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.
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.
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!
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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Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
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
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
- The Best Homemade Hummus
- Garlic Rosemary White Bean Dip
- Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip (made in the crockpot!)
- Skinny Chipotle Street Corn Dip
- Baked Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Dip from Fork in the Kitchen
8 Comments on “Sun-Dried Tomato Dip”
Love this recipe SO much – so easy and delicious. Definitely used the full recommended amount of olive oil (if not a little extra) to get the smoothness I wanted. It was a huge hit and will definitely become part of the summer snack rotation!!Â
My husband can eat this everyday for lunch! I love sun-dried tomato!
This white bean dip looks so delicious – what a great addition to a summer cookout! I have pinned the recipe to try soon!
This white bean dip sounds so tasty! i love sun dried tomatoes and the flavor they bring into food. I can’t wait to give this a try, thanks!
Such a lovely sounding dip, and super easy to prepare. This is going to my dip rotation for sure 🙂
This sounds like a fab dip, a great alternative to hummus
This looks fab! I don’t think white beans get used enough and this is such a great way to enjoy them! Perfect for parties too, especially as the year gets more festive with Halloween and then Christmas!
This sounds fabulous. I’m a big fan of hummus and dips so I know I’d love this!