Love roasted red peppers? Then you'll love this Roasted Red Pepper Dip! It's such a great appetizer dip that goes so well with chips, crackers, pita chips, pretzels, or veggies. It has a wonderful tangy smoky roasted red pepper flavor, and best of all, it's delicious and healthy!
This red pepper dip is naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free. It's a great make-ahead appetizer for the holidays and other gatherings.
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Roasted red pepper recipe
Roasted red peppers make such a good addition to so many recipes: they're great on sandwiches and amazing for red pepper pasta sauce.
Well, I wanted to create a recipe where roasted red peppers are the main ingredient and where their flavor really shines! That's where this roasted red pepper dip comes in.
This dip combines a jar of roasted red peppers with a few simple seasonings and cooked white beans. The white beans thicken the dip and make it extra rich and tasty (and healthy and heart, too!).
This roasted red pepper dip can be made in about 5 minutes for a super quick dip recipe, or you can make it from scratch if you want to take the time to roast your own garlic and peppers—your choice!
This recipe is a great way to use up a jar of leftover roasted red peppers! I know I often use 1-2 pieces from a 12-oz jar and then it sits in the fridge for way too long. Well, this recipe is perfect because it uses anywhere between a 10-12 oz jar of red peppers!
How to make red pepper dip
This dip can be made the easy way (just blend everything together without roasting) or the more involved way (roast your own garlic and/or peppers).
If you choose the 5-minute prep method of blending everything together, I recommend using a small clove of garlic or a ½ - 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base. It is an intensely flavored roasted garlic broth concentrate that has an amazing natural roasted garlic flavor. I use it in my 5 minute roasted garlic dip and use it often for soups and dips. If using this base, make sure to OMIT the salt from the recipe because the paste already has salt added to it.
If you want to roast your own garlic or peppers, plan for about 45 minutes of cook time. Cut off the tip of the garlic head (slice through all the cloves), drizzle with olive oil, wrap with foil, and roast for about 35-45 minutes at 375F. You can drizzle olive oil on peppers and roast them at the same time, no need to wrap those. Flip the peppers halfway through. You might need up to 1 extra tablespoon lemon juice if using fresh peppers. Read the FAQ section below for more tips.
How to serve red pepper dip
This red pepper dip is amazing as a dip: serve with cut up veggies, pita chips, crackers, potato chips, or pretzels.
But it can be so much more than a dip!
Use this as a pepper spread for grilled chicken sandwiches. Toss it with cooked pasta as a pasta sauce instead of marinara sauce. Use it in place of pizza sauce.
Ingredients
- 10-12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and about 3 tablespoons liquid reserved (see notes below for making this from scratch) - or see the "How to make red pepper dip" section above for tips for roasting your own peppers
- 1 cup cooked white beans, drained (use the rest to add to this white bean shakshuka, add some beans to shepherd's pie, or to this white bean asparagus salad)
- 1 large whole head garlic (yes, the whole head—it will be roasted! If you don't want to bother roasting anything, I recommend using a small fresh garlic clove or ½ - 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (this is optional. For a non-vegan dip, you can substitute with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan)
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular sweet paprika)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (omit if using Better than Bouillon roasted garlic base)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Equipment
- Blender or large food processor
- Aluminum foil
- Roasting pan
- Silicone spatula
- Citrus juicer (fresh lemon juice is best for this!)
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375F. (If you don't want to roast garlic, skip steps 1 and 2 and use a small fresh clove of garlic OR a Better than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base!)
Step 2: Cut the top off a head of garlic (slice through all the cloves) and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Wrap with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes until browned and fragrant. Allow to cool before handling and take care to avoid the steam inside the foil.
Step 3: In a blender or food processor, combine white beans with 3 tablespoons reserved liquid from red peppers (or water), lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until mostly smooth. You might need to scrape the sides down a bit to blend everything.
Step 4: Squeeze in the roasted garlic (or 1 clove of minced garlic, or ½ teaspoon Better than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base. Add the nutritional yeast (or Parmesan), smoked paprika, salt (only if not using Better than Bouillon), and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Step 5: Add in the roasted red peppers. Pulse until just combined. Taste and see if you need to adjust the flavor with more salt (or Better than Bouillon) or lemon juice. Serve right away or keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Roasted red pepper dip FAQs and tips
How many peppers do I need to make this dip from scratch?
You'll need 2 large bell peppers or 3 small bell peppers. Remove the seeds and extra pith and slice them into ~2-inch wide slices. Drizzle with olive oil and and roast at 375F for about 35-45 minutes, flipping over halfway through. If roasting your own peppers, add 3 tablespoons of water to the blender since you won't have the juices from the jar.
More roasted vegetable recipes: Roasted Jalapeños
What is nutritional yeast and what can I substitute with?
Nutritional yeast is a nutrition seasoning that has a slight nutty cheesy flavor and it is often used as a cheese substitute in vegan recipes. It has a LOT of nutrients in it so I like to sprinkle it on dishes whenever I can. I prefer the Bragg brand or Bob's Red Mill. Keep it in the fridge and it will last a long time!
If you don't want to buy nutritional yeast and then have it sitting around, I get it! You can simply skip it, or add 1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan to the dip for a cheesy salty flavor.
Can I use fresh garlic?
This roasted red pepper dip can be made with fresh garlic instead of roasting garlic. That would make this a super quick 5 minute recipe! Just use 1 small garlic clove and make sure to mince it before adding it to the blender, so that it is blended well throughout the dip.
What kind of white beans can I use? Can I substitute the beans?
Any cooked white beans will work in this recipe! Navy beans, great northern beans, cannelloni beans, butter beans. You can even use chickpeas, pinto beans, or black-eyed peas since those are a little lighter colored than red or black beans. You can use beans you cooked from scratch, or drained and rinsed canned beans.
Psst! Try this lemony white bean dip and spread!
How long will this dip keep in the fridge?
This dip can keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days, if stored in a sealed container and if no one dips any food directly into the main storage container (always portion some out with a clean spoon first!). However, it is best up to 2-3 days, afterwards it starts to separate a little. If that happens, simply stir the liquid back in before serving.
More delicious dips to try
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Ingredients
- 10-12 oz jar roasted red peppers - drained, with about 3 tablespoons liquid reserved (see notes below for making this from fresh peppers)
- 1 cup white beans - drained
- 1 whole head garlic - (or 1 small clove garlic if you don't want to roast. See notes for other substitution tips.)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - divided
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice - to taste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast - (optional, or substitute with 1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika - (or regular sweet paprika)
- ½ teaspoon salt - or to taste (omit if using Better than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base, see notes)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Special equipment
- Blender or large food processor
- Roasting pan
- Citrus juicer (fresh lemon juice is best for this!)
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 375F. (If you want this dip ready in 5 minutes and don't want to roast garlic, skip steps 1 and 2 and read the notes for tips!)
- Cut the top off a head of garlic and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Wrap with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes until browned and fragrant. Allow to cool before handling and take care to avoid the steam inside the foil.
- In a blender or food processor, combine white beans with 3 tablespoons reserved liquid from red peppers (or water), lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until mostly smooth. You might need to scrape the sides down a bit to blend everything.
- Squeeze in all the roasted garlic (or 1 clove of minced garlic, or ½ teaspoon Better than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base). Add the nutritional yeast (or Parmesan), smoked paprika, salt (only if not using Better than Bouillon), and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Add the roasted red peppers. Pulse until just combined. Taste and see if you need to adjust the flavor with more salt (or Better than Bouillon) or lemon juice. Serve right away or keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.