Turn ordinary olives into an irresistible snack with this fried stuffed olives recipe. Pitted olives are stuffed with feta, breaded, and fried to create the ultimate salty, tangy and crunchy appetizer that's perfect for parties, snacking, or serving with drinks.
Everyone is sure to love these bite-sized flavor bombs- bonus points if you team them up with some lemon sour cream sauce.
I've recently been trying a lot of side recipes, especially for the upcoming holidays. My Air Fryer tortilla strips and Parmesan croutons are perfect for soups and salads, and everyone in my family is obsessed with them.
I also tried making butternut squash chips, which are great for snacking during fall. And that inspired me to try another fall recipe- a snack or a side that everyone would enjoy. And stuffed olives seemed like the perfect idea.
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 10 mins.
- ⏲️Cook time: 5 mins.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋Main ingredients: Olives, feta cheese, flour, breadcrumbs, egg, seasonings and oil.
- ♨️Cooking method: Stuff olives with feta cheese 🡢 whisk an egg 🡢 coat stuffed olives in flour 🡢 coat in whisked egg 🡢 cover with breadcrumbs 🡢 deep fry until golden brown crispy 🡢 season and serve.
- ⭐Difficulty: Medium.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Team up with a creamy dipping sauce like jalapeno mayo or nacho cheese sauce.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Simple ingredients: You'll need just some olives, feta cheese and a few pantry staples to put this delicious side together.
- Crispy and delish: Crispy on the outside, soft and tangy on the inside- they have the perfect balance of textures and flavors.
- Party-perfect snack: Great to serve as an appetizer or finger food, or even feature on a charcuterie board with pickled cherries, cream cheese stuffed dates and pickled rhubarb.
Recipe Ingredients
Olives: Any pitted olives will work! I used green olives because that's what I had at hand. It's great to use Kalamata olives or Castelvetrano olives if you have them.
Garlic: For that savory, umami depth. Use air fried roasted garlic for a deeper, smoky flavor.
Feta cheese: Full fat feta cheese works best!
Breadcrumbs: I like to use my homemade breadcrumbs here. You can use Panko breadcrumbs or even gluten free breadcrumbs if you want to.
Flour: Regular, all purpose flour works best. You can also use gluten free flour if you want to.
Egg: To coat the olives.
Seasonings: I used a mix of red pepper flakes, onion powder and some mixed herbs here. Feel free to use what you want to.
Oil: For deep frying. Use canola oil or any cooking oil of your choice.
See recipe card for quantities.
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Substitutions & Variations
- Try playing around with different seasonings to create different flavor variations. I love using my jalapeno flakes or jalapeno salt whenever I don't have red pepper flakes.
- You can also use some homemade lemon pepper seasoning or celery salt to season the fried olives if you want to.
- Want to make a vegan version of this recipe? Swap the feta for any vegan cheese of your choice, and use an egg substitute for coating.
How to Make Fried Stuffed Olives
Step 1: Add onion powder and garlic to the feta cheese and smash it using the back of your spoon. Fill the olive pits with this seasoned cheese mixture.
Step 2: In another bowl, whisk the egg and set it aside. Set up a dredging station with the whisked egg, breadcrumbs (seasoned with mixed herbs) and flour in separate bowls.
Step 3: Coat each olive first in the flour, then in the whisked egg mixture and finally in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Step 4: Deep fry the stuffed olives at medium heat until golden brown and crispy.
💭Top Tip
Make sure the olives are nicely coated before you deep fry them. Do a double coat to be safe and for that nice crispy and crunchy coating.
How to Store Leftover Fried Olives
Store your leftover fried stuffed olives in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or your Air Fryer, but keep in mind that they may not have the same crispy, crunchy texture.
This kitchen & pantry organizers and storage set comes with 24 containers, they are inlaid together, so at first glance you may think there is only the same size, but when you take it apart, you will find FOUR different sizes(Include 6Pcs 0.8L+6Pcs 1.4L+6Pcs 2L+6Pcs 2.8L ).
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Be mindful about the amount of salt you're using. Both feta cheese and olives are already really salty on their own.
- You can also try using other kinds of cheese for the stuffing. Stay away from a melty cheese like Mozzarella though- it can really start to ooze from the sides while frying.
- You can also use seasoned breadcrumbs like my crispy Italian breadcrumbs to coat the olives for some extra flavor.
- Be gently while frying the olives- the coating may come off and the olives can fall apart in the oil.
- Make sure the olives are completely dry before you begin coating them. The coating will stick to them much better!
- You can also add chopped peppers to the feta mixture to lend it a spicy, bold flavor. I love chopping up some chili from my Italian preserved chilies in oil and adding them in.
How to Serve Fried Stuffed Olives
These crispy fried stuffed olives are a total delight on their own, but if you really want to go the extra mile, pair them with a nice dip. Stick to a simple Mediterranean dip or try my black pepper aioli or even my easy Chipotle aioli.
Feature them on a charcuterie board with some crispy tobacco onions, crackers, oven roasted Italian peppers and a nice sweet pepper relish.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Yes, you definitely can! Simply arrange the coated olives in your greased Air Fryer basket, spritz a bit of cooking spray over them and air fry for 6-10 minutes. Keep in mind that air fried stuffed olives won't have that golden brown color, but they'll still be super crunchy.
More Sides to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this fried stuffed olives recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Fried Stuffed Olives
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted olives
- 2 tablespoon feta cheese
- 1-2 garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon mixed herbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Add onion powder and garlic to the feta cheese and smash it using the back of your spoon. Fill the olive pits with this seasoned cheese mixture.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg and set it aside. Set up a dredging station with the whisked egg, breadcrumbs (seasoned with mixed herbs) and flour in separate bowls.
- Coat each olive first in the flour, then in the whisked egg mixture and finally in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Deep fry the stuffed olives at medium heat until golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- Be mindful about the amount of salt you're using. Both feta cheese and olives are already really salty on their own.
- You can also try using other kinds of cheese for the stuffing. Stay away from a melty cheese like Mozzarella though- it can really start to ooze from the sides while frying.
- You can also use seasoned breadcrumbs like my crispy Italian breadcrumbs to coat the olives for some extra flavor.
- Be gently while frying the olives- the coating may come off and the olives can fall apart in the oil.
- Make sure the olives are completely dry before you begin coating them. The coating will stick to them much better!
- You can also add chopped peppers to the feta mixture to lend it a spicy, bold flavor. I love chopping up some chili from my Italian preserved chilies in oil and adding them in.
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