Easy Olive Tapenade

This easy Olive Tapenade recipe is a savory Mediterranean spread made with olives, garlic, herbs, and lemon. Perfect as an appetizer, dip, or flavorful topping.

Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love. We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us. The world changes when we change. The world softens when we soften. The world loves us when we choose to love the world.  ~Marianne Williamson

This Olive Tapenade recipe is one of those simple, flavor-packed staples I always like to have on hand. It originally came from our vegetarian restaurant, where we served it as a vibrant Mediterranean-inspired spread-and it quickly became a favorite.

Briny olives are the star here, blended with capers, garlic, fresh herbs, lemon, and a touch of red pepper flakes for a bold, savory bite. Serve it with a cheese board, mezze platter, crostini, or simply spread it on crackers for an easy appetizer.

The best part? Olive Tapenade is endlessly adaptable. Use your favorite combination of olives (my favorite!), make it extra garlicky or spicy, swap parsley for basil, and adjust it to your own taste. A batch keeps beautifully in the fridge, ready to brighten up meals throughout the week.

 Olive Tapenade Recipe Ingredients

• garlic
• lemon zest
• fresh parsley & rosemary (or sage, or thyme or a little of all three)
• olive oil
• olives (a mix is nice like kalamata, castelvetrano, green olives, black olives)
• capers
• chili flakes
• black pepper
• red wine vinegar

How to make Olive Tapenade

STEP ONE– Add garlic, lemon zest, parsley, rosemary and olive oil to food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

STEP TWO- Add about 1/2 of the olives and pulse just a bit to incorporate.

STEP THREE– Add remaining olives, capers, chili flakes, black pepper, red wine vinegar and pulse gently leaving some larger chunks.  Be cautious about over-blending; we are going for a textured consistency, not a pasty one.

That’s it!  Quick and easy!

Storage

Store olive tapenade in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. The flavor actually improves after a day as the olives, herbs, garlic, and lemon have time to meld together. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.

Ways to use Olive Tapenade

Olive tapenade is the perfect accompaniment for cheese boards (because cheese + olives is always a good idea!) and mezze platters, and it also adds a bright, savory boost to pasta, sandwiches, and pizza.

What to serve with Olive Tapenade

• Rustic Seed Crackers
• Sourdough Crackers
• Sourdough Baguettes

More recipes you may enjoy

• Castelvetrano Olive Tapenade
• Crispy Homemade Pita Chips
• French Onion Dip
• Authentic Baba Ganoush (Grilled or Baked!)
• Perfect Hummus
• Lemony Artichoke White Bean Dip
• Smoky Harissa White Bean Dip
• Warm Olives with Rosemary, Garlic and Almonds

Hope you love this!  Let us know what you pair it with.

~Tonia

Olive Tapenade Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Tonia | Feasting at Home
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Category: Appetizer, Condiment, dip, Side Dish, Spreads
• Method: food processor
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Dairy-Free, Diabetic, Gluten Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Description

This easy Olive Tapenade recipe is a savory Mediterranean spread made with olives, garlic, herbs, and lemon. Perfect as an appetizer, dip, or flavorful topping.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1/2x1x2x

• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary (or sage, or thyme or a little of all three)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups kalamata olives, pitted (a mix is nice, like kalamata, castelvetrano, green olives, black olives)
• 1/4 cup capers
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

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Instructions

1. Add garlic, lemon zest, parsley, rosemary and olive oil to food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
2. Add half of the olives pulse just a bit to incorporate.
3. Add remaining olives, capers, chili flakes, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and pulse gently, leaving some larger chunks. Be cautious of over-blending, we are going for a consistency that is textured, not pasty.

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Notes

This will keep up to 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 66
• Sugar: 0.1 g
• Sodium: 113.9 mg
• Fat: 7.2 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
• Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 0.3 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg