Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

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.

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.

Ingredient Notes

Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need. Find full amounts in the print-friendly recipe card below.

• Cannellini beans – or other white beans, such as Great Northern or navy beans. You need one can, drained and rinsed.
• Lemon – the fresh juice adds so much bright flavor.
• Fresh garlic.
• Extra virgin olive oil.
• Sun-dried tomatoes – you can use either the dry-packed or the oil-packed kind for this dip!
• Fresh basil – fresh basil really adds the most here, plus a slivered basil leaf is a gorgeous garnish.
• Thyme – fresh if possible, but I find dried thyme OK here.
• Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly-ground black 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.

If using dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which are often sold in small sachets near nuts and salad fixings, you will probably want to add the full amount of olive oil as called for in the recipe.

If using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which typically come in small jars, shake any excess oil from the tomatoes before blitzing them in the dip, and be conservative with adding extra olive oil until you reach your desired consistency. Bonus, however: you can use the oil from the jar of tomatoes in place of regular olive oil in the dip for added flavor and less waste!

Is this dairy-free?

Yes! This sun-dried tomato dip is totally dairy-free. I love that the creamy texture of cannellini beans allows you to whip up a rich, satisfying dip without using cream cheese or sour cream.

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.

Serving Suggestions

This sun-dried tomato dip is delicious with veggies, crackers, pita chips, baguette slices, or other small slices of bread. It makes a lovely after-school snack, and I always have it in mind for an easy game day appetizer if my crew is watching sports or we’re hosting a crowd.

Storage Tips

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. For best results, store the dip 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!

Alternatively, you can lightly press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the dip before sealing the container and placing in the refrigerator. Either way, just like when storing guacamole, your goal is minimize contact and circulation between the dip and air.

Related Recipes

• The Best Homemade Hummus
• Garlic Rosemary White Bean Dip
• Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip (made in the crockpot!)
• Skinny Chipotle Street Corn Dip

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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4.93 from 40 votes

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes 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

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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.
  1 (15 ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1/3-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 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.
  6-8 whole sun-dried tomatoes, 5-6 large leaves fresh basil, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, pinch of coarse sea or kosher salt, 6-8 cranks fresh ground black pepper
• Serve immediately with an additional drizzle of olive, if desired.

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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 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which are often sold in small sachets near nuts and salad fixings, you will probably want to add the full amount of olive oil as called for in the recipe.
  • If using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, which typically come in small jars, shake any excess oil from the tomatoes before blitzing them in the dip, and be conservative with adding extra olive oil until you reach your desired consistency. Bonus, however: you can use the oil from the jar of tomatoes in place of regular olive oil in the dip for added flavor and less waste!
• 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: 65 kcal, Carbohydrates: 1 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 1 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 20 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 1 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Author: Monica Lensink

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sun-dried tomato dip

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