This 10-minute Olive Tapenade is bold, savory, and delightfully briny. Made with tangy capers, black olives, umami-rich anchovy fillets, lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh herbs, it’s the perfect quick and easy appetizer dip, spread, or topping.
Olive Tapenade Recipe
If you like olives (even just a little), then you will love the salty, umami, briny flavor of this olive tapenade. Made with pantry staples like olives, capers, garlic, and olive oil, it’s one of the easiest appetizers you’ll ever make. Like, silly easy. Processed in a food processor or mortar and pestle, it has a chunky-smooth texture and complex flavor profile. It’s the perfect addition to crunchy crostini or crackers, added to creamy hummus or whipped feta, tossed into pasta, or spread over pizza. Have any questions? Be sure to check out my top tips in the section below. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
One of the best parts of this recipe is that it’s made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
Below are descriptions of the key ingredients in this Olive Tapenade Recipe. You can find the printable recipe with measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card below.
- Olives: For a richer, deeper flavor, choose black olives. For a brighter flavor, use green olives. Mix different types of olives for a more complex flavor profile. Read more about the different kinds of olives below.
- Anchovy fillets (optional): Anchovies are rich in umami flavor. If you prefer not to handle whole anchovy fillets, you can purchase refrigerated anchovy paste from many grocery stores.
- Capers: Tangy and briny. Consider rinsing with water if you’re sensitive to briny foods.
- Fresh Herbs: This recipe includes fresh basil and parsley. Fresh thyme is another popular addition.
- Olive oil: The olive oil binds the ingredients together. I suggest using an olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil) that you enjoy the taste of.
Best Types of Olives for Tapenade
The choice of olives significantly influences the flavor of your tapenade. Here’s a list of different varieties, each offering its own unique taste and texture:
- Kalamata Olives: One of the most popular choices for tapenade, they are a type of black olive. They are dark purple, almost black, with a smooth, meaty texture. They have a rich, deep, fruity flavor and can be purchased with or without the pits.
- Green Olives: Green olives are picked before fully ripe, giving them a firmer texture and a slightly more bitter flavor. Popular varieties for tapenade are Castelvetrano, Picholine, and Manzanilla. Italian Castelvetrano olives are bright green, meaty, and have a mild, buttery flavor. French Picholine olives are crisp and firm with a slightly nutty flavor. Spanish Manzanilla olives are small, round, and slightly nutty in flavor.
- Black Olives: Black olives, typically harvested when fully ripe, offer a variety of flavors and textures depending on their type and method of curing. Popular varieties used in tapenade are kalamata (see above), Nicoise, Gaeta, and Aragon. French Nicoise olives have a firm texture and a rich, nutty flavor, while Italian Gaeta olives (cured in dry salt or brine) are known for their soft, tender texture and mild but rich taste. Aragon olives from Spain have a chewy texture and are typically cured with herbs, giving them a unique flavor profile.
- Mission olives: California olives that can be picked green and turn black when fully ripe. They have a mild, sweet flavor when cured.
How to Make Olive Tapenade
1. Prep the ingredients: Gather and measure all the ingredients and pit the olives (if they haven’t already been pitted). You may want to rinse the olives and capers to remove excess saltiness.
2. Pulse to chop: Add the pitted olives, basil, anchovies, parsley, garlic cloves, and capers to the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse the ingredients several times until they are roughly chopped. Avoid overprocessing at this point; you want some texture left in your tapenade.
3. Add the liquids and blend: With the food processor off, add the fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Process again in short pulses until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.
4. Season to taste: Season with black pepper, additional lemon juice, or olive oil, to taste.
5. Rest: Let the tapenade sit for at least an hour before serving (if possible). This allows the flavors to meld together.
How to Make Olive Tapenade in a Mortar and Pestle
- Gather and measure all the ingredients and pit the olives (if they haven’t been pitted already). You may want to rinse the olives and capers to remove excess saltiness. Roughly chop the anchovies and garlic to make them easier to grind.
- Add the anchovies and garlic to the mortar with a small pinch of salt (optional). The salt acts as an abrasive, making it easier to grind. Grind until you form a thick paste.
- Add the olives and capers. Use the pestle to crush and grind the mixture together, making sure to scrape the sides of the mortar periodically. Break the olives and capers into small pieces, not a smooth paste.
- Stir in the minced parsley, basil, and fresh lemon juice. Mix just enough to blend the flavors.
- Slowly add the olive oil while mixing with the pestle. The oil helps bind the tapenade.
- Season to taste and rest.
Pro Tips
- Consider the texture. For example, a smoother paste may be preferred for spreading over crostini or crackers, while a coarser chop may be more enjoyable with proteins, like chicken, or tossed in pasta.
- Vary the texture and flavor: Optional additions include chopped almonds or walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, or a splash of balsamic vinegar.
- To make this recipe vegan, omit the anchovy fillets. Don’t worry. It will still have amazing flavor!
- Let it marinate. Once prepared, let the tapenade rest for about an hour before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together.
What to Serve with Olive Tapenade
Olive tapenade is versatile and flavorful. Spread it over crostini, crusty bread, and buttery crackers, or serve it alongside your favorite roasted veggies, such as zucchini, eggplant, or bell peppers. Pair it with a selection of cheeses, such as goat cheese, feta, or brie, which complement the tapenade’s salty flavors. Serve it with other Mediterranean appetizers like hummus and pita bread, spread it on wraps and sandwiches as a flavorful condiment, or spoon it over baked fish or delicious Greek chicken.
Storage and Freezing
Homemade olive tapenade can last up to 1-2 weeks due to the natural preservative qualities of the salt in the olives, capers, and anchovies. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freezing is possible, but it will likely change the texture (full disclosure: I have not tried freezing tapenade myself, so I can’t guarantee the outcome). Freeze for up to 3 months, thawing in the refrigerator overnight before reserving.
If you love tangy, savory dips and spreads, you’ll love this quick and easy tapenade recipe. Once you’ve tried it, you may want to check out my homemade tzatziki recipe, easy baba ganoush, and falafel recipe.
RECIPE CARD
Olive Tapenade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) can pitted black olives - drained, see notes
- 2-4 anchovy fillets
- 8 fresh basil leaves - plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley - packed, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 tablespoon capers
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice - plus more to taste
- black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Gather and measure all the ingredients and pit the olives (if they haven’t been pitted already). You may want to rinse the olives and capers to remove excess saltiness.
- Add the pitted olives, basil, anchovies, parsley, garlic cloves, and capers in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse the ingredients several times until everything is roughly chopped. Avoid overprocessing at this point; you want some texture left in your tapenade.
- With the food processor off, add the fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Process again in short pulses until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.
- Season with black pepper, additional lemon juice, or olive oil, to taste.
- Let the tapenade sit for at least an hour before serving (if possible). This allows the flavors to meld together.
Jessica’s Notes
- Olives: For a richer, deeper flavor, choose black olives. For a brighter flavor, use green olives. Read more about the different types of olives above.
- Consider the texture of your tapenade depending on how you plan to serve it. For example, a smoother paste may be preferred for spreading over crostini or crackers, while a coarser chop may be more enjoyable with proteins, like chicken, or tossed in pasta.
- Vary the texture and flavor: Optional additions include chopped almonds or walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, or a splash of balsamic vinegar.
- To make this recipe vegan, omit the anchovy fillets. Don’t worry. It will still have amazing flavor!
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Can I use herbed feta cheese instead of goat cheese? Not a fan of goat cheese. Thanks.
Yes, you can use herbed feta cheese instead of goat cheese in an olive tapenade. Feta will add a different flavor profile – it’s tangier and saltier compared to the creamy and mild taste of goat cheese. The herbs in the feta will also contribute additional flavors to the tapenade. Just crumble or chop the feta finely before mixing it in so that it distributes evenly throughout the tapenade. Remember that feta is typically more crumbly and less creamy than goat cheese, so the texture of your tapenade will be slightly different.