How to Make Olive Tapenade

For a 10-minute appetizer dip, sandwich spread, or pizza “sauce,” try this easy homemade Olive Tapenade. Customize this Mediterranean spread with any variety of briny olives.

If you love olives, you’ll love the salty, briny flavor of this tapenade spread. I love to eat it on fresh bread or toasted baguette slices, something with a neutral flavor profile that doesn’t compete with tapenade.

It’s delicious on a Mezze platter too (an appetizer board of Mediterranean fare). Pile fresh vegetables, olives, nuts, and pita chips, then add bowls of hummus or roasted eggplant dip to complete your Med Feast.

Olive Tapenade Ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

• Olives: Seek out mild olives that have been cured in brine.  I love Kalamata and Lucques olives but picholines, Castelvetrano olives, Niçoise olives from France, black olives, and green olives are also great choices. Use one kind or a combination of a few of your favorites.
• Anchovies: These add a fantastic savory, umami flavor to dishes. However, if you don’t want to buy and handle anchovies, you can use anchovy paste. Enjoy the flavor and get used to the mental aspect of them without having to touch them. (Just like tomato paste in a tube, it keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.)
• Capers: Buy them brine-packed or salt-packed. The salt-packed ones have a more mild (and I think preferable) flavor although I like both. If you forget to rinse them, however, the flavor can be overpowering at times.
• Garlic: Roasting garlic is optional. To roast the garlic, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off a bulb of garlic so the cloves are exposed. Set the bulb on a piece of foil large enough to wrap the bulb. Top the exposed cloves with olive oil and wrap the bulb tightly in foil. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife slides easily into the middle of the bulb.

How to Make Olive Tapenade

1. In a food processor, combine olives, anchovies, capers, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pulse 2 to 3 times until coarsely chopped.

2. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse a few more times until a chunky paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature.

What is the best food processor?

For making smaller portions of Olive Tapenade, I like using my Cuisinart Mini Prep Food Processor, which is my favorite mini food processor. It’s small, powerful, and perfect for making dips and sauces. You can get it for $39.17 at Amazon, and I think it’s a great addition to any kitchen.

Olive Tapenade Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups tapenade total, enough for 6 (1/2-cup servings).
• Storage: Store leftovers in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Olive tapenade is freezer friendly! Transfer to glass jars, leave ½ inch head space, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• More flavors: Switch up your fresh herbs to include fresh basil, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, Herbs de Provence, or sun-dried tomatoes.
• Serving suggestion: Serve tapenade with pita chips, crostini, crackers, or chunks of sturdy bread. This olive spread is also delicious on top of deviled eggs; just add small dollops and watch them disappear. It’s also perfect served with goat cheese.
• Kalamata aioli: In a food processor, add 1 cup pitted and drained Kalamata olives, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, 5 large basil leaves (or 10 small), and 1 cup mayonnaise. Process until well combined.  Serve with bread chunks. Yields about 2 cups.

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Olive Tapenade Recipe

By Meggan Hill

For a 10-minute appetizer dip, sandwich spread, or pizza "sauce," try this easy homemade Olive Tapenade. Customize this Mediterranean spread with any variety of briny olives.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 12 servings (¼ cup each)

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mediterranean

Calories 68

5 from 233 votes

ReviewPrint

Equipment

• Food processor (I have this one from Breville and it's amazing!)

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups pitted, brine-cured olives drained (see note 1)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 2 anchovy filets, minced (see note 2)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons capers rinsed (see note 3)
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley coarsely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic roasted if desired (see note 4)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions 

• In a food processor, combine olives, anchovies, capers, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pulse 2 to 3 times until coarsely chopped.
• Drizzle in olive oil and pulse a few more times until a chunky paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Olives: Seek out mild olives that have been cured in brine.  I love Kalamata and Lucques olives but picholines and Niçoise olives are also great choices. Use one kind or a combination of a few of your favorites.
2. Anchovies: These add a fantastic savory, umami flavor to dishes. However, if you don’t want to buy and handle anchovies, you can use anchovy paste. Enjoy the flavor and get used to the mental aspect of them without having to touch them.
3. Capers: Buy them brine-packed or salt-packed. The salt-packed ones have a more mild (and I think preferable) flavor although I like both. If you forget to rinse them, however, the flavor can be overpowering at times.
4. Garlic: Roasting garlic is optional. To roast the garlic, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off a bulb of garlic so the cloves are exposed. Set the bulb on a piece of foil large enough to wrap the bulb. Top the exposed cloves with olive oil and wrap the bulb tightly in foil. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife slides easily in to the middle of the bulb.
5. Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups tapenade total, enough for 6 (1/2-cup servings).
6. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving (½ cup)Calories: 68kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0.4mgSodium: 338mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.2mg

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