Artificial Flavors Free Pomegranate & Mint Olive Tapenade
This tapenade is a bold, briny spread with a twist — the kind of thing that makes a simple cracker or crostini feel like something you'd order at a restaurant. Kalamata and green olives bring deep, savory depth, while capers and fresh lemon juice cut through with just the right amount of brightness. What makes this version genuinely special is the fold-in finish: pomegranate arils, fresh mint, and parsley are stirred in by hand after the food processor work is done, keeping the jewel-like seeds intact and the herbs vivid and fragrant. Every ingredient here is exactly what it says it is — whole olives, real citrus, fresh herbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil — so you never have to second-guess what's actually in the bowl. Store-bought tapenades and flavored spreads often sneak in additives and flavor enhancers that have no business being there, but this one is built entirely from scratch with clean, recognizable pantry staples. A short chill in the fridge lets everything meld into something that tastes far more complex than the effort involved. Serve it alongside cheese, smear it on grilled bread, or spoon it over roasted chicken — it's endlessly versatile and completely made from real food.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 ½ cups pitted kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the Kalamata olives, green olives, capers, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, and cumin in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and no whole olives remain, but the texture is still chunky — not a smooth paste.
- 2
Add the extra virgin olive oil and pulse 3–4 more times until the oil is incorporated and the tapenade holds together loosely.
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