Cashew Free Vegan Crispy Olive Tapenade with Smoked Paprika
Bold, briny, and layered with smoky depth, this olive tapenade is the kind of appetizer that disappears fast at any gathering. Kalamata and green olives are blitzed with capers, garlic, fresh lemon, and a generous hit of smoked paprika into a rough, spreadable paste that's intensely savory and completely plant-based. What really sets it apart is the crispy topping — sliced Kalamata olives roasted at high heat until their edges shrivel and firm up, adding a satisfying crunch that contrasts beautifully with the silky spread beneath. The whole thing comes together with pantry staples and a food processor, no specialty ingredients required. Many store-bought tapenades and vegan dips sneak in nut-based thickeners or are processed on shared equipment, so making this at home means you know exactly what's in the bowl. A drizzle of good olive oil and a scatter of fresh parsley finish it off before you set it out with crackers or sliced baguette. It's effortlessly impressive and genuinely hard to stop eating.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the tapenade
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, drained and patted dry
- ½ cup pitted green olives, drained and patted dry
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the crispy topping
- ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced into rounds
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- crackers or sliced baguette, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Toss the sliced Kalamata olives for the crispy topping with 1 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, then spread them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 18–22 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the edges are shriveled and the slices feel dry and slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan — they will crisp further as they cool.
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