Homemade marinated olives are one of the easiest appetizers you can make-and they taste far better than anything from a deli counter. Fragrant garlic-infused olive oil, bright herbs, citrus peel, briny caperberries, and a mix of plump olives create a Mediterranean-style appetizer that looks impressive but takes barely 20 minutes to prepare.

Jars of msrinated black and green olives with thyme, baguettes slices, and feta cheese cubes.

Serve marinated olives with cocktails, wine, a cheese board, charcuterie board, or as part of a Mediterranean mezze platter. Use pitted olives for easy eating, or whole olives for the best texture and flavor. Either way, these olives are make-ahead friendly, naturally gluten-free, and perfect for effortless get-togethers.

Marinated Olives Recipe Snapshot

Make-ahead - Prep in minutes, marinate in the refrigerator, and serve when ready.
Better than store-bought - Brighter, cleaner flavor with no mystery ingredients.
Customizable - Choose your favorite olives, herbs, peppers, and citrus.
Perfect for entertaining - A gorgeous, fuss-free appetizer that disappears fast.
Great for gifting - Spoon into a jar, tie with twine, and you have a beautiful homemade hostess gift.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients for marinated olives with oil, herbs, garliccapers and vinegar.

Olive oil - The base of the marinade. Use a good extra-virgin olive oil you enjoy.
Black olives - Kalamata olives, for their deep purple, briny taste, slightly sharp, and meaty texture. Note below.
Green olives - The best option are the green Castelvetrano olives from Sicily for their bright green color, buttery, mild, and almost creamy texture.
Garlic cloves - Use the pre-peeled garlic cloves or peel fresh cloves yourself, both work.
Wine vinegar - Adds brightness, balances richness, and lowers the pH for safety, white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
Capers - Use non-pareil capers (the small ones) or larger capers if you prefer. They add a briny, salty flavor that complements the olives beautifully.
Herbs - Dried oregano and dried basil for classic Mediterranean flavor. Fresh thyme sprigs make it aromatic.
Lemon peel - Lemon zest strips lift the whole mix.
Red pepper flakes - A touch of warmth.

Chef's Tip: Pitted or Whole Olives?
Whole, un-pitted olives usually have the best texture and flavor because the pit helps the olive stay firm and meaty. Pitted olives are easier for guests to eat, but they can be softer and saltier because the brine reaches the inside of the olive. Use whole olives for the best bite, or pitted olives for easy entertaining, and be sure to put a small bowl out to dispose of pits.

Substitutions & Variations

Olive options - Replace part of the olive mix with Cerignola olives if you can find them. They're large, plump, mild Italian olives with a wonderful meaty texture.
Sweet red teardrop peppers - These tiny Peruvian peppers, sometimes called Sweety Drops, add color, gentle sweetness, and a little tang. Look for them in jars at grocery stores, deli sections, or online.
More color - Add chopped pimentos or thinly sliced roasted red peppers.
Citrus - Try orange peel instead of lemon peel.
Spicier olives - Add extra red pepper flakes or a few slices of fresh chili pepper.

Chef's Tip: Why You Poach Garlic First
Most marinated olive recipes add raw garlic straight to olive oil. It's easy but not food safe. Raw garlic in oil can create the low-acid, low-oxygen environment where botulism can grow. Gently poaching the garlic in olive oil first makes the recipe food-safe, softens garlic's sharp bite, and infuses the oil with a mellow, aromatic flavor. It's delicious to eat too! Note: this isn't garlic confit, which cooks much longer (45-60 minutes) until very soft and spreadable. Here we're just lightly poaching the cloves to safely flavor the oil and olives.

How to Make Marinated Olives

You'll need a ¾ liter lidded jar or 26-ounce jar for the olives.

Poaching whole peeled garlic cloves in a stainless steel pan.

Add olive oil to a small saucepan (1 qt) and warm over low heat to 180-200°F. Add the garlic cloves. The oil may not completely cover the garlic, depending on your pan size, so gently swirl the pan or turn the cloves once or twice as they poach. Cook for 5 minutes, keeping the oil below a simmer.

Garlic cloves in olive oil cooling in a steel bow. on a stovetop.

Remove from the heat and cool completely before combining with the olives. Warm oil can soften the olives and dull their fresh, briny texture.

A jar filled with olives, herbs, and lemon zest.

Add olives, herbs, capers, vinegar, zest, and red chili peppers to a large jar.

Pouring olive oil and garlic into a jar of olives for making marinated olives.

Pour in the oil and garlic cloves. Marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Shake or stir the olives once or twice during marinating to redistribute the oil and seasonings.

A jar of marinated olives with thyme sprigs, bread slices on a marble board.

How to Serve Marinated Olives

Olive oil naturally firms up when chilled and will liquefy again at room temperature, so be sure to get marinated olives out about 30 minutes ahead of time for serving.

Serve with a cheese board, charcuterie board, or Mediterranean mezze platter.
Tossed into salads, like this antipasto pasta salad.
With grilled fish or roasted chicken.
As an appetizer with cocktails.

Note - Because the garlic is gently poached in olive oil it's safe to eat and has a mellow, softer flavor. Their main purpose is to safely infuse the oil and olives with flavor but they are delicious to eat with the marinated olives.

Cubed Greek feta drizzled with homemade hot honey is a wonderful companion to these marinated olives. That's what's pictured in the main photo. It's another easy appetizer for entertaining.

Storage

Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks (must be refrigerated to be safe).
Olive oil will naturally firm up when chilled. Let sit at room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving to soften.

More Easy Appetizer Recipes

If You Make Marinated Olives

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Marinated Olives With Garlic and Herbs