Cranberry & Sundried Tomato Date Night Bread Dipping Oil
You can’t go wrong with a lovely, colorful, packed with flavor loaded bread dipping oil. This pretty-in-pink version is PERFECT for date nights – it looks gorgeous, takes less than 10 minutes, and uses easy-to-find ingredients. Just mix everything with olive oil and serve with a pile of your favorite bread (like this no-knead chili cheese focaccia or no-knead rosemary parmesan bread).
Date Night Bread Dipping Oil, at a Glance
- ⏰ Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serves: 10
- 🛒 Key Ingredients: Olive oil, dried fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, fresh herbs
- 🧠 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
- 💃 Perfect For: Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, date nights, a girl’s night in, or any time you need a super easy appetizer.
Why This Dipping Oil Works
If you’re struggling with inspiration for a quick, easy date night recipe, this lovely bread dipping oil has you covered.
This is my forever formula for an easy, showstopping appetizer, and it’s incredibly easy to pull together.
- You probably have the ingredients you need already (and there are easy swaps you can make if you don’t).
- No cooking is required. It really is as simple as mixing a pile of lovely (very pink and blush-toned) ingredients with olive oil, then serving.
- It looks gorgeous, impressive, and like you went to a lot more effort than you did!
Grab a fresh loaf of bread and a bottle of rosé to serve alongside it, and you’re good to go.
These ingredients are very similar to the ones I use in my heart-shaped cheese ball, so if you’re a cheese fan, I’d recommend having a look at that recipe too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dried fruit. I’m using dried cranberries and apricots because I love the sweet, tart flavor they bring. You can play around, based on what you like and what you have – raisins, sultanas, dried figs, strawberries, or mango would also be great.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. One of my most used ingredients, and they work beautifully here. I like using semi-dried tomatoes if I can find them because they’re softer than regular sundried tomatoes, but either will be fine.
- Olives. My preference is always Kalamata olives, but you can use any type you like, or even marinated olives. Make sure they’re pitted to keep prep easy.
- Herbs. I’ve gone for fresh thyme and oregano leaves, but you could also use flat-leaf parsley, basil, cilantro, sage, or rosemary (you’ll want to chop the rosemary finely).
- Parmesan. Most things are made better with cheese, and this oil is no exception. Use manchego, pecorino or even feta or blue cheese instead if you like.
- Almonds. These provide a little crunch and extra texture to the oil. Swap them for pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts or keep it nut-free by using pumpkin (pepita) or sunflower seeds.
How to Make the Date Night Dipping Oil
- Chop your ingredients, then mix everything with olive oil.
- Taste, then season with a little more salt if you like, and serve with lots of lovely bread for dipping.
Date Night Bread Dipping Oil FAQs
Can I make the date night dipping oil ahead of time?Yes! The oil keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, though the color of the herbs will dull over time, so just keep that in mind if you are prepping it in advance.
What could I use instead of olives in the dipping oil?Use more sun-dried tomatoes, or you could use jarred artichokes. Or, just leave them out.
What’s the best type of bread to serve with the bread dipping oil?I always recommend soft, fluffy no-knead focaccia as the number one choice (it’s just so great at soaking up the lovely flavors), but sourdough is equally great, as is this fab no-knead super seed bread, or rosemary parmesan bread.
Watch How to Make the Dipping Oil
Four more bread dipping oils to try
Complete your date night menu with these fun ideas
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 @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
You can’t go wrong with a lovely, colorful, packed with flavor loaded bread dipping oil. This pretty-in-pink version is PERFECT for date nights – it looks gorgeous, takes less than 10 minutes, and uses easy-to-find ingredients. Just mix everything with olive oil and serve with a pile of your favorite bread (like this no-knead chili cheese focaccia or no-knead rosemary parmesan bread). Prep Time 10 minsTotal Time 10 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped finely
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup olives, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons dried apricots, chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- A handful of thyme leaves
- A handful of oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Method
- Mix the ingredients. Add all your ingredients to a bowl or a large lipped plate. For ease, I usually mix the oil in the plate or bowl I'll serve it in! Mix everything together, then taste, and add a little more salt if needed.
- Serve. Serve the dipping oil with a pile of lovely fresh bread. My favorites are sourdough, cheesy chili oil focaccia, or this gorgeous no-knead rosemary parmesan bread.
