Honey Free Olive Tapenade
Bold, briny, and bursting with Mediterranean flavor, this olive tapenade is the kind of condiment that instantly elevates everything it touches. Two types of olives — deep, fruity Kalamatas and sharper green olives — combine with capers, fresh herbs, and a bright hit of lemon zest for a spread that tastes like it came from a specialty deli. Many store-bought tapenades sneak in sweeteners to balance the saltiness, so making your own from scratch means you stay in complete control of every ingredient. The food processor does the heavy lifting here, and a careful pulse technique keeps the texture pleasantly coarse rather than turning it into a smooth paste. Fresh flat-leaf parsley and thyme bring a garden-fresh lift, while the finishing drizzle of extra virgin olive oil pulls everything together into a rich, spreadable consistency. A pinch of red pepper flakes is entirely optional, but it adds a gentle warmth that plays beautifully against the salty, tangy base. Serve it on crusty bread, alongside roasted vegetables, or stirred into pasta for an effortless dish that feels genuinely impressive.
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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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