Bread Dipping Oil Recipe (perfect with sourdough bread)

If you love the bread dipping oil you get at restaurants, then you are going to love this DIY version! It's so easy, uses ingredients you've probably already got in the pantry and will transform a loaf of plain sourdough bread into a fancy appetizer in just seconds!

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Quick and Effortless – It comes together in just minutes with simple pantry ingredients, making it perfect for last-minute appetizers or everyday snacking.

Big Flavor, Minimal Effort – Packed with herbs and fresh garlic this dipping oil adds a gourmet touch to any bread without the need for complicated prep. Seriously, even my kids can pull this one together!

Versatile and Crowd-Pleasing – Whether you’re hosting guests or enjoying a quiet night in, this dipping oil pairs beautifully with sourdough bread, freshly baked focaccia, or even as a drizzle over salads and roasted veggies.

Use Up Leftovers - use this easy bread dipping oil to turn leftover sourdough bread into an appetiser to remember! Seriously everyone will want the recipe for this once they taste it!

Ingredients

• Garlic - I love making this with fresh garlic, but you can use minced garlic from a jar if you want to. It just doesn't have the same fresh, zesty flavor. You can also use a teaspoon of garlic powder or garlic granules, but again it does change the overall flavor profile.
• Red pepper flakes - you can use fresh chilli if you prefer, but I find the best flavor comes from using red pepper flakes.
• Dried oregano - I don't recommend using fresh oregano for this recipe as it's flavor is too strong. Plus dried oregano is a herb most of us have in our pantry. If you don't, use dried Italian herbs as a substitute.
• Parmesan cheese - this is optional, leave out for dairy free version. You must use freshly grated parmesan, the finer the better. Don't use pre packaged grated parmesan as it will be too coarse and won't melt into the oil like freshly grated parmesan.
• Black pepper - freshly ground is a must here!
• Flaky sea salt - you can adjust the amount of salt to suit your taste. I recommend using good quality flaky sea salt rather than cooking salt or table salt.
• Fresh parsley - this adds a lovely freshness to the dipping oil. Fresh basil or chives also work if you don't have parsley.
• Olive oil - good quality extra virgin olive oil will give you the best flavor for this bread dipping oil.

How To Make Bread Dipping Oil

Take a shallow bowl or lipped side plate (I think it works best on a plate!). This makes it easy to build your bread dipping oil as you go and creates less dishes!

Finely mince the fresh garlic cloves and place into the bowl. On top of this add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano, freshly grated parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper, flaky sea salt and freshly chopped parsley.

Pour the olive oil over the top of all the ingredients and gently stir to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Serve with fresh sourdough bread and enjoy!

Ingredient Variations

One of the best things about this bread dipping oil recipe is that you can easily substitute ingredients, depending on what you have in the kitchen. Here are a few ways that you can change things up:

• Parmesan Cheese - you can leave the parmesan out if you don't have it or prefer your dipping oil dairy free. You can also substitute it with any hard cheese like Romano or Peccorino.
  
• Lemon Zest - fresh lemon zest adds a brightness to the bread dipping oil and is perfect when serving this on a warm summer evening!
  
• Fresh Basil - you can substitute the fresh parsley with fresh basil for a summery flavor twist!
  
• Fresh Chilli - for a spicy twist, add slices of fresh chilli to this delicious bread dipping oil.

Serving Suggestions

This easy bread dipping oil is so versatile. You can serve it with so many things, not just sourdough bread! I thought I'd share some of the ways in which we eat this delicious oil in our house.

• Serve alongside warm sourdough focaccia bread. Seriously you thought sourdough focaccia couldn't get any better ... wait until you try it dipped in this oil!
  
• Toss homemade sourdough pasta through this bread dipping oil for a simple supper sure to please.
  
• Use it as the ultimate dip for pizza bones! This is an absolute fave in our house (especially because we eat this sourdough discard pizza at least once once a week). My boys love saving up all the "cornicione" (pizza crusts, also known as pizza bones) and dipping them into this amazing bread dipping oil.
  
• This bread dipping oil makes a delicious drizzle over roast vegetables. I love doing a tray bake with sweet potato, red onion, green beans and red peppers. When they're cooked I toss through some baby spinach and drizzle with this bread dipping oil. A little spinkle of smooth fetta is also lovely.

How To Store & Save

There's rarely leftovers of this bread dipping oil at our house, and honestly, even if there is, I don't tend to save it if everyone's been dipping their bread into it. It goes straight into the scrap bucket for our pigs to eat.

If you do want to save leftovers or you make this ahead of time, store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to one week. Allow it to come to room temperature before pouring out into a shallow dish and enjoying.

If I know I'm going to store this in the fridge, I find that using garlic granules is better than using fresh garlic.

Share the sourdough love!