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This fried olives recipe delivers crispy, battered olives stuffed with blue cheese and served hot with a creamy olive dip. It works well for parties and cocktail nights, bringing a dirty martini-style flavor profile.
About the Taste
Lately I’ve been obsessed with turning the mouthwatering dirty martini flavor into appetizers. I’ve done the dip and you guys went nuts.Now, I’m deep-frying it and let me tell you – this one does not disappoint. The outside is crispy and the inside hides the soft warm blue cheese and the briny olive bite. They are perfect as is, but you know how I like my balance, and this sauce is creamy and savory with the blue cheese mixed in. You can even use it as a chip dip, if there is any leftovers which, probably won’t happen.
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Table of Contents
Prep the Ingredients
The Olive Dip
Cream Cheese | Labne | Blue Cheese | Olive Brine | Vodka | Chives | Parsley | Lemon Zest | White Pepper | Garlic Powder | Onion Powder | Kosher Salt
The olive dip can be fully prepared ahead. Blend until smooth, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. The dip should be cold, thick, and fully set before starting, not loose or freshly blended.
The Stuffed Olives
Castelvetrano Olives | Blue Cheese | Olive Brine
Drain the olives and reserve the olive brine before starting. Stuff the olives with blue cheese, then store them covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
The Batter
All Purpose Flour | Potato Starch | White Pepper | Garlic Powder | Onion Powder | Smoked Paprika | MSG | Kosher Salt
You can mix all the dry batter ingredients ahead, just cover and keep it at room temperature for several hours. The mixture should be fully combined, ready to be hydrated just before frying. Do not add liquids in advance.
The Toppings
Chives | Lemon
Wash and dry the chives, then finely chop and refrigerate until needed. Zest half of the lemon and refrigerate the zest separately. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and store covered in the refrigerator.
Ingredient Swaps
- Castelvetrano Olives: Other large green olives work, but they should be firm and mild. Avoid very soft or aggressively brined olives, which can collapse when stuffed or turn overly salty once fried.
- Blue Cheese: Gorgonzola works well here and melts similarly, though it’s slightly milder. Roquefort is sharper and saltier, so expect a more intense filling.
- Labne: Full-fat Greek yogurt is a good substitute, but the dip will be looser and slightly tangier. If using yogurt, give it extra chill time so it thickens properly.
- Cream Cheese: You can use mascarpone in place of cream cheese for a softer, richer dip, though it will be less tangy and slightly more delicate.
- Potato Starch: Cornstarch can replace potato starch in the batter. The coating will be a little less crisp but still fries okay.
Similar Recipes
- Stuffed Olives with Boursin Cheese: Creamy Boursin cheese that you wrap around buttery Castelvetrano olives, then coated with crispy shallots and sesame seeds and served with a warm fig honey sauce for dipping, making these savory olive bites.
- Blue Cheese Olive Dip: A tangy and briny olive dip with whipped blue cheese and cream cheese that’s make-ahead friendly and pairs with crackers, veggies, or toasted bread, bringing olive appetizer energy to a spread without frying.
- Mediterranean Labneh Dip with Olives and Caviar: This creamy, bright labneh dip accented with olive brine, lemon, and topped with Castelvetrano olives and caviar creates a Mediterranean-style olive appetizer you can pipe or spoon alongside chips or flatbread.
Nadia’s Tips
- Chilling the stuffed olives before they ever hit the oil isn’t optional. When the filling is cold, the batter has a chance to crisp up around the olive before the cheese inside softens. If you skip this and go straight to frying, cheese will push through weak spots, and you’ll end up with little leaks.
- Get your oil temperature dialed in before you start dropping anything. If the oil is too cool, the batter will soak up oil and become greasy instead of crisp. Too hot and the coating browns too fast, which can leave the inside underdone and ruin the texture.
- Don’t crowd the pot. Adding too many olives at once drops the oil temperature, and once that happens the whole batch ends up heavy and soggy. Fry in small batches so the oil recovers quickly between drops.
- Mix the batter until it’s just combined. Over-mixing activates gluten and gives you a dense, rubbery coating instead of a light, crisp one.
- When you finish frying, rest the olives somewhere with airflow, like a wire rack, rather than on a flat pile of paper towels. Steam trapped under a pile will soften the crisp crust you just worked to create, so elevate if you can.
- Here is the link if you are looking for the olive cocktail picks that I used.
The Perfect Pairings
Dirty Milky Lemon Martini: A citrus-bright take on a dirty martini with lemon vodka and olive brine that plays off the briny, savory character of the olives and sets up the menu with a deliciously briny start.
Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs: Juicy roasted chicken thighs marinated with yogurt, caper brine, lemon zest, and za’atar, the bright citrus and savory brine play nicely after olive and blue cheese bites.
Crispy Herb Potatoes: Golden, crispy roasted potatoes that are ideal for scooping up the lemon caper sauce from the chicken, adding some crunch to the plate.
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta: A silky panna cotta finished with vibrant passion fruit that brings a fruity, subtly tangy finish to the meal.
Fried Olives FAQ
Chilling the stuffed olives before frying is key. Starting cold slows how fast the cheese melts, which gives the batter time to set and seal before the filling softens.
Aim for about 350°F (175°C). If the oil is cooler, the batter absorbs oil and turns greasy. If it’s hotter, the coating browns too fast before the olives heat through.
This usually happens when the oil temperature drops. Overcrowding the pot or letting battered olives sit too long before frying can both cause this.
No. A deep, heavy pot works just as well. What matters is having enough oil depth to keep the temperature steady while frying.
You can prep the dip and stuff the olives ahead, but frying should happen right before serving. Once cooled, the coating softens and loses its crisp texture.
They can be reheated, but the coating will not return to the same crispness. These are at their best freshly fried.
Equipment
- Small spoon, or piping bag
- paper towels
- Medium mixing bowl
- Deep heavy pot, or deep fryer
- thermometer
- slotted spoon
- olive cocktail picks, optional
Ingredients
The Olive Dip
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz labne
- 2 tbsp olive brine
- 1 tbsp vodka
- 3 tbsp blue cheese
- 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 pinch kosher salt
The Stuffed Olives
- 1 jar castelvetrano olives, pitted, 8 oz
- blue cheese, for stuffing
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
The Batter and Frying
- Avocado oil, for frying
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup potato starch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp MSG
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ white pepper
- 2 tbsp vodka
- ⅔ cup cold sparkling water
For Topping
- 1 lemon, zest ½, cut the other ½ into wedges
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- chives, finely chopped, to taste
- blue cheese chunks, to taste
Instructions
- Make the Olive Dip: Add the cream cheese, labne, olive brine, vodka, blue cheese, chives, parsley, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon zest, and salt to a food processor. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up.4 oz cream cheese, 4 oz labne, 2 tbsp olive brine, 1 tbsp vodka, 3 tbsp blue cheese, 2 tbsp chives, 2 tbsp parsley, ½ tsp white pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, 1 lemon, 1 pinch kosher salt
- Stuff and Chill the Olives: Stuff each olive generously with blue cheese. Pat the olives very dry with paper towels, then place them on a paper towel lined plate and freeze for 10 to 12 minutes.1 jar castelvetrano olives, blue cheese
- Heat the Oil: Heat avocado oil in a deep pot or fryer to 350°F (175°C).Avocado oil
- Make the Batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, MSG, white pepper and salt. Add the vodka and sparkling water and mix just until combined. The batter should be thick enough to coat but still fluid. If needed, add additional sparkling water in ½ tbsp increments.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup potato starch, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp MSG, ¼ tsp kosher salt, ½ white pepper, 2 tbsp vodka, ⅔ cup cold sparkling water
- Fry the Olives: Lightly dust the chilled olives with 1 tsp flour. Dip each olive into the batter, letting excess drip off, then carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.1 tsp all-purpose flour
- Finish and Serve: Skewer your fried olives and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper, chives, and lemon zest. Add some blue cheese chunks to the top of the chilled olive dip and serve with a few lemon wedges on the side.1 lemon, fresh ground black pepper, chives, blue cheese chunks
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
