Sun Dried Tomato Dip

Tailgating snacks month

2024 marks the 11^th 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!

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.

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.

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.

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).

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: