Simple & Flavorful Olive Salad Recipe
An Italian-inspired olive salad recipe with with a perfect blend of briny olives, crisp celery, zesty lemon, and savory garlic. This 10 minute, six ingredient recipe is wonderful as a topping for a lettuce salad, inside a sandwich, or adding flavor to bowls with cottage cheese, whipped feta, or hummus.
I found the original recipe for this olive salad in an old church cookbook from the 1970s so I’m not sure how authentically Mediterranean this is, but I can say it’s a super delicious addition to salads, sandwiches, and bowls!
And while it has celery (and onion if you’d like), this is all about the olives, so olive lovers will rejoice in the flavor from both black and green olives.
This is a salad, however, where you can highlight any type of olive you like – it’s good with Kalamata olives and large green olives stuffed with jalapeños or garlic.
I’ve kept it very simple – only 5 to 6 ingredients – but it’s also a recipe where you can easily add other veggies (think chopped sweet peppers or halved grape tomatoes) as well as chopped fresh herbs.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this olive salad:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Olives: The salad is just as good with the basic black and green olives shown as well as different types of olives like Kalamata or stuffed green olives.
- Lemon juice: This adds a nice, bright flavor. You can also try a different version with balsamic or red wine vinegar.
- Vegetables: I’ve used celery and sweet onion for crunch and flavor – you can also use chopped sweet peppers, cucumbers, or tomatoes.
How to Make Olive Salad
This is one of those super simple recipes that are great to have on hand!
Chop the olives and vegetables and add to a bowl. Mix together some olive oil and lemon juice, pour over the olive mixture and toss well.
Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed and then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight for the flavors to combine.
Storage
Store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Jami’s Tip
This is a great make ahead recipe since it gets better as it sits! If you portion this into the bottom of mason jars and top with cooked chicken and lettuce you’ve got lunches set for 4-5 days. Simply pour out the contents into a bowl and dig in!
Serving Ideas
- Quick salad topping for lettuce or spinach.
- Spooning inside a traditional muffuletta-type sandwich or a pita bread sandwich.
- Top a bowl of cottage cheese.
- Top a bowl of whipped feta.
- Top a layer of hummus and serve with pita bread as a dip.
I hope you enjoy this olive salad recipe – if you make it, be sure to leave a rating and review so I know how you liked it!
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Simple & Flavorful Olive Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounce can (6-oz) pitted ripe black olives, drained and roughly chopped
- 6 ounce jar (6-oz) stuffed green olives, drained and roughly chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 1/2 small sweet onion, chopped (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the chopped olives, celery, onions (if using) and garlic.
- In a small container whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice – pour over the olive mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
- Quick salad topping lettuce or spinach.
- Spooning inside a traditional muffuletta-type sandwich or a pita bread sandwich.
- Top a bowl of cottage cheese.
- Top a bowl of whipped feta for a dip.
- Top a layer of hummus and serve with pita bread as a dip.
Nutrition
More Easy Salads to Try
- Authentic Greek Salad Tips & Recipe
- Quick & Easy Chef’s Salad Recipe
- Refreshing Celery Salad with Onions & Parmesan
