Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli
A crispy treat with a briny, sweet surprise hidden inside- these fried olives are the perfect finger food for your next gathering. Pair them with a quick and easy garlic aioli for dipping to make an amazing flavor combination.
Growing up I hated cucumbers. Turns out 30 years later, still totally loathe them.
That probably explains there almost total absence on this blog. I mean I’ve got a handful of cucumber recipes because two of the sons like them, and they’re cheap seasonally.
By a few, I mean 6. 6 recipes total that involve cucumbers. I counted.
Actually that seems a little bit sad now that I think about it. Not the counting, my discriminatory policy toward a specific vegetable. I’ll try to do better in the future. The sons’ will thank me, at least half of them anyway. Hopefully a few of you will too.
However I adore pickles. Crazy, right?
All things pickle too. I add them to my tuna salad. I put them on every burger and sandwich, basically only drawing the line at pb&j’s. I even accept them from my kids when they disgustedly strip them from their fast food burgers.
Maybe adore wasn’t a strong enough choice of word.
I love them. So much so that whenever we go out I have to have the fried pickles if they’re on the menu. I will judge you accordingly based on their crispness, type of pickle used, and over all quality.
I never thought I’d crave a fried appetizer more than the classic mozzarella stick. Boy was I wrong.
If we’re having guests for card night or game day. You can bet my spread includes freshly fried pickles still warm from the frying pan.
However, I’ve manage to find a new fried finger food that I love almost as much. One that I enjoy even more than fried pickles in fact.
Fried Olives, specifically Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli.
There’s nothing quite like the briny taste of olives stuffed with plump pimentos, breaded and fried to a crisp finish. It’s the perfect flavor and texture pairing.
These Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli are the most snack-able thing I’ve ever enjoyed.
Ingredients Needed
Like all the best fried party foods, these fried olives have a simple ingredient list. Same with the garlic aioli for dipping.
For the olives you’ll need:
- Olives – Specifically a 5 1/2 ounce jar of small pimento stuffed olives, also known as manzanilla olives
- Bread Crumbs – Panko bread crumbs, not regular, because they yield the crispiest crunch.
- Flour – All purpose
- Egg – A single egg, beaten, for an egg wash.
- Oil – Canola oil, for frying
For the aioli you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise – Regular mayonnaise, NOT miracle whip
- Lemon Juice – Fresh or store bought both work
- Garlic – Minced garlic
- Salt & Pepper – To taste
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients you’re ready to begin!
How To Make
While there is a process to making fried olives, it’s not remotely difficult.
Start by prepping the aioli so it can chill while you make the olives.
Add all of the aioli ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Whisk them together until evenly combined, then cover and refrigerate to chill.
Pour the olives into a strainer and let them drain completely.
Add a couple of inches of oil to a heavy bottomed skillet or pot, fitted with a food grade thermometer for frying. Heat just until the oil reaches 325-350F.
Add both the bread crumbs and flour to separate plates, then crack the egg into a small bowl and give it a good whisk.
Dredge the olives in flour, followed by the egg wash, then transfer them to the panko bread crumbs rolling them around until completely coated.
Working in batches, fry the olives in the hot oil, just until they’re golden brown and crispy. At the correct temperature this will only take a minute.
Carefully remove them using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a waiting paper towel lined plate to drain off the excess oil.
Continue, working in batches, until all the olives have been fried.
Let the olives cool some before digging in as the insides will be hot.
Serve them warm with the chilled aioli for dipping!
Storing
Any completely cooled, leftover fried olives can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
When ready to enjoy again, add them to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes at 350F. You could also air fry them, although they will cook quicker.
Dipping Sauces For Fried Olives
While I highly recommend pairing these with the garlic aioli, other yummy options include:
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
- Marinara Sauce
TIPS & TRICKS
- Always use pitted olives when frying.
- While I recommend using canola oil for frying, peanut oil makes a perfect substitute.
- You don’t have to use a skillet and thermometer to measure your oil. You can use a deep fryer instead if that’s more to your liking.
- Give these a cheesy surprise by using cheese stuffed olives.
Other Easy Fried Appetizer Recipes
Good all by themselves, but dipped into the creamy garlic aioli? There’s no politely stopping at a handful of these irresistible fried olives.
They’re like a savory candy that you just can’t stop eating. Make a batch and discover it for yourself!
Looking for other easy fried appetizer recipes to enjoy?
Try these:
If you’ve tried these FRIED OLIVES WITH GARLIC AIOLI, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
For The Fried Olives
- 1 5 1/2 oz jar of small pimento stuffed olives
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg beaten
- canola oil, for frying
For The Garlic Aioli
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 scant tbsp lemon juice
- 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
To Make The Aioli
- Mix all the ingredients together. Chill before serving.canola oil, for frying, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 scant tbsp lemon juice, 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic, salt & pepper, to taste
To Make The Fried Olives
- Heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a dutch oven until it reaches 325-350 degrees on a thermometer.
- Separate the flour and bread crumbs out onto flat plates. The egg into a small bowl.1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 cup flour, 1 egg beaten
- Dredge the olives in the flour, and then into the beaten egg or buttermilk.1 5 1/2 oz jar of small pimento stuffed olives
- Roll them around in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated.
- Working in batches, fry the olives in the hot oil, just until they are golden brown.
- Remove the fried olives to a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
- Serve warm, with the aioli.
Notes
- Always use pitted olives when frying.
- While I recommend using canola oil for frying, peanut oil makes a perfect substitute.
- You don’t have to use a skillet and thermometer to measure your oil. You can use a deep fryer instead if that’s more to your liking.
- Give these a cheesy surprise by using cheese stuffed olives.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from The View From Great Island
I love olives and will def try these. Ive made fried large green olives stuffed with Italian sausage and they rock!
I’m gonna be on the hunt now for those– they sound awesome! Bonus points, we’ve since made these again (because they’re the msot addictive little finger foods) and used CHEESE stuffed olives. Mama Mia! Talk about awesome.
Peanut butter and dill pickle chip sandwiches are a go to for me. No jelly…and of course y’all know the difference between jam and jelly right!
Growing up I was IN LOVE with Elvis, so I’m no stranger to pb & banana sandwiches– but pb & pickles is a new one for me. I’ll have to give it a go though. And jam would be just as good with the added texture and taste from the bits of actual fruit.
I can’t wait to try this! I love extra dirty martinis and have jars of olives with no juice! Gonna fry them up just like pickles!
Yes! They’re so good, and they’re just like fried pickles– but 1000x better.
Bee,
Instead of having all of those dry olives, you know you can buy olive juice at some specialty liqueur stores? Some grocery stores too! Anyway, now you can eat your olives and have your martinis too.😀
Cheers!
PB and dill pickle sandwiches are da bomb
So I keep hearing! I’m hesitant, but game to try it.
Bee,
Instead of having all of those dry olives, you know you can buy olive juice at some specialty liqueur stores? Some grocery stores too! Anyway, now you can eat your olives and have your martinis too.😀
Cheers!
I have to agree, I still eat peanut butter and pickle sandwiches!
I’m on the fence still. So many people keep singing it’s praises, but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to try them yet.
How far in advance can I make fried olives? I’ve been invited to a dinner but it won’t be served till after church.
I’ve made them in the morning and stored them in an airtight container and didn’t have a problem when I served them that night.
I’m hosting a Christmas party for my girlfriends and will definitely make these! Do you happen to also have a favorite recipe for fried pickles?
Awesome, Shannon! And I swear by Paula Deen’s recipe for Fried Pickles. A quick google search should pull up the recipe!
I’m thinking that blue cheese stuff olives would be awesome for this recipe. I’m going to go out and buy a jar and make it. Oh, I hate the flavor of cucumbers but I love love love Sour Dill Pickles.
Same here with the cucumber/pickle loathing/loving, lol. I think those olives would be extra yummy, just make sure to have a good bread crumb coating so you don’t lose all that creamy cheese during frying!
Have you made this using Kalamata olives? I prefer them, and wonder if they hold up the same.
As far as holding up the same when breaded and fried, I’m sure they would. I’m not a fan of their flavor myself, but if you love them then I say go ahead and give it a try! I’d love to hear how they turn out for you 🙂
Oh my goodness!!!! These look incredible. I love olives but I neeeever would’ve thought to fry them. I need to get olives so I can make these immediately. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
How about olives stuffed with bleu cheese? We would use the short skewers, thread 5-6 olives on, roll in flour, then egg and finally the breadcrumbs. I would then place on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic and freeze them until ready to fry. For a little kick, I add some onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne to the breadcrumbs. Freezing the olive stabilizes the cheese. We already were making them for the bar, and we tried to fry anything and everything.
That sounds amazing! I’ll have to give them a try that way next time. Yep, we generally freeze anything with cheese before frying too, otherwise it will all run out and then it’d be a very sad, sad day.
I see just one thing wrong with this recipe…it starts with a 5 Oz. Jar of olives! I am so trying this with jalapeño stuffed olives. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Has anyone tried them in an air fryer? Would save calories and much easier to make. I might try it with my air fryer.
I’m curious about the air fryer also has anyone tried it yet?
One of my favorite munchies is….. Ruffles chips – they are stronger. Creamy Skippy spread on the Ruffles. And top the peanut butter-spread Ruffles with a slice of cold, crispy dill pickle. So, darned, Yummy.
Easy to make, and were a big hit at our Christmas Eve appetizer dinner, delish!
Can these be done in a Air Fryer???
I’m sure they could be, but I haven’t tried them that way myself yet. Let me know how it turns out if you do, Sue!
YESSSSSS!!!! I airfried…..DELICIOUS!!! Quick and no oil stove mess!!
Thanks for the recipe. I think when I try them I’ll use jalapeño or feta stuffed olives instead.
Could we make them keto with Almond flour and Pork rind bread crumbs? These sound amazing!
I haven’t tried it myself, so I’m not 100 % sure what the results would be. If you try it though, please let us know how it turns out!
These are absolutely delish and very crunchy! I made these on the fly one evening when friends were over, and I couldn’t fry them up fast enough! Plus, the garlic Aioli REALL knocks the recipe up a notch. Will make again and again – great for Christmas Eve appetizer.
I made these with white cheddar stuffed olives and they were fantastic! I feel like the garlic aioli sauce could use a little tweaking, but I couldn’t put my finger on what I should add. I’m thinking maybe something to make it a tad more spicy?? I’ll definitely make them again.
Have you tried these with any of the cheese-stuffed Olive variety (blue, feta, provolone)?
These would be absolutely delicious using any of those varieties of cheese stuffed olives!
OMG, these were bomb! This is the stuff cravings are made from. So easy to make too! Thanks for the recipe, randomly popped up on Pinterest, so glad it did!