Meet my favorite super-easy, super crowd-pleasing appetizer! These marinated Spanish olives are tossed with citrus and herb-infused oil, and served with shards of buttery, nutty Manchego cheese. The appetizer comes together in minutes, and it’s amazing alongside Spanish meatballs and my lemony artichoke bruschetta for a tapas party!

A white bowl of marinated Spanish olives and manchego on a tan counter next to glasses of cider, a wood board of crackers, and brown bowls of almonds, cheese, and pepper flakes.

For years, my go-to “I don’t have time to cook” appetizer has been a jar of olives, shards of good parmesan, and a bowl of smoky almonds. This isn’t an original idea, I got it from my aunt, who I think got it from Ina Garten (?).

But when I do have time to cook (and by cook, I mean spend 10 minutes of actual work), I like to combine those flavors and make this olive recipe! They are ridiculously flavorful and addictive, but it feels like you spent a lot of effort. I made a huge (and I do mean huge) bowl of these olives for a party recently, and I had no leftovers at the end of the night.

The “hardest” part of this recipe is infusing the oil, which really isn’t saying much. We used to infuse oil all the time when I was in culinary school, and it’s seriously the easiest way to elevate any recipe. In this one, I use a mix of garlic, rosemary, and citrus. But feel free to swap the herbs with anything you like!

While this app is amazing with a bowl of Marcona almonds, I also like the olives with these simple soppressata pesto crostini, these refreshing melon prosciutto skewers, or just a few toothpicks for grabbing. You really can’t go wrong either way.

What olives to use

Jars of Manzanilla olives on a beige counter.

For the most authentic situation, you’ll want to use some kind of Spanish olive. Manzanilla is my go-to, because it’s the most easily available. And, if you’re a little wigged out by olives, Manzanilla is a great starter olive. They’re mild, but still tangy, salty, and a little nutty!

If you want to get a little fancier with it, you can use any Spanish olive that you like in this recipe. Try Gordal, Hojiblanca, Arbequina, or a mix. And even though they’re Italian, even Castelvetrano olives would be delicious here. 🙂

Make & marinate

A white pan of olive oil, orange peels, lemon peels, garlic, and rosemary sprigs on a tan counter.
Gently heat the oil, garlic, orange peel, lemon peel, rosemary, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes for 5-7 minutes. Cool completely.
Hands breaking a block of Manchego into shards on a wood board.
Break the manchego into shards. I like the craggy edges, because they soak up more oil, but you can also cube the cheese!
Marinated Spanish olives with manchego, orange peels, lemon peels, and rosemary sprigs.
Once the oil is cooled, toss the drained olives with the infused oil, manchego cheese shards, and sherry vinegar. Enjoy!

If you want the olives to soak up even more oil, you can gently smash them with the palms of your hands. But don’t smash too hard, you don’t want them to fall apart!

Marinate for 1 hour

Yes, you can eat these olives right away, but for the best flavor, I 1,000% recommend marinating them for at least 1 hour. The longer the olives sit, the more flavor they soak up. I usually make them the night before!

A white bowl of marinated Spanish olives with manchego, orange peel, lemon peel, garlic, and rosemary next to a wood board of crackers, glasses of cider, and brown bowls of olives, pepper flakes, and cheese on a brown stone counter.

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Easy Marinated Spanish Olives with Manchego

Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Marinating Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
This quick-and-easy recipe is one of my favorites for summer snacking, festive holidays, and everything in between! These marinated Spanish olives have herb and citrus-infused oil and tangy manchego cheese for a salty, savory, and flavorful appetizer. Save this recipe for a tapas night at home or anytime you need something simple and delicious!
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup good-quality olive oil (120 milliliters)
  • 6 medium cloves of garlic, gently smashed
  • 1 small orange rind only
  • 1 lemon rind only
  • 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes more to taste
  • 16 ounces pitted Manzanilla olives (450 grams)
  • 8 ounces manchego cheese (225 grams)
  • 1/4 cup sherry vinegar (60 milliliters)

Equipment

Instructions 

  • In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, orange rind, lemon rind, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Place the pan on the stove over the lowest heat.
  • Gently heat the oil on the stove for 5-7 minutes, or until it smells very fragrant. Don't let it come to a simmer, you just want to infuse the oil. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the oil cool completely at room temperature.
  • While the oil is cooling, drain the olives in a colander. Transfer the drained olives to a large bowl.
  • Then, use clean hands to break the manchego cheese into shards. (The craggy edges pick up more infused oil!) Alternatively, you can slice the manchego into small cubes. Add the cheese to the bowl of olives.
  • Once the oil is completely cool, pour it over the olive-cheese mixture. Add the sherry vinegar, and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate the olives for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. If the oil solidifies in the fridge, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, stir well, and serve.

Notes

Manzanilla olives are the easiest Spanish olives to find, but feel free to use any olive that you like. Try Gordal, Hojiblanca, or Arbequina, or a mix of multiple kinds.
If you want the olives to soak up even more oil, you can gently smash them with the palms of your hands. But don’t smash too hard, you don’t want them to fall apart!
This recipe is not set-in-stone, so feel free to mix up the flavorings, depending on what you like/have on hand. You can pretty much use any herbs/citrus/etc. that you like. 🙂
The longer you let the olives marinate, the more flavorful they will be. I like to make this recipe the night before I plan on serving it.
Cuisine: Spanish
Course: Appetizer
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 162kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 528mg, Potassium: 13mg, Fiber: 1g, Calcium: 166mg
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