This creamy and delicious Sun-Dried Tomato Dip takes less than 10 minutes to make, and can also be made ahead of time! Serve it with veggies, crackers, or bread for the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Bowl of sun-dried tomato dip, served with crackers.

Dips are such an easy and delicious appetizer, but I find they’re often overlooked or a bit of an afterthought. I know I personally don’t love thick, heavy dips, and some really lack in flavor.

This sun-dried tomato dip, fortunately, is none of the above! It has a light creamy texture, a beautiful hue, and the much-loved flavors of sun-ripened tomatoes and classic Italian herbs.

Best of all, it’s a breeze to make, and uses ingredients you may very well already have on hand. So while this is especially good for summer — think picnics and potlucks — I find myself making and enjoying it year-round.

Prep bowls with ingredients: white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, thyme, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

What are cannellini beans?

Humble cannellini beans are the key to this dip’s light, creamy texture. “Cannellini” are medium-sized white kidney beans. With a mild taste and creamy texture, they make a terrific base for dips and an easy, hearty addition to plant-based meals, like this white bean tortellini soup or Tuscan white bean skillet.

You can commonly find cannellini beans in supermarkets alongside other canned beans. They can also be substituted with navy or Great Northern Beans.

What kind of sun-dried tomatoes to use?

This dip works well with nearly any kind of sun-dried tomatoes you find or have on hand: whole or julienned, dry or oil-packed. Scroll down to the full recipe for complete notes on how to adjust based on what you are using!

How to make sun-dried tomato dip

Good news: this literally takes 10 minutes to make. It’s a straightforward throw-in-the-food-processor-and blitz situation. Combine white beans and garlic. Puree. Looking good! Now add sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper. Puree again. Looking GREAT!

Depending on how long you run the food processor during the second step, you can control how large or small you’d like the pieces of sun-dried tomatoes. We prefer them medium-small. This way they don’t distract from the creaminess of the dip, and blend in seamlessly with all the other flavors of garlic, basil, thyme, and sea salt.

Scoop it out into a bowl, drizzle a tiny bit of extra olive oil on top – because that is always a good idea – and watch the crowd form. You can garnish it with a few extra herbs or tomatoes, if you like.

Hand dipping a cracker into a bowl of dip.

Serving suggestions

This sun-dried tomato dip is delicious with veggies, crackers, or small slices of bread. It makes a lovely after-school offering, and I always have it in mind for an easy game day snack if my crew is watching sports.

Storage. This dip keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days, and in fact only gets more flavorful as the flavors meld, so you can easily bring it out for a great snack several days running. Store in an airtight container with a very thin drizzle of olive oil on top of the dip; this seals in the good flavors and locks out the rest!

Close-up of sun-dried tomato dip in a bowl.

If you try this Sun-Dried Tomato Dip, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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Close-up of sun-dried tomato dip in a bowl.
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Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Servings: 10
So quick and easy – serve this dip with veggies, crackers, or bread for the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini or other white beans drained and rinsed
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2-3 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1/3-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6-8 whole sun-dried tomatoes see note
  • 5-6 large leaves fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • pinch of coarse sea or kosher salt
  • 6-8 cranks fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Add beans, lemon juice, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine, then, with the motor running, add 1/3 cup olive oil and blend until smooth.
  • Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Blend for about 1 minute more, until tomatoes are finely chopped and everything else is well-combined. Add additional olive oil, if desired, to adjust consistency to taste.
  • Serve immediately with an additional drizzle of olive, if desired.

Notes

  • What kind of sun-dried tomatoes? This dip works well with nearly any kind of sun-dried tomatoes you find or have on hand: whole or julienned, dry or oil-packed. If using julienned tomatoes, suggest starting with 2-3 tablespoons, then tasting the dip and adding more if desired. If using oil-packed tomatoes, be very sure to taste the dip before adding more than the first 1/3 cup of olive oil.
  • Storage. Dip keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store in an airtight container with a thin coating of olive oil on top of the dip; this seals in the good flavors and locks out the rest!
  • Nutrition. Nutritional info is an estimate based on dividing this recipe among 10 small portions and does not include crackers, veggies, or other dippers.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 65kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then snap a quick picture and tag @nourishandfete on Instagram so I can see it!
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sun-dried tomato dip
Author: Monica | Nourish + Fete

Post originally published on August 28, 2017; I’ve updated it with new photos and more recipe-specific tips and tricks.

More easy appetizer dips