Easy Citrus Herb Marinated Olives (2024)

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4.67

5 minutes minutes

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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 05/28/2017

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Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives are bathed in a mouthwatering citrus and herb marinade, and are ready for snacking, or gracing your cheese platter!

Whether you’re snacking, setting out a beautiful cheese platter, or serving a fun appetizer at a party, these citrus herb marinated olives are an ultra-easy recipe that will “wow” everyone!

Are you an olive fan? I love the briny saltiness they have! One of my new favorite appetizers is this Citrus and Herb Marinated Olives. It’s super easy to make, and is sure to please a crowd!

There are plenty of marinated olive recipes out there, but this one differs in the way that it combines citrus zest and juice, fresh herbs, garlic and red pepper flakes for a little bit of heat!

I like to use a mixture of Kalamata olives and Castelvetrano green olives, because the colors contrast beautifully, but feel free to switch it up to any olive combination you’d like.

The only variation I would stay away from are the olives that are stuffed with something… like a blue cheese stuffed olive, or something similar. You’ve already added a lot of flavor from the marinade, so you don’t need the extra stuffing.

I love to serve these olives with some crusty bread, and possibly even a cheese platter, but they’re also fabulous as-is, with no other fixin’s. They would be awesome to put out a party, with little fancy skewers!

Since we’re using simple ingredients for the marinade, the quality of the olives you use should be pretty high. Use your favorite brand and types of olive!

This recipe makes about 3 cups of olives, and is easily doubled or halved, depending on your needs!

I like to let the olives marinate for about 1-2 days in the refrigerator before serving. Don’t freak out if when they’re marinating, the oil turns a pale yellow color. Olive oil hardens in the cold temperatures, but letting them sit out at room temp for about an hour or so before serving will allow the oil to return to the liquid state.

I hope you all give these Citrus and Herb Marinated Olives a try soon… they’ll be a great addition to any party!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Easy Citrus Herb Marinated Olives

4.67 from 3 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Calories: 265

Servings: 8 servings

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Kalamata and Casteltravano marinated olives are bathed in mouthwatering citrus and herb flavors, and are ready for snacking, or gracing your cheese platter!

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups Castelvetrano green olives (any other green olives will work as well)
▢ 2 cups Kalamata olives
▢ 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
▢ 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
▢ 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
▢ 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed (or roughly chopped)
▢ 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
▢ 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
▢ 2 tsp lemon zest
▢ 2 tsp orange zest
▢ 1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except olives in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake bag to make the marinade.
Open bag, add olives, seal bag, and massage to coat olives in the marinade.
Place bag in the refrigerator and let sit for 1-2 days. Turn bag to re-coat olives occasionally.
Before serving, let olives sit at room temperature for around an hour.

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Chef Tips

Use any combination of olives you'd prefer

Recipe contributed by me to Real Housemoms and syndicated here

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Reader Interactions

Amber says
Posted on 9/10 at 12:53 am
Making these again for the appetizers table at our Witches Ball this year. They are easy, make ahead and really good.
Reply
Amber says
Posted on 10/24 at 1:40 am
I’m not an olive fan, except for the black ones you stick on your fingers. But for our dinner party I splurged on the good ones and made your marinade… I loved these! And all my olive fans obviously did. Thank you.
Reply
Scott says
Posted on 9/12 at 6:59 pm
These and roasted garlic almonds are staples whenever having guests. They are practically inhaled. I’ll rotate a different cooked or more complex hors d’oeuvre to always serve three options, but if you’re coming to our place you can count on having these every time.
Reply
Chuck says
Posted on 2/5 at 11:10 am
What wine would you pair with this recipe?
Reply
- The Chunky Chef says
  Posted on 2/5 at 9:32 pm
  I would try a Pinot Grigio 🙂
  Reply
Lorrie says
Posted on 9/4 at 5:31 pm
Hi Amanda, I’m a huge olive fan & these look & sound amazing. I usually get my olives at Whole Foods or Fresh Market at their olive bar. They are usually marinaded so, do I drain them before using your marinade? I can’t wait to try them. I’ll let you know when I do. I pinned your Family Mac n Cheese…Can’t wait to make that also. We are waiting for our new home to be complete & I can’t wait to start cooking with my own pots & utensils. Should be about three more weeks. Meantime we are living in our friends home…I really miss having my own kitchen…Soon.
Lorrie
Reply
- Scott says
  Posted on 9/12 at 7:08 pm
  Costco jarred olives are great for this. Something already marinated would change the taste and this recipe is so fresh and simple as is.
  Reply