Hazelnut Free Vegan Crispy Olive Tapenade with Smoked Paprika
Briny, smoky, and deeply savory, this olive tapenade is the kind of appetizer that disappears fast at any gathering. Kalamata and green olives are blended with capers, garlic, fresh lemon, and a generous hit of smoked paprika into a rough, spreadable paste that's bold without being one-note. The real showstopper is the crispy topping — oven-roasted olive rounds that shrivel and firm up in the heat, adding a satisfying crunch to every scoop. Many store-bought tapenades and spreads sneak in nut-based oils or are processed on shared equipment, so making this from scratch puts you fully in control of what goes into the bowl. Every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to verify, which makes it a genuinely stress-free option for anyone navigating tree nut concerns. Serve it with crackers or sliced baguette and a final drizzle of good olive oil, and it looks far more impressive than the effort it actually takes.
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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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