This Feta & Olive Tapenade is a quick and easy appetizer with endless serving possibilities! Salty olives, tangy feta, and a hint of lemon. Serve on toasted bread, swirled into hummus, or mixed into pasta!
I LOVE FETA & OLIVES!! Like so much as a kid I used to drink olive juice. In Kindergarten I brought a jar of olives to show and tell. I order my martinis extra dirty. Feta is the one reason I can’t go 100% plant-based. I love them both so much and could go on and on!
Now that we got that out of the way, I’m so excited to combine my two favorite things into one recipe. The first time I tried a feta & olive tapenade, it was from the one and only Aldi. I had my first bite and literally finished it by the end of the day. Unfortunately, a lot of their products are seasonal and don’t stick around. So, here is my interpretation so you (and I) can have this delicious appetizer whenever we want!
What is tapenade?
Traditionally, tapenade is a mixture of black olives (not from a can), capers, anchovies, fresh herbs, and olive oil. Let me start by saying I am NOT a tapenade connoisseur and this is not a traditional or fancy tapenade by any means. I’m just a girl who loves olives and feta and wanted to combine them!
How do you serve tapenade?
One of the best things about this Feta & Olive Tapenade is how versatile it is! It is also quite salty, so it is best served with something to balance out the flavors. Here are a few suggestions:
- Crostinis
- Hummus
- Mixed into a buttery pasta
- Crusty bread
- On a charcuterie board
- Cream cheese and crackers
- On a sandwich (Muffaletta)
- Tossed into a greek salad
- Top it on a pizza
Feta & Olive Tapenade
One of the best parts about this recipe is that it is made in the food processor, so clean up is a breeze!
First, we will start with the olives. To be honest, I just used what I had on hand, which happened to be some jarred pimento-stuffed green, a can of green, and a jar of kalamata olives. Since this isn’t a fAnCy tapenade, you can use whatever you have on hand.
If you are using your typical jarred green or kalamata olives, I suggest draining, rinsing, and soaking them for a bit before putting them into the food processor to avoid over-salting your tapenade. You will also need to rinse and drain your capers, so you might as well do them all at once!
Once the olives and capers are rinsed and drained, put them in the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse a few times, scrape the sides and pulse a little more until your desired consistency. After it is processed, I like to add a few larger chunks of feta! Alternatively, you can leave the feta out of the food processor and mix it in by hand afterward to keep the chunks. I love the creamy consistency the feta gives this dish!
You can serve this right away however you choose, but the longer it sits in the fridge, the more amazing the flavors become!
What if my tapenade turnouts too salty for my taste?
Look, olives are salty and that’s what I love about them! Give me salty over sweet any day. But, depending on the type of olives used and how you serve this tapenade, it may turn out too salty for your taste. Don’t throw it out! There are many tried and true ways to fix overly salty dishes. Here are a few:
- Add more acid
- This recipe already calls for multiple forms of acid, but try adding a little more balsamic vinegar or lemon juice to taste! Remember when you taste test this recipe, use bread or cracker vs straight off a spoon.
- Add more fat
- Try adding more olive oil or serving with some mild goat or cream cheese. You could even mix softened cream cheese into the tapenade and put it on a sandwich (YUM!).
- Add in other non-salty foods
- Try mashing some white beans or chickpeas and mixing them in. Or, if you happen to have a slightly less sodium packed kind of olives, add those in.
- Refrigerate overnight
- This really helps bring all the flavors together and may help mask the saltiness.
I hope your tapenade turns out perfect and you love serving it in every way possible!
If you make one of my recipes, please tag me (IG @homemade_haley) or use the hashtag #homemadehaleyrecipes in your post or stories! I can’t wait to see how it turned out.
Thank you so much for your support. From my home to yours,
xo Haley
Feta & Olive Tapenade
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup green olives* fresh, canned, or jarred - drained and rinsed well
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives* fresh, canned, or jarred - drained and rinsed well
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 cup blocked feta crumbled + more for topping
- 1/2 tbsp capers drained and rinsed well
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1/2 - 1 tbsp lemon juice start small and add more to taste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Olive & Capers Prep
- Measure out olives and capers, then drain and rinse thoroughly to remove any excess brine.
Mix
- Combine the rinsed olive and capers into the food processor, along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pulse a few times, scrape the sides, then pulse a few more until desired consistency. It should be well chopped, but not pureed.
- If you do not have a food processor, just well chop each ingredient and mix it together!
Notes
- Crostinis
- Hummus
- Mixed into a buttery pasta
- Crusty bread
- On a charcuterie board
- Cream cheese and crackers
- On a sandwich (Muffaletta)
- Tossed into a greek salad
- Top it on a pizza
Favorite Products Used in This Recipe
*If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a small commission. Thanks!
Mini Food Processor – perfect little guy to make small batches of dip and sauces, without taking up too much space.
Glass Snap Lock Food Containers – these are one of my favorite things in our kitchen! They are the best for mixing, serving, and storing food.
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