Cinnamon Free Herb-Marinated Olives

Total time50 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

4.8

(12)

Briny, fragrant, and deeply savory, these marinated olives are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the table before anything else does. A trio of fresh herbs — rosemary, thyme, and oregano — gets gently warmed in good olive oil alongside sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and a hit of lemon zest, creating an infused oil that coats every olive in layers of flavor. The low-and-slow warming step is key: it coaxes the garlic to that perfect golden edge without burning, and gives the herbs time to release their oils into the base. Letting everything rest off the heat for at least 30 minutes is where the real magic happens, as the olives soak up all that aromatic richness. Many store-bought marinated olives sneak in warming spices that can be hard to spot on a label, so making your own puts you fully in control of every ingredient. Serve them at room temperature straight from the jar, or give them a quick rewarm in a small saucepan for a cozy, crowd-pleasing spread alongside crusty bread and cheese.

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Ingredients

6 servings

2 cups mixed olives (such as castelvetrano, kalamata, and cerignola), drained
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp lemon zest (from about ½ lemon)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

1
Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden at the edges, about 4–5 minutes. Watch closely — the garlic can brown quickly at this stage.
2
Add the drained olives and lemon zest to the saucepan. Stir to coat and continue warming over medium-low heat until the olives are heated through and the oil is bubbling gently around them, about 3–4 minutes.

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