High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Garlic-Herb Olive Tapenade
Briny, herby, and deeply savory, this olive tapenade is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste more interesting. Two varieties of olives — buttery Castelvetrano and bold Kalamata — get pulsed together with fresh garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and a bright hit of lemon zest for a spread that's layered with real flavor. A splash of apple cider vinegar and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil bring it all together into a rough, textured paste that's nothing like the overly smooth, additive-laden versions you'd find jarred at the grocery store. Store-bought tapenades and olive spreads are notorious for sneaking in sweeteners and syrups to balance acidity, so making your own from scratch is genuinely the smarter move. Every single ingredient here is whole and recognizable, which means you get all the bold Mediterranean character with zero unwanted extras. Spread it on crusty bread, swirl it into pasta, or serve it alongside roasted vegetables — it's endlessly versatile and comes together in just a few pulses of the food processor.
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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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