Gelatin Free Basil & Olive Tapenade
This vibrant spread is a celebration of bold Mediterranean flavors — briny Kalamata and green olives blended with fragrant fresh basil, bright lemon, and a whisper of thyme and turmeric. The result is a coarse, deeply savory paste that holds its shape beautifully on a spoon and looks stunning drizzled with a little extra olive oil. Many store-bought tapenades and dips sneak in unexpected additives, but this one is built entirely from whole, recognizable ingredients — olives, herbs, garlic, lemon, and good olive oil, nothing more. Patting the olives dry before processing is a small but smart step that keeps the texture perfectly spreadable rather than watery. The food processor does the heavy lifting, so you get a rustic, restaurant-worthy condiment with minimal effort. Pile it onto crusty bread, spoon it over grilled vegetables, or use it as a punchy sandwich spread — it's the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your rotation.
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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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