An Olive Platter is a quick and easy way to bring together a serving tray filled with nibbles to get the party started. Loaded with a ton of olives, crisp crackers, fresh soft bread and cheese, this platter offers a wide variety of flavors. Simple to make, effortlessly impressive and a fantastic way to start a party you will want to make this cheese and olive platter for every special occasion.
Recipes like the Baked Camembert Platter, Grazing Platter, Crudité Platter and the Fruit Platter are all crowd pleasing ideas.
The Spinach Cob Loaf Dip, Bacon And Cheese Cob Loaf, Caramelised Onion Tarts and the Baked Brie Bread Bowl are visually appealing ways to feed hungry mouths.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Easy: there is not a long that can go round with bringing the platter together. As long as you have enough ingredients which offer diversity, the platter will easily look impressive.
- Versatile: you can add your favorite olives and cheeses to the platter. When it comes to the occasion, this will work well as a party starter, Sunday cheese board, snack plate with friends or the street party.
- Feeds a crowd: dips and spreads are great when you have a small amount of people over. But sometimes you need to have something ready to feed a whole heap of people at once (Thanksgiving or Christmas). This olive platter is that go to when you need to feed a crowd.
- Taste and texture: we can provide a wide variety of flavors on the platter through the simple use of contrasting textures. We have crisp crackers, so we add soft bread, we have salty olives, so we provide melty gooey cheese.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the olive and cheese platter. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Olives: it wouldn't be an olive platter without these guys 😂👍. We want a variety of green olives, spicy olives, kalamata olives and black olives. This diversifies the taste palate across the platter and will allow everyone to have a little of each type of olives.
- Cabanossi: we use this to provide a little diversity on the platter both with colour and flavor.
- Cheese: we have a wheel of brie, a wheel of camembert and a wedge of blue cheese. These allow for flavors other than simply 'olives' and work well when combined with the crackers and fresh bread.
- Crackers: you want to go for a wide range of different types of crackers. Some good options are ritz crackers, water crackers, cheddar crackers and rice crackers.
- Bread: fresh and soft. We slice some bread as an alternative texture to the crisp crackers.
Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by preparing the bread. You will need a knife and cutting board for this initial step.
- Slice the bread (Photo 1)
- Plate the cheese (Photo 2)
- Add the olives (Photo 3)
- Pop some cheese knives on the platter (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Olive Platter
Start to make the platter by using a serrated bread knife and chopping board the slice the fresh bread into thin pieces.
Next place the different types of cheese out across the platter, slightly spread apart from each other.
Add the olives to small bowls and then place these on the platter amongst the cheese.
Next provide some cheese knives to make it easier for people to cut and get to the cheese.
- Place crackers on the platter (Photo 6)
Then spread the crackers around in small piles next to the cheese and bowls of olives.
- Add the sliced bread (Photo 6)
The final step is to then spread the sliced bread pieces around on the platter. You can use these as the finishing touch to fill any gaps and fill out the platter.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
You can provide some toothpicks, napkins and plates if you wish so that people can load themselves up with a selection of this that and everything else.
For a sweet addition to the platter, try a bowl of the Candied Spiced Pecans amongst the cheese and olives.
The cabanossi whilst optional does provide some pops of colour and a meat on the platter so are a good option if you want that diversity.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftover olives and cheese in their original packaging in the fridge or in a sealed airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 days.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- You don't have to use the exact same types of olives as I am using. Green olives, kalamata olives and black olives are popular choices, but you can also try flavored olives like those stuffed with anchovies, pimentos or cheese.
- This applies to the crackers also. You can think of the ones that I am showing you as suggestions and options but not hard and fast rules as such 😉👌.
- You can use many different types of breads. I like to use mini loaves that produce small pieces of bread as seen in the photos throughout the post.
- If you want to add more to the platter you can add dried or fresh fruits nuts, cured meats or fresh veggies for some ideas.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- If you want to toast the fresh bread, you can. Give it a quick spray with cooking oil and then place it onto a baking tray in a moderate oven until it is crispy and golden brown.
- For a festive touch you can add some rosemary leaves or springs.
- You want to make sure all of the olives have their pits removed, so look for 'pitted olives' or sliced or stuffed olives.
- Add a dip to the platter in place of one of the cheese types. (To keep with the theme you might like the Green Olive Dip, Black Olive Dip or the Kalamata Olive Dip.
- If tapenades are your thing you might like to add a small bowl of the Artichoke Olive Tapenade, Spicy Olive Tapenade, Green Olive Tapenade or the Black Olive Tapenade.
- If you are looking for one of the fastest appetizers you can pull together, try the Microwave Brie. Then use that idea to make the Baked Brie With Cranberry Sauce, Baked Brie with Honey or the Baked Brie with Garlic.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What to put on a antipasto platter australia?
Some popular choices for an antipasto platter are meats, dried fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts and grapes.
How do you serve olives at a party?
Fill a large serving platter with a variety of olives including green, kalamata and black olives. Add some cheese and then fill the rest of the platter with fresh sliced bread and crackers.
What cheese goes well with olives?
For some cheese options that go well with olives, try brie, camembert, blue cheese or feta.
😍 More Easy Appetizer Recipes
Getting the party started with tasty food ideas is a sure fire way of pleasing the guests! Here are some more ideas that I think you will love:
- Cream Cheese Bacon Dip
- Brie Cranberry Tarts
- Mini Croissant Sandwiches
- Roast Capsicum Dip
- Cocktail Sausage Rolls
- Baked Brie With Red Pepper Jelly
- Chicken Ribs
- Gherkin Dip
- Mini Meatballs
- Baked Feta Appetizer
It is time to get our olive platter on my friend. You can also find all of my appetizer recipes and dips and spreads in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Olive Platter
Ingredients
- 1 wheel brie cheese Note 1
- 1 wheel camembert cheese
- 1 wedge blue cheese
- 1 cup kalamata olives whole, pitted, Note 2
- 1 cup green olives whole, stuffed
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup chilli and garlic green olives
- 10-15 cheddar crackers Note 3
- 10-15 ritz crackers
- 10-15 water crackers
- 10-15 rice crackers
- 10-15 wafer crackers
- 2 mini turkish bread Note 3
Instructions
- Bread: use a knife and chopping board to thinly slice the bread into small pieces.
- Cheese: place a large serving platter onto the bench and place the 3 types of cheese onto the platter slightly spread apart from each other.
- Olives: place the olives into small bowls and spread these out across the platter.
- Cheese knives: pop a couple of cheese knives under the cheese on the platter.
- Crackers: next spread the crackers out across the platter including in the gaps between the bowls.
- Bread: then use the bread pieces to fill out the rest of the gaps and complete the finishing touches on the platter.
Notes
- Note 1 - Cheese: when selecting the size of cheese wheels or wedges, think of the size of platter you will use. If you have a smaller platter, use smaller wheels so that the cheese doesn't take up all of the room across the platter. The cheese used in the platter and photos throughout the post is a brie cheese wheel, a camembert cheese wheel and a wedge of blue cheese.
- Note 2 - Olives: opt for an array of olives using different colours, sizes and flavors. The jarred olives are usually of the green, black or kalamata olives types. If you head to the deli section you can find garlic and chilli olives, stuffed mini peppers and other types of olives you might like to try.
- Note 3 - Crackers: we want to use an assortment of crackers which have different textures. The ones that you see in the photos throughout the post are a combination of ritz crackers, cheddar crackers, water crackers, wafer crackers and rice crackers (seaweed flavour). I have indicated '10-15' in the recipe but can you can use less or more as needed to fill your platter.
- Note 4 - Bread: I use mini Turkish bread or French bread rolls and use a knife and chopping board as you see to slice them into small pieces. You have the option to toast these, however, if kept fresh they offer a lovely contrast to the already robust crisp crackers.
Amber D says
Loved the easy to follow photos and steps. We will make this again when having guests over. Thanks
Adrianne says
You are welcome Amber 😄.
Nina Morgan says
Fantastic platter! We made this yesterday and it was a hit.
Adrianne says
Thanks Nina 😄.