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Kalamata Olive Dip Recipe

4.9 from 141 reviews

This creamy and tangy Kalamata Olive Dip is a flavorful appetizer perfect for parties or casual snacking. Made with pitted Kalamata olives, cream cheese, garlic powder, dried onion, and olive brine, this easy-to-make dip delivers robust Mediterranean flavors in just minutes using a food processor. Serve it with pita chips or crackers for an irresistible start to any gathering.

Ingredients

Scale

Dip Ingredients

  • 250 grams (8.8 oz) Kalamata olives, pitted and drained (reserve some brine, do not rinse)
  • 250 grams (8.8 oz) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 tbsp olive brine (reserved from olives)
  • 1 tbsp dried onion
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

To Serve

  • Pita chips or crackers

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop olives: Place the pitted Kalamata olives into the bowl of a food processor and pulse for about 5 seconds just to roughly chop them. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even chopping.
  2. Combine ingredients: Add softened cream cheese, garlic powder, dried onion, and reserved olive brine to the chopped olives in the food processor. Pulse for 5 seconds, scrape down the bowl sides again, then pulse a final time until well combined but still slightly chunky for texture.
  3. Serve the dip: Transfer the dip into a serving bowl using a spatula. Place a cheese knife with the dip and arrange pita chips or crackers around the bowl for spreading and dipping.

Notes

  • Kalamata Olives: Use a full 250 gram jar of Kalamata olives, drained but not rinsed. Reserve some of the olive brine to add flavor to the dip.
  • Cream Cheese: Use cream cheese at room temperature for easier blending and a smooth texture.
  • Dried Onion: This ingredient adds a full onion flavor and is found in the herbs and spices section. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon onion powder if preferred.
  • Mixing Alternative: If you don’t have a food processor, you can roughly hand chop the olives and mix all ingredients by hand after softening the cream cheese.

Keywords: greek olive dip, kalamata olive dip, olive dip recipe, easy appetizer, creamy olive dip