can it be canned I wonder? Not sure why not…..Would love to give these as gifts at Christmas.
It would need to be high in acidity to can safely I believe? From what I’ve read recently on homemade garlic infused olive oils, it can keep for around 4 days in the fridge (detailed food safety regulations can be found here: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/) You could still absolutely gift with refrigeration instructions and a fresh baguette!
Do you only use one clove of the roasted garlic?
Hey Cynthia! You’ll actually want to use half the cloves in an whole head of garlic! For less intense flavor you can certainly add just a few cloves and work your way up to taste. Roasting the garlic mellows the sharp flavor and makes it extra delicious 🙂
I was glad to find this question! And the answer. The instructions say to use half to a whole clove. I wondered if it meant bulb.
Hey Marie! I could have sworn I hit save after updating the post last time but I’m going to update the recipe again make sure it says bulb! Thanks so much! xoxo
This bread dip is AMAZING! Quick question, how long will this dip stay good? Left out or refrigerate?
Thanks Danielle! It’s perfect as a prep-ahead party dip! <3 As for make-ahead options and storage, food safety regulations vary (more details can be found here: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/) but most say raw garlic and herbs in oil can be stored chilled in the fridge for 4 days. Simply shake well and bring to room temperature or run the jar under warm/hot water before serving.
I’ve made the dipping sauce and would like to say have perfected this ☺️. My husband LOVES it and brags to his Italian grandma. I grate fresh parm and pecorino cheese is the only variation I’ve really made to this besides chopping fresh herbs (fresh herbs makes it amazing if you have the time) thank you for posting this
Thank you for the sweet words Aubrey! You absolutely made my day! I totally second the fresh herbs – we moved to FL a few months ago and I’m finally starting my garden with BUCKETS of herbs and I’m so excited to be able to use them in everything! <3 So so good!
My husband and I have used this recipe several times. We love it sooooooooo much!
So happy to hear it!! Thanks Sandra 🙂
And the cute little curvy dishes came …. from … WHERE????
Crate and Barrel! I think they still have them too! <3
I’m craving bread like crazy these days, so I can’t wait to whip this up!!
Yum! I just roasted up some garlic last week, thanks to the huge bag of fresh garlic that I bought at Costco. Your version looks super good…I will have to try it. Lord knows I’ve got enough garlic to try it (thanks warehouse store!).
Yeah for sun! I love it when perfect pictures happen.It’s crazy how much we depend on the sun for them.
This dip is pretty much my weakness 😉 I love olive oil dips and allll the bread to dip it in. YUM!
I can’t wait to serve this next time I have friends over, I love doing little details when guest come, this will help me be hostess with the mostess 😉
Hooray for sun bubbles, especially if they mean you share this kind of magic. Roasted garlic is like manna from heaven. Never optional, and I can’t wait to hear all the juicy details about move 1 and move 2.
Such a great idea!
Lovely pictures, I can almost taste that roasted garlic! Yummy!
Roasted garlic is NEVER optional.
OMG. Ok. I’m trying to get my poop together (haha) and get some things in the freezer before I’m semi incapacitated for awhile. Anyway, I was making spaghetti sauce yesterday and roasting the tomatoes, and then decided I would roast the garlic at the same time, because, well…yeah. So, anyway, the aroma was overtaking the kitchen, and I thought to myself: Ok. You know how they tell you to bake cookies when you are selling your house so that people will buy it? If I walked into a house that was roasting garlic, they could ask any price and I would buy it. Seriously. It will be at the Feast. With homemade bread. Lots of it. And I will be happy. The End.