These stuffed olives are a simple and impressive appetizer – filled with garlic and herb cheese and marinated in a flavorful garlic and herb olive oil. Watch the video tutorial and see how they are to make.
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We love elevated appetizers like Bruschetta, Crispy Egg Rolls, and Spinach Artichoke Dip, which are delicious and approachable. If you want to impress your guests with a flavorful spread, add these Stuffed Olives to the menu for your next dinner party!
Stuffed Olives Video
I’ll walk you through the simple steps to create delicious and flavorful homemade stuffed olives—you’ll never reach for those store-bought ones again!
Stuffed Olives Recipe
Stuffed Olives are the ultimate no-bake appetizer—quick to make (especially when using Boursin cheese), yet fancy enough for any occasion. Plus, you can prepare them days ahead and store them in the refrigerator—if you can resist sneaking a few before the big event!
The inspiration for these Stuffed Olives came from a food blogging retreat. The caterer, Lena whipped up some Boursin Cheese stuffed olives. Lena is truly a genius in the kitchen – so creative, and I loved everything she made. When I brought these stuffed olives to a family dinner, they were an instant hit and disappeared in no time.
Ingredients for Boursin Stuffed Olives
The key to making great stuffed olives is using large, pitted olives that are easy to fill and marinating them in a flavorful garlic and herb olive oil for added flavor.
- Castelvetrano olives -these are large green olives. They provide a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a firm texture, making them perfect for stuffing.
- Extra virgin olive oil – the base of the herb marinade, will infuse the olives with all of the wonderful flavors.
- Garlic cloves – Infuse the olive oil with a fragrant flavor that complements the richness of the olives and cheese.
- Dried herbs – Use parsley, thyme, and rosemary to bring aromatic flavors to the olive oil marinade. You can substitute with fresh herbs, but using dried is easy and inexpensive.
- Red chili flakes – Add a subtle kick of heat and spice.
- Salt – Enhances and brings out the natural flavors of the olives, garlic, and cheese.
- Boursin cheese – My favorite is the garlic and herb version (I buy them at Costco), but you can use any variety or make your own garlic and herb cream cheese from our Avocado Canapés. Goat cheese or feta cheese would also be great alternatives.
Which Olives Do I Buy?
Large pitted olives work best because they’re much easier to stuff. If your olives are smaller, it can be tricky to get the filling inside. I found the best price at Costco. While the olives are already pre-stuffed (with a less desirable garlic and jalapeño blend), it literally takes an extra 3 minutes to remove the filling using a skewer or chopstick.
How to Make Stuffed Olives
- Prepare the Cheese Mixture – In a small saucepan, add olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Set it over medium heat, and once it starts to sizzle, simmer for 1 minute, swirling the pan until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant. Take it off the heat and season with salt then set aside to cool.
- Pit the Olives – If your olives aren’t already pitted, use an olive pitter or cherry pitter. If they are stuffed with something else (like the Costco ones), you can push out the stuffing with a skewer or chopstick.
- Stuff the Olives – Mash the Boursin cheese with a fork and transfer it to a piping bag or large zip-top bag. Snip off the corner just large enough to fit inside the olive, and pipe the cheese into the olives. The cheese will pipe easier if it’s at room temperature. Set the stuffed olives into a quart-sized jar (you can use the same jar the olives came in).
- Marinate – Pour the cooled olive oil mixture over the stuffed olives. Cover tightly and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week.
- Serve the Olives – To serve, set the olives on a platter or a serving bowl, drizzle over the olive oil mixture from the jar, and serve with toothpicks.
Make-Ahead
Stuffed Olives make a fantastic snack or appetizer that’s delicious and easy to prepare in advance so you can enjoy more time mingling with your guests instead of being tied to the kitchen.
- To Refrigerate: After cooling, transfer the olives and marinade back into a jar—feel free to reuse the original jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week.
- To Serve: If the olive oil hardens, leave at room temperature for 30 minutes until the oil liquefies, then turn the jar to coat evenly in the marinade.
I hope you try this easy Stuffed Olives recipe. It’s a crowd-pleaser (it’s hard for me to stop eating these!). They bring great flavors and effortless elegance to any occasion!
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
If you love these Stuffed Olives, you’ll love these exciting holiday-worthy appetizers that are perfect for any party.
- Manchego Cheese Bites
- Stuffed Dates
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Tomato Goat Cheese Crostini
- Cheese Ball
- Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Charcuterie
- Salmon Cakes
Stuffed Olives Recipe
Ingredients
- 35 oz Castelvetrano olives, pitted, drained (about 45 count large green olives)
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried parsley leaves
- ¼ tsp to ½ tsp red chili flakes*, or added to taste
- ¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp dried rosemary
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 5.3 oz Garlic and Herb Boursin cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add olive oil, garlic cloves, and dried herbs. Set it over medium heat, and once it starts to sizzle, let it simmer for 1 minute, swirling the mixture until the garlic becomes fragrant and sizzling. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Set aside to cool.
- Drain the olives and use an olive pitter or cherry pitter if they are not already pitted. If they are stuffed with something else, you can remove the stuffing using a skewer or chopstick.
- Mash the Boursin cheese with a fork and transfer it to a piping bag or large zip-top bag. Snip off the corner just large enough to fit into the opening of the olive, and pipe the cheese into the olives, filling them from the bottom to the top. Set the stuffed olives into a quart-sized jar (you can use the same jar the olives came in).
- Once all the olives are in, pour the cooled olive oil mixture over the olives. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week. Turn the jar a few times before serving to ensure the olives are evenly coated in oil and herbs. If the olive oil firms up, let the mixture come to room temperature before serving.
- To serve, set the olives on a platter in a single layer, drizzle over the olive oil mixture from the jar, and serve with toothpicks.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
the 3/4 olive oil is not enough oil to cover one jar !!!!???
Hi Diane, these don’t need to be submerged in oil, just coated, otherwise it’s kind of a waste of oil.
This recipe was awesome! I had so many compliments on it. I found the flavors were even better after a day of marinating. Thank you for the recipe!
I use your recipes almost exclusively. They always come out perfectly.
I attribute that to your very concise explanations on how to make the recipes, the tips are invaluable. I will be attempting sour sourdough next. You are the Betty Crockett of today.
All new brides should put your cookbook on their registry.
Also ,it’s great for elderly like me, to make sure they don’t forget an ingredient.
I am now interested in making cheese. Have you tried this yet? It is incredibly easy. If you have I would love the recipe! Happy Holidays to you and your lovely family.🥰
Hi Jane! You are so sweet. Thank you. Have you seen my Farmers cheese recipe yet?
Can I use regular large green olives, if I don’t care for the olives in the recipe?
Hi Laurie, I always recommend making it as written the first time around and then changing it up by preference, but that should work!
Thank you so much, Natasha, for this delicious snack/appetizer! It happens that I have all the ingredients for this super simple and easy recipe in my kitchen (especially Boursin – authentic French soft cream cheese!!!). Our Italian friends offered us a huge jar of large green olives (Bella di Cerignola in Italian). They are already pitted. For a while I kept wondering how I could use them… And here you are!!!💖 Well, I can’t even keep them in the fridge!! Already gone!!! I have to make them again tomorrow!
I’m so glad they were a hit, Karine! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!