This olive tapenade is salty, garlicky and insanely delicious. Made with kalamata olives for a flavor packed delight to your tastebuds!
We made this olive tapenade the other evening and honestly I could NOT stop eating it. Those little slices of toasted baguette topped with ample quantities of olive tapenade were going down like gangbusters.
It’s just so deliciously salty and olive-y. Yum. If you’re also a big fan of olives then you will find this just as heavenly as I did.
Small issue, you likely won’t be able to stop eating it until it’s finished. So it’s perfect to serve as an appetizer when you have guests. That way you won’t be tempted to just eat the whole lot yourself (though really, that’s also totally fine to do).
How to Make Olive Tapenade
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
You want delicious kalamata olives for this. It’s easiest if you get them already pitted.
Add the pitted kalamata olives to the food processor along with capers, olive oil, red wine vinegar, crushed garlic, lemon juice, chopped parsley, oregano and salt and pepper.
Pulse until you have a chunky paste. You don’t want it to be too chunky but you also don’t want it too smooth. So pulse it in stages and scrape down the sides and pulse again until it’s very well mixed but still a little chunky.
TIP: Even if your olives are bought already pitted, just check them first as sometimes a pit might have snuck in and that can cause havoc on your food processor blades, not to mention messing with the texture of your tapenade.
Your olive tapenade is ready to serve!
Serving Suggestions
It’s divine with crackers or pita breads or spread onto crusty breads or toasted slices of a baguette. You can also add it to any salad or sauce!
It’s also lovely served as an appetizer with bread and crackers, along with some good red wine.
Storing Instructions
Keep it stored in a covered container in the fridge and it will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. It would be a miracle if you managed to keep it that long though! It’s way too delicious.
More Delicious Vegan Appetizers
- Vegan Spinach Dip
- Vegan Bruschetta
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Vegan Pâté
- Vegan Queso
- Vegan Mushroom Pâté
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse into a chunky paste.
- Stop regularly and scrape down the sides until everything is well mixed but still chunky.
Notes
- Check the olives to make sure there are no pits accidentally left in (even if you buy pitted olives) as this can cause havoc on your food processor blades.
- This recipe makes around 1 cup of tapenade, so each serve is around ¼ cup.
- Keep it stored in a covered container in the fridge and it will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
What would you consider to be the actual serving size?
I will be making this as a topping for a bite sized fried polenta appetizer and am trying to decide how many recipes I need to make.
The whole recipe makes around 1 cup.
Easy, delicious and great stirred through pasta but love it on bruschetta.
Thanks so much Anita!
I have eaten it at my daughters home and intend to serve it as an appetizer soon
Could white wine vinegar be substituted for the red?
Yes, that will be fine! :
I have been making tapenade for over two years and have two differently dated jars in my fridge at any one time to ensure a permanent supply. I can vouch that, not only does tapenade easily keep for three months in the fridge, it also matures and gets better over time – I don’t start eating my tapenade before it is two months old.
Olives bought in brine or vinegar are absolutely suffused with those substances, which are fantastic preservatives. The addition of garlic adds another layer of defence against your tapenade going bad.
The best tapenade I have ever had.
Awesome! Thanks so much Mary!
Hello! Will this freeze well by any chance?
Hi Naiyana, yes you can freeze it! Thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready for it.
Super simple. Super fast. Super tasty. Also super salty but my olives and capers came in brine. Next time I will try rinsing that off before I start.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing Julia! 🙂
I tried this olive tapenade, and honestly you were right. I could not stop eating it and I ended up eating it all! The recipe is amazing, it’s so delicious and the flavour and texture is too good.
Hahaha that’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear it was that good. Thanks for the wonderful review! 🙂
Thanks! Can you please provide a link to the Capers? Is it a spice?
Hi there, capers are a plant, they come in a jar usually. If you google it you’ll find out more about them, but they are usually easy to get at a supermarket. All the best! 🙂
Anything to do with Olives is simply the best! This recipe is scrumptious to say the least!
Definitely! Thanks Anna! xo