This olive tapenade recipe is a straightforward appetizer stuffed with daring, briny taste! Serve this French unfold with bread or on crostini.

In the case of easy and pleasant appetizers, this one’s on the best of our record. This Olive Tapenade recipe takes simply 5 mins and explodes with natural Mediterranean taste! This conventional French unfold is made with olives and capers, and the salty, briny taste is otherworldly. Unfold a smear on bread or a crunchy crostini, and the savory pop transports you proper to the South of France. This simple appetizer is very best for anytime, although we find it irresistible highest in the summertime for simple dinners and picnics.
Components in olive tapenade
Tapenade is a conventional French unfold made with olives, capers and anchovies that originated within the Provence area of Southern France. It’s a well-liked French meals eaten on bread or crostini, or as a sandwich unfold, with fish, and different ways. The phrase tapenade comes from the French phrase tapenas, because of this capers. Olive spreads very similar to tapenade are widespread in different Mediterranean cuisines as neatly, like Italian and Greek (a Greek variation is known as pasta elias).
Tapenade offers me fond reminiscences finding this tasty unfold on a go back and forth to Southern France, and it’s a meals that’s all the time given me carefree, summer season vibes. Listed below are the components in a vintage French tapenade recipe:
- Olives: conventional are French Niçoise olives; they’re arduous to seek out in the United States so we adore a mixture of Kalamata and ripe black olives
- Capers
- Anchovy paste (non-compulsory)
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Olive oil

Sorts of olives to make use of
Historically a tapenade recipe makes use of French Niçoise olives, however they’re arduous to seek out right here in the United States. Kalamata olives are a detailed exchange, however they have got a more potent taste. So, we adore the use of a mix of olives right here to spherical out the flavour! Right here’s what to search for:
- Use a mixture of pitted ripe black olives and Kalamata olives. Those olives have a milder, rounder taste to stability out salty Kalamata olives. Search for the cans that experience entire olives.
- You’ll use all Kalamata olives should you like, however take into account that it makes an excellent saltier, extra one-note unfold. We advise a mixture if in any respect imaginable.
- Or, use no matter olives are your favourite! Castelvetrano olives are a favourite inexperienced olive of ours, and it makes a pleasing distinction to the darkish pink Kalamata.
Use anchovy paste for standard, or put out of your mind for vegan
Olive tapenade is historically made with anchovies, so we’ve referred to as for anchovy paste right here. Alternatively, you’ll be able to completely go away it out and it’s simply as just right! Listed below are some notes on operating with anchovy paste:
- Anchovies are a conventional Mediterranean component that provides daring, savory taste to recipes. For instance, it’s a vintage component in Caesar dressing.
- You’ll to find anchovy paste for your native grocery in a tube, then retailer it for your fridge for as much as 18 months.
- Put out of your mind anchovy paste for vegan! Should you’d like, you’ll be able to upload somewhat extra salt to atone for the saltiness of the anchovies. However relying on the kind of olives you employ, you would possibly not want it.

The right way to serve tapenade
All you must do to make tapenade? Mix up the components in a meals processor. In simply 5 mins, you’ve got a super unfold that’s totally flexible for appetizers, sandwiches, and extra. (If truth be told, My highest good friend lately threw a celebration for me with Salmon Caesar Salad and crostini with tapenade and it used to be perfection!) Listed below are a couple of techniques to serve olive tapenade:
How do you propose in your use your tapenade? Tell us within the feedback under.
Less difficult appetizer recipes
Throwing a celebration? Or just desire a tasty appetizer or pre-meal snack? This tapenade recipe is very best for simple summer season entertaining or as fast finger meals. Listed below are a couple of extra simple appetizer recipes you’ll love:
This olive tapenade recipe is…
Gluten-free and dairy-free. With out the non-compulsory anchovies, it’s vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based.
Description
This olive tapenade recipe is a straightforward appetizer stuffed with daring, briny taste! Serve this French unfold with bread or on crostini.
- ¾ cup ripe black olives, pitted*
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
- 1 tablespoon capers, tired
- ½ teaspoon anchovy paste (non-compulsory for vegan**)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced into a couple of items
- 1 small handful contemporary parsley (or contemporary basil or thyme)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Position the olives, capers, anchovy paste, garlic, and parsley in a meals processor. Pulse till more or less chopped. Scrape down the bowl. Then flip at the processor and drizzle within the olive oil till a corpulent paste paperwork.
- Devour right away or retailer as much as 2 weeks refrigerated. Carry to room temperature prior to serving.
Notes
*We love the use of a mix of olives for a strong taste. Search for ripe black olives, that have a extra refined, rounder taste to stability the salty Kalamatas. If you’ll be able to’t to find them you’ll be able to use all Kalamata olives, but it surely makes an excellent saltier unfold.
**Should you miss the anchovy paste, you’ll be able to upload salt to style: however tapenade is also salty sufficient as is relying at the olives you employ. Or, upload 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes to the combination.
- Class: Appetizer
- Way: Combined
- Delicacies: French impressed
- Vitamin: Gluten Loose
Key phrases: Tapenade, olive tapenade, olive tapenade recipe, tapenade recipe