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Olive Tapenade is a salty, flavorful spread that is fabulous served on grilled crostini. An easy appetizer that is perfect year-round and is even make-ahead friendly. It’s a great vegan and vegetarian option for any party.
The salty/briny flavor of this olive tapenade recipe is completely craveable and a perfect complement to richer, heavier appetizers like Jalapeno Poppers and Baked Queso Blanco.
Pin this recipe for later!Why We Love Olive Tapenade
- 15 Minutes to Make – Olive tapenade is so quick to make!
- Pantry Ingredients – Tapenade is made with all pantry ingredients that you can stock up on in advance.
- Grilled Appetizer – If you’re already firing up the grill, then you can grill up the crostini to pair with the tapenade.
- Make Ahead Friendly – The tapenade can be mixed up days in advance to save time the day of.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Olive Tapenade Ingredients
Olives are a pantry staple and something I always have on hand. Keep these ingredients handy so you can make yourself some tapenade whenever the craving hits!
- Olives – Both Manzanilla (Spanish green olives with a firm texture and a briny, bitter taste) and Kalamata olives (Greek olives with a deep purple color and a milder flavor).
- Capers – For an added briny flavor.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh is best!
- Olive Oil
- Spices – Garlic salt and dried parsley. You can also use fresh garlic cloves or fresh herbs if you prefer.
- French Baguette – Sliced, for serving. It can be toasted, grilled, or served plain.
How To Make Olive Tapenade
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
It only takes 15 minutes to mix up this flavorful appetizer.
- Blend Tapenade – Add the tapenade ingredients to a small food processor and pulse to combine. You want the ingredients to be ground up and well combined but not overly smooth. Scoop the mixture into a serving bowl.
- Grill Bread – Heat up a grill pan or grill and brush the bread slices with olive oil on one side. Place the bread on the grill pan with the oil side up. Grill for 1-2 minutes until the bottom has grill marks then flip and grill for another 30 seconds to 1 minute to lightly brown the other side.
- Serve – Top the grilled bread slices with the tapenade and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does tapenade need to be refrigerated?
Yes, if you have leftovers, they should be refrigerated for optimal freshness.
Where was tapenade invented?
Tapenade originates from France and its name comes from the Provencal word for capers. It is a very popular food in the South of France where it is typically served on bread or even with poultry as a main course.
Can you make it ahead of time?
While you can prepare the olive mixture in advance, I prefer to grill the crostini just before serving.
How To Serve
As an appetizer or small bite hors d’oeuvres: Serve with grilled crostini. After topping the crostini, you can also give them an extra drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of fresh parsley.
As a condiment: Try adding to a charcuterie board or use as a sandwich spread. You can even whisk in a spoonful of tapenade into a vinaigrette for a salad. Or try mixing with a splash of heavy cream to make an easy pasta sauce, or serve on top of roast chicken.
Serve on: Crostini (toasted baguette slices), pita bread or pita chips, or regular crackers.
Variations
- Olives – I love combining both manzanilla and kalamata olives for the best flavor, but you can also replace either of these olives with black pitted olives. The quantity will remain the same.
- Anchovies – A tablespoon or two of anchovies adds a salty bite to the tapenade.
- Cheesy – Spread some creamy goat cheese or Boursin cheese spread on the crostini before topping with the olive mixture.
- Garlicky – Add a couple of fresh garlic cloves to the olive mixture.
- Pepper – You will not likely need to add salt, but a pinch of fresh cracked black pepper can compliment the flavors nicely.
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The crostini is best eaten the same day that they are grilled.
Recipe Tips
- Brush Only One Side of the Bread Slices – Brushing the bread with oil helps give it a nice flavor, but I found that brushing both sides prevented the bread from developing the beautiful grill marks. If you brush both sides the whole face of bread will brown, and you won’t be able to see the grill marks.
- Toasted Crostini – To toast instead of grill the bread, brush or drizzle one side of the bread slices with olive oil and bake at 375℉ for 7-9 minutes. Check the texture after 6-7 minutes and toast longer if needed.
- Use Pitted Olives – Make sure that you use pitted olives for the tapenade. If any pits sneak in they may get chopped up into smaller pieces that are too hard to bite. To save time, you can buy pre-pitted olives at the store.
- No Food Processor? – If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a sharp knife to very finely chop up the olives and capers before stirring together.
More Appetizers To Try
Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
- 1 cup Manzanilla olives drained
- 1 cup Kalamata olives drained
- ¼ cup Capers
- 1 ½ tablespoons Lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1 French baguette sliced
Instructions
Olive Tapenade Mixture
- Combine the olives, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices in a small food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are grounded and well combined. *You don’t want the olives to be smooth, but in in small bits.
- Scrape the tapenade mixture from the food processor and place in a serving bowl.
Grilled Crostini
- Brush one side of the sliced baguette and place the bread on a grill pan oil side up.
- Grill the bread for 1-2 minutes, or until the bottoms have grill marks. Flip the bread and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minutes to allow the side with oil to brown slightly.
- To serve, top the crostini with tapenade and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
