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Marinated Olives with a Red Wine Vinaigrette

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Don’t pay olive bar prices when you can make your own delicious Marinated Olives quickly and inexpensively at home!

Marinated olives with red wine vinaigrette

If you’re looking for a little inspiration for a holiday or special occasion, these Marinated Olives are an easy-to-make “small bite” that will add a little elegance to the appetizer table. 

I’m addicted to salty, briny foods, like pickles and olives. I always have been. I pick salty over sweet the vast majority of the time. Luckily my family has similar taste buds. However, it usually means pickles and olives disappear quickly!

HOW TO MAKE MARINATED OLIVES

Remove your olives from the jar and rinse them. 

Heat the olive oil in your saucepan, add the garlic and cook until the garlic starts to turn golden. 

Olive oil and garlic mixture for marinated olives

Add in the bay leaf, rosemary, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Cook it for about a minute more and then remove from heat. Whisk in the red wine vinegar, and pour the mixture over the olives. 

You can eat the olives with the warm oil and vinegar vinaigrette over the top; however, they will taste even better if you marinate them in the refrigerator overnight! Store them in jars until ready to use. 

Marinated olives served a party

STORING MARINATED OLIVES

Marinated olives with a red wine vinaigrette

You will notice that the olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator. This is normal. Just take them out a little early and let them come to room temperature before you serve them. 

I’ve seen varying suggestions on how long you can store olives, but at the very least you should be able to store them for a couple of weeks, and possibly even longer. I’ve had the batch I just made in the refrigerator now for 3 weeks. The best way to tell if they are still good is to look and smell them…if the smell is off, the flavor or appearance of the olives has changed, or if you see mold, then you should not eat them. 

WAYS TO ENJOY MARINATED OLIVES

In addition to being a great appetizer, you could also enjoy these Marinated Olives for everyday snacking or as an addition to a charcuterie or cheese board. They make a wonderful hostess gift too!

Marinated Olives with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Marinated Olives also make a great addition to salads, sandwiches or you could even make a tapenade from them. I often will add leftover marinated kalamata olives to my Greek Salad.

MORE HOLIDAY SNACK & APPETIZERS

If you’re looking for holiday appetizers to add to your menu, here are a few of my favorites!

Marsala Mushrooms…the sauce on these mushrooms is AMAZING! Honestly, I could just eat the sauce by itself!

Creamy Marsala Mushrooms...the sauce is AMAZING!

Crab Imperial…if you are looking for a simple but elegant appetizer idea, Crab Imperial is perfect! It’s easy to make, but tastes like a chef made it!

Candied Pecans …great to have on hand for snacking, and they make a fabulous hostess gift too!

Marinated Olives with a Red Wine Vinaigrette

Marinated Olives with a Red Wine Vinaigrette

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups olives (I used a mixture of Kalamata and green olives)
  • 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • zest from one lemon
  • dash of red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

Remove olives from jar; rinse.

Heat olive oil in saucepan, add garlic, and cook until garlic starts to turn golden.

Add bay leaf, rosemary, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute or so.

Remove from heat; whisk in red wine vinegar.

Pour over olives.

Enjoy warm or cool.

For best flavor, allow to sit overnight.

They should last at least a couple weeks in the refrigerator and possibly more.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 248mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Post updated on October 24, 2020. I originally posted these Marinated Olives with a red wine vinaigrette in January of 2015. I made them again for a birthday gathering recently and decided to update my post and pictures. 

Marinated Olives with red wine vinaigrette 

Marinated Olives with red wine vinaigrette 

Marinated Olives with red wine vinaigrette 

Marinated Olives with red wine vinaigrette 

Marinated Olives with red wine vinaigrette
Marinated Olives with red wine vinaigrette

Anya

Wednesday 14th of February 2024

This is just what I was looking for! Since the beginning of COVID my partner and I just got used to not going out as much. And with the current price hikes, our dinner and drink tabs don’t go unnoticed. So for valentines dinner tonight I’m recreating all of our favorite dishes from our go-to date restaurant, starting with a bowl of warm olives! This is definitely going in my recipe file. Thank you!

Janelle

Friday 23rd of February 2024

I love what you did for Valentines Day and am so glad we could be a part of it! So much cheaper than going out!

chef mimi

Thursday 4th of February 2021

Goodness, I’ve forgotten about these! When I catered I did this often, using many of the same ingredients like zest and cayenne pepper flakes. So yummy. It doesn’t help that my husband doesn’t eat olives, so I only put them out for company. And that hasn’t been happening!

Athena Fritcher

Sunday 17th of April 2016

I need to try this recipe.

Audrey@That Recipe

Thursday 14th of April 2016

I am appalled at the prices they charge at the olive bar and usually walk right by. Now I can make them at home. Thanks for sharing on Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesdays.

Morgan @ Managing Mommyhood

Wednesday 13th of April 2016

I am so olive obsessed, this is such a great recipe! I can't wait to try it out (and save some $$)!

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