Super savory and incredibly easy to make, these marinated olives and feta are an incredibly low lift and delicious appetizer perfect for all of your house parties and get-togethers.
Team them up with some crackers or crusty bread or feature them on a charcuterie board, and you’re sure to get lots of compliments with this crowdpleaser.
I’ve recently been entertaining quite a lot, which means I’m spending much more time in the kitchen now, experimenting with new appetizers.
My garlic butter baked brie and tomato garlic confit have both been super hits, but I really wanted to try something different this time, something with olives. And that’s when I thought of this recipe.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this gluten-free appetizer has to be its flavor. It’s so savory, salty, and tangy, and thanks to the chili flakes, it has a nice bit of spice too.
And of course, the fact that this low-effort appetizer comes together in just 10 minutes- it really makes it perfect for all those days when you don’t want to spend too much time cooking.
Recipe Ingredients
To make the marinated feta and olives, here’s all you’ll need.
Feta cheese: Start off with some good quality feta cheese.
Olives: Choose either black or green olives- whatever you have at hand. I like to use pitted olives.
Olive oil: I would recommend using extra virgin olive oil here for the best flavor, but you could also use regular olive oil if you want to.
Lemon: Zest from fresh lemon brings a beautiful citrusy flavor to this appetizer.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves lend the appetizer that savory, umami deliciousness.
Seasonings: To add some extra flavor, I used some crushed red pepper flakes (for the spice) and a dash of Italian seasoning mix.
Rosemary: This one’s optional, but I also added a couple of sprigs of rosemary because I had it at hand.
See recipe card for quantities.
This Olive Oil imparts light but flavorful notes of spicy pepper and fresh herbs into your dishes. It's great for cooking - it even stands up well to high frying temperatures. Recommended for dipping, creating, dressing and marinades and drizzling over finished dishes.
Substitutions & Variations
- Italian seasoning is just a mix of dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, and other herbs. If you don’t have it, you can just add any of these mixed herbs.
- To lend some extra lemony flavor, you can also add some lemon peel or zest into the mix, or simply use lemon-infused olive oil instead of your regular olive oil.
- Kalamata olives are also a great choice for this recipe. Try using a mix of two or more olives if you want to bring a bit of variation to the dish.
How to Make Greek Marinated Olives and Feta
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make this super easy appetizer.
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add in the rosemary, garlic, and seasonings.
Step 2: Next, add the cubed feta cheese and olives.
Step 3: Let this cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in the lemon zest.
Step 4: Take it off heat, let it cool and serve!
💭Top Tip
If you can, prepare this dish a day ahead of time. This allows the flavors to infuse well and the marinade to taste even better!
How to Store Leftover Marinated Olives
Your leftover marinated olives and feta can be refrigerated and stored for up to 2 weeks.
Remember to transfer them to a clean glass jar or an airtight container and let them cool down and come to room temperature before you pop them in.
Fill these reusable, freezer safe food storage containers with leftovers, batch cooking, or use for canning sauces, jam and fruit. Includes 6 x 1 quart ( 4 cup ) clear containers with 6 green lids
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Don’t have the fresh garlic that the recipe calls for? Use some garlic powder or garlic granules instead. For extra flavor, you can also use some homemade garlic bread seasoning.
- If you can get your hands on them, use Castelvetrano olives, which are known for their buttery flavor and texture.
- To add an extra bit of flavor to this absolutely delicious appetizer, add a dash of balsamic vinegar into the mix after you take it off heat.
- You can also add roasted bell peppers, oven-dried tomatoes, capers, and your favorite herbs into the mix to give it a unique twist.
How to Serve Marinated Olives and Feta
While you can always enjoy this Greek-style marinated olive appetizer on its own, I would recommend pairing it with some pita bread.
Your leftovers can be tossed into a simple pasta salad or used as a filling for wraps and sandwiches along with your favorite meats. I also love serving this (and sometimes my molasses-marinated olives) as a side with my favorite Mediterranean Sumac chicken.
Recipe FAQs
Crumbled feta cheese might end up mixing together with the olive oil. To tackle this, you can blend the cheese until it becomes nice and smooth, and then top it with the marinated olives and serve it as you would.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Marinated Olives and Feta
Ingredients
- 1 cup feta cheese cubed
- 1 cup olives pitted
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2-3 garlic
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add in the rosemary, garlic, and seasonings.
- Next, add the cubed feta cheese and olives.
- Let this cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in the lemon zest.
- Take it off heat, let it cool and serve!
