This chunky olive tapenade is something that I always have on hand. It’s full of strong salty & briny flavors which makes it great in so many applications. You can use it as a simple dip with crackers, spread it onto sandwiches for added moisture, or even use it as a quick way to kick up pasta or pizza. And the best part is that it requires only a few shelf-stable ingredients, and about 5 minutes to make.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- I have found that a mixture of Castelvetrano and Kalamata olives works best for this olive tapenade. That being said practically any type of high-quality olive will work well in this recipe. So the next time you are at your local grocery store’s olive bar, pick out a few different varieties and experiment. You really can’t go wrong!
- Be aware that extra virgin olive oil will often solidify when it is cooled down in the fridge. If this happens to you don’t worry as the oil is still perfectly fine to eat. Just make sure to set your tapenade on your kitchen counter for 30 minutes. This will give the oil to return to room temperature and become liquid again.
- Traditional olive tapenade often uses whole anchovies or anchovy paste. However, in my opinion, the olives and capers tend to have enough salt and umami flavor that the addition of anchovies is unnecessary. Plus omitting the anchovies makes this dip entirely vegan-friendly.
- Check out this easy way to pit olives if you can’t find any that are pre-pitted.
- I love adding this tapenade to the dough of either our focaccia bread or no-knead bread for easily added flavor.
Olive Tapenade (Chunky) Recipe
Total time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cup of tapenade
Ingredients
½ Cup of pitted Castelvetrano olives
½ Cup of pitted Kalamata olives
¼ Cup of jarred roasted red peppers, roughly 1 to 2 pieces
1 Tablespoon of capers, drained
1 Clove of garlic
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
¼ Teaspoon of dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Chop the olives, roasted red pepper, capers, and garlic clove until they are as chunky or fine as you like.
If you prefer your tapenade to be super fine then you can pulse these ingredients in a food processor.
- Add these ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and add in the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Use a spoon to stir all of these ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated.
- Chill the tapenade in your fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving it with crackers or crusty bread.
Olive Tapenade (Chunky) Recipe
Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- ½ Cup of pitted Castelvetrano olives
- ½ Cup of pitted Kalamata olives
- ¼ Cup of jarred roasted red peppers roughly 1 to 2 pieces
- 1 Tablespoon of capers drained
- 1 Clove of garlic
- 4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ Teaspoon of dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Chop the olives, roasted red pepper, capers, and garlic clove until they are as chunky or fine as you prefer. If you prefer your tapenade to be super fine then you can pulse these ingredients in a food processor.
- Add these ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and add in the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Use a spoon to stir all of these ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated.
- Chill the tapenade in your fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving it with crackers or crusty bread.
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