Olive tapenade with garlic & thyme

Briny olives are delicious right out of the jar, no doubt. But when you add some capers, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh thyme, you take them from delish to divine.

Piled onto crackers or spooned onto toasted crostini, it’s an easy appetizer that pulls no punches in flavor.

This olive tapenade recipe comes together in only minutes.

It’s simply a matter of putting a few ingredients into a food processor, and pulsing several times.

The only way it could be easier is if you just bought a container of tapenade at the store.

Because it is so fast & easy to make, it’s the perfect impromptu hors d’oeuvre for surprise guests, or as an addition to a mezze platter.

In this post:

Olives: I recommend using pitted olives that are a couple different colors – like black and green. That adds visual interest.

I used kalamata and green olives stuffed with red peppers. The nice, bright red color stands in contrast to the green. You could also use pimiento-stuffed olives instead. My favorite olives, Castelvetrano, would also be fabulous here.

Capers: Capers are the unripened green buds of a caper bush, which have been pickled. Their tangy flavor is in the same wheelhouse as olives. Look for them in jars in the center grocery store aisles alongside pickles, olives, and artichokes.

Garlic: Choose firm garlic that doesn’t have dark spots. It should feel firm to the touch, not hollow.

You can mince the garlic by hand, but a garlic press makes easy work. (With my favorite garlic press, you can throw the whole clove in with the peel still on!)

Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best. Bottled lemon juice just can’t compare.

Extra virgin olive oil: Choose a high-quality EVOO with a flavor you enjoy.

Fresh thyme: Look for fresh thyme sprigs that are bright green and full of leaves.

Put the following ingredients into the food processor:

• Kalamata olives
• Stuffed green olives
• Capers
• Minced garlic
• Lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh thyme

Pulse the food processor five or six times.

The tapenade should still be chunky. And serve!

You can personalize this tapenade by making some simple variations.

• Use just one type of olive, vary the type of olives, or use a third kind
• Use olives that are stuffed with interesting things like pimientos, garlic, almonds, or jalapeños
• Add other elements like sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, or lemon zest
• Use dried thyme instead of fresh (Remember to halve the amount, because dried is stronger)
• Vary the herbs by using rosemary, basil, parsley, or oregano
• Add chickpeas and tahini, and turn it into olive hummus

There are so many ways to enjoy this mouthwatering olive spread!

• Put it on crackers
• Pile it on toasted crostini or baguette with a slathering of non-dairy cream cheese or tofu ricotta
• Stir it into Mediterranean pasta with garlic olive oil
• Use it as a sandwich spread with grilled vegetables
• Add it to a vegan cheese board
• Put it in a tortilla pinwheel along with hummus, spinach, and vegan feta cheese
• Use it as a pizza topping with artichoke hearts, red onions, bell peppers, and/or basil

Keep tapenade in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The oils, brine, lemon juice, and garlic all have antimicrobial effects. So it will last several days in the fridge.

(If you’re planning on keeping it longer than that, you may want to add more olive oil to the top.)

If it looks dried out, add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and stir before serving.

Can’t get enough of olives?

Here are more recipes I’m sure you’ll adore:

• Fried olives stuffed with vegan feta cheese
• Kalamata olive hummus with artichokes
• Israeli couscous salad with olives & artichokes
• Warmed Castelvetrano olives with lemon & garlic

📖 Recipe

Olive tapenade with garlic & thyme

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 2 votes

This easy appetizer comes together in just five minutes. Perfect for impromptu gatherings and parties. Or keep a batch in your refrigerator for instant snacking! Serve with crackers or crostini.

Makes ¾ to 1 cup of tapenade

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: French, Vegan

Keyword: easy dip, holiday food, party food

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup kalamata olives drained
• ▢ ½ cup stuffed green olives drained
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon capers drained
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ Heaping ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves pulled from stems (About 2 sprigs)

Instructions

• ▢
  Put kalamata olives, stuffed green olives, capers, minced garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh thyme leaves in food processor.
• ▢
  Pulse 5 or 6 times, until broken up but still chunky.
• ▢
  Move to a serving bowl. Garnish with more fresh thyme, if you like.

Notes

If you prefer a saucier tapenade, add more olive oil to taste. 

If you like a smoother tapenade, blend it for a longer, more sustained period until it reaches your desired consistency.

If you are using dried thyme instead of fresh, use ⅛ teaspoon.

For more variation ideas, see the blog post.

How to store it

Put it in a covered container, and keep it in the refrigerator. It will last for several days. (If you’re planning on keeping it longer than that, you may want to add more olive oil to the top.)

If it looks dried out, add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and stir before serving.

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Nutrition

Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 290mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg