MSG Free Pomegranate & Mint Olive Tapenade
Briny, bright, and just a little unexpected, this tapenade takes the classic Mediterranean spread somewhere genuinely exciting. Pomegranate arils folded in by hand add little bursts of sweet-tart juice against the deep, salty punch of Kalamata and green olives — it's a combination that sounds bold but tastes completely natural. Fresh mint and parsley keep everything lively, while lemon juice and zest cut through the richness of the extra virgin olive oil so no single flavor dominates. The food processor does the heavy lifting for the olive base, but the arils and herbs go in by hand at the end, which keeps the texture interesting and the colors vivid. For anyone navigating flavor enhancers hidden in jarred or store-bought spreads, making this from scratch means every ingredient is exactly what it looks like — whole olives, real citrus, fresh herbs, nothing more. A short chill in the fridge lets everything meld into something that tastes like it took far more effort than it did. Serve it with warm pita, crusty bread, or alongside a cheese board and watch it disappear faster than anything else on the table.
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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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