Olive Tapanade Crostini

Bowl of Olive Tapenade Crostini garnished with fresh basil.
A simple and delicious appetizer great for entertaining using olives and capers.
Pinterest Hidden Image

Olive Tapenade Crostini with kalamata olives, green olives stuffed with garlic and capers with fresh basil, lemon juice, and goat cheese is a super tasty appetizer.

Olive Tapenade Crostini on a platter.

Save this Recipe

Save this Article

Enter your email and I will send the article link right to your inbox for you plus you’ll subscribe for all the latest articles!


It’s funny how food – especially this time of year – can hold so many memories for us.  Oh sure, a lot of it is our olfactory sense, but the flavors are pretty powerful reminders themselves.

🧂 Ingredients

This is meant to be a brief overview of this great recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.

  • kalamata olives
  • garlic stuffed green olives
  • anchovy paste
  • capers
  • lemon
  • olive oil
  • fresh garlic or roasted garlic
  • fresh basil
  • black pepper
  • French baguette

🔪 Instructions

  1. Combine the olives, anchovy paste, capers, lemon juice and olive oil to a food processor. Chop until the mixture is a coarse paste.
  2. Cut the bread and brush each slice with olive oil.
  3. Toast the bread at 375F for 3-4 minutes, then turn and cook for another 3-4 minutes until both sides are lightly golden brown.
  4. Remove the toast from the oven and gently rub one side with the sliced garlic.
  5. Serve the tapenade in a bowl with the crostini on the side OR assemble the crostini by spreading a layer of goat cheese, topped with tapenade and fresh basil.
Olive Tapenade in a bowl.

🥄Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Here is what you will need to make this easy recipe:

Be sure to check out my Juggling Act Mama Storefront on Amazon where you’ll find all kinds of great products that will make your life easier! Thanks so much for being a part of Juggling Act Mama 

🍲 Storage

To Store: This is a great make-ahead recipe as it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! (These are my favorite airtight containers.)

😋 Similar Recipes

Planning a party? Check out these other delicious recipes:

Not ready to make your own olive tapenade yet?

When you do make it, please come back and comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!

Bowl of Olive Tapenade Crostini garnished with fresh basil.

Olive Tapenade Crostini

A simple and delicious appetizer great for entertaining using olives and capers.
Add to Your Recipe Box
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian-American
Keyword: olive tapenade crostini
Servings: 10
Author: Ang Paris

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 1 jar kalamata olives
  • 5 green garlic stuffed olives
  • 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
  • 2 taplespoons capers
  • juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the crostini
  • 1 large garlic clove sliced in half for the crostini
  • 3 large basil leaves
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • French baguette

Optional Ingredients

  • diced tomatoes
  • goat cheese or cream cheese

Instructions

Tapenade

  • Drain and rinse the olives with cool water.
    1 jar kalamata olives, 5 green garlic stuffed olives
  • Add the olives, anchovy paste, capers, lemon juice and olive oil to a food processor. Chop until the mixture is a coarse paste.
    1 teaspoon anchovy paste, 2 taplespoons capers, juice from 1/2 lemon, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Crostini

  • Cut the bread on a diagonal. Brush each pieces with the olive oil on both sides.
    1 large garlic clove, French baguette
  • Toast in a 375-degree oven for 4 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 4.
  • Remove from the tray and allow to cool for 1 minute, then gently rub one side with the sliced garlic.
  • Top the toast with goat cheese or cream cheese and that tapenade mixture. Add chopped basil and/or diced tomatoes and season with black pepper, if desired.
    3 large basil leaves, freshly ground black pepper, diced tomatoes, goat cheese or cream cheese

Notes

Serving
The great thing about this tapenade is you can serve it a variety of ways. For a quick make ahead version, you can throw this together up to 2 days ahead, including the crostini. Serve the tapenade in a bowl alongside the crostini and your antipasto plate. Guests can add items from the antipasto like roasted red peppers or cheeses, as desired. This works great for a large group.
For a more polished appetizer (and a smaller party), spread each crostini with about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese, or, if you prefer, cream cheese spread. Put in a 350-degree oven until the cheese is warm – about 3-5 minutes. Top with the tapenade and a bit of basil (chopped as a chiffonade). These would also be tasty with some diced tomato on top to brighten up the flavor.
Please Note: I am not a registered dietitian. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.
Tried this recipe? Pin It for Later!Mention @jugglingactmama or tag #jugglingactmama!

Mr. Juggling Act is Italian through and through (well, and an eighth Irish, but for this post, let’s just go with Italian, ok?)  His grandparents were first generation Americans.  His family loves Italian food.  As mere teens when we dated, their family functions always opened my eyes to different kinds of foods and traditions.  One of my favorites is their big Christmas Eve feast which includes the traditional red sauce with fish, (plus a regular sauce for those that don’t care for it), cavatelli, lots of meatballs and braciola, all homemade of course.  The sideboard is covered with lots of delicious appetizers – everything from the mandatory antipasto plate to shrimp cocktail.

Mr. Juggling Act’s grandparents are getting older, and the festivities have been scaled back, and are usually held at someone else’s house.  And with our own little family living in another state now, and lots of obligations to see different family members, we aren’t always able to make it Christmas Eve.  This year, I thought I would make something that would remind Mr. Juggling Act of his Italian roots using olives and capers.  I wanted to make something that’s not necessarily what his grandparents make, but deliciously flavorful all the same.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. That looks so good! I totally know what you mean about family, and food traditions we all treasure this time of year! It Looks like you may have just come up with a new one!