Perfect for entertaining and snacking, these delicious marinated olives will serve as a beautiful addition to your next gathering! And they also make a wonderfully elegant and tasty gift!
These homemade marinated olives are a real show-stopper. Â Plump, juicy, and packed full of flavor, they’re perfect for entertaining, snacking, Â including at the dinner table or giving away as a thoughtful, classy gift.
I don’t know when or how it started, but olives are almost always present for any family dinners involving my parents. Â Any time my parents come over for dinner my dad always brings a jar of olives. Â It’s almost mechanical: Â Dad walks in the door, is buried by the grandkids, reaches in his bag, pulls out the olives and hands them to me, I empty them into a small serving bowl and put them on the dinner table. Â And we have olives for dinner regardless of what’s being served. Â As far as my dad is concerned, no dinner is complete without them. Â And should he forget to bring them, the predictable comment that follows: Â “Oh nuts, I forgot the olives!” Â And occasionally there’s the antiquated expletive “cockeyed!” sprinkled in there, too. Â My dad’s pretty serious about his olives.
This tradition in recent years has extended to olives as gifts. Â If we’re traveling somewhere my husband and I will often pick up some gourmet marinated olives to bring back for my dad. Â And so it finally hit me this year, why not make my own? Â I got excited at thought of having several jars of different flavored marinated olives, proudly stashed in our pantry, to get out for those family dinners, give to my dad as a “thank you” for babysitting our kids on date night, and for giving away to friends as gifts.
And speaking of gifts, did I mention they make the perfect gift?
Whether from A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, or any other such heart-warming classic, we’ve all grown up with the sentiment that giving is more rewarding than receiving. Â And that’s especially true when the gift is from the heart, when it involves a little more than going to the store, laying down some money, and tossing an item in the shopping bag to take home. Â Not that we don’t appreciate gifts like that (we do, we do!), but most of us have experienced how nice it is to receive a simple gift that was thoughtfully prepared by the giver. Â The time and effort that goes into making the gift speaks love and thoughtfulness more than money handed to a cashier. Â At least it does to me. Â And so whatever other store-bought gifts I may be giving to the friends and family, I always like to include something homemade.
And doesn’t everyone enjoy good food?
Here is a visually beautiful, deliciously tasty, and elegant gift you can easily put together for your friends, family, co-workers or neighbors. Â Gourmet marinated olives come with a hefty price tag in specialty stores or at the deli, but these you can make for a fraction of the cost and they taste simply divine.
And I can’t think of anything more classy to give than a jar of beautifully vibrant, plump marinated olives, can you?  Olives are gourmet, healthy, they taste amazing, and your friends will think you’re a person of impeccable taste and class.  You’ll enjoy the response you get as you give these delightful olives to the people you care about.  And you’ll love the feeling of personal fulfillment that you’ll experience.
Just spoon some olives into canning jars, screw on the lids, and for a little added homemade touch cover the lids with a square of material and tie with some twine.
For whatever purpose you make these olives, they’ll be a guaranteed hit. Â Just be sure to make them in advance because they need to sit for a week before you use them in order to enjoy optimal flavor. Â The longer they sit the better they’ll taste!
We’re going to use a combination of green, black and kalamata olives for a nice array of color and flavor.
First a word about one of the ingredients, Preserved Lemons. Â Do you have to use them? Â No. Â Can you use some fresh lemon zest instead? Â Of course. Â But the flavor of preserved lemons is totally different. Â Like in a movie, if the olives are the star, the preserved lemon is the co-star. Â The magical depth of mellow citrus flavor that these preserved lemons impart to the olives cannot be overstated. Â They’re simply amazing. Â They’re ridiculously easy to make yourself, it just requires some advance planning because they need to sit for at least 3 weeks before you use them. Â But don’t despair, I’ve got you covered.
Homemade Preserved Lemons
Marinated Olives Recipe
Now let’s make those scrumptious marinated olives!
Drain the olives. Â You’ll want to give the black olives a rinse so their juices don’t discolor the other olives.
Look at that beautiful collection of plump, multi-colored olives! Â Oh, the possibilities…
You can really use any herbs and seasonings of your choice. Â This time we’re going to use fresh thyme, rosemary, coriander and fennel seeds, bay leaves, garlic, a little dried red chili for some spiciness, extra virgin olive oil and those wonderful preserved lemons.
Be sure to use good quality extra virgin olive oil as the flavor will greatly impact the outcome of the marinated olives.
To bring out the flavor of the coriander and fennel we’re going to toast them.
First give them a quick smash in a ziplock bag just to crack them open. Â Heat a small, dry pan over medium-high heat and, once hot, add the coriander and fennel seeds. Â Roast until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, shaking pan frequently towards the end. Â Be careful not to scorch them.
Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up for just a minute then remove from the heat.
Add all the remaining ingredients and let the mixture sit for a few minutes until cooled down.
NOTE: Â Unless you like super spicy food, be very careful how much dried red chili you add. Â A little goes a very long way and the spiciness only increases over time. Â Omit entirely if you don’t like heat.
Pour the marinade over the olives and stir to combine. Â Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least a week before eating them. Â The longer they sit, the better they’ll taste. Â You can also go ahead and divide the olives into gift jars first and then store them in the fridge until ready to give away.
The olives will keep in the refrigerator for at least a month. Â Give them a little shake every now and then. Â Bring to room temperature before serving.
Enjoy!
And don’t forget to share the love and give some olives away!
PIN ME!

Gourmet Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds assorted olives (kalamata, black, green, Spanish, etc) drained, **rinse the darker colored olives so they don't discolor the other lighter colors
- 3/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 preserved lemon , pulp removed and discarded then the rind rinsed and finely diced
- homemade preserved lemons (click link for recipe)
- 4 cloves garlic , thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds , lightly cracked
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds , lightly cracked
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves , broken into pieces
- 1 dried red chili , membrane and seeds removed, broken into pieces (see NOTE)
Instructions
- Rinse the black olives so their juices don't discolor the other olives. Drain all the other olives in a colander, place them in a large bowl and set aside.
- Heat a small dry pan over medium-high heat and, once hot, add the coriander and fennel seeds. Roast until very fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Be careful not to scorch them. Add the olive oil and heat for a minute. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients except for the olives. Let sit until the marinade has cooled down.
- Pour the marinade over the olives and stir to combine. Cover the olives and let them sit in the fridge for a week or so for best flavor before eating them. Give them a shake every couple of days.
- The olives will keep in the fridge for at least a month. Give them an occasional shake. Bring to room temperature before serving.Makes 1 1/2 pounds of marinated olives.
Notes
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet Nov 17, 2014
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Sharon Ashman says
I made the marinate As you instructed.
But I used olives previously marinated in brine.
I washed the olives, then made the marinate.
Mixed the olives and the marinate then
Put them in jars and into the fridge. marinate
Solidify !!!!!
Why??
Need help. Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sharon, that’s perfectly normal. Olive oil solidifies when it’s cold, hence the final line in the instructions to bring the olives to room temperature before serving.
Annaretha says
How can I preserve this to bottle it for shelve life?
Ildiko says
I’ve just made these and tasted a full bowl :)) before putting them in the fridge :))
I had to wait a few days for the lemons, since they are a rarity here (Tokyo)
I took out some of the red pepper after tasting.
I wish I would’ve added some sun dried tomatoes to the mix, not too late though ;)
Thank you for the recipe!
Lisa says
I made this a few days ago, and they taste amazing…but my olive oil solidifies in the fridge, so I keep having to bring it to room temp to stir about once a day…is this normal or is my fridge set too cold?
I just made another batch tonight, so I just thought I’d check!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m glad you liked them, Lisa, thank you! Yes, that’s completely normal. If you were to put a bottle of olive oil in the fridge it would solidify, too.
Molly Button says
I would like to make these for a wedding. I would love to know how far in advance I can make them? Wedding is 2 1/2 months away and the sooner I can make them, the better. Thanks for your input!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Molly, these keep easily for a month in the fridge, so you can make them anytime within that time frame.
Maria Calkins says
I don’t understand. I followed the recipe and the olives are not marinated. Just olives sitting in an oily mixture. I added more red chili peppers as the days went on just to try and get some flavor but nothing. Still taste like olives right out of the can?
Any ideas? They have been marinading for 6 days already. Help.
Ruth says
I didn’t use this recipe but I would like input into suggestions for my olives. I soaked the raw olives with a cut into each for two weeks as per the recipe; brined for two months and they have now been one week in a oil/lemon juice and spice marinade. The olives are hard. Any ideas.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ruth, unfortunately I don’t have any experience in working with freshly picked raw olives. Perhaps one of our readers can chime in.
Julie says
Love marninated olives!
Do you think I can make these and ship them to my family in their Christmas boxes?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Julie, that’s a tricky one. I guess it would depend on how quick the shipping is. But FDA guidelines are that opened marinated olives need to be stored in the fridge.
Meseidy Rivera says
I love marinaded olives! They make a great party appetizer.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
They sure do, Meseidy!
Cathy Trochelman says
Oh wow! Now this is how to do olives. What a perfect holiday appetizer or gift!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
The sky’s limit for marinade options, Cathy, and any which way they’re so good!
amanda @ fake ginger says
Oh man, marinated olives are the BEST. I’d be thrilled to get a jar of these for Christmas!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
They make such great gift, Amanda!
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos says
I love serving marinated olives at parties and this recipe would be perfect for the holidays. Love the preserved lemon in the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
The preserved lemon is amazing, Aly!
Brenda@Sugar-Free Mom says
I’ve never made my own but I need to! I buy them at Whole Foods all ready done and they are so expensive! Yours looks better!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Brenda, I know, they’re so expensive to buy! You save a ton making your own plus it’s a lot of fun!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
These would be a perfect hostess gift to take to friends during the holidays. I’m going to make several jars to have on hand just for that!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lana, that is a super great idea, thanks!
Jerry says
These look amazing. I’ll definitely be giving this a shot soon. They look perfect for a cheese and salami plate
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
We think alike, Jerry, and I’ve already got the cheese and salami in my fridge! :)