Mix up the easiest marinated olives using all the half-opened jars hanging out in your fridge. Olive oil, garlic, lemon, and fresh parsley flavor your choice of olives for the most delicious aperitivo snack, ready in 10 minutes.
If you're anything like me, you've bought different types of olives for different recipes and have collected several jars taking up space in your fridge. These Italian Marinated Olives are the perfect way to amalgamate your olives into one delicious container.
It's very simple to marinate olives. Olive oil, a little red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, parsley, lemon, and red pepper flakes flavor the olives and get even better over time. Keep them in your fridge to serve as a snack with a cocktail, on top of a dip or spread, or add to dishes like salads, pizza, pasta—you name it!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Save fridge space by combining all your olive jars.
- Uses staple ingredients like olive oil, red chili flakes, garlic and lemon.
- Olives contain healthy fats and antioxidants that are good for you like vitamin E and iron. They can decrease inflammation, reduce the risk of heart disease, and possibly even help fight cancer.
- Olives are a staple in the mediterranean diet, known as one of the healthiest diets in the world.
- This recipe is gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and nut free.
If you like this recipe, you'll love my marinated goat cheese spread with olives and herbs, spinach basil pesto, and melon and prosciutto skewers.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you'll need to make these simple marinated olives:
- Assorted olives—use whatever types you have or like. They can be whole or pitted, just ensure you mind the pits while eating. In the photographs I used kalamata olives and manzanilla olives.
- Olive oil—use a good quality EVOO here.
- Red wine vinegar—a little bit of acid is nice to balance the richness of the olive oil. White wine vinegar would work fine too.
- Fresh Italian parsley—if you don't have fresh herbs it's fine, but it adds a nice brightness to the olives.
- Fresh garlic cloves—the sliced garlic is not intended to be eaten with the olives, but to flavor the oil over time.
- Fresh Lemon—same with the lemon. Slices of lemon peel are use to flavor the oil over time. You could also use fresh lemon zest.
- Red pepper flakes—if you like your olives a little spicy.
- Dried oregano—a classic mediterranean spice that tastes delicious with this mixture.
Equipment
This recipe requires minimal equipment. Just an airtight container and a spoon to mix everything together.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list, instructions, and macros of this marinated olives recipe.
(1) Slice some peel off the lemon, removing as much of the thick white pith as possible. Chop into strips. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and chop the parsley.
(2) In a medium size bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir to evenly coat the olives.
(3) Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month. When you'd like to serve, transfer to a clean dish and allow the olives to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
What to Eat with Marinated Olives
Marinated olives are delicious when served with a cocktail for aperitivo—a small snack before dinner designed to open the stomach for eating. They are often accompanied by salami, crackers or taralli, and cheese. They would be a great addition to a cheese board, antipasto platter, on top of a whipped ricotta dip, or on top of a fresh bread like focaccia. You could also toss them into a pasta dish, add to a sandwich, or enjoy with pita chips. The options are endless!
Storage
Marinated olives last in the fridge for up to 1 month. Ensure they are stored in an airtight container. Ideally allow them to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for great marinated olives:
- If you're purchasing olives for this recipe, choose pitted olives for ease of eating, or unpitted olives for a more robust flavor.
- Mix olive types for a more interesting flavor.
- Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil that has great flavor.
- Ensure you allow the olives to come to room temperature before eating. They will soften and become even more flavorful. It is normal for the olive oil to solidify in the fridge.
- Adjust the level of spiciness with the red pepper flakes. If you really want spicy olives, you could even add a fresh chopped red chili.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any olives you have or that you enjoy for marinated olives. Here I've used kalamata olives and manzanilla olives. Other yummy varieties are black olives, picholine olives or castelvetrano olives.
Green olives are simply less ripe than kalamata and black olives, so they tend to have a meatier texture.
Yes, store marinated olives in an airtight container in the fridge with all the olive oil and seasonings. They will keep for several weeks. Ensure you allow them to come to room temperature before enjoying.
You can enjoy your flavored olives right after mixing! They will continue to marinate in the fridge and taste even better over time.
Keep a container of these easy marinated olives in your fridge to add to dips, breads, pizza, pasta—you name it! It is a delicious way to transform all those half-empty jars of olives in your fridge into a delicious snack.
More Appetizers
- Golf Ball Cheese Ball
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- Rotisserie Buffalo Chicken Dip
Have you made these Italian marinated olives? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!
Recipe
Easy Italian Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 2 cups assorted olives
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 2 garlic cloves sliced thin
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Slice some peel off the lemon, removing as much of the thick white pith as possible. Chop into strips. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and chop the parsley.
- In a medium size bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir to evenly coat the olives.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month. When you'd like to serve, transfer to a clean dish and allow the olives to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Notes
- The lemon and garlic are meant to flavor the oil, not necessarily to be eaten.
- You can use whole or pitted olives. Mind the pits as you eat.
- Serve marinated olives as a snack with cocktails, as an appetizer, or as a topping on grilled fish or chicken.
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