Green Olive Tapenade & Easy Tapas Recipe (2024)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Instant fancy appetizer. Make the perfect dinner party starter in 5 minutes or less.
• Amazing flavor enhancer. It adds a pleasant pop of salt and tang to seafood, veggies, and more.
• Gluten-free appetizer. Serve with gluten-free crostini, crackers, and crudité!
• Vegan. It's made without anchovies.
• Great for gifting! When stored properly, this spread has a good shelf-life.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Olives - I used Italian Castelvetrano, a Sicilian olive known for its bright green hue, sweet and buttery taste, and crisp-juicy texture. Brands like Partanna, Mezzetta, and Sannitti are common in grocery stores and readily available online. If you can't find Castelvetrano olives, you can use any green olive (Cerignola, Liguria, Picholine, Gordal, or Manzanilla) or a medley of green and black. What's most important is that the olives are pitted and delicious.
• Garlic - Fresh cloves are key. Feel free to toss in an extra clove or two to intensify the garlicky goodness.
• Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest - The citrus wakes up every delicious flavor.
• Capers - Improve the briny olive taste with a pop of tang and floral tart.
• Fresh Basil & Parsley - For fresh, aromatic flavor. Feel free to use additional fresh herbs like Greek or Italian oregano, tarragon, thyme, and chive.
• Olive Oil - Helps creates a thick, spreadable consistency. Use your best olive oil here.
• To make olive bruschetta (optional) - To serve, I love spreading the olive mixture over toasted or grilled slices of thick, crusty bread and topping with pistachios and roasted red pepper. See below for more ways to serve.

How To Make Green Olive Tapenade

Step 1: Add ingredients to a food processor bowl. Add the olives, garlic cloves, lemon juice & zest, capers, fresh basil & parsley to a food processor.

Step 2. Pulse a few times to chop.

Add the olive oil and pulse a few more times until everything is finely minced and thoroughly combined—taste before adding salt and pepper.

Step 3: Assemble, garnish, and serve. Spread tapenade over top of fresh toasted or grilled bruschetta slices topped with pistachios and a roasted red pepper garnish. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch, but I highly recommend that you use the zest and juice from a fresh lemon.
• If the mixture is too thick for your liking, very slowly add a tad more olive oil to the food processor and pulse once or twice to combine.
• You don't want to puree the olives. The goal is pulsing just until everything is minced and combined.
• Olives are SALTY (in a good way), so be sure to taste the mixture before adding salt.

Variations & How To Use

See below for delicious modifications.

• Anchovies - This vegan-friendly olive tapenade is made without anchovies, but go for it if you're brave enough to add them! 1-2 rinsed and blotted anchovies should be plenty.
• Cheese - Pulse asiago, parmesan, or feta with the remaining ingredients.
• Nuts - For some crunch, blend the mixture with pistachios, pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts.

Instead of making olive tapenade bruschetta, make an antipasto platter with crostini, thinly sliced fresh veggies, crackers, pita, etc. Use this olive spread to flavor simple proteins and sides.

• Seafood - Finish pieces of juicy cooked fish like sous vide seared salmon, baked halibut, or prawns with green olive tapenade.
• Beef - Or try with grilled sirloin or flat iron steaks.
• Vegetables - Toss with blanched green beans, roasted broccoli, or any simple veggie side dish.

Storing & Freezing

Storing: Keep tapenade in an airtight jar or glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Freezing: Keep frozen for up to 2 months, and let thaw in the fridge before bringing to room temperature.

What does green olive tapenade taste like?

Green olives, so make sure you use an olive variety you enjoy. The olives are amplified with lemon, garlic, and herbs, but the immediate taste on your tongue is salty olives.

Should I serve homemade tapenade cold?

It's best served at room temperature but perfectly fine to enjoy cold if you're in a hurry. Pulling it from the fridge 30 minutes before serving helps loosen the solidified oils, so the mixture returns to a spreadable consistency.

Can I make olive tapenade with black olives?

Traditional recipes are made with green olives, but feel free to use pitted black olives like kalamata or Gordal.

More Sauces & Condiments You'll Love

Classic Pesto Sauce

Homemade Salsa

Homemade Olive Oil Mayo

Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

If you love this recipe I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!

Stay posted on my latest cooking adventures through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!