Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the quickest way to elevate your Happy Hour at Home is by going for garnishing gold! Between my gorgeous dried orange slices, candied oranges, candied lemon slices, candied rose petals, sugared flowers and sugared berries, you should know that I’m a gal who takes her garnishes seriously. 

And, as much as I love the other edible aesthetic boosters on the site, I’m extra pumped about today’s recipe because, unlike the others, it’s sumptuous, gourmet and savory. 

Briny green olives are stuffed with a heavenly whipped creamy blue cheese mix before being drizzled with rich, floral olive oil and dusted with a sprinkling of fresh herbs. They’re the ideal addition to bloody marys or a gin or vodka dry martini, especially for those of you who like ‘em dirty.

However, even if you prefer your martinis served with an onion or a twist, these bleu cheese stuffed olives are still worth bookmarking. They make a fabulous addition to any charcuterie board, alongside some air fryer sweet potato fries, a bloody mary bar, and have even been known to act as a meal when I’m feeling especially in need of a salty, savory boost.

Best of all, these addictively snackable olives stuffed with blue cheese are made with just 7 simple ingredients and only a few minutes of active time. So, what are you waiting for? Meet me in the kitchen and get ready for the best blue cheese stuffed olives you’ve ever tried.

🍴Ingredients

As promised, you only need a few easy-to-find ingredients to make these blue cheese stuffed olive bites when you're at the grocery store next:

• Roquefort - I’m a huge fan of the strong, funky, tangy flavors of Roquefort. If you can’t find it or aren’t a fan, try swapping in another blue cheese variety like milder Gorgonzola or Danish Blue as your pungent blue cheese.
• Cream Cheese - For whipping the blue cheese into a soft, creamy, spreadable dream. If you’d like to lighten things up a bit, you’re welcome to use neufchâtel cheese instead. 
• Large Green Olives - Opt for large, meaty green olive varieties like Spanish or Sicilian olives for the best texture and buttery flavor. This is your key ingredient, so make sure they're an olive you love! You’re also welcome to try black or kalamata olives, but you should note that these varieties are softer and may not hold up as well as their green counterparts.
• Freshly Cracked Black Pepper - For crunch and heat. 
• Olive Oil - For added richness. If you have it, now would be a good time to bust out your fancy, cold-pressed finishing oil.
• Fresh Herbs - For color and an added layer of flavor.
• Lemon Zest - For tantalizing brightness that helps cut through the bold flavors of the blue cheese and olives.

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

As much as I love these bleu cheese olives just the way they’re written, taste is totally subjective. Feel free to try any of the fun variations below to find YOUR perfect bite:

• Feta Stuffed Olives are an excellent option if you’re not a fan of blue cheese. They’re still tangy, but with slightly less barn-yardy funk and a creamy treat. Add a bit of pickled garlic if you want to amp up the flavor!
• Fried Stuffed Olives are a decadent app your friends won’t stop talking about. Coat the stuffed olives in standard breading and breadcrumbs(flour, egg, and salt seasoned panko) before frying them for 2-3 minutes in a neutral-flavored oil heated to 375F. Fry until golden and gooey, then drain on a paper towel-lined plate for a few minutes before serving.
• Go Nuts! Add some crunch to your filling by folding in some toasted, chopped walnuts or pecan for a delicious addition.
• Only have olives with a pit intact on hand? No problem! Grab an olive pitter to get rid of the pits so that the olive has an empty hole for stuffing and making this savory snack of hand-stuffed greek olives.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Remember the 3 P’s when you’re making these blue cream cheese olives:

Step 1: Add the room temperature ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.

Step 2: Pulse blue cheese and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor or blender until smooth.

Step 3: Pipe - Using a slotted spoon, remove olives from their brine. Stuff Olives with the creamy blue cheese mixture into the cavity of each olive until full of creamy blue cheeses.

Step 4: Plate. Place the olives onto a serving plate and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs, and lemon zest on top before serving with cocktail picks!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Opt for high-quality ingredients. As with any recipe, the quality of the ingredients you choose will greatly impact the overall flavor of your blue cheese stuffed olives. Look for olives that are plump, firm, and have a good meaty texture, and use good-quality blue cheese.
• Use a piping bag. Filling the olives with a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off will help you get the cheese filling evenly distributed and reduce the risk of breaking the olives.
• Use a mix of cheeses. Combining blue cheese and cream cheese will create a creamy, tangy filling that's not too overpowering. I use a 1:1 ratio for a stronger blue cheese flavor, but feel free to use a 2:1 ratio of cream cheese to blue cheese for a milder flavor.
• Get creative with the add-ins. While blue cheese stuffed olives are delicious on their own, you can add extra flavors and textures by adding in different ingredients. Chopped herbs, nuts, or chopped sun-dried tomatoes are all great options.
• Chill before serving. Once the olives are stuffed, allow them to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. This will help the cheese filling set and make the olives easier to handle.

💭 Recipe FAQs

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