If you’ve run through your backlog of creative salsa recipes and mastered the art of hummus, tapenade is the spread you need in your life. It has the same brininess you love in other olive recipes, but it’s mixed with savory ingredients like garlic, herbs, and anchovies, to deepen the flavor even further. Tapenade is just as delicious as even the gooiest skillet dips, but its bright flavor profile means it can be paired with everything from crackers to fish. These 14 tapenade recipes will win you over after just one bite.
Roasted Green Tomato and Olive Tapenade
Stock up on extra bread, because you’ll want to gobble up every last bite of this spread. Briny green olives and capers give it a salty bite, but the roasted green tomatoes add a depth of flavor that’s irresistible. (via The Blurry Lime)
Tomato Salad With Feta, Tapenade, and Mint
Fresh mint adds an herbal counterpoint to black olives in this salad. Add some juicy heirloom tomatoes to the mix and you’ve got a refreshing dish that’s great served with grilled meat or by itself. (via From the Land We Live On)
Fig and Olive Tapenade Stuffed Brie
Oozy baked Brie is divine on its own as an appetizer, but even better with a few accoutrements. Sweet figs and salty tapenade brighten up the creamy cheese for app-y hour. (via Two Purple Figs)
Olive Tapenade With Linguine and Prosciutto
A few dollops of tapenade are the fastest way to make a simple pot of pasta sing with flavor. Add prosciutto, parm, and parsley, and you’ve got dinner. (via Port and Fin)
Fig, Rosemary, and Olive Tapenade
Transport yourself to southern France with this aromatic spread. Rosemary adds a delightfully piney note to this sweet and salty mix of figs and olives, ideal for spreading on crostini (or eating with a spoon). (via A Virtual Vegan)
Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi, and Tapenade Sandwich
Tapenade mayo is everything you could ask for in a sandwich spread. It’s creamy, briny, and brings out the best in ingredients like smokey grilled eggplant and halloumi. (via Just a Little Bit of Bacon)
Lemony Green Olive Tapenade
Sometimes you need to balance saltiness with a little acid, and lemon is the perfect candidate for the job. It adds a brightness and balance to the olives in this dish, for a combo you’ll want to spread on just about anything. (via Coffee and Crayons)
Sweet Potato Toast With Caper Tapenade
The sweet just isn’t as sweet without the salty. Slabs of roasted sweet potatoes are enhanced by caper tapenade in this recipe. (via The Grateful Grazer)
Eggplant and Tapenade Bruschetta
Japanese eggplant is used in this bruschetta to make a super creamy baba ganoush. Pair it with tapenade and spread on toast points for a flavor-packed appetizer or light lunch. (via Viva La Food)
Cheesy Olive Tapenade Stuffed French Bread
This dish is like frozen French bread pizza all grown up. Three cheeses and a lemony olive spread give it a bold but refined flavor. (via Coffee and Crayons)
Beet Tapenade With Za’atar Pita Chips
For a dip that will make any table look a little brighter, you can always count on beets. They add an earthy sweetness to this tapenade, and you’ll want to scoop up the crimson spread with as many za’atar pita chips as you can hold in one hand. (via Probably This)
Baked Cod With Tapenade and Tomatoes
Olives and a warm tomato salad are the perfect way to dress up this simple dinner. The succulent cod cooks up quickly, so you can have this meal on the table in no time. (via Mutt and Chops)
Grilled Layered Tea Sandwiches
Sometimes a meal is almost too pretty to eat. Contrasting colors and bold grill marks make these sandwiches a work of art you’ll have to stop yourself from inhaling too quickly. (via Marks Daily Nosh)
Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade Bagels
Cream cheese is mild, and some mornings, you need a real kick to get you out of the door. On those days, reach for one of these tapenade-topped bagels — they’ll wake you right up. (via Savory Tooth)
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Justina Huddleston
Justina Huddleston is a food writer living in Los Angeles. When she's not busy writing, she spends her time in the kitchen creating both virtuous and decidedly junky vegan food. Buffalo chickpea pizza, anyone? She's also been known to eat a plain block of tofu or beans straight out of the can for lunch, but somehow those culinary adventures don't make it to her Instagram. You can follow Justina on Twitter or see what's cooking in her kitchen on her blog, A Life of Little Pleasures.
