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Olive Tapenade Recipe

December 28, 2020 by Helene Dsouza 2 Comments

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Helene Dsouza
Prepare this tapenade with green or black olives from scratch.
Total Time: 15 minutes
0 from 0 votes
Jump to Recipe
grind olives to make tapenade
tapenade condiment to serve over bread
serve up tapenade at a party

Easy homemade olive tapenade to serve as a party appetizer over bruschetta or with crackers.

This recipe is without anchovies, making it vegan-friendly.

olive tapenade over baguette slices

What is a tapenade?

Tapenade is a spread prepared with black or green olives.

It’s a condiment from the Provence in South France, where olives and Mediterranean food are a tradition.

Traditionally, olives are ground in a stone mortar and pestle with other ingredients.

Ingredients

  • olives – I used green, but black ones are fine too. Try to get Kalamata olives if you can!
  • garlic – fresh
  • lemon juice – freshly squeezed
  • olive oil – extra virgin if possible
  • salt and black pepper
  • herbes de provence – if you don’t have that, you can still make it with thyme but it will taste slightly different.
olive tapenade prepared in mortar and pestle

A french tapenade consists usually also of anchovies and capers.

I skip the anchovies and capers because I like it without and you can cater to more guests that way because it’s a vegan condiment.

But you can add to this recipe 1-2 tbsp ground anchovies or 1 tbsp capers if you like.

You could also add sun-dried tomatoes and a few drops of balsamic vinegar to your tapenade to enhance it further.

I think adding fresh cilantro can be also a great choice, if you are into cilantro.

I tried adding some curry powder once to make a curried tapenade. It was mind-blowing!

How to make a tapenade from scratch?

Choose if you want to grind your olives in a stone mortar and pestle or in a food processor.

Here is an overview of how it’s done in a mortar and pestle. The complete recipe with a food processor option is located further below. The video is the pop-up.

Step 1

Pit olives.

pit olives

Step 2

Crush and grind olives and garlic in your mortar and pestle, coarse or smooth.

grind olives

Step 3

Place ground olives and garlic into a mixing bowl and combine with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and herbes de provence.

combine olives and seasoning

Serving

Cut some freshly baked soft baguette bread into slices and spread the olive tapenade over it. You can see that in my pictures.

You can also serve up tapenade spread over bruschetta or crostini bread. Just like Spanish tapas!

A great addition to that can be goat cheese or cream cheese with the olive tapenade on a pretty looking bread.

Serve these canape amuse bouche bites to entertain your party guests.

New Years’, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Easter are great occasions for small bite-sized appetizers.

For the rest of the year, you can choose to make tapenade nonetheless and stuff your sandwich with it.

Or serve it up as a dip with crackers or chips for a healthier tv snack.

tapenade spread with bread

Storing

You can easily store your olive tapenade in an airtight container in your fridge. It’s good for at least 2 weeks!

In fact, I think it turns out better when left to marinate in the fridge.

You can also help yourself to prep ahead by freezing your tapenade.

In that case, prepare smaller batches and freeze.

Leave to thaw in the fridge over night.

Dear Reader, did you try the Recipe?

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comment section further below!

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grind olives to make tapenade

Olive Tapenade Recipe

Prepare this tapenade with green or black olives from scratch.
0 from 0 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Keyword: how to make olive tapenade, olive tapenade
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices with tapenade
Calories: 42kcal
Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces Olives green or black unpitted
  • 1 clove Garlic fresh
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice fresh
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil extra virgin
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon Herbes de Provence or Thyme as substitute
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Pit your olives. Some olive varieties are easier to pit than others. Help yourself with a knife. Keep pitted olives together, discard pit.
  • Decide if you want to use a mortar and pestle or a food processor. *see Notes

Mortar and Pestle

  • Place olives into mortar and pestle with garlic and grind to desired consistency. It's easier to use a stone grinder, a ceramic grinder will result in a coarse tapenade (see pics).
  • Place ground olives and garlic into a mixing bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and herbes de provence.
  • Mix to a well-combined condiment.
  • Serve up or store for later.

Food Processor

  • Place all the ingredients together into a food processor. Olives, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and herbes de provence.
  • Mix to desired consistency to a well-combined condiment.
  • Serve up or store for later.

Notes

You can choose if you prefer to use a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Use a food processor if you are in a hurry or if you feel lazy. The mortar and pestle is good if you have time to cook with your senses. It truly smells wonderful! I use both all the time.
You can also add 1-2 Tbsp anchovies and 1 Tbsp capers to make a more authentic olive tapenade.
Serve with baguette bread, crostini, bruschetta, crackers, or as a dip with chips.

Equipment

  • mortar and pestle or food processor

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Olive Tapenade Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 42 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Sodium 428mg18%
Potassium 9mg0%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 84IU2%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Comments

  1. mjskitchen says

    December 29, 2020 at 2:29 am

    My husband and I are tapenade fanatics. I’ve never used herbs de provence in it. Sounds great! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

    Reply
    • Helene Dsouza says

      December 29, 2020 at 2:49 pm

      I think you guys will love it with herbes de provence. Happy holidays!

      Reply

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