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This olive salad is bright, bold, and seriously hard to stop eating once you start. Juicy olives, sweet pops of pomegranate, crunchy walnuts, and a smoky lemony dressing.
This Olive salad is quick, super fresh, and perfect for everything from weekday lunches to bringing something a little different to the table at your next get-together. Flavors like olives, lemon, and fresh herbs were always around when I was growing up, so making a salad like this just feels natural.
My olive salad recipe is inspired by the bold, Mediterranean ingredients I love, with a twist I can’t get enough of: sweet pomegranate seeds and that rich tang from pomegranate molasses. It’s bright, crunchy, and full of contrast in the best way.
Recipe Overview
Tips before you get started
- Use high-quality olives: Since olives are the main ingredient, go for ones that are firm, flavorful, and not overly salty. Castelvetrano or green Halkidiki olives both work beautifully.
- Toast the walnuts: A quick toast in a dry skillet brings out their flavor and adds a deeper crunch. Just keep an eye on them – they can burn fast.
- Chop everything evenly: Keeping the pieces around the same size helps the flavors mix better and makes it easier to eat.
- Whisk the dressing well: The pomegranate molasses is thick, so give it a good mix to get everything smooth and emulsified.
- Let it rest before serving: Give the salad 10-15 minutes to sit after tossing. It helps the flavors come together and makes a big difference.
Ingredients needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this olive salad. Full measurements are listed further down in the recipe card.
- Green olives: I like Green olives for this salad, and I feel like they work best in terms of flavor. Some of my favorites are Halkidiki olives, Nafplion, and picholine.
- Pomegranate seeds: I prefer getting the whole pomegranate fruit and picking out the arils. They are fresher, juicier, and way more tasty than the store-bought arils. But I know that it might be hard to find fresh, so in that case, the store-bought version is fine.
- Cherry tomatoes: For this salad, I prefer cherry or grape tomatoes. But if you’d rather use tomatoes you have on hand, like Roma or vine-ripe, that’s fine.
- Red onion: don’t have red onions, use white sweet onions.
- Fresh parsley: I prefer parsley over cilantro for this salad, and fresh parsley will be way better than dried.
- Walnuts: Other nuts will work like almonds.
- Pomegranate molasses: These can now be found at many stores like Walmart and Meijer’s. You can even grab it on Amazon, too, if you do not want to make a trip to the store.
- Lemon juice: Please try to use fresh lemons instead of bottled lemon juice.
- Extra-virgin olive oil is highly recommended here.
- Spices: ground cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper
Substitutions
This salad is flexible and easy to adapt to what you have on hand. Here are a few simple swaps you can make:
- Olives: Swap green olives with Kalamata or a mix of both for a deeper, brinier flavor.
- Walnuts: Use chopped almonds, pecans, or pistachios if that’s what you’ve got.
- Parsley: Fresh mint or cilantro can work beautifully here if you want a different herbal note.
- Pomegranate molasses: If you don’t have it, mix balsamic vinegar with a little honey to get that same sweet-tangy flavor.
Common Questions
You can! Just know the flavor will be a little more intense and salty. If you love that kind of bold bite, it totally works.
Yes, and honestly, it looks so pretty on a holiday table. The colors pop, and it brings a nice fresh contrast to all the heavier dishes.
For sure. Just leave out the walnuts or use something like roasted sunflower seeds if you still want that crunch.
Fresh parsley is always my first choice, but if that’s not an option, go with dried – just use a little less and mix it into the dressing to wake it up.
How to make Olive Salad
Step 1: In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until smooth and well blended.
Step 3: Add the chopped cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts to the bowl with the olives.
Variations
You can easily switch things up with this salad depending on your mood, what you’re serving it with, or what’s in your fridge.
- Add feta: A handful of crumbled feta gives it a salty, creamy edge that pairs perfectly with the sweet and tangy notes.
- Toss in cucumbers: Diced cucumber adds extra crunch and freshness, especially nice in warmer weather.
- Make it a meal: Mix in cooked quinoa, bulgur, or even lentils to make it more filling and protein-packed.
- Spice it up: Add a pinch of chili flakes or a chopped fresh chili if you like a little heat.
Storing and reheating
- Storing: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavors actually deepen as it sits, and the salad holds up beautifully without getting soggy – if anything, it’s even better the next day.
- Reheating: No reheating needed – this salad is best served chilled or at room temp, straight from the fridge.
Olive Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 cups green olives, or 2 small 5oz jars, halved
- 1 pomegranate, seeds of
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- Half bunch parsley, chopped (1/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until smooth. (3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and Kosher salt and pepper)
- Half the 2 cups green olives (or chop them smaller) and add them to a large bowl.
- Add in the 1 pomegranate arils, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 small red onion, Half bunch parsley, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
- Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine.
Notes
- Green olives can be swapped for Kalamata or Castelvetrano for a deeper, more complex flavor
- Walnuts add crunch but can be replaced with almonds, pecans, or pistachios
- Use fresh pomegranate seeds for best texture; jarred seeds may be softer
- Pomegranate molasses substitute: mix balsamic vinegar with a little honey
- For nut-free: swap walnuts with sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- Fresh parsley can be replaced with mint or cilantro; use half the amount if using dried
- Dressing should be whisked until smooth so the molasses fully blends
- Let salad sit 10-15 minutes after mixing to help flavors come together
- Salad stores well for up to 3 days and does not get soggy in the fridge
- Best served chilled or at room temperature – no reheating needed
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Dynamite – there is something about olives in a salad. It’s almost like you can’t stop eating them. Thank You Rena.
Thanks for the feedback, Don. Glad you loved it.
The best salad ever