Wheat 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, lemon, and a generous hit of smoked paprika into a rough, spreadable paste that's bold without being overwhelming. The real showstopper is the crispy olive topping — roasted rounds that shrivel and firm up in the oven, adding a satisfying crunch to every bite. Since the whole recipe is built around olives, capers, and olive oil, there's no wheat hiding anywhere in the base ingredients, making it a genuinely stress-free choice for anyone avoiding gluten or wheat. Pairing it with your favorite wheat-free crackers keeps the whole spread safe from start to finish. It comes together with minimal effort — just a food processor, a baking sheet, and a little patience while those olive rounds crisp up. Serve it at room temperature with a drizzle of good olive oil and a scatter of fresh parsley, and watch it become the first thing gone from the table.
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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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