Artificial Food Coloring Free Pomegranate & Mint Olive Tapenade
This tapenade is a bold, briny spread with a twist — the kind of thing that turns a simple cracker or crostini into the most talked-about bite at the table. Kalamata and green olives bring deep, savory depth, while pomegranate arils fold in little bursts of juicy sweetness that make every mouthful genuinely exciting. The fresh mint and parsley are stirred in by hand at the end, keeping the herbs vibrant and the arils perfectly intact rather than pulverized into the mix. A hit of lemon juice, lemon zest, and cumin ties everything together with brightness and just enough warmth. Store-bought tapenades and flavored spreads are notorious for sneaking in synthetic dyes to boost their color, but every bit of the gorgeous ruby and green hue here comes straight from real ingredients — pomegranate, fresh herbs, and quality olives. After a short rest in the fridge, the flavors meld into something that tastes far more complex than the effort involved. It's equally at home on a cheese board, spread over grilled fish, or scooped up with warm pita.
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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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