Easy Tuscan Olive Puree Recipe

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In just a few minutes you can whip together this savory Tuscan olive puree dip. It’s perfect on a garlic toastie, but you’re going to want to eat it up with a spoon. I’d say it makes a great starter for any meal, but if you start with this dip you may not actually get to the meal. It’s just so good!

Tuscan olive puree dip served on garlic bread toastie

Now let’s get right to the good stuff…

how to make Tuscan Olive Puree dip

INGREDIENTS:

Gather your ingredients and get ready to make this amazing dip, good enough to eat as a meal. This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • 1 ½ cups mix of kalamata and green olives
  • 4 oz cream cheese-softened
  • 4 sundried tomatoes (oil packed)
  • 1 Tbsp capers
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • ½ Lemon
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp basil paste
  • Optional: Feta cheese
  • Coarse salt to taste

ingredient information:

  • Kalamata olives: These olives are large and dark in color and add such a rich flavor to any dish.
  • Green olives: For this recipe, we chose large pitted green olives, but you can choose your favorite.
  • Olive oil: We favor using extra virgin olive oil in our recipes for its rich flavor. This ingredient is a staple in Mediterranean food. It is high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants that reduce inflammation and is often used as a substitute for butter in cooking.
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic is always best, but you can also use pre-minced garlic from a jar or even garlic paste if you don’t want to take the extra time for chopping.
  • Cream cheese: We prefer using Philadelphia brand cream cheese for this dip, though any brand will work. If you haven’t had a chance to leave it out to soften, just pop it in the microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds.
  • Basil paste: Of course, you can use fresh basil instead of basil paste. We just like the intense burst of flavor and convenience of using the basil paste instead.
  • Capers: I personally think that capers make everything just a little bit better. That’s why we saved a few to garnish the top of this puree so that you get a little explosion of flavor in each bite. They are briny and pungent and a staple in Mediterranean dishes.
  • Sundried tomatoes: This ingredient adds so much flavor to any dish. Start with the amount in the recipe, but you can increase the number (even doubling it) if this taste is your vibe.

instructions:

Stick around to the end, and I’ll tell you how to toast your rye bread for serving.

  1. In a blender or small food processor, add the olives, sundried tomatoes, capers, garlic clove, cream cheese and basil paste.
  2. Begin to blend.
  3. Squeeze in the juice of ½ lemon and 2 Tbsp olive oil.
  4. Continue to blend in food processor until smooth.
  5. Transfer the puree to a serving dish.
  6. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top.
  7. Optional: Add some crumbled feta.
  8. Add a pinch of coarse salt to the top.
  9. Optional: Crumble on some feta.
Tuscan olive puree dip served on garlic bread toastie
  • pouring kalamata and green olives into the food processor
  • add garlic to the ingredients in the food processor
  • add sun dried tomatoes to the food processor
  • add cream cheese to the olive puree ingredients in the food processor
  • add extra virgin olive oil to the olive puree ingredients in the food processor
  • blending ingredients in the food processor
  • squeeze lemon into the olive puree ingredients
  • blending ingredients in the food processor
  • transferring the olive puree from food processor to serving dish
  • adding olive oil to the olive puree as a garnish
  • garnish the olive puree with capers
  • Tuscan olive puree dip served on garlic bread toastie

my recipe tips

  • Adjust the color: To be honest, after the food processor did it’s work, I wasn’t thrilled with the color of this puree. I think that it would have been better to choose all green olives instead of adding the kalamatas so that it ended up with a beautiful green color. The taste will be amazing either way.
  • Toppers: There are lots of options for garnish for this dip. I would always start with a drizzle of olive oil. Then add capers (like we did), additional minced sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles, or

recipe video

🍽️ serving ideas

There are lots of things that you can dip into this delicious olive dip, but our favorite is some toasted crusty garlic bread. I have the perfect recipe that you can check out HERE. You can also just use chunks of rustic bread, crackers, store made toasties, bagel chips, warmed naan bread or even tortilla chips. If you want a healthier version, use celery sticks or baby carrots.

If you’re having a get together with lots of appetizers, this dip recipe is great alongside this roasted tomatoes and burrata dip or this cannoli dip. Then there will be a little something for everyone.

equipment you’ll need

It’s impossible to make this dip without the proper equipment. No amount of chopping will work to pulverize the olives to the extent to turn them into a dip without a food processor. You don’t need anything big and fancy. We grabbed this inexpensive mini food processor and have been so happy with it. This won’t be the last dip that’s made using this little miracle tool. And did I mention that it comes in almost any color you can think of? It’s so darn cute!

do we have a preferred cream cheese brand?

Yes!!! I understand that this is a personal preference, but I always use Philadelphia cream cheese (even though Philly is our sports rival here in Pittsburgh). There’s just something about the taste. That being said, any cream cheese brand will work just fine. So, stick with your favorite brand when making this dip.

Tuscan olive puree dip served on garlic bread toastie

recipe notes

  • Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best results for this super yummy dip.
  • Storage: Keep leftovers (if you even have any) covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 to 6 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dip, as it may affect the texture.
  • Dip prep: You can and should prepare this Tuscan olive puree ahead of time. It gets better and better the longer it’s in the fridge.

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