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Less than 20 minutes to make (and most of that time is just heating olive oil and garlic!). In this easy appetizer, olive oil and balsamic vinegar pair with herbs and garlic for the easiest and most delicious bread dipping oil combo you’ve ever had! Best enjoyed with crusty French bread and a big glass of red wine!
Easy Appetizer
- It’s simple and easy to throw together. If you need a last minute appetizer that you can make in just minutes – this is it! If you’re like me you’ll probably have most of these ingredients in your kitchen already which means you have this made in no time!
- Your friends are going to devour it! If you’re having a ladies night and you want to serve something along side those bottles of Merlot, this easy appetizer needs to be on the table! Chances are good your friends will have had something similar to this at a restaurant, but they will be completely blown away by the fresh flavors of THIS dip! It puts all restaurant olive oil bread dips to shame 🙂
- It looks super fancy (but it’s not). Fake it ’til you make it, right?! This dip makes it LOOK like you probably spent a lot of time in the kitchen but in reality you heated a bit of minced garlic with olive oil and then poured it into a serving dish with dried herbs and balsamic vinegar. Accept the compliments graciously when your friends rave about this appetizer – you “worked hard” 😉 and you deserve it!
Instructions
If you don’t like to cook, you’re going to love this recipe! Even if you do like to cook it’s nice to get a little break once in a while and just enjoy a quality snack that takes only minutes to prepare!
Add olive oil to a small sauce pan over medium low heat.
Add fresh minced garlic. Heat for about 12 minutes.
Add dried spices.
Stir to combine.
Pour the herbaceous olive oil into a serving dish.
And add balsamic vinegar.
Finish this dish with freshly shredded Parmesan.
Serve with sliced French baguette. Pair this dip alongside my favorite One Pot Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese for a hearty dinner your family and friends will love!
Olive Oil
- For an appetizer like this where the ingredient list is short, make sure you use a good olive oil.
- But you don’t need to spend $50 on a bottle. I like to look for olive oil that is cold pressed and organic. This will narrow down the selection giving you the most pure and flavorful olive oil.
- It might take a few tries to find your favorite flavor of olive oil. There is a surprisingly wide range of flavors that olive oil can have depending on where the olives were grown including: peppery, floral, nutty or even spicy! This is my personal fave!
Tips
- Use fresh garlic. Don’t use a jar of minced garlic. Grab some fresh cloves and mince them yourself. Fresh garlic is usually cheaper and honestly, you have no idea how long those jars of garlic have been sitting on the shelf before you buy them.
- Use quality olive oil. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get good olive oil. Look for something cold pressed, organic and most importantly in your price range!
- Shred your own Parmesan cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in cellulose so the shreds don’t stick together. Skip the additives and opt for a wedge of Parmesan. There is nothing more delicious than freshly grated cheese!
Family Favorites
- Burrata Appetizer with Garlic Olive Oil
- The Easiest Spinach & Artichoke Dip
- Caramelized Onion Puff Pastry Tarts
- Roasted Tomatoes with Burrata & Balsamic
- Greek Potato Wedges with Tzatziki
- Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers
Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Bread Dip
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar combine with herbs and garlic for the easiest and most delicious appetizer you’ve ever had! Best enjoyed with crusty French bread and a big glass of red wine!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- sliced French baguette for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine olive oil and garlic over medium low heat. Heat for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, stir in oregano, thyme and a moderate pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour oil mixture into a wide shallow serving dish.
- Pour in balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.
- Serve with sliced French baguette for dipping and enjoy!
Notes
Use fresh garlic. Don’t use a jar of minced garlic. Grab some fresh cloves and mince them yourself. Fresh garlic is usually cheaper and honestly, you have no idea how long those jars of garlic have been sitting on the shelf before you buy them.
Use quality olive oil. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get good olive oil. Look for something cold pressed, organic and most importantly in your price range!
Shred your own Parmesan cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in cellulose so the shreds don’t stick together. Skip the additives and opt for a wedge of Parmesan. There is nothing more delicious than freshly grated cheese!
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: bread dip, olive oil dip, balsamic dip, oil and vinegar dip, restaurant dip
This post was originally published in September of 2018. It was updated in Feburary 2019 to include process shots and tips for making the perfect olive oil & balsamic bread dip!
Very nice
Thank you Cathy!
One of my favorite quick and easy appetizer recipes!
★★★★★
So good, so easy, so delicious!!
★★★★★
You are SO right!
Quick and easy, and so delicious. You can never go wrong with a dip like this! Perfect for a party – who can resist freshly baked bread with balsam!?
This is definitely a crowd-pleaser!
We love the olive oil and herb dips served at restaurants so this is a great idea to make one at home! The addition of the balsamic vinegar is fantastic! Definitely a must try…especially with the big glass of red wine! 😉
★★★★★
And the best part is you can enjoy it in your pajamas!
This is one of my most favorite dips to order at restaurants. I can’t wait to serve it with a big dish of pasta next week.
★★★★★
A big bowl of pasta sounds SO good. What time is dinner? I’ll bring the wine!
That garlic flavor is AMAZING! That combined with the other flavors + crusty bread + red wine = pure food love! My husband is obsessed with this recipe. He’s had it the past two nights and I feel like he’s going to make it again tonight! ?
★★★★★
Best. Review. Ever. Thanks Rachel!! So glad your family is enjoying this recipe 🙂
Yum! I used to work in the banquet department of a hotel in the summers between college and the hotel made something very similar that we used to lap up with warm rolls when we were on shift. I can’t wait to eat some of this!
★★★★★
Mmmm – this would be THE BEST with warm rolls!
We usually just swirl the balsamic and olive oil on a plate together, but I have to try it with garlic, herbs, and Parmesan now. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Nothing wrong with that!! Garlic and herbs will definitely bump up the flavor though 🙂
Every month or so the book club I’m in meets and this month its my turn to host. And how perfect to stumble across this recipe since I’m planning on serving a simple Italian themed dinner! I’ll definitely have to make this for one of the appetizers!
Your book club is going to LOVE this recipe!!! It’s the perfect starter for an Italian dinner 🙂
This is such a simple appetizer that packs so much flavor. Everyone will love this and it steps up your dinner game.
★★★★★
Totally agree!
Slice up a loaf of crusty bread and this would be a great snack with some wine. Can’t wait to make this soon.
★★★★★
I couldn’t agree more!
What a great dip to serve as an appetizer! Def has crowd pleasing written all over it! Thanks so much for sharing :).
You’ve got that right!!
oh man !! This is easy and so tempting. I’ve got all the ingredients to make it besides the french bread. Picking it up on my way right away. Simple recipes are always a treat
★★★★★
Definitely a great snack to throw together with pantry staples!
Can I make this dip the day before I serve it?
★★★★★
Good question…because of the fresh garlic I would think you’d need to refrigerate the olive oil (as opposed to leaving it out on the counter) and when you refrigerate olive oil it solidifies. One option would be to make it ahead, refrigerate the olive oil mixture and then let that sit out on the counter for 1-2 hours before serving so it becomes liquid again. If you do try this – I’d love to know how it goes!
amazing picture representation which helps to get how to do exactly and the recipe is simple and sweet
thanks you so much for sharing and keep posting we love you and your recipes
Hi! I am wondering if this could be put in a jar! I am wanting to give it as a gift with a loaf of homemade French bread. Thanks!
What a perfect gift idea Sarah! My rule of thumb is usually that if my dip/dressing has fresh garlic or herbs, it needs to be refrigerated (or it could possibly go rancid). Because of the olive oil, this dip would not do well refrigerated (the oil will turn solid). However, you could use GARLIC POWDER and DRIED herbs and THEN I think it would do just fine in a jar at room temperature! Great question!!
Looking forward to trying this! Quick question: you mention French bread, but would homemade sour dough bread work with the flavor combination? Thanks
Sourdough would be great!! I think the flavors of this dip would work well with any kind of crusty bread for sure!! Great question 🙂
Will be making this again and again! So delicious, thank you!!
★★★★★
I just made this last night and called it dinner! Such a quick and easy appetizer 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review Catherine!
This was so simple and so amazing! I will absolutely make again, for any occasion. Thank you!
★★★★★
WOOHOO! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Lynn! Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂
Really it was so amazing and easy to make. I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for sharing your information.
★★★★★
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Ravin! Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂