Black Olive Tapenade is a savoury paste made from olives, capers and anchovies that's delicious served on toasts or a dip. This easy olive spread makes a great appetizer. See the video below!
Hi guys, I hope you all enjoyed this long Labour Day weekend! Football season is right around the corner now so I wanted to share with you a delicious recipe for Black Olive Tapenade. This French olive spread is the perfect appetizer you need for any party.
Olive Tapenade comes together in a minute, allowing you to enjoy your guests without spending hours in the kitchen. You can even prepare the tapenade ahead, it will last at least one week in your fridge (maybe more but well...I couldn't tell because it never lasts long in my house). If you’re not partying, this Black Olive Tapenade is a perfect snack.
One word about the ingredients for this easy black olive paste. This is the traditional Provencal Black Olive Tapenade recipe (found here), calling for only black olives, garlic, anchovies, capers and olive oil.
I know what you’re thinking: You hate anchovies. Well, me too. If there are anchovies in a dish, I simply won’t touch it. But with this Black Olive Tapenade, it is a different story. Believe me, if I say that you cannot taste the anchovies in this AT ALL. They just give this French Olive Spread a really good savory flavor and some more depth.
Actually, the same thing can be said for the capers (but I do like capers). So come on, give this Black Olive Tapenade a try!
And you know what other appetizer would be perfect with this Black Olive Tapenade? My Tomato and Pesto Covered Mozzarella Skewers!
Can you hear the cicadas from southern France singing? Summer isn't just over yet, but even once it is, you can always bring back summer memories with a slice of crusty French Baguette smeared with this gorgeous Black Olive Tapenade.
If you tried this Black Olive Tapenade, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Easy Black Olive Tapenade (with a Green Olive version too!)
Black Olive Tapenade is a savoury paste made from olives, capers and anchovies that's delicious served on toasts or a dip. This easy olive spread makes a great appetizer.
Ingredients
- 7 oz / 200 grams pitted black olives
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 3 anchovies small fillets
- 8 small capers
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
Instructions
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Combine olives, garlic, anchovies, capers and 1 tablespoon olive oil in the food processor. Do not add any salt!
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Process about 15 seconds, scrape down the edges with a spatula and add the other 1 tablespoon olive oil.
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Process again until almost smooth but still a little bit chunky(about 30 seconds). You should not be able to see any garlic chunks left but it shouldn't be a super smooth paste either
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Serve tapenade immediately on toasted bread or store it in the fridge, in an airtight glass container.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
If you prefer green olives, keep the same ingredients and proportion, just replace black olives with green olives and add 2 large basil leaves. It won't be as smooth as black olive tapenade, but just as good!
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This looks so yum! I have no problem at all with anchovies, capers or olives..so this is definitely a perfect open sandwich for me.
Marie
So I'm pretty sure you're going to love this tapenade! If you like anchovies, you might want to use 5 anchovies instead of 3. That's what the original recipe calls for.
Alexandra L.
Hi Marie! This looks amazing.
Just curious - what type of food processor do you use?
Thank you!
Alex
marie
Thanks Alex! I'm now using a KitchenAid food processor (and I love it!) but when I posted this recipe I was still using my mom's good old food processor. She's had it for almost 10 years or so, and I don't remember the brand at all!
Peggy
Can you freeze the green olive spread?
marie
I've never tried but I don't see why not! I would make sure it defrost slowly though (in the fridge, not in the microwave)
Patty Stone
How long can the olive mix last in the fridge? I know I have had olives in there a year that remained fresh. Do you think this spread would stay fresh for a month? I am on a mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh bread kick. I spread the olive mix on my homemade bread and want to make up a big batch so I can just make the bread when we run out.
marie
Hi Patty, it will definitely stay fresh for at least a month yes! It would be delicious with fresh bread, mozzarella and tomatoes!
Patty Stone
Also can I use fresh ripe olives instead of the canned or jarred? And do you use black as in ripe olives or black as in Kalamata? I have noticed that some people call one black and some call the other black. Thanks.
marie
I've tried with both and they both worked really well. You choose 🙂
Patty Stone
Thanks so much!! I just ate the last bit of my store bought spread. I know what I am making tomorrow ;).
Gail
This recipe sounds easy, but I live by myself and do not normally buy anchovies or capers. Is there anything I can use instead of these two ingredients? Gail
Marie
Hi Gail! You can always leave these out, but the tapenade might be disappointing. There's no easy substitute for capers and anchovies unfortunately.
mavis
i cant stand anchovies or capers but in tapanade you hardly taste them and its grand
Kiki Johnson
Nothing better than homemade tapenade! I love how quick and easy this recipe is!
Elizabeth Walker
Many years ago I went to a restaurant somewhere outside of Chicago. They had a hamburger with black olive tapenade! It was yummy! I may try making this and putting it on a burger!
Marie
That's an interesting use of tapenade!
Mardy Shaber
I doubled the recipe using both black & green olive recipes combined. YUM!
Marie
I never tried to use a combo of both, sounds delicious!
Kari McGrath
So easy! I've been panicking because I have been having such a hard time finding premade olive tapenade lately, so I started looking for a recipe and found yours. I bought a can of regular black olives at the Dollar Store and some capers and a jar of green olives stuffed with garlic. I put in the whole can of black olives (after I rinsed them) and only two of the garlic-stuffed green olives and the 8 capers and only used one tablespoon of olive oil, and it is DELICIOUS! Thank you sooOOO much for such an easy recipe. I will never spend a fortune on store-bought olive tapenade again!
Marie
So glad it turned out great for you Kari - now you're sure to never fear a tapenade shortage again!
LINDA G MELTON
Can this be pressure canned to give as gifts? I have the cutest small canning jars and looking for a unique gift giving idea.
Marie
I'm not familiar with canning at all so I can't help you, I'm sorry!
Lila S Vandermay
I am going to attempt this now.. I've only had the black olive tapenade from Publix... they no longer make it.. this recipe sounds great ..
I hope it turns out the same...
Marie
I hope you loved it Lila!
Jean-Luc Roger Gross
Canned black olives sold in the USA should be outlawed. They have a strange flavor nothing like olives. Use Kalamata or Nicoise olives as we do here in France.
Marie
Bonjour Jean-Luc ! I've tried canned olives in the US and really, it depends on the brand you buy. Some are good, some aren't. Just like in France. Mais il est vrai que des olives de Provence seraient parfaites pour cette recette 🙂
CCJudy
I really enjoy this tapenade. I love it on sliced egg sandwiches. Mostly I serve it along with bruschetta as appetizers. Thanks!
Marie
Very happy to hear Judy, thanks!