Green olive fans, this one's for you! A super creamy dip that highlights the briny, salty olive! This Easy Green Olive Dip uses cream cheese and olives to create an umami-forward dip that's perfect paired with crackers, pita chips, and fresh veggies.
This Easy Green Olive Dip makes one fantastic party appetizer. Just whip up a batch 4-24 hours before you plan on serving it for a simple, delicious dip that's perfect for most any party occasion. Plus you can serve it with nearly anything, from good old crackers and potato chips to fresh carrot and celery sticks. It's great served along with my Al Pastor Little Smokies or Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms for your next party!
This Olive Dip recipe relies on a cream cheese and sour cream or mayo base to create one cool and creamy dip. The inclusion of a few extra ingredients really makes this recipe pop while keeping the focus on the star ingredient - delicious and salty green olives.
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Why You Will Love This Olive Dip Recipe
- Perfect for Parties! You can make it ahead of time to keep prep minimal closer to your party time. Dips are also great for groups and easy to double or even triple.
- An Olive Lover's Dream. The focus is all on the briny salty flavors of olives.
- So Simple. All you need are SEVEN simple ingredients and about five minutes to whip up this dreamy dip.
Love olives? You've got to try this Black Olive Tapenade next!
Ingredients
To make this Easy Green Olive Dip recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- cream cheese - cream cheese is the base of this creamy olive dip; I usually opt for full fat, but a lower fat cream cheese works well too.
- sour cream (or mayonnaise) - I like the tang of sour cream, but mayonnaise lends creaminess. Use whichever you prefer.
- green olives with pimentos - The pimentos give a fun little pops of color in this dip.
- smoked cheddar cheese - I loved a smoked cheddar here because that subtle hint of smokiness is so welcome in this savory dip.
- onion and garlic powders - The flavors of onion and garlic just belong in this olive dip.
- Worcestershire sauce - The sauce can be optional if you're not a fan of the flavor, but it just adds an extra little touch of umami.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!
Note: A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce adds a boost of umami to this dip. You might also consider adding red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice instead of Worcestershire for an acidic punch.
And, of course, feel free to add salt and/or pepper to this olive dip recipe as desired. I am a salt fiend and find I don't need to add salt to this olive dip recipe; I think the olives really bring the salt in this olive dip recipe. But please do season to suit your tastes.
Substitutions
If you need or want to make a couple of substitutions to this olive dip recipe, here are a few to get you started.
- Cream cheese - My recipe calls for full-fat cream cheese, but you can opt for low-fat.
- Sour cream or mayonnaise - This olive dip recipe is successful with either the use of sour cream or mayo so choose your poison. I'm partial to the tang sour cream offers.
- Green olives with pimentos - Of course you can use green olives without pimentos if you'd prefer. If you happen to also love black olives, try an olive dip with a 50/50 mix of green and black olives.
- Smoked cheddar cheese - I love mozzarella cheese here too, as well as pepper jack.
- Seasonings - I keep it simple with onion and garlic powders, but you have many great options here, from fresh herbs like oregano and basil to adding in some smoked paprika to adding a few dashes of hot sauce to grabbing a pre-made mix. Check out Variations for more seasoning ideas.
- Worcestershire sauce - You could also sub in soy sauce or just use an equivalent amount of olive juice to add that salty umami punch.
Olive Dip Variations
- Olive feta dip - Replace (some or all) the shredded cheese with crumbled feta; since feta is a salty cheese, I would start by adding ¼ cup, then increase from there to suit your tastes.
- Olive dip with pecans - I will admit that adding crushed pecans (or walnuts) to this olive dip recipe is a great way to add some delightful texture. Just add ¼ cup or so to the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Note: You may need to add a splash or two of olive juice to maintain a properly creamy consistency when adding pecans or walnuts.
- Olive dip with Italian or Mediterranean seasoning - A tablespoon of an Italian or Mediterranean seasoning blend is a great way to elevate this olive dip recipe.
- Olive dip that brings the heat (spicy olive dip) - Add a fresh or pickled jalapeno pepper or a few dashes of cayenne pepper or a hot sauce of your choosing for an olive dip that spices things up.
How to Make Green Olive Dip - Directions
Strain the olives, reserving the liquid for another use (or to thin the dip to the desired consistency). Grab your food processor -- personally, I like this 10-cup Cuisinart food processor!
- Place the olives, cream cheese, sour cream (or mayonnaise), shredded cheese, onion powder, and garlic powder into a food processor.
- Process initially for 15-20 seconds, or until the desired smoothness is achieved, scraping down the sides as needed. The dip can be smooth or a little chunkier, depending on your preference.
- Taste test the dip; I do this before adding in Worcestershire sauce. Add in Worcestershire sauce and process for 3-5 seconds. Adjust the consistency with the preserved olive juice, if necessary.
- Transfer the olive dip to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to let the flavors meld. Serve with crackers, potato chips, pita chips, or fresh veggies.
Garnish with whole or sliced olives, green onions, or parsley.
Top Tips for the BEST Green Olive Dip
Chill before serving. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, so it has time to chill and give the flavors time to meld.
Save the olive juice. I'm partial to the consistency of this olive dip, but if you'd like it a little thinner, adding a splash of olive juice is the perfect thing to add! Just splash a little olive juice in and stir, repeat until it reaches the desired consistency.
Storage
Store Olive Dip in a lidded container in the refrigerator until ready to use. For best results, use within 5-7 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Freezing olive dip is a nice thought, but I don't recommend it. Freezing foods that consist largely of cream cheese don't freeze well; the texture gets weird when thawed.
Of course! You could easily swap in black olives or kalamata olives, or do a mix of more than one type of olive. Each ingredient in this olive dip is well suited to other types of olives besides green.
You can most certainly make this olive dip recipe in advance; I recommend making it a minimum of 4 hours but ideally 24 hours before serving.
Crackers, potato chips, pita chips, crostini, and fresh veggies (carrots, cucumber, celery, etc.) are all fantastic with homemade olive dip.
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If you tried this Green Olive Dip recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!
Easy Green Olive Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package package cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup sour cream (or mayonnaise)
- 1 9-ounce jar green olives with pimentos
- 1 cup smoked cheddar cheese (shredded)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Strain the olives, reserving the liquid for another use (or to thin the dip to the desired consistency).1 9-ounce jar green olives with pimentos
- Place the olives, cream cheese, sour cream (or mayonnaise), shredded cheese, onion powder, and garlic powder into a food processor.1 8-ounce package package cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 9-ounce jar green olives with pimentos, 1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon onion powder , ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Process initially for 15-20 seconds, or until the desired smoothness is achieved, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste test the dip; I like to do this before adding in Worcestershire sauce. The dip can be perfectly smooth or a little chunkier, depending on your preference.
- Add in Worcestershire sauce and process for 3-5 seconds. Adjust the consistency with the preserved olive juice, if necessary.1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- Transfer the olive dip to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to let the flavors meld.
- Serve with crackers, potato chips, pita chips, or fresh veggies. Garnish with whole or sliced olives, green onions, or parsley.
Holly says
Yummy! I love olives! I used sour cream instead of mayo too. I love it 💚