BHA & BHT Free Olive Tapenade
Rich, briny, and bursting with Mediterranean flavor, this tapenade comes together in minutes with nothing but whole, recognizable ingredients. That matters more than you might think — many jarred spreads and condiments on store shelves rely on synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend their shelf life, making them a frustrating find for anyone trying to avoid those additives. Here, every ingredient is fresh and clean: Kalamata and green olives, capers, garlic, bright lemon zest, and fragrant herbs all get pulsed together with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until you hit that perfect coarse, spreadable texture. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and a few careful pulses keep it rustic rather than turning it into a smooth paste — that chunky character is exactly what makes it so satisfying on crusty bread, crackers, or alongside grilled vegetables. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a hit of thyme and flat-leaf parsley lift the whole thing, giving it a liveliness that no jarred version can really match. Make a batch, tuck it into an airtight container, and you've got a bold, preservative-free condiment ready to go whenever you need it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the Kalamata olives, green olives, capers, garlic, parsley, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor.
- 2
Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and no large olive pieces remain, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
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