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Our Olive Spread is made with briny green olives and buttery pecans. Perfect for holiday parties – just serve with crackers or crostini!
Holiday parties require olive spread, that’s the law.
Meet Your New Party Bestie.
I’ve basically been hosting parties every single weekend for the past 6 months solely because I want to make and eat dip as often as possible.
If you’ve been invited to my house under the guise of ‘Oh, I’ve missed you, let’s get together and chat!’ it’s all been one big lie. I don’t miss you. I miss dip. You’re just here to help me eat it.
This olive spread has been a favorite of mine for years now, partially because it’s so boldly flavored thanks to the abundance of briny, punchy green olives, but also because I like watching people’s reaction to green olives. People either really love them or really hate them and if you have friends who really love them, they are going to lose it over this olive spread.
Put a small dish of this out on your next charcuterie board or with a veggie tray.
Have leftovers? Spread it between some soft, squishy, white bread for a quick lunch with big flavor.
Ingredient Notes:
Cream Cheese – This rich, creamy spread starts with room temperature, softened cream cheese for easy mixing.
Mayonnaise – It’ll add more creamy texture and savory flavor to the spread. Please don’t use Miracle Whip here as they sweetness won’t pair well with the green olives.
Green Olives – We love the briny, salty flavor of green olives with the cream cheese. The creamy flavor helps cut down on some of the saltiness which makes it a great combination!
Pecans – Some finely diced pecans will add crunchy texture to the spread along with some nutty flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Olive Spread:
Add everything to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer.
Once the mixture is combined, cover and refrigerate for an hour or longer to let the flavors meld. Serve with your favorite crackers.
Leftover Snack Turned Lunch…
If you’re lucky enough to have any leftover olive spread after your big party, go ahead and turn it into lunch! Just slather the olive spread between a couple of slices of bread (we go for the soft, white, squishy, nutritionally questionable white bread here) and dig in.
Helpful Tip!
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You can keep this olive spread stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days in a covered container. It’s best after it has had a bit of time to chill in the fridge so this is a good recipe for making ahead of time!
I would not recommend trying to freeze this recipe. The mayo will separate and the cream cheese may not hold up as well after freezing.
Green Olive & Pecan Spread
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup green olives finely diced
- 1 cup pecans finely diced
Instructions
- Add everything to a mixing bowl and stir together by hand or with an electric mixer until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for one hour before serving to let the flavors meld. You may make this up to 2 days in advance.
- Serve with crackers either cold from the fridge or at room temperature.
Laura King says
Hello Karly, just wanted to thank you for this recipe. I’ve been meaning to write this for quite some time. My family and I have loved this spread since the first time I made it. My oldest and her girls ask for it all the time. I’m making it for a gathering for all of the children and grandchildren tomorrow. I have to double it because there’s 12 of them ?. Thank you from my kitchen to yours, Laura.
Karly says
So glad it’s such a family favorite, Laura! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Lateef says
You are a queen!!!!!!! Thank you sooooooo much!
elizabeth sunshine says
LOVE LOVE LOVE this dip/spread, but i toasted my pecans!! wow!
Sue says
Could the sodium be right . That’s a heart attack .
Karly says
Green olives are very salty and that amount is for the full recipe. Divide by the number of people you plan to serve for a more accurate number. 🙂
Senika @ Foodie Blog Stalker says
I just bought green olives & had no plan for them – now I do!! Going camping this weekend and bringing this along for sure!
Susan says
This dip recipe has been around for many, many years. It is from the Hints from Heloise column, in the newspaper. She routinely runs the recipe every few years.
G Pentecost says
can Miracle Whip be used…not a fan of mayo Thanks
Karly says
I would not use Miracle Whip here, since it would make the spread sweet, but you can try it if you think it sounds good.
Traci-Ann says
Mmmmmmmm this is divine!.. I really love “Tapenade” so I knew I would love this too… I didn’t have pecans so I used walnuts, sprinkled with a little dill on top for color but I would also use paprika or dried parsley. My olives also were stuffed with pimento so a little more color and flavor… I will make this for Christmas this year. Thanks so much for your recipe!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Lauren says
I’m not a fan of olives, I wonder if sun-dried tomatoes could take their place?
What else could I use?
Lauren
Karly says
@Lauren,
I think sun dried tomatoes would be great. I haven’t tried it, but sounds good!
Asima says
Do you use pimento stuffed olives? Or just plain green olives?
Karly says
@Asima,
Yep, pimento stuffed!
Cindy says
Karly, this was the first of your recipes I’ve tried that noone cared for. It sounded so good. Maybe a little better if the nuts were toasted, and I did have to use fat free cream cheese and lite mayo, but it just didn’t work. I’ll always be a loyal follower, though, no worries there!
Karly says
So sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out for you! It’s definitely a strong flavor!
Joanne says
I’m almost glad i don’t live in your house because I would convinced myself I have early onset Alzheimer’s by now. Good thing you’re more relaxed about it than I would be!
I am all about the salty. This = new football distraction food.
Tahnycooks says
I would have to agree with you…..not funny! 😉 Yes, kids are cute and funny I get it, but when you finally settle down for the day on the couch for 10 minutes and grab for that remote and you are forced to get back up?!?!!??!!! Not funny. Hearing her laugh is probably pretty darn cute though….!
This dip looks so creamy good! I love all olives!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
Too funny about your little one! Sneaky!!
I am loving this dip, such a great combo!
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen says
I love it! She’s a little minx! This dip is right up my alley! I love love love anything olives!