Bold and briny, this olive tapenade is perfect as an easy appetizer or sandwich spread! Serve it with a crusty baguette, toasted crostini, crackers, or spread it on a classic muffuletta sandwich.
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If you love a good, bold spread and briny, delicious olives, this olive tapenade recipe will be right up your alley. Made with two variations of olives (pimento stuffed green olives and kalamata olives), pepperoncinis, capers, garlic, pickled cauliflower, roasted red peppers, shallot, olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar, there is no shortage of flavor in our variation of the beloved spread!
If you’re an olive skeptic, this may just be the recipe that changes your mind. It’s fantastic as a spread on crackers and all kinds of crusty breads, a match made in heaven for our classic muffuletta sandwich, and if you want to liven up your next charcuterie board, this olive tapenade is just the thing to do that.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s quick and easy – forgot that you need to bring an appetizer to tomorrow’s party? No problem. Grab the ingredients for this tapenade and make it in less than 5 minutes!
- It’s salty and delicious – if you’ve tried olive tapenade before, you know the deliciousness that awaits you on the other side of this recipe. If you haven’t, buckle up, this delicious, briny spread is about to win you over!
Olive Tapenade Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need a handful of ingredients here, from olives to pepperoncinis to red wine vinegar. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Olives – we chose to go with an equal amount of kalamata olives and pimento stuffed green olives, but you can absolutely grab any olives you love most for this recipe.
- Roasted red peppers – though not pictured above, jarred roasted red peppers are included in this recipe and add a delightful smoky sweetness to the spread.
- Shallot – feel free to swap the shallot for a purple or white onion.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Add or cut the garlic – add more or less fresh garlic to adjust the spice level in the tapenade.
- Add or cut the red pepper flakes – similar to above, if you want a spicier tapenade, add more red pepper flakes, and if you want to cut the spice completely, omit the red pepper flakes altogether.
- Up the spice even more – if you still want to add more spice (after adding more garlic and red pepper flakes), or you just love the addition of spicy peppers in your food, feel free to add a jalapeno, serrano pepper, or Thai chili to increase heat and add even more depth of flavor.
- Adjust the quantity – this recipe makes A LOT of olive tapenade (about 3 cups-worth). If you need less, feel free to half or quarter it, and if you need more, double it!
How to Make Olive Tapenade
This recipe could not be any easier to make! Follow along below.
Step 1: Add the olives, pepperoncinis, capers, garlic, pickled cauliflower florets, roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped shallot, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes to a food processor.
Step 2: Pulse the ingredients together until a chunky spread forms.
Recipe Tip
This recipe is freezer-friendly! Simply transfer the tapenade to freezer-safe containers and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, let the tapenade thaw in the fridge overnight.
How to Serve
Serve your tapenade spread (or dip) style alongside a crusty baguette, crispy toasted crostini rounds, or any crackers you love. Tapenade is also delicious on sandwiches (our olive tapenade was literally developed for this muffuletta sandwich recipe), as a spread on a charcuterie board, as a topper to hard-boiled eggs for a delicious, satisfying snack, or even over scrambled eggs for a delicious twist on your typical breakfast.
How to Store
Store your olive tapenade in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you’re storing in the freezer, be sure to let the tapenade thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying!
Frequently Asked Questions
The concept of olive tapenade originated in Provence, France, a region that borders Italy and the Mediterranean Sea. There are tons of variations of tapenade, but all are deliciously briny!
This answer definitely depends on how your specific body tolerates certain foods, but in general, yes, olive tapenade is a healthy choice. It’s chock-full of heart-healthy fats!
More Favorite Dips and Spreads
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Olive Tapenade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup pimento stuffed olives, drained
- 1 cup kalamata olives, drained
- ½ cup pepperoncinis, drained
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup pickled cauliflower florets, drained
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 shallot
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the olives, pepperoncinis, capers, garlic, pickled cauliflower florets, roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped shallot, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes to a food processor.
- Pulse the ingredients together until a chunky spread forms.
Recipe Notes
- Add or cut the garlic – add more or less fresh garlic to adjust the spice level in the tapenade.
- Add or cut the red pepper flakes – similar to above, if you want a spicier tapenade, add more red pepper flakes, and if you want to cut the spice completely, omit the red pepper flakes altogether.
- Up the spice even more – if you still want to add more spice (after adding more garlic and red pepper flakes), or you just love the addition of spicy peppers in your food, feel free to add a jalapeno, serrano pepper, or Thai chili to increase heat and add even more depth of flavor.
- Adjust the quantity – this recipe makes A LOT of olive tapenade (about 3 cups-worth). If you need less, feel free to half or quarter it, and if you need more, double it!
Nutrition
