Cashew Free Garlic-Herb Olive Tapenade
Two varieties of olives — buttery Castelvetrano and bold, briny Kalamata — come together in this rustic spread that tastes like it belongs on a sun-drenched Mediterranean table. Fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, parsley, and a little torn basil give it a garden-bright lift, while lemon zest and a splash of apple cider vinegar keep everything lively and balanced. The whole thing comes together in a food processor with just a few quick pulses, so you get that satisfying rough, spreadable texture without turning it into a paste. Store-bought tapenades can be a minefield of unexpected add-ins, but this one is built entirely from whole, recognizable ingredients — no nuts, no fillers, just olives, garlic, good olive oil, and herbs. Spoon it over grilled bread, swirl it into pasta, or pile it onto a cheese board and watch it disappear. It stores beautifully in an airtight jar, so making a batch ahead of time is absolutely worth it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 cup pitted castelvetrano olives
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the Castelvetrano olives, Kalamata olives, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times, until the mixture is coarsely chopped and no whole olives remain.
- 2
Add the olive oil and apple cider vinegar, then pulse 4–6 more times until the tapenade reaches a rough, spreadable consistency — it should still have visible texture, not be a smooth paste.
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