Dairy Free Herb-Marinated Olives

Total time50 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

4.8

(12)

These warm, herb-infused olives are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the table before anyone even sits down. A mix of buttery Castelvetrano, briny Kalamata, and meaty Cerignola olives gets bathed in fragrant olive oil alongside sliced garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and a bright hit of lemon zest — the result is deeply savory, a little spicy from the red pepper flakes, and completely irresistible. The technique is simple but smart: gently warming the aromatics in oil first coaxes out every bit of flavor before the olives ever hit the pan. Since the entire recipe is built on olive oil, fresh herbs, and whole olives, there's nothing to swap or substitute — it's naturally free of dairy without any compromise to richness or depth. Letting everything rest off the heat for at least 30 minutes is the secret step that takes these from good to genuinely great. Make a jar ahead of time and you've got an effortless, crowd-pleasing snack ready to go whenever guests arrive.

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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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