Carrageenan Free Basil & Olive Tapenade
Briny, herby, and bright with lemon, this tapenade is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste more interesting. Kalamata and green olives are blended with a generous handful of fresh basil, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of turmeric for a spread that's bold without being one-note. Many store-bought tapenades and flavored spreads sneak in additives and thickeners — including carrageenan — to extend shelf life or improve texture, so making your own is genuinely the smarter move. Here, the olive oil does all the work of bringing the mixture together into a luscious, coarse paste with zero fillers needed. A quick pulse in the food processor keeps the texture rustic and satisfying rather than turning it into a smooth purée. Spoon it over crusty bread, stir it into pasta, or use it as a savory topping for grilled proteins — it's endlessly versatile and comes together with almost no effort.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Drain the Kalamata and green olives and pat them dry with a paper towel — excess brine will make the tapenade watery.
- 2
Combine the olives, basil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, and turmeric in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is roughly chopped and no large olive pieces remain.
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