Canned or jarred olives sautéed with olive oil and minced garlic.

Until recently, I had never imagined myself sautéing olives. I’m definitely a huge olive fan (especially the green variety), so when I stumbled across this simple low carb snack idea, I was really excited to give them a try, and let me tell you, they really add a lot of flavor to boring old olives!

These sautéed olives make for great snacks, but I’ve also found that they complement a cheese and cracker tray for parties and family gatherings. Everyone loves them!

This is now my favorite way to eat olives. They are better than the fancy olives you find in the deli section at the grocery store!

I use the canned, pitted olives that only have a little sea salt added. You can also find green olives in a jar, but most of them are already marinated in oil and spices.

Be sure to drain the olives well before adding them to the pan. I usually let them sit in the colander for a bit to let them dry out. You can also pat them down with a paper towel. It’s not necessary, but the olives tend to brown faster when they aren’t water drenched.

These toasty little olives are great served warm or cold! They are a fantastic party appetizer or everyday low carb snack.

Print Recipe

Blistered Green Olives

If you like green olives, then you are going to love them even more sautéed with garlic, oil and red pepper flakes. I like to serve these pan-fried olives with a cheese and meat board at parties and potlucks, but they are also a super tasty everyday low carb snack idea!

Keyword: keto, low carb, olives, party food, snacks

Ingredients

1 (15oz) can green olives (well drained)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it real spicy)

Instructions

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat (I have a glass-top stove and set the heat to one notch above medium).
Add the drained olives to the pan and toss them with the oil. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until they start to brown and "blister".
Add the minced garlic to the pan; toss to coat. Continue to sauté the olives and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
Add the red pepper flakes last, about 1 minute before you plan on removing the olives from the pan.
Enjoy hot or cold! I like them both ways. 🙂
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. These are fabulous chopped up later to put in a sandwich or salad.

Notes

Use your own discretion when adding the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan. I prefer the garlic to be pretty toasty, but if you leave it in there too long it will begin to burn. Same for the red pepper flakes.