This creamy olive dip combines tangy cream cheese, chopped green olives, and a little olive brine for a bold, savory appetizer that's perfect for crackers or fresh veggies.
This olive dip is creamy, delightfully savory, and ridiculously snackable! It's the kind of dip that disappears first at a party.
The base of this creamy dip is smooth cream cheese mixed with sour cream, then loaded with chopped green olives and a splash of olive brine, giving it that bold, tangy flavor.
The texture is thick and spreadable with little pops of salty olives in every bite! We are OBSESSED, and know that you will love it too.
Why You'll Love It:
- Easy appetizer. With just a handful of simple ingredients, this is going to become your new favorite way to use up a jar of olives!
- Versatile. Make the recipe as is, try it with kalamata olives, or blend it in a food processor for a smooth, creamy sandwich spread.
- For true olive lovers. If you love the savory saltiness of olives, you're going to be obsessed with this easy recipe.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Be sure to use brick-style cream cheese, and ensure that it is softened beforehand (this prevents it from forming lumps during mixing). Note: See the recipe card for 3 different ways to soften cream cheese.
- Olives (and olive brine): This recipe uses classic green olives, but Greek green olives, stuffed manzanilla olives, or even black olives work well.
- Sour cream: This combines with the cream cheese to make a soft, scoopable dip with the perfect balance of tanginess and creaminess.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and paprika. Feel free to add some garlic powder too!
- Fresh parsley: Finely chopped for color, texture, and flavor.
- Crackers, chips, pretzels, or veggies (for dipping).
How to Make Green Olive Dip
- Add a brick of softened cream cheese to a medium mixing bowl, along with ½ cup of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of olive brine. Mix on medium speed until smooth and lump-free.
- Finely chop ¾ cup of olives and add them to the cream cheese mixture, along with sriracha, pepper, salt, and fresh chopped parsley.
- Give it a good stir until the dip is smooth and the olives are evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes (if possible) to help develop the flavor.
- After chilling, transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with your favorite crackers, pretzels, chips, or fresh veggies.
What to Serve with Olive Dip
- Crackers (classic, ultra-thin, or charcuterie style)
- Pita chips
- Pretzels
- Bell pepper, carrot, or celery sticks
- Crostini (AKA toasted baguette slices)
- Potato chips
Variations and Substitutions
With black olives: If you prefer, you can swap the green olives in this recipe for black olives or kalamata olives. You could even use ½ cup (or so) of black olive tapenade instead of chopping olives by hand.
Using Greek yogurt: We don't recommend swapping the cream cheese for Greek yogurt (although you can use reduced-fat in place of full fat cream cheese), but you can definitely swap the sour cream for your favorite plain Greek yogurt if you prefer.
Added garlic: If you like a little extra flavor, try adding in finely grated garlic cloves, garlic powder, or a garlic-infused olive oil.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your cream cheese is fully softened. Using cold cream cheese will cause lumps. To get it perfectly smooth, make sure you use one of the softening methods outlined in the recipe.
- Chop the olives finely. To ensure every bite has that signature olive flavor, be sure to chop them finely. I like to use a vegetable chopper with the smallest screen to get uniform pieces.
- Chilling helps flavor. We highly recommend allowing the dip to chill for at LEAST 30 minutes (although several hours is best) to allow the flavors to meld together.
Try This!
Dill pickle dip: Swap the chopped olives for chopped pickles and add a bit of ranch seasoning (or ranch dressing mix) too.
Whipped olive dip: Transfer the full ingredient list to a food processor and blend. It will have a smooth, spreadable consistency perfect for dipping OR for spreading on sandwich bread and crostini.
3 Ways to Soften Cream Cheese
- Room temperature method: Allow the wrapped block of cream cheese to warm at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Sink method: Add the wrapped brick of cream cheese to a ziplock bag, seal it, and submerge it in a sink full of hot water. After 5-10 minutes, it should be soft.
- Microwave method: Unwrap the brick of cream cheese and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Heat for 10-15 seconds at a time, just until soft.
More Dip Recipes:
If you loved this recipe for creamy olive dip, let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card or commenting below! You can also tag me on Instagram @dashfordinner.
Olive Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sour cream good quality, like Daisy, Good Culture, or Gay Lea Gold
- 2 tablespoons green olive brine from a jar of olives
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup green olives chopped (Greek olives are our top pick, but any kind wil do)
- Fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Soften the cream cheese. Allow the cream cheese to warm at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or until soft. Alternatively, you can soften it quickly by placing it in a large ziplock bag (still in its wrapper, but removed from the box), sealing the bag, and submerging it in a sink of warm water for 5-10 minutes. A third option is to microwave the unwrapped cream cheese for 15 seconds at a time until soft and easily depressed with a finger.
- Prepare the base of the dip. Add the softened cream cheese to a medium mixing bowl, along with the sour cream, olive brine, salt, black pepper, and sriracha. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed, or mix the ingredients together with some elbow grease and a silicone spatula.
- Fold in the olives. Add the chopped green olives to the cream cheese mixture, along with the fresh chopped parsley. Fold them in until evenly distributed.
- Taste and adjust. Try the dip alone, and with a cracker. Add extra salt, pepper, or sriracha to taste.
- Chill before serving (if possible). Transfer the dip to a serving bowl. If you're able, cover and allow the dip to chill for about 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers, pretzels, raw veggies, or your favorite dippers.
Notes
Nutrition
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Dorothy Bigelow says
So easy and so good! This is great for last minute parties.