27 Recipes to Make Using Salty, Delicious Olives

27 Recipes to Make Using Salty, Delicious Olives

Roast them with chicken, sprinkle them on pizza, bake them into bread, or add them to a salad. Simply put, there are so many ways to use olives; here are some of our favorites.

Available in an array of sizes and colors, olives bring a savory, salty quality to so many recipes. From basic appetizers that wow to family-friendly dinners, such as the Braised Chicken with Potatoes, Olives, and Lemon, pictured here, we’re sharing over two dozen different ways to use olives. And if you’re new to the world of olives, we have a guide that outlines 12 different varieties so you can choose the right one for your recipe.

Olives bring meaty, briny, and aromatic quality to any recipe, which is why they’re especially popular in Mediterranean cooking. Olives pair well with fish and poultry, but can also instantly—and elegantly—elevate a recipe such as roasted cauliflower, a citrus salad, and even deviled eggs. Toss them with roasted vegetables at the end of the cooking process so that they become warm, but still maintain their texture. Or garnish them raw on top of a salad as a contrast to sweet fruit, nuts, and delicate greens.

One of the easiest ways and more delicious ways to enjoy olives is by marinating them in warm olive oil with herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves, citrus zest, and peppercorns. You can snack on them alongside a cheeseboard, bring them to a holiday gathering or dinner party, or even present them as a fabulous homemade hostess gift. We also have a simple recipe for olive tapenade, which uses a variety of mixed olives for a basic spread that you can put on sandwiches, pizza, or even whirl into scrambled eggs.

From Kalamata to Manzanilla, Castelvetrano, and more, get to know the wonders of olives with these delicious recipes that let them shine.

Warm Olives with Cracked Coriander

The perfect accompaniment to a cheese and charcuterie board, Castelvetrano olives are warmed in a skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, coriander seeds, and bay leaves. They’re best served warm with crusty bread on the side.

Charred Cauliflower with Clementines and Olives

Salty Kalamata olives and sweet, juicy Clementines are a fabulous pairing for sliced and roasted cauliflower that’s drizzled with a simple vinaigrette.

Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts

This one-skillet dinner is inspired by the classic briny puttanesca sauce; it’s made with 3/4 cup mixed pitted olives, capers, and garlic.

Gruyère, Anchovy, and Olive Straws

Upgrade the hors d’oeuvres at your next gathering with these super savory straws made with all-butter puff pastry and a paste made with Niçoise olives, capers, and fresh thyme.

Baked Chicken Legs with Chickpeas, Olives, and Greens

Chicken gets a boost from a spice rub made from toasted coriander seeds, orange zest, Aleppo pepper, and thyme leaves. The chicken bakes in one pan with chickpeas and shallots until the meat is tender and other ingredients have fully caramelized. Olives are stirred into the mixture at the very end.

Beef Braciole with Olives and Raisins

This Italian-American classic is packaged with a flavorful stuffing made from pimento-stuffed green olives, raisins, fresh parsley leaves, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The beef cooks for nearly two hours until it becomes totally fork-tender.

Citrus and Green Olives with Goat Cheese

How stunning is this vegetarian starter? And it couldn’t be simpler to make—all you need to do is arrange an assortment of citrus segments with mixed green olives, goat cheese, and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil on a platter, then serve with crusty bread on the side.

Orecchiette, Celery, and Olive Salad with Ricotta Salata

No ordinary pasta salad here! This vegetarian recipe pairs two kinds of salty cheese—Parmigiano-Reggiano and Ricotta Salata—with fennel, chopped celery and celery leaves, Castelvetrano olives, and hearty chickpeas.

Mixed-Olive Tapenade

Here’s what your cheese board is missing—a rich tapenade made with a cup of mixed olives (we love a mix of Niçoise, Kalamata, and Castelvetrano olives), capers, anchovy fillets, extra-virgin olive oil, and garlic. Everything is warmed in a skillet until just heated through.

Lemony Olive-and-Cream-Cheese Toast

Looking for a spectacular snack or easy lunch? This four-ingredient toast, which comes together in five minutes, is made with whole-grain bread, cream cheese, pitted Kalamata olives, and lemon.

Marinated Artichoke Hearts with Green Olives and Mozzarella

In this light and bright vegetarian appetizer, globe artichokes are first poached in water, then marinated with mild green olives, lots of extra-virgin olive oil, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, lemon zest, and garlic.

Olive, Fig, and Honey Tapenade

Salty black olives and sweet figs are a genius pairing. Whir them in a food processor with walnuts, capers, honey, and extra-virgin olive oil until a paste comes together; serve this unusual tapenade as an accompaniment to a cheese board.

Pasta Peperonata with Tuna and Olives

This colorful pasta recipe uses Kalamata olives in a new and unexpected way: alongside other powerhouse ingredients such as juicy cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, basil, tuna packed in olive oil, and plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Grilled Halibut Steaks with Potatoes, Olives, and Onions

Meaty halibut can certainly handle the heartiness of baby potatoes, cippolini onions, mixed olives, and a sharp Dijon vinaigrette in this summer stunner of a dinner.

Date, Olive, and Goat-Cheese Tart

An unexpected and creative twist on a classic cheeseboard appears here in the form of a puff pastry tart shell filled with cream cheese, goat cheese, Medjool dates, Kalamata olives, and our homemade Quick Pickled Chiles.

Mortadella, Artichoke-Heart, and Olive Crostini

Entertain in style with this canapé that uses olives. Anchovy paste, mortadella, artichoke wedges, and sliced black olives are layered on slices of crusty bread for a memorable bite.

Pickled Red Onions and Olives

Next time you’re looking to add sharp acidity and saltiness to a sandwich, pizza, or salad, this quick pickle is just the thing. Large green olives and sliced red onion soak in white vinegar for one week until they’re ready to be served.

Bluefin Tuna with Olive, Cucumber, and Cilantro Relish

Take a tour of the Mediterranean with this gorgeous entrée. To make the relish, combine peeled, diced cucumbers with pitted mixed olives, fresh cilantro leaves, lemon juice, and olive oil before serving it over seared tuna.

Chorizo, Parsnip, and Olive Bites

These mini kebabs are totally inspired for fall. Thread roasted parsnips on a skewer, followed by warm chorizo slices and pitted green olives for a seasonally appropriate bite.

Olive and Cheese Loaf

You won’t need toppings or spreads for your bread if something tasty is already baked into it. Case in point: this rustic loaf loaded with Gruyere and slices of green Spanish olives.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta

A half-cup of pitted Spanish olives gives this roasted chicken dish a briny bite.

Roast Pork with Fennel, Chiles, and Olives

Add a cup of mixed olives to the roasting pan for the pork loin’s final five minutes of cooking for added texture and saltiness.

Olive-Garlic Deviled Eggs

For a twist on deviled eggs, throw pitted olives into the food processor along with the egg yolks and garlic.

One-Pan Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Olives

It doesn’t get easier than this: Combine all the ingredients—including Kalamata olives—in one pot and cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is reduced to a sauce.

Sausage and Olives Pizza

Top a sausage pizza with both black and green olives for an extra kick.

Baked Cod with Olives

Brine-cured Kalamata olives plus capers and anchovies up the savory-tangy quotient of this cod dish.