These stuffed olive picks are small but mighty ~ each one delivers a lineup of punchy flavors that turn the appetizer hour into the most exciting hour of the day!
Skip the groaning charcuterie board ~
stuffed olive cocktail picks are the best way to kick off a night with friends.
The appetizer hour is, for me, the most creative and most delicious ‘meal’ of the day and stuffed olive cocktail picks are my latest passion. It’s a one and done appetizer with all the cool flavors and textures threaded onto a cute little skewer.
You can use readymade olives from your favorite supermarket olive bar, or stuff your own with creative fillings (I did both.) Stuffed olive picks can be assembled ahead and stashed in the fridge till the doorbell rings.
what you’ll need for stuffed olive cocktail picks
I like to mix and match:
- readymade stuffed olives
- my own diy stuffed olives
- and jarred olives jazzed up in my own marinades
1. READYMADE STUFFED OLIVES
- Olive bar: I start with a trip to my supermarket olive bar. Whole Foods has a good one, too. You can usually find at least 2-3 varieties of ready stuffed olives there.
- Jarred and canned olives: you’ll find classic pimento stuffed olives, but check for different varieties. I found garlic and anchovy stuffed olives in jars as well.
2. make your own stuffed olives!
The sky’s the limit! You can have fun dreaming up stuffings ~ just make sure it’s soft enough to pipe into your olives. For my first try I mixed Boursin cheese with a little cream to loosen it.
- Start with pitted olives from the olive bar, or canned. Look for olives with larger holes which will be easier to stuff.
- Load your soft filling into a piping bag or plastic baggie.
- Snip the very tip of the point off.
- Pipe the filling into your olives.
filling ideas
- Boursin cheese + cream
- cream cheese blended with jalapéno (or any readymade flavored cream cheese spread)
- anchovy paste
- olive or tomato tapenade
- harissa + mayo
3. marinate store bought olives for a flavor boost
Take regular pimento stuffed green olives and marinate them before serving for an extra boost of flavor:
- Chili Crisp
- Harissa (North African chili paste)
- Pesto
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Olive oil + (any of the following)
- lemon zest
- red chili flakes
- rosemary
- garlic
- smoked paprika
- fennel seeds
- red vinegar
- pickle juice
where to find skewers
You’ll need cocktail picks or skewers about 5-6 inches long. This allows you to thread about 6-7 small stuffed olives, which is a good sized serving.
I found my gold metal picks at World Market, here. But regular wooden picks will work just fine (find them here.) Cocktail skewers can get as fancy as you like, I love these!
Stuffed Olive Cocktail Picks
Equipment
- 10 5-inch cocktail picks or skewers
Ingredients
olives (you're going to need a total of 60 olives)
- 24 small readymade stuffed olives, choose different types from your olive bar or condiment aisle.
DIY Boursin stuffed olives
- 12 pitted black olives
- 1/2 cup Boursin cheese
- 2 Tbsp cream, to thin the cheese
Jalapeño cream cheese stuffed olives
- 12 pitted green olives
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1 small jalapeño, chopped
DIY marinated stuffed olives
- 12 jarred pimento stuffed olives
- 4 Tbsp chili crisp
Instructions
Boursin stuffed olives
- Stir together the Boursin and cream until it is smooth. You want it to be thin enough to pipe into your olives, so add a bit more cream if yours is very thick.
- Load into a small piping bag (or baggie) and cut a very small snip off the tip.
- Pipe the cheese into the hole of each olive.
Jalapéno cream cheese stuffed olives
- Blend cream cheese with chopped peppers in a small food processor until very smooth and creamy. You don't want any larger bits of pepper because they can get caught in the piping tip.
- Load into a small piping bag (or baggie) and cut a very small snip off the tip.
- Pipe the cheese into the hole of each olive.
Marinated stuffed olives
- Put the stuffed olives in a small bowl and top with chili crisp. Stir to combine and let sit for at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge.
assemble your stuffed olive picks
- You should have about 60 olives, allowing about 6 to each pick. Thread the olives on your cocktail picks, alternating types for a pretty presentation. If your picks are shorter or longer than mine, adjust the olives to fit.
- These picks are best served soon after assembling, but you can keep them covered in a damp cloth or paper towels in the fridge for a few hours if you need to.
Yum! Perfect for summer cocktail parties!
They were a big hit for us!