This vegan Green Olive Tapenade is bright, savory, and ready in minutes. Anchored by briny green olives and capers with a hit of garlic, it delivers a salty, zesty boost to breads, crostini, salads, pastas, soups, and entrees. This simple French-inspired spread takes about five minutes to make and is easily customized to suit your taste.
What is a Tapenade?
Traditional tapenade is a Provençal spread made from olives, capers, and anchovies, either finely chopped, blended into a coarse purée, or pounded to a paste. The name comes from the Provencal word for capers, tapenas. This vegan version skips the anchovies and uses plant-based ingredients to recreate the same bold, tangy profile.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Green Olive Tapenade Recipe
This green olive tapenade is intensely flavorful and versatile. It works as a dip for vegetables and chips, a spread for toasted bread and crackers, a flavorful addition to salad dressings, or a quick sauce for roasted vegetables and proteins. It also makes a polished addition to any party platter or grazing board.
Because the recipe is quick and customizable, you can adapt it to what you have on hand: add nuts for creaminess, swap or add herbs for freshness, or dial the heat up or down with red pepper flakes. It’s a small recipe that makes a big impact.
Ingredients for Green Olive Tapenade
Only a handful of ingredients are required. Combine them in a food processor or blender and pulse to your preferred texture.
California green olives are a great choice for this tapenade: they’re firm, flavorful, and give the spread a bright green color that stands out on a platter.
How to make Green Olive Tapenade
Tapenade is an easy way to add classic Provençal flavor to many dishes in just minutes.
Step 1: In a food processor or blender, combine drained olives, drained capers, garlic, and any optional ingredients (olive oil, parsley, red pepper flakes, lemon juice). Pulse 8–10 times, or until the mixture reaches a chunky tapenade texture. Scrape down the bowl as needed and pulse again for a finer consistency.
Toni’s Recipe Tips for Making Green Olive Tapenade
- Drain Ingredients: Thoroughly drain olives and capers and pat parsley dry after rinsing to avoid a watery tapenade.
- Adjust Texture: Pulse more for a smoother purée or fewer times for a chunkier relish. Add a splash of olive oil if the mixture feels too dry.
- Reduce Salt: To lower saltiness, soak drained olives and capers in cold water for a few hours and then drain before processing.
- Add Nuts: Stir in or blend a handful of pine nuts or other toasted nuts for extra richness and texture.
- Vary Herbs: Swap or combine parsley with basil, mint, or cilantro to change the flavor profile.
FAQs:
You can use fresh olives, but canned or jarred olives are convenient and save time since they’re already pitted. If using fresh olives, you’ll need to pit them first.
No. While tapenade is classic on bread and crostini, it also works as a dip, stirred into sauces or dressings, tossed with pasta, spooned over grilled vegetables or proteins, or used as a sandwich spread.
Yes. A blender is a fine substitute; pulse in short bursts to avoid over-processing. A mortar and pestle also works if you prefer a more textured result.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: Spread on no-knead bread, focaccia, garlic bread, crostini, or toasted baguette slices.
- Crackers & Chips: Pair with your favorite crackers or tortilla chips for an easy appetizer.
- Charcuterie & Grazing Boards: Add tapenade to a vegan charcuterie board for a salty, savory element.
- Pasta & Pizza: Toss with pasta or dollop on top of pizza just before serving for a concentrated burst of flavor.
- Dips: Stir into hummus or other dips to deepen the savory notes.
- Sandwiches & Wraps: Use as a spread in sandwiches or wraps to elevate ordinary fillings.
- Proteins: Spoon over grilled or roasted tofu, tempeh, or seared vegetables as a finishing sauce.
- Vegetables: Serve alongside roasted or steamed vegetables like asparagus, potatoes, or green beans.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Store leftover tapenade in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for 5–7 days.
Freezer: Tapenade freezes well for up to 3 months. For longer storage, sterilize jars first to reduce the risk of spoilage — by oven, stovetop, or dishwasher methods — then fill and freeze.
- Oven: Place jars and lids in a preheated oven for 20 minutes to sterilize.
- Stovetop: Boil jars and lids in a deep pot for 10 minutes.
- Dishwasher: Run jars and lids through the hottest dishwasher cycle and dry thoroughly.
Other Vegan Spread Recipes To Consider:
Vegan Appetizers
Spicy Lentil Kalamata Spread
Vegan Appetizers
Easy Avocado Spread
Vegan Appetizers
Vegan Curry White Bean Dip
Vegan Appetizers
Pistachio Hummus
If you tried this Green Olive Tapenade recipe, please leave a star rating and share how it went in the comments. Thanks!
Green Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
- 1 can whole or sliced California green olives 15-ounce, drained
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley optional
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice optional
Instructions
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Place the drained olives, capers, garlic, and any optional ingredients into a food processor or blender. Pulse 8–10 times until a chunky tapenade forms. Adjust texture and seasoning to taste.
Notes
- Drain Ingredients: Drain olives and capers well and dry parsley after rinsing to prevent a watery tapenade.
- Adjust Consistency: Pulse longer for a smoother spread and add olive oil if needed.
- Reduce Saltiness: Soak drained olives and capers in cold water for a few hours to lessen salt.
- Add More Nuts: Mix in toasted pine nuts for extra richness.
- Add More Herbs: Try basil, mint, or cilantro for a different herbal note.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 4g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 18g
Sodium: 1575mg