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Life Currents
Home » Sun Dried Tomato Dip

Sun Dried Tomato Dip

September 2, 2024 by Debi 7 Comments

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

This easy to make Sun Dried Tomato Dip is going to be your new go to appetizer! Cream cheese is blended with sour cream, sun-dried tomatoes, chili garlic sauce, spices, and vegetables in just a couple of minutes, creating a delicious creamy dip that your guests will love.

Serve this snack food, party food, and game day food with pita chips, baguette slices, crackers, or chips.

I first shared this recipe in 2013, but it was time for an update. So, I’ve updated the photos, information, and the recipe itself. It’s also part of this year’s Tailgating Snacks Month!

A bowl of sun dried tomato dip surrounded by vegetable chips.

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

a square crop of football decorations with "tailgating snacks month 2024" in the center.

Tailgating snacks month

2024 marks the 11th annual tailgating snacks month here on Life Currents! But we’ve made a change! This year we’re doing all the snacks in September instead of October. That gives me a little more room to make Halloween and Thanksgiving recipes for you! And it gives you a little longer to enjoy the game day grub during the football season!

I think that dips are a really important part of any party! And I think that every year I’ve included at least one amazing dip recipe during tailgating snacks month.

Because, really you just need a big bowl of chips and various creamy dips, and you’re all set for easy entertaining!

a chip being dipped into dip garnished with green onions.

What to use sun-dried tomatoes for?

Let’s talk a little about how this recipe got started and how it’s been updated.

All those years ago I made my own Homemade sun-dried tomatoes. And, they were awesome! So, I came up with several different recipes to show what to use sun-dried tomatoes for.

I used them for Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, Spicy Sausage, Baby Potatoes, and Snap Peas, and this Dip with sun dried tomatoes.

How to make

This no bake dip with sun dried tomatoes is a little spicy with a nice tang. It’s filled with veggies like bell peppers and green onions, and it’s nice and creamy. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredient amounts and instructions.

What kind of sun-dried tomatoes should I use?

For the sun-dried tomatoes you can use homemade, packaged without oil dry packed, or jarred in oil.

Homemade Sun Dried tomatoes: Follow my recipe for homemade sun dried tomatoes or use oven roasted cherry tomatoes, keeping the tomatoes on the moist side rather than making them super dried.

Dry packed without oil sun dried tomatoes: If you’re making this recipe with dry-packed store-bought sun dried tomatoes you’ll want to soften them first. Here’s how… place dried tomatoes in a small bowl, and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drain and proceed with the recipe. Be sure to save the liquid that you drain off; it can be used as broth in soup or pasta sauce.

Jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil: A 7-ounce jar of oil packed tomatoes will have more than enough for this recipe. You’ll want to drain off the oil before using the tomatoes in this dip. Simply place the tomatoes in a fine mesh strainer, and be sure to catch the oil to save it for another use. Lightly press on the tomatoes to extract as much oil as possible. Jarred sun-dried tomatoes can be added to so many dishes! Another reason to keep them on hand.

Get blending

The food processor is my kitchen helper of choice for this recipe because it makes short work of the dip, everything is nice and thoroughly combined, and the dip is super creamy!

If you don’t have a food processor, you may also make this using a hand mixer or mix by hand using a sturdy fork. A blender will also work, but you’ll need to scrape down the sides several times.

dip ingredients on left and draining sun dried tomatoes on right.

Put the ingredients in the food processor in order so that the dip gets smooth and creamy. Cream cheese first. Then add in the sour cream, chili-garlic paste, and spice. Next, pop in the veggies.

cream cheese in a food processor on left and with veggies added on right.

It’s up to you how chunky or smooth you make the veggies in the final step. The sun-dried tomatoes add a nice chewy texture to the dip when left a little chunky.

It reminds me of my red pepper feta dip with the option to make it as smooth as you like.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. The dip will thicken a bit in the fridge after it’s made. And the flavors do meld together and get stronger if the dip is made ahead of time.

You’ll notice there’s no salt in the dip. I don’t think it needs it. And, this allows for salty tortilla chips or not so salty pita chips to be used for dipping. Feel free to add a pinch before serving if desired.

Serve at room temperature. Or cold from the fridge.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the dip separates, just give it a stir.

I’m not typically a fan of freezing dairy-based foods, but this dip freezes surprisingly well. I think it works well because there’s so much going on in the dip. Keep it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. When you’re ready to eat, leave it in the fridge to defrost.

a white bowl filled with sun dried tomato dip and veggie chips around it.

Serving suggestions

  • Enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers, pita slices, veggie sticks
  • I love it with vegetable chips like you see in the pictures. Sweet Potato chips and assorted vegetable chips are both great!
  • Serve it on toasts or baguette slices for a fancy appetizer party like New Year’s Eve
  • Make into a sandwich spread or add to a grilled cheese sandwich
  • I love it on fish tacos

Changes to the recipe

The flavors of this dip are perfect, but you can change up the amounts to make it spicier or less spicy, more tomato-y, or give it different flavor profiles.

A reader once remarked that this was a dip without mayonnaise! It sure is, but if you love mayo, feel free to use it instead of sour cream. It’ll make the dip a little saltier. Add in some capers or olives for even more saltier brine flavor.

Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Add in some lemon juice, lemon zest, a few dashes of hot sauce, some olive oil, or some garlic. Oh, how about some roasted garlic!

Mix in some herbs like fresh basil or parsley.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or black pepper.

Use jarred roasted red pepper instead of the fresh bell pepper.

Can I make this vegan?

Yes, this it easily made vegan with vegan cream cheese and sour cream. You could even make cashew cream (check out the recipe card in this vegan corn chowder recipe for details on how to make cashew cream).

A brown bowl filled with sun dried tomato dip and some chips and a cloth napkin next to the bowl.

FAQ about sun-dried tomatoes

What texture should sundried tomatoes be?

Sun-dried tomatoes are chewy with a strong umami flavor. Homemade, oil packed, and dry packed all have a slightly different texture. Even brand to brand may vary a bit. But they are a really fun addition to dips because of that chewy texture!

Can you eat sun-dried tomatoes straight from a jar?

Absolutely you can eat them straight from the jar. I like to add them to salads too for that nice texture contrast in the salad.

More sun-dried tomato recipes

I like to have a jar of them in my fridge to add flavor to lots of dishes. Be sure to check out my recipes that use them:

a serving bowl filled with gnocchi, white beans, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach, a fork next to the food.
White Bean Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi

two white plates with pasta with mushrooms and tomatoes in creamy sauce on them and a fork twirling the pasta.
Mushroom Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

a white bowl filled with braised beef topped with green onions and a fork and knife next to it.
Braised Beef with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

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a tortilla chip being dipped into dip and some football decorations around it.
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Recipe

square crop of a bowl of dip made with sun dried tomatoes and garnished with green onions chips scattered around the bowl.

Sun Dried Tomato Dip

Debi
This easy to make Sun Dried Tomato Dip is going to be your new go to appetizer! Cream cheese is blended with sour cream, Sun-dried tomatoes, chili garlic sauce, spices, and vegetables in just a couple of minutes, creating a delicious creamy dip that your guests will love.
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Resting time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 153 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
  • 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup chili-garlic sauce
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ red bell pepper roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions plus additional for garnish

Instructions
 

  • If using homemade sun dried tomatoes, chop into ¼ to ½ inch pieces.
  • If using store-bought dry packed sun dried tomatoes, place tomatoes in a small bowl, and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drain and chop tomatoes.
  • If using oil packed tomatoes, drain off excess oil. Be sure to save the oil for another use.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, place softened cream cheese and pulse to make creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sour cream, chili-garlic sauce, and spices, and pulse to combine. Once everything is well mixed, scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and add sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper, and green onions. Pulse once or twice to mix in the veggies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Makes 6 servings of ¼ cup each
Dip will thicken a bit in the fridge after its made.
For the sun dried tomatoes: You can use homemade, packaged without oil dry packed, or packaged in oil (drain off the oil)
It’s up to you how chunky or smooth you make the veggies in the final step.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I’m not a fan of freezing dairy-based foods. I find that the freezing process changes the texture too much. So, while this can be frozen for longer storage, I don’t recommend it.

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 704mgPotassium: 471mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 809IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword dip, sun dried tomatoes
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!

dip in a white bowl with veggie chips
One of the original photos from when I published this recipe all those years ago
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Filed Under: Appetizers, Game Day Tagged With: appetizers, chili garlic sauce, cream cheese, dip, Food, gluten-free, green onions, healthy, recipe, red pepper, sour cream, spicy, spread, sun dried tomatoes, tailgating, tomato, vegetarian

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kayle

    September 20, 2013 at 5:33 am

    5 stars
    Mmmm this looks amazing. I love sundried tomatoes and I can just imagine how yummy this dip is!

  2. MoonLight

    October 3, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    5 stars
    A dip without mayonnaise? I’m in! It’s really delicious.. Nice little heat to it. My husband loved that! 😛

  3. Nidhi Khanna Behl

    January 26, 2014 at 9:26 pm

    Absolutely delicious..can we freeze it? Also for how long would it stay good in the refrigerator.

  4. Debi

    January 27, 2014 at 9:46 am

    I’ve never frozen sour cream, but the other ingredients would freeze just fine. I’d think it would freeze just fine; if you try it let me know how well it works for you. I’m curious! And, as far as how long it would keep in the fridge will depend on the ingredients you use; check the packages of sour cream and cream cheese for the expiration dates. That’ll tell you how long you can keep it in the fridge. A little hint: organic dairy foods last a lot longer than non-organic dairy foods. Thanks for the comment.

  5. maggie

    April 14, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    5 stars
    We are obsessed with good dips to serve when friends are over and especially love dips with a little kick! This was great. We had a nice selection of apps. I like that this one was a little different.

  6. KC

    November 21, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    Sun Dried tomatoes always add a chewy layer of flavor to dishes. Love the spices that give this dip some much zestiness. Great balance.

  7. Debi

    August 17, 2024 at 11:39 am

    5 stars
    Having gone back and made this dip again, I’m really impressed with how easy it is and how yummy. I served it over fish tacos too – fantastic!
    ~ Debi, author, Life Currents

5 from 6 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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