Gluten Free Basil & Olive Tapenade
This vibrant, herb-forward spread is built entirely from whole, naturally gluten-free ingredients — briny Kalamata and green olives, fragrant fresh basil, bright lemon, and a whisper of turmeric that gives the finished tapenade a subtle warmth you won't quite be able to place. For anyone navigating a gluten-free lifestyle, store-bought spreads and condiments can be a minefield of hidden additives and shared-facility warnings, but this one comes together in a food processor with nothing but clean, recognizable pantry staples. Patting the olives dry before blending is a small but smart move that keeps the texture coarse and spreadable rather than watery and loose. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil at the end pulls everything into a glossy, cohesive paste that holds its shape beautifully on a spoon. Pile it onto gluten-free crackers, swipe it across grilled chicken, or use it as a bold finishing sauce for roasted vegetables — it punches well above its weight in every application. The combination of fresh thyme, lemon zest, and garlic makes this taste like something you'd find at a Mediterranean table, not something you threw together in five minutes.
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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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