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Beautiful, giftable, and flavorful olive oil bread dip spices to be gifted alone, paired with olive oil or kept all to yourself.
This dry herb mix is perfect to serve with warm crusty bread for a delicious and elegant appetizer. Quick and easy to make and perfect for a thoughtful holiday gift.
One of my greatest weaknesses is bread and truly, there’s not much better to me than bread dipped in oil, with dipping spices. It’s my favorite accompaniment to any American or Italian meal and makes the easiest last minute appetizer for those gatherings with wine surrounded around the kitchen island.
We’ll occasionally even enjoy it as a little snack or in lieu of dinner paired with wine for a casual evening at home.
I keep a jar of this blend of bread dipping spices in our spice cabinet and sometimes add it to spaghetti for an effortless last minute meal as well. This year I decided it would make a great holiday gift idea for family and friends. A joy shared is a joy doubled.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Olive Oil Bread Dip and Dipping Spices
This dry herb spice just needs to be added to a little olive oil for a fragrant and delicious bite. It’s perfect to serve with my homemade bread.
- So Easy
- Great for Neighbor Gifts
- Long Lasting
- Fragrant
- Easy to Customize
- Feels Homemade, but no Oven Required!
This dip is made with a combination of dried herbs and seasonings that come to life when mixed with a little olive oil.
★★★★★
5 STAR REVIEW
“The whole family loved this dipping spice. It was so good. Now I’m gifting friends with it.”
— ZOYA —
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Garlic Powder
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Parsley
- Basil
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil – Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil rather than olive oil. It is much richer in flavor and intended for dipping!
Variations
- Minced Garlic – I sometimes like to add a teaspoon of minced garlic when I serve for an extra hit of flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese – Finely grated parmesan is a delicious addition.
How to Make this Bread Dip Mix
- Combine – Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Store – Store the spice mix in an airtight container in a cupboard.
- Use – Spoon the mix over olive oil, stir to combine and dip!
Tips
- To make this a gift basket: Simply add a small jar of the dry herb mix in a basket with a plate and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Add a bottle of balsamic vinegar if you’d like, too. Perfect, elegant and effortless!
- Want to add something extra special? Provide this homemade artisan bread in the basket, or even some fresh homemade crostini.
- Make Sure Your Herbs Aren’t Stale: Herbs don’t ‘go stale’ as such, but they can lose their aromas and potency as time goes on. Rub a little of the herbs between your fingers, if the aroma is weak or not obvious then they should be discarded.
Serving Suggestions
This Italian inspired seasoning mix is perfect for dipping with olive oil, but it’s also great to use in lots of main dishes too.
- stir into pasta sauce
- stir into soup or stew
- use as a rub onto chicken
- coat fish before grilling or baking
- toss with warm olive oil and pasta
- toss veggies in olive oil and seasoning before grilling, sautéing or roasting
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Dried herbs can keep well for up to a year, so this is the ultimate make ahead food gift! Once you have made your mix, prolong it’s life by storing in a cool dark cupboard and out of direct sunlight in an airtight container.
Sources to Make this a Gift Basket
2.5 Ounce Jars
These are cute glass jars with fitted bamboo lids.
1.7 Ounce Weck Jars
These make gifting and storage so easy!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Choose your favorite, but a pretty bottle and label will present beautifully!
Balsamic Vinegar
Another fabulous and flavorful addition to this gift basket!
Small Wicker Baskets for Gifts
Grab two of these for $25.
There is so much flavor in every bite. Just add a teaspoon or two to a small plate of olive oil and enjoy! It’s hard not to!
You can find all of my homemade holiday gift ideas here and my Thoughtful Hostess Gifts here.
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Bread Dipping Spices
Beautiful, giftable, and flavorful olive oil bread dip spices to be gifted alone, paired with olive oil or kept all to yourself.
Yield servings
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a glass jar or small dish.
- Store in an airtight container.
Tips
Tips:
- Use dried whole or cracked herbs, vs ground herbs. Ground herbs are more potent and won’t package as beautifully.
Optional Add Ins
- Minced Garlic – I sometimes like to add a teaspoon of minced garlic when I serve for an extra hit of flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese – Finely grated parmesan is a delicious addition.
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Dried herbs can keep well for up to a year, so this is the ultimate make ahead food gift! Once you have made your mix, prolong it’s life by storing in a cool dark cupboard and out of direct sunlight in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
- spoon over olive oil and serve with bread
- add balsamic vinegar if you’d like
- stir into pasta sauce
- stir into soup or stew
- use as a rub onto chicken
- coat fish before grilling or baking
- toss with warm olive oil and pasta
- toss veggies with olive oil and seasoning before grilling, sautéing or baking
Nutrition Information
Calories: 5kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Sodium: 150mg (6%), Potassium: 17mg, Vitamin A: 155IU (3%), Vitamin C: 0.9mg (1%), Calcium: 15mg (2%), Iron: 0.4mg (2%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Karen Shiflett says
Can you use ground rosemary or ground oregano for any of this Merry Christmas!
Julie Blanner says
Hi Karen,
This recipe is intended for the traditional versions of those spices, so the amounts will be a little off if you choose ground versions instead! It’s prettier when you use crushed herbs, too.
I hope you enjoy- have a wonderful weekend,
Julie
Carole says
What do you mean by traditional?
Julie Blanner says
Hi Carole,
I meant traditional, as in the flakes of dried herbs used in traditional Italian restaurants. Ground herbs will always be much more potent, so I would recommend whole or cracked dried herbs for this spice blend! Plus, they are prettier in a package.
I hope that helps- enjoy!
Julie
Anonymous says
How much dry mix does this recipe make? Trying to buy ingredients to make several gifts. Thanks.
Julie Blanner says
Hello,
This recipe makes about 5 tablespoons in total, so it just depends how much you’d like to gift. You can easily make more by using the yield button on the printable recipe card.
I hope that helps – enjoy!
Julie
Janey Rachal says
This is totally alsome ! We thank you so much. I’ll send you my brisket rube. Got from an elderly man. My kids don’t cook in crock pot meat without it. They are going to want this one too! I recently had a stroke and cooking is part of my therapy
Julie Blanner says
Enjoy!
Brooke says
How much olive oil do you use? I really want to try this! Sounds amazing!
Julie Blanner says
Hi Brooke!
That’s a totally personal preference, you’ll want to just play with it a little until you get a great ratio.
I would start with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and 1-2 teaspoons of herbs.
Enjoy,
Julie
Fran says
Hello, you mentioned a brisket rube recipe that you might share in this comment; Would you share it with me? TIA.
Zoya says
The whole family loved this dipping spice. It was so good. Now I’m gifting friends with it.
Julie Blanner says
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing!
Anonymous says
YUM. This looks delicious.
Meghan