• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Lunches & Dinners
    • Salad Recipes
    • Snacks
    • Side Dishes
    • Holiday Recipes
      • Halloween Recipes
      • Thanksgiving Recipes
      • Christmas Recipes
      • July 4th
    • Seasonal Recipes
      • Fall Recipes
      • Winter Recipes
      • Spring Recipes
      • Summer Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Dressings & Sauces
  • Resources
  • About
    • Portfolio
    • Client Inquiry Form

Best Served Vegan

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Follow Along

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Resources
    • About
    • Portfolio
  • Follow Along

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

    Published: May 21, 2021 · Modified: Jun 15, 2023 by Elena Contis · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    The BEST Vegan Fried Olives

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Crispy on the outside with cream cheese and roasted garlic stuffed on the inside, these vegan fried olives are bite-sized, sharable, and ADDICTING! They are a great appetizer or snack to bring to a party.

    A hand reaching for vegan fried olives, the perfect bite-sized snack that you can pop in your mouth!

    I cannot rave about olives enough! They are the perfect bite-sized, salty snack. In all seriousness, I could eat an entire jar of olives daily if you let me. In fact, I love olives so much so that my dog's name is Ollie.

    With this in mind, I decided to share my love of olives with you and created a recipe for vegan fried olives! This is the perfect appetizer or snack to bring to a party like the Fourth of July. I made two batches of these during the testing process, and no joke, they didn't even make it an hour in our kitchen before my boyfriend and I ate every last olive. The crispy outside with the salty olive and creamy garlic or cream cheese is straight-up addicting!

    The stars completely aligned because I recently released a recipe for vegan garlic aioli. These vegan fried olives are even better (if that's even possible) dunked in some aioli!

    What Kind of Olives to Use

    Overhead of vegan fried olives with garlic aioli dipping sauce.

    Since you'll be stuffing these olives, the bigger the olive, the better. Personally, I think green olives work better in this recipe as opposed to black olives because they have a more salty, acidic taste and hold up better after being breaded and fried.

    I used pitted Castelverano olives because they have a more mild flavor and taste like buttery goodness, but manzanilla or gordal olives would also work. Whichever olive you choose, just make sure they're already pitted to make your life easier.

    What to Stuff Olives with?

    The perfect party appetizer - fried olives - on a wood serving board.

    For this recipe, I chose to do half of my olives stuffed with vegan cream cheese and the other half with roasted garlic. Here are some other options you can try:

    • Almonds
    • Artichoke hearts
    • Jalapeño
    • Marinated artichoke hearts
    • Red bell pepper
    • Sun-dried tomatoes
    • Vegan bacon, ground meat, or pepperoni
    • Vegan cheese

    You can also completely omit stuffing the olives if you prefer and just fry them. Olives in any form are delicious so you can't really go wrong here!

    How to Make Vegan Fried Olives

    A couple of ramekins stacked on top of one another filled with crispy olives.

    Making vegan fried olives is not as hard as it may seem. There are three phases to bring this bite-sized snack to life:

    Stuff the Olives

    First, drain and dry the olives so they are completely dry.

    For the garlic stuffing: Remove the outer skin of a full garlic bulb while still keeping the garlic intact. Cut the top ¼ inch off the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in aluminum foil. Cook for 40-50 minutes until the garlic is golden brown and tender. Use a toothpick to stuff the roasted garlic inside each olive.
    For the cream cheese stuffing: Place vegan cream cheese in a Zip-lock bag, and cut the tip off of one of the corners. Pipe the cream cheese into each olive.

    Batter the Olives

    Taking a few olives at a time, first cover them completely in flour (this will ensure they are super dry), then dip them in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate until you have dipped all of your olives.

    I find it helps to keep one hand for your wet ingredients and the other hand for your dry ingredients, so your breadcrumbs don't get all soggy in the bowl.

    Fry the Olives

    Heat a couple of inches of oil in a castiron skillet or non-stick pan until it reaches 350° F. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the oil heat by throwing a breadcrumb in it. If the breadcrumb sizzles, your oil is good to go. If the oil doesn't sizzle, give it a couple more minutes to heat up.

    Place all of the breaded olives into the oil. Let the olives brown on one side for 1-2 minutes, then flip them to the other side to brown for 1-2 more minutes until the olives are golden brown and crispy on all sides!

    Transfer the olives to a paper-lined plate using a slotted spoon to let the excess oil fall off. Serve with vegan garlic aioli and meet your latest obsession!

    If you want a healthier option, I did try baking the olives, and they turned out golden brown and crispy too! To bake the olives instead of frying them, complete steps 1-5, then bake on a lined cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400° F, flipping once halfway through.

    Upclose of crispy fried olives with vegan garlic aioli dipping sauce.

    There are so many reasons to love these vegan fried olives stuffed with cream cheese and garlic, they are:

    • Bite-sized
    • Crispy
    • Sharable
    • Addicting
    • Savory
    • A great appetizer or party snack

    Let me know if you try out this recipe, and if you do, I would love it if you left a rating and review below! Make sure you are also following along on Instagram and Pinterest for more food inspiration.

    Olives stuffed with cream cheese and roasted garlic in a ramekin.

    Check Out More Addicting Recipes:

    • Vegan Pigs in a Blanket
    • Vegan Garlic Aioli
    • Vegan Ice Cream Bars Dipped in Chocolate
    • Coffee Banana Smoothie Bowl
    • Vegan Protein Cookie Dough Bites
    • Vegan Mushroom Ceviche
    • Three Homemade Popcorn Seasonings
    Print

    📖 Recipe

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Vegan Fried Olives


    • Author: Elena Contis
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 8 Servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Crispy on the outside with cream cheese and roasted garlic stuffed on the inside, these vegan fried olives are bite-sized, sharable, and ADDICTING! They are a great appetizer or snack to bring to a party like the Fourth of July.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 head of garlic
    • 8-ounce jar of pitted green olives
    • ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • The equivalent of 3 eggs using egg replacer (I like Bob's Red Mill egg replacer)
    • ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
    • ½ teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Canola oil

    Instructions

    1. In preparation for this recipe, preheat your oven to 400° F to roast the garlic. Remove the outer skin of one head of garlic so it still remains intact. Cut the top ¼ inch off, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in aluminum foil. Cook for 40-50 minutes until the garlic is golden brown and tender. Set aside to cool until ready to stuff your olives.
    2. Drain the olives and pat them with a kitchen towel, so they are completely dry (this will allow the breading to stick to the olives).
    3. For the cream cheese filling, add the cream cheese to a Zip-Lock bag and cut the tip-off of one corner. Pipe cream cheese into each olive. For the garlic filling, use a toothpick to stuff the roasted garlic inside each olive.
    4. Set up your dipping station with three different bowls - one bowl with the flour, one bowl with the "egg," and another bowl with the breadcrumbs and spices.
    5. Taking a few olives at a time, first cover them completely in flour (this will ensure they are super dry), then dip them in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture*. Place on a plate until you have dipped all of your olives.
    6. Heat a couple of inches of oil in a castiron skillet or non-stick pan until it reaches 350° F*. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the oil heat by throwing a breadcrumb in it. If the breadcrumb sizzles, your oil is good to go. If the oil doesn't sizzle, give it a couple more minutes to heat up.
    7. Place all of the breaded olives into the oil. Let the olives brown on one side for 1-2 minutes, then flip them to the other side to brown for 1-2 more minutes until the olives are golden brown and crispy on all sides!
    8. Transfer the olives to a paper-lined plate using a slotted spoon to let the excess oil fall off.
    9. Serve with vegan garlic aioli, and enjoy!

    Notes

    I find it helps to keep one hand for your wet ingredients and the other hand for your dry ingredients, so your breadcrumbs don't get all soggy in the bowl.

    If you want a healthier option, I did try baking the olives, and they turned out golden brown and crispy too! To bake the olives instead of frying them, complete steps 1-5, then bake on a lined cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400° F, flipping once halfway through.

    You can plan ahead and meal prep these as they will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Place in the oven at 400° F for 5 minutes to warm up.

    • Prep Time: 25 Minutes
    • Cook Time: 5 Minutes
    • Category: Appetizer
    • Method: Fry
    • Cuisine: Mediterranean

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 4 olives
    • Calories: 259
    • Sugar: 2g
    • Sodium: 1005mg
    • Fat: 12g
    • Saturated Fat: 2g
    • Carbohydrates: 28g
    • Fiber: 3g
    • Protein: 7g
    • Cholesterol: 29mg

    Did you make this recipe?

    Make sure to share a photo of your yummy creation and tag Best Served Vegan — I can't wait to see what you've made!

    Pin the below image because I know you'll want to make this recipe again!

    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.

    More Appetizer Recipes

    • A bowl with Mexican seasoned tortilla chips.
      Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
    • Homemade tzatziki sauce on a serving platter with veggies and pita.
      Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
    • Tuscan bean salad on a serving plate with crunchy crostini.
      Tuscan Bean Salad
    • Vegan Sheet Pan Nachos

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Elena! If you’ve ever been curious about whipping up a delicious vegan dish but had no idea where to start, I’ve got your back!

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • Vegan Apple Galette
    • Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins
    • Vegan Chai Cupcakes
    • Vegan Pumpkin Risotto

    Thanksgiving Recipes

    • Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
    • Instant Pot Vegan Mac and Cheese
    • Vegan Fall Harvest Salad
    • Vegan Whipped Feta

    Hi, I'm Elena! If you’ve ever been curious about whipping up a delicious vegan dish but had no idea where to start, I’ve got your back!

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • Vegan Butterfingers
    • Vegan yellow curry with potatoes, tofu, and carrots.
      Vegan Yellow Curry with Potatoes and Tofu
    • Vegan Puppy Chow (AKA Muddy Buddies)
    • Vegan Meatloaf

    Thanksgiving Recipes

    • Vegan Ginger Cookies
    • Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
    • Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes
    • Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Contact Me
    • Portfolio
    • Client Inquiry Form
    • Privacy Policy

    Craving More?

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Recipe Index

    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Snacks
    • Dessert

    At no extra cost to you, I may earn commission from qualified purchases through affiliate links throughout my site.

    Copyright © 2024 Best Served Vegan, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.
    Vegan fried olives Pinterest pin.