When you need a last-minute appetizer, this gorgeous pizza-inspired bread dipping oil is your girl. It takes about five minutes, uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, and is always a crowd-pleaser. Think olive oil, tomato, garlic, parmesan, basil, and chili, all swirled together and ready for warm, fresh bread.
Pizza-Inspired Bread Dipping Oil, at a Glance
⏰ Total time: 5 minutes
🍽 Servings: 4 to 6
🛒 Key Ingredients: Olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, parmesan, basil
🧠 Skill level: Super easy
🔥 Cooking Method: No-cook
🥖 Serve With: Soft no-knead chili cheese focaccia, no-knead rosemary parmesan bread, two-ingredient dough garlic naan, or your favorite pizza
🥗 Perfect For: A last-minute appetizer, girls’ night in, casual entertaining, game day, pizza night
💕 Why You’ll Love: Everything you love about pizza, turned into the easiest, speediest appetizer you can make.
The easiest appetizer I always come back to
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – there just isn’t an easier appetizer than a bread dipping oil. It takes about 5 minutes all up, looks gorgeous, and is ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser (this festive dipping oil is a forever reader favorite!)
This version, inspired by the typical flavors in pizza, is a really fun one for entertaining at any time of the year. It can easily be prepared ahead of time and uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
While it’s wonderful as a dip by itself, you can use this lovely oil in a variety of ways. Drizzle it over grilled meat – try pairing it with harissa grilled chicken, lamb koftas, roast chicken, or a steak – toss it through pasta for a quick and easy no-cook pasta sauce, spoon it over steamed rice or roast potatoes, or use it as a topper for another dip, like creamy hummus or whipped feta.
Thank you so much for being a member of Dished by Kate Plus 💕 It really means a lot to me – I hope you enjoy this exclusive recipe.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Olive oil. Good quality, extra virgin olive oil is best. It’s the primary character in this recipe, so do try to use a good one if you can.
- Tomato paste. This gives the oil that distinctive tomato flavor. I recommend using a good quality tomato paste if you can – my favorite brand is Mutti.
- Parmesan cheese. I prefer to grate my own parmesan for the best texture (the pre-grated stuff is coated in an anti-caking agent, so it’s a little chunkier), but pre-grated is fine here.
- Basil. Tomato and basil are a classic combination, especially on pizza, so I love it here. You could also play around and add a little oregano or thyme if you like.
- Garlic. I’m using three cloves, but you could reduce the amount if you’re worried about it being too garlicky.
How to make the dipping oil
It truly is as easy as mixing all your ingredients with olive oil and then serving it up with a pile of fresh bread.
For ease, I like to mix the oil in the bowl or shallow plate I’m going to serve it in, to save on washing up.
Pizza Dipping Oil FAQs
You can! It’ll keep for at least 5 days, stored in the fridge in a covered container.
The basil will dull in color the longer it sits, so if you’re serving it at a party, wait until you’re ready to serve before adding the basil.
Yes, definitely. Use 1 teaspoon of dried basil in place of the fresh basil.
Four more easy dipping oil recipes to try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Pizza-Inspired Bread Dipping Oil
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the oil. Add ½ cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, the crushed garlic cloves, ½ cup of grated parmesan, a handful of basil leaves, 1 teaspoon of chili flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of black pepper to a bowl or a large, lipped plate. Mix to combine really well, then taste, and season with a little more salt if you like.
- Serve. Enjoy the dipping oil with your favorite bread or pizza crust.
