Green and Black Olive Tapenade

A bowl of tapenade garnished with parsley sits on a plate with slices of bread and a knife, next to a blue patterned cloth.

5 from 1 vote

This olive tapenade recipe blends briny olives, toasted walnuts, garlic, and orange zest for a bright Mediterranean olive spread perfect for crostini or cheese boards.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Servings:

Calories: 178kcal

Author: Chef Molly Pisula

Ingredients

½ cup walnuts
1 cup mixed black and green olives pitted
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 tablespoon parsley plus more for garnish
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add walnuts to a sheet pan, and toast in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Add walnuts to bowl of food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not dusty. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Wipe out food processor bowl.
Put the olives, garlic, orange zest, parsley, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into food processor. Process until smooth.
If dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer to bowl with walnuts and mix together. Taste and add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt if necessary.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. You may want to drizzle a little more olive oil on top if it looks dry.

Notes

Storage Tips:

Store olive tapenade in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. You may want to drizzle a little more olive oil on top if it looks dry.

Expert Tips:

Be careful not to over-process the walnuts. They should be finely chopped, but not ground into a powder or paste.
Try to make the tapenade 15-30 minutes before serving to give the flavors time to meld together.
Toasting really makes a difference in the flavor of this tapenade, so I highly recommend not skipping that step!
Use more black than green olives if you want a darker color for the tapenade. With lots of green olives, the color of this tapenade can turn a little less appealing. You can also make a green olive tapenade by using mostly green olives.

Nutrition