Oven baked olives seasoned with rosemary and olive oil are the perfect appetizer for any occasion! Simple, quick, and using only a few ingredients, this will become the go-to recipe for your next gathering.
This is a simple recipe using a mix of Greek and Spanish olives, but you can use any kind you like.
How to make baked olives
You will need:
- Baking dish or a baking tray/sheet pan.
- Chopping board + knife – to cut lemon into slices & finely chop rosemary.
Preparation:
Get a baking dish or any oven-proof vessel (sheet pan,…). Add olives, lemon slices, fresh rosemary sprigs and drizzle with olive oil, some extra rosemary finely chopped and freshly cracked black pepper.
Bake this for about 20 minutes and enjoy!
Possible variations:
- Use a larger pan/oven dish and add cherry tomatoes (halved or whole) and feta (cut into cubes) or mozzarella – either small balls or get large ones and cut into bite-size pieces.
- I love using fresh rosemary here, thyme or lemon thyme are delicious substitutes.
- Add a drizzle of lemon juice.
- Grate some lemon zest over.
How to serve baked olives?
Definitely with freshly baked French baguette or other crusty bread. You can also add more olive oil right before serving which can serve as a dipping oil.
Place toothpicks or cocktail sticks right next to olives as well as a small bowl(s) where your guests can leave the toothpicks after they are done and for olive stones. Alternatively, use olives without stones (either plain or stuffed).
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Both green and black olives work well. Use what you enjoy or have on hand. Just make sure they’re pitted and drained before baking.
No. For best results, use a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
You can enjoy them either warm or cold.
You can prep everything in advance and pop them in the oven when ready to serve. They taste best fresh out of the oven.
They’re most often served as a warm appetizer or part of a tapas spread. You can also toss them into salads or pasta for extra flavor.
More easy olive appetizers you might like
- Olive Stuffed Cheese Balls - if you have some leftover olives, why not use them to make these fun bites?
- Olive Cheese Skewers - another simple and quick appetizer that you can’t go wrong with.
- Olive and Feta Shooters - simple, fun, and great for entertaining at home.
- Almond Stuffed Olives - this olive appetizer is easy, tasty, and ready in minutes!
- Mediterranean Pinwheels - easy and delicious.
- Olive Tapenade - olive spread, ready in 5 minutes.
Check out our video for how to make baked olives
Baked Olives Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Kalamata olives (without juices)
- ½ cup black olives
- ½ cup green olives (without juices, see note 1)
- ½ lemon (sliced)
- 5-6 fresh rosemary sprigs (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (see note 3)
- black pepper (freshly cracked, to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius).
- Meanwhile: In a baking dish, combine together olives, lemon slices and add about 4 rosemary sprigs on top. Finely chop the remaining rosemary sprigs (remove the stems first) and sprinkle over olives. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with freshly cracked black pepper.
- Bake on the middle rack at 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) for about 20 minutes.
- Enjoy warm or cold!
Notes
- You can use any olives you like: pitted, with stones, stuffed, Kalamata or Spanish,…. The quantities are only an estimate so feel free to add more if you like.
- Fresh rosemary does give this simple appetizer a great flavor but you can substitute it with fresh thyme or lemon thyme.
- I highly recommend using a good quality extra virgin olive oil. I also like to pour some more over the olives right before serving and use it as a bread dipping oil – so good!
- Check out the post above this recipe card for more recipe ideas with olives, possible variations and some answers to FAQ if in doubt.
Harper says
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until your olives are golden brown all around. Toss your olives a few times during the cooking process.