Italian-Inspired Marinated Olives for Snacking, Gifting, or the Ultimate Charcuterie Board!
My love for olives knows no end. Seriously.
Despite having the pickiest palate as a kid, the one thing my Mom could always count on me eating was olives. Kinda bizarre, right? Olives aren’t necessarily the first thing you think of when you think of picky kid-friendly foods. But, MAN, I loved ’em.
Still do, in fact! You can always find a jar of olives (or 2!) in my fridge. I put them on salads, I put them in bowls, I put them on pizzas, I put them on cheese boards, or in vodka…seriously, you name it, and I’ll probably eat olives with it.
But one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy olives? Simple: Marinated Olives eaten straight out of a big ol’ bowl, after they’ve been infused with flavor from tons of herbs and garlic.
Making marinated olives at home is crazy easy, seriously quick, and obviously delicious! Plus, you can customize them to your taste–just layer your favorite olives in a jar with some flavorful aromatics (this recipe calls for just 5), then pop them in the fridge to work their magic and become infused with tons of flavor.
In just a couple of days, you’ll be greeted with a jar of citrusy, herby, garlicky goodness and it just doesn’t it get better than that, I can’t wait for you to give them a try!
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Best Olives to Use for Homemade Marinated Olives
Since they’re pretty much the star of the show, it’s important to use the best quality olives you can find when you make homemade marinated olives.
For this marinated olives recipe, I chose: Pitted Gigante Olives, a signature green Sevillano olives. They’re meaty, and have the most gorgeous buttery flavor and texture. Plus, Colossal Calamata Olives, the famous Greek olives we all know and love. These taste slightly tart and have a nice, soft texture. So good!
I love to shop at DeLallo for my olives. They’re super fresh, super meaty and substantial, and can be delivered straight to your door but use whatever quality olives you love most!
Other key ingredients:
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- Bay leaf
- And olive oil
How to Make Marinated Olives At Home
The glorious thing about this marinated olives recipe? It’s SO easy, and you only need 10 minutes (tops!).
How To Use Marinated Olives
Once the olives have marinated and infused with flavor, you can use them for just about anything…
- For satisfying everyday snacking.
- As the perfect easy party appetizer.
- To take any charcuterie or cheese board to the next level.
- Or as an amazing hostess gift!
Have your hand at making Marinated Olives at home this holiday season – it’s SO easy, and I know you’ll love them!
If you do give them a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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Easy Marinated Olives with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 48 hours
- Yield: 1 pound 1x
- Category: appetizer recipes, snack recipes, food gifts
- Method: no-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A delicious blend of Italian and Greek olives marinates in olive oil infused with fresh herbs, lemon and plenty of garlic. Making marinated olives at home couldn’t be easier, and they’re perfect for everyday snacking, holiday entertaining, all of your charcuterie and cheese board needs, or to offer as a showstopping hostess gift.
Ingredients
- 1 pound mixed olives (I love Gigante and Calamata olives!), drained and rinsed
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 8–10 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- lemon rind from ½ lemon
- optional: 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Assemble: Layer the olives, garlic, herbs, bay leaf, lemon rind, and chili flake in a 16-ounce jar (or 16-ounce airtight container of choice). Slowly pour the olive oil over top, just until the olives are submerged. Depending on the size of your olives, you may or may not need the full cup of olive oil.
- Marinate the olives: Set the sealed jar in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours, or up to 1 week.
- Serve: 2 hours before serving, remove the olives from the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. Transfer to your favorite serving bowl. Enjoy them on their own, or serve along with crackers, charcuterie, or on a holiday cheese board. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Store the marinated olives in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
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Spectacular…beautiful to serve, so fresh, simple to make. Jess, as always, has mastered the flavors by testing and retesting for us!
You’ll only get that fresh rosemary and lemon zest fresh jolt by making this recipe!
So happy you love these olives, too, Kate!! Thanks for being part of the PWWB community 🙂
Isn’t there a risk for botulism with using the garlic when stored for longer than a week? May have to leave this out if not planning on serving completely within that timeframe.
Hey Wendy, we recommend storing these olives in the fridge to maintain freshness. Of course, you can always eat them quicker! 🙂
Hey so I wanted to keep these olives in the fridge but won’t the olive oil just become thick when cold? I’ve marinated things before and sealed them and anytime I keep them in the fridge. It’s really hard when I want to snap on them because I have to leave them out to defrost which is so time consuming sometimes.
Am I able to use sunflower oil or vegetable oil or maybe a mix of olive oil and vegetable oil?
Hi Jen, we haven’t had any issues with refrigerating these marinated olives! We always just allow them to come to room temperature for a bit before serving 🙂
Thanks for this easy recipe. I have just used it with lots of olives that I’ve cured! I’m just wondering if they have to go in the fridge? I thought if sealed, they would be ok sitting in the pantry? I have lots of jars and would prefer them not taking up the whole fridge 😉
Hi Danni, those sound delicious!! You should definitely be able to store properly sealed and brined olives at room temperature 🙂
Marinated olives, excellent recipe I have shared with friends. Thank you.
Thank you, Mary Ellen! We’re SO glad you enjoyed!! 🙂
My gosh! U r buying MARINATED PREPARED to eat olives and what? like extra-marinade them??? sorry but thats the strangest way to play cooking… very western though..
Hi there! You’re right – most olives are already prepared in a mild liquid brine (typically water, vinegar, salt, & a few simple spices) so they can stay fresh for an extended length of time. This recipe is for marinating in olive oil & infusing the olives with fresh herbs & other flavors to add additional flavor & make a simple appetizer or gift. Hope that helps clear things up & totally fine if its not for you!
When I refrigerated the jars of marinated olives the olive oil solidified. Did this happen to anyone else? When left out of the fridge for a few hours, the oil will liquify again but it means that I can’t serve the olives straight from the fridge.
Hi Deb! Depending on how cool your refrigerator is set, the olive oil could naturally solidify. You could try storing in the door of the refrigerator to avoid this (typically temperatures will be slightly higher in this area of the fridge) or allow time for the oil to liquify prior to serving. Either way this should not affect the flavor!
Making my 3rd batch! These are so flavorful….& fresh rosemary + thyme cannot be compared to buying a jar of store-bought marinated olives! Infused (+easy) in the best way!
I can’t wait to make your marinated olives! Is there any reason you couldn’t throw in some feta cheese chunks?
Hey Genevieve – Feta would be delish! Be sure to store your olives & feta in the fridge so nothing spoils. Let me know if you try!!