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Quick Kalamata Tapenade

A bowl full of tapenade made from kalamata olives, garnished with fresh parsley leaves, crackers in the background

This tapenade recipe is quick to make and so salty and delicious. It’s made with kalamatas, lots of garlic, capers, parsley, and lemon.

Tapenade is a salty, briny, robustly flavored dip or spread from the Provence region of France. This tapenade recipe uses my favorite kind of olives, kalamatas, pureed together with garlic, capers, parsley, and lemon. Scroll down to learn more about making this condiment, or click here to jump down to the recipe.

What Is Tapenade?

Tapenade is like the salty, briny French cousin of pesto. It’s made from a purée of olives, with some other delicious ingredients, often capers and anchovies, garlic, herbs, and lemon. It originates from the Provencal region of France, which is in the south of the country. That’s why it has such bright, big flavors.

It’s used as a spread and as a dip, and as an ingredient in other recipes. It’s easiest to think of it as a condiment in that way. Or think of it the way you think of pesto. You can toss it with hot pasta and a bit of pasta cooking water for a wonderful side dish, stir it into soups, spoon it onto tomatoes, or dip a piece of bread in there.

Tapenade keeps in the fridge for awhile, which makes it a great thing to whip up and then have on hand for when you need a burst of flavor in a dish, or a quick little snack. Since it’s a puree of ingredients, it tends to come together really quickly. This recipe is ready in 5 minutes.

What Kind Of Olives To Use In Tapenade

I love olives so much. I even buy plain olives and then marinate them in extra flavors to make them extra-special. Learn how to marinate olives here. For this recipe though, just plain olives will work great. You can use any kind of olives, really, but my favorite are kalamatas so I go with those.

Often people will use a mixture of different kinds. Whatever you usually buy – those olives that you love – those ones will work! Just make sure that they’re pitted olives, or else you’ll have to pit them yourself.

How to Pit Olives Easily and Quickly

It’s easiest to buy olives that are already pitted. If yours have pits though, don’t worry. There’s a really easy way to pit them.

Put a layer of paper towel on a cutting board. Get your olives out of the jar, shaking off any excess brine, and lay them on the paper towel. You want them in a single layer. Top them with another layer or two of paper towels. The paper towels will keep everything contained and dry, so it doesn’t get messy everywhere.

Then, get a second cutting board and lay it on top. Push down evenly all over it. The pressure will cause the hard pits inside the olives to break the flesh. Then, remove the top board and paper, and pick up the olives, pulling the pits out and discarding them as you go. Note that this works for cherries too!

11 Uses For Tapenade

Here are my favorite 11 ways to use this kalamata tapenade, or any tapenade:

Podcast Episode: Making Tapenade Appetizers

Listen to me explain about what tapenade is and give instructions about how to make these tasty Zucchini, Feta, Basil, and Tapenade appetizers.

For more episodes of my Recipe of the Day Podcast, head over here.

However you decide to use your kalamata tapenade, I just know you’re going to love it. I seriously can’t wait for you to try this recipe! And, if you’re looking for more delicious dips, make sure to check out my Hamburger Dip Recipe, my Beer Cheese Dip, my Nacho Dip, and also check out all of my easy, tasty appetizer recipes over here (there are over 75 of them!). Enjoy! -Christine xo

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Kalamata Tapenade Recipe

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Mix
  • Cuisine: French

DESCRIPTION

This tapenade recipe is quick to make and so salty and delicious. It’s made with kalamatas, lots of garlic, capers, parsley, and lemon. Note that I use 2 cloves of garlic but you can try it with just 1 clove and taste it, then add in another minced clove if you want that extra garlic heat.

Yield: 1 and 1/4 cups


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 7 oz. jar of pitted Kalamata olives, drained
  • 12 cloves of garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. drained capers
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients into a food processor.
  2. Puree until everything is in tiny bits.
  3. Transfer to a bowl. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.