Macadamia 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 from the table before you've even finished setting it out. Kalamata and green olives are blitzed with capers, garlic, fresh lemon, and smoked paprika into a rough, spreadable paste that hits every note — salty, tangy, earthy, and just a little smoky. The real move here is the crispy topping: sliced Kalamata olives roasted at high heat until their edges shrivel and firm up, adding a satisfying crunch that makes every bite more interesting. Everything comes together with good extra-virgin olive oil and a finish of fresh parsley, keeping the ingredient list clean and entirely plant-based. There are no nuts hiding in this recipe — no fillers, no nut-based thickeners, just olives doing all the heavy lifting. Spread it thick on crackers or a sliced baguette and let the tapenade speak for itself. It's the kind of thing you'll want to keep in your fridge all week.
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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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