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Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli

A crispy treat with a briny, sweet surprise hidden inside- these Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli are the perfect finger food for your next gathering. 

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.

Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli

Wanna know something odd? 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.

Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli

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. 

Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli

If we’re having guests for card night or game day. You can bet my spread includes them homemade and still warm from the frying pan.

My Dad loves them so much he even special requests them for Father’s Day dinners. 

Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli

However, I’ve manage to find a new fried finger food that I love almost as much. They’re both super yummy and easily addictive, but I feel like Fried Pickles will always win by just a hair.

Fried Olives, specifically Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli. And I couldn’t wait to share them with y’all!!

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 known.

Good all by themselves, but dipped into the creamy garlic aoili? There’s no politely stopping at a handful. They’re like a savory candy that you just can’t stop eating.

Fried Olives with Garlic Aioli

A crispy new twist on a favorite cocktail party finger food, paired with a zesty aioli for dipping- for the ultimate party treat.
4.25 from 83 votes
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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.

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.
  • Dredge the olives in the flour, and then into the beaten egg or buttermilk.
  • 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

recipe adapted from The View From Great Island
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @4sonsrus or tag #4sonsrus!

4.25 from 83 votes (74 ratings without comment)

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44 Comments

  1. I love olives and will def try these. Ive made fried large green olives stuffed with Italian sausage and they rock!

    1. 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.

  2. 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!

    1. 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.

  3. 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!

    1. 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!

  4. 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!

    1. 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.

    1. 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.

  5. 5 stars
    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?

    1. Awesome, Shannon! And I swear by Paula Deen’s recipe for Fried Pickles. A quick google search should pull up the recipe!

  6. 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.

    1. 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!

  7. 5 stars
    Have you made this using Kalamata olives? I prefer them, and wonder if they hold up the same.

    1. 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 🙂

  8. 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.

    1. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!

    1. 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!

  11. 5 stars
    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.

  12. 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.

  13. 5 stars
    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!