Honey Free Garlic-Herb Olive Tapenade

Total time10 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time0 min

4.7

(16)

Rich, briny, and bursting with fresh herb flavor, this olive tapenade is the kind of spread that makes a simple cracker or crusty bread feel like something special. Two varieties of olives — buttery Castelvetrano and bold Kalamata — come together with garlic, lemon zest, and a generous handful of fresh herbs for a deeply savory result that's hard to stop eating. A splash of apple cider vinegar adds just enough brightness to balance the richness of the olives and extra-virgin olive oil. Many store-bought tapenades and condiments sneak in sweeteners like honey to round out the flavor, so making your own from scratch is the easiest way to keep things completely free of added sweeteners without sacrificing any depth. The food processor does most of the work in just a few quick pulses, and the rough, textured finish is exactly what you want — rustic and satisfying, not a smooth paste. Torn fresh basil stirred in at the end takes it over the top if you have it on hand. Spread it on bread, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or serve it as part of a grazing board — it's endlessly versatile.

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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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