Remember this tempting warmed olives appetizer for your next dinner party. Buttery Castelvetrano olives are sautéed with garlic, fresh thyme, and lemon zest for a truly magical starter. Vegan & gluten-free.
I have a weakness for foods that seem fancy but aren't actually complicated to make. They elicit oohs and aahs, but they don't take much time on task.
A prime example? Buttery Castelvetrano olives warmed in a skillet with lemon zest, garlic, and fresh thyme.
Castelvetrano are the Adele of olives. They woo even those who typically shy away.
They are milder, more rounded in flavor, with less of that tinny quality that is common in a ripe olive.
Castelvetrano olives are easy to recognize by their bright green hue, the color of Kermit.
Even on their own, Castelvetrano are sure to impress. But when you dress them up in a delicious marinade? Watch out. They are absolutely addictive.
It usually takes me a while to work through a jar of olives. But when they're warmed and popping with the flavors garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs, it's easy to plow through half a jar in a sitting.
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“These are a family fave!!! I LOVE Castelvetrano olives, and this just takes them to the next level! So good, and the simplest appetizer to throw together!!!” – Sarah
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Extra virgin olive oil: This oil works as a carrier for lots of flavor from garlic, lemon zest, and fresh thyme. Choose a quality EVOO with a taste you enjoy.
Castelvetrano olives: Look for for unpitted Castelvetrano olives at health food markets and gourmet grocery stores. Options include: Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market, Costco, your local co-op, or online.
Tip: Castelvetrano olives are also popular on olive bars, if you don’t feel like committing to a whole jar.
Thyme: Buy fresh thyme sprigs that are bright green and full of leaves.
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 zest: When using lemons for their zest, organic lemons are recommended. To zest the lemon, use a zester grater.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Put the following in a warm skillet or saute pan:
- Drained olives
- Lemon zest
- Chopped garlic
- Fresh thyme
- Extra virgin olive oil
Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant.
Once the garlic is fragrant, turn off the heat. Allow the flavors to develop in the warm skillet until serving time.
Finally, pour the olives with seasoned oil into a serving bowl. Serve warm.
Make it your own
You can make this recipe your own by varying the ingredients.
- If you can only find pitted Castelvetrano olives, those will work in a pinch
- Instead of Castelvetrano, choose Cerignola, Kalamata, or a mix of high-quality green and black olives with pits
- Replace garlic with minced shallots
- Replace lemon zest with orange zest
- Instead of fresh thyme, use sprigs of fresh rosemary
Serving ideas
Warmed Castelvetrano olives are a wonderful addition to a vegan charcuterie or cheese board.
Serve warm olives on a charcuterie board with:
- Vegan feta cheese
- Jalapeño cashew cheese
- Hummus
- Roasted chickpeas
- Berries
- Sliced bell peppers
- Pickles
- Pickled red onions
- Pickled jalapeños
- Jarred artichoke hearts
- Dolmas
- Crackers
A meal of finger foods feels a little luxurious and a little sexy. Perfect for Valentine's Day or just another Tuesday night.
Storage instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for about 4 days.
(The olives will last longer if they are completely submerged in oil. If you’re planning on storing them longer, you may want to increase the amount of oil.)
You can enjoy the olives cold or gently re-warm them in a skillet.
After some marinating time, the flavors are a little more pronounced, but not to a tremendous degree.
After you’ve eaten all of the olives, use the remaining flavored oil for dunking bread. Or remove the sprigs of thyme, add a splash of vinegar, and make a flavorful salad dressing.
FAQ
Absolutely! While olives are totally delicious at room temperature or right out of the fridge, warming them with garlic, lemon zest, and fresh thyme makes them downright addictive. It boosts their flavor and brings out the Castelvetrano olive’s natural butteriness.
Not long at all! This warmed olives recipe is ready in just 6 minutes.
Because olives can be eaten right out of the jar, you’re really only warming them. Once the garlic in this easy appetizer is fragrant, the olives are ready to eat.
Yes! Store leftover olives in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy them cold, or gently reheat them on the stove until just warm.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Warmed castelvetrano olives with lemon & garlic
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 7.5 ounces (drained weight) Castelvetrano olives
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest Roughly the zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Bring a skillet to a low medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, drained Castelvetrano olives, fresh thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Turn off heat and let the oil/olive mixture sit on the stove for 10 minutes, while the flavors meld.
- Pour the mixture into a serving bowl and serve warm.
suzi
there aren’t many things I “hog”…. these. YUM!!!!!
Cadry Nelson
I’m so glad to hear it, Suzi! Thank you for the great feedback!
Tilly
Where can you find the olives? Can we make a large batch and then jar to give as gifts?
Cadry
Here are some options on places to buy Castelvetrano olives:
I buy Castelvetrano olives at Natural Grocers. My favorite brand is Jeff’s Naturals.
They are also sold at Cost Plus World Market. Usually the brand they sell is Mezetta.
My closest location of Walmart will also ship Mezetta olives for free to their store. It may do the same in your area, or they may just have them in stock.
One reader told me that she buys very large jars of Castelvetrano olives at Costco.
Castelvetrano olives are popular on olive bars. I’ve seen them at Whole Foods in the olive bar, and sometimes they also put small plastic containers of them near the olive bar in a refrigerated case.
Whole Foods also sells jarred Castelvetrano olives – their own in-house brand & Divina.
Finally, you can also buy them on Amazon.
Yes, you can make a large batch of olives and give them as gifts in a glass container. Be sure to tell your recipient to refrigerate them and eat them within a few days. If you’d like to increase the amount of olive oil, so that the olives are completely covered in the jar, they will last longer.
Carol Mayhew
I came across your recipe this Christmas morning. To my happy surprise (not too surprised, haha), I have all the ingredients in the cupboard/garden… I made two batches!. Wow! Wow! Wow! incredibly delicious… such a buttery texture. Thank you for a wonderful Christmas gift! In fact I’m bringing a jar of these beauties to a friend’s Xmas party tonight! Solved my gift dilemma. I’ll give you 99% credit!! 😉 Happy holidays to you and yours
Cadry
That’s so nice to hear, Carol! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the olives, and I hope your friend did too. Happy holidays to you as well!
Beverly
Absolutely amazing recipe! I added a few crushed red pepper flakes…unbelievable!! Thank you!!
Cadry
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Beverly! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the olives, and good idea adding red pepper flakes!
Nate
Made these tonight, and they were fantastic! Served them as a side dish, and everyone loved them, even our 3 year old.
Cadry Nelson
I’m so delighted to hear that they were a hit! Thank you for the great feedback!
Janis Ware
These were so simple to make and so delicious! Felt so fancy! I had never even had this type of olive before but thought I’d give these a try. We really enjoyed this recipe!
Cadry
That’s awesome, Janis. It’s nice when dishes can feel fancy with so little effort. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Heather
I made this recipe for a dinner party a couple weeks ago and they were fantastic! I could have eaten only these for dinner. I recently bought the jumbo jar from Costco so I may just do that! Thanks Cadry!
Sarah De la Cruz
These are a family fave!!! I LOVE castelvetrano olives, and this just takes them to the next level! So good, and the simplest appetizer to throw together!!!
Cadry
I am so glad to hear that you & your family love them, Sarah!
Hannah
There’s never been a more beautiful olive out there! I’m also an olive lover and would never turn them down, no matter how plain, but these would be an extraordinary treat. I tend to forget about Castelvetrano olives since they’re rather rare around here, but they’re easily on my top list of favorite varieties.
Cadry
It’s so true that they are the most beautiful olive around. That green color is mesmerizing. 🙂
Sarah
Costco just started carrying Castelvetrano olives and we are plowing through an entire jar each week! We love them, and I think that your preparation will make us love them even more! These look delicious, and your pictures are gorgeous!
Cadry
Thank you, Sarah! That’s so nice to hear. 🙂 I always have a variety of olives in the house, but the Castelvetrano are really something special. I’m not surprised you’re plowing through your jars from Costco.
annie
Woah. I love everything about this post. My husband is a gourmet olive addict — it’s totally adorable. But since they’re gourmet and all, we try to only have them once a month. I’m totally making this next time we splurge.
Cadry
Excellent, Annie! I hope that you and your husband enjoy them!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I am so excited about this recipe, Cadry! I LOVE olives, and Castelvetrano are my favorite!
Cadry
It sounds like this recipe was made for you, Amy! Aren’t Castelvetrano olives just the best?
Bianca Phillips
Oooh, I’ve never heard of warm olives! But I love olives sooooo much. I’m sure I’d love these. I’ll have to try them!
Cadry
Yes, give them a whirl! Especially since you’re an olive fan already, I think you’ll love them.
Becky Striepe
Oh my goodness, I’d love to snack on these. Your snack tray looks super amazing, PS!
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! We do one of these “snacky” dinners at least once or twice a week. Somehow they always feel special and fun, even though they take almost no effort to put together!
Sarah
Made these as a Thanksgiving appetizer. They were a hit!!! And so easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Cadry Nelson
That’s wonderful to hear, Sarah! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.