This Olive Cheese Bread recipe is an easy and delicious appetizer with salty olives, gooey cheese, and crunchy bread. Crazy good!
Olives will forever remind me of when my sister and I were kids; our relatives would come up for the holidays and my mom always put out a bowl of whole olives. We would place one on every single finger and pretend they were people. Of course. Seriously, didn’t every kid do this?? Ah, good times.
But I rarely make anything with for olives because my husband and own kids don’t like them – apparently nobody finds the fun in olive finger puppets like I did!
So I make Olive Tapenade, Olive Quick Bread, and this Olive Cheese Bread just for me – oh, and all of our friends who come over and swear they don’t like olives, but then fight for every last slice!
What type of olives should I use?
My favorite olives to use are a mix of black and pimiento-stuffed green, but anything goes! Use whatever you love best. There are many different kinds of olives (26 I think!), but I would say these are the most common in the U.S.:
- Mission – this is America’s baby. Plump and mild, with a slightly nutty flavor. Perfect on pizza, salads, and used as finger puppets, as mentioned above! Ha. You can find them in all sizes, pitted, chopped, or sliced. They offer something for everyone.
- Manzanilla – also simply know as the “green olive,” these are brine-cured, with a subtle smokey taste. They’re perfect for stuffing with garlic, cheese, and peppers and always make a great appetizer.
- Kalamata – plump and reddish-purple, these come from Greece and are popular worldwide. They’re usually preserved in vinegar or oil and offer a salty taste to so many dishes.
- Gaeta – these gems are small, brownish-black, with a nutty flavor, and tricky to pit.
- Niçoise – as the name would indicate, these are French. They’re a purplish-brown in color and pretty small. Great for tapenade.
- Piccoline – also originally from France, these are most commonly seen used in a martini.
Olive Cheese Bread Recipe
Ingredients you need to make this:
- French bread loaf
- Mayonnaise
- Unsalted butter
- Sriracha hot sauce
- 6 ounce jar sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
- 2 ounce can sliced black olives
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Green onions
(Scroll down to the detailed printable recipe card for exact measurements.)
How to Make Olive Cheese Bread
This appetizer bread is ridiculously easy to make in a few simple steps. Here’s a summary (detailed printable recipe card below):
- Slice the bread: slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise. Scoop out some of the surface, making a shallow well. Place on a baking sheet.
- Make the filling: mix together the mayonnaise, butter, and Sriracha until combined and smooth. Add in both olives, cheese, and scallions; mix to combine. Divide and spread the filling evenly between the two bread halves.
- Bake: bake in a preheated oven until cheese is melted and browning. Cut into 2-inch portions across and serve as an appetizer.
Make Ahead
This can be fully prepped a day beforehand (not baked) – secure in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for a bit and then bake as directed.
My goodness, this bead. The edges are all crunchy, the olives salty, the cheese all melty. If you love olives like I do, you will love this!
Olive Cheese Bread Video
Other Easy Appetizers
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Olive Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread (14-inches long)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter ,softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 6 ounces (1 jar) sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives ,drained
- 2.25 ounces (1 can) sliced black olives ,drained
- 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 stalks green onions ,diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise. Scoop out some of the surface, making a shallow well. Place on a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, butter, and Sriracha until combined and smooth. Add in both olives, cheese, and scallions; mix to combine.
- Divide and spread the filling evenly between the two bread halves.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.
- Cut into 2-inch portions across and serve as an appetizer.
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman
This is so delicious-especially if you love olives! I doubled the recipe and froze half in individual portions. I used those for my breakfast or lunch.
This bread is delicious and such a crowd pleaser. Perfect for pot lucks or any time you need an appetizer.
I made this for Bunco night with the girls and it was a complete hit! While I was making the recipe, my husband said it looked good. I said I would bring any leftovers home. Unfortunately (for him) he will have to wait until the next game night. Empty platters are the highest compliment. I will be making this often for family and events.
Love this recipe. So easy and oh so good.
I loved this the first time I made it in 2020. Everyone loves it and they request it now. I could eat a whole Loaf of it by myself.
Still loving it ??????
I love this! Do you think I could just put the mixture in a bowl, heat it, and use it as a dip?
I bet this would be delish as a dip!
I have brothers and sisters that are absolutely in love with Alice, so of course this is perfect. I started making a couple years ago for our Christmas Eve get together’s. Now they asked for it on New Year’s Eve and Easter and birthdays. Even special Sunday dinners. If I’m showing up, this is the appetizer I better bring with me.
This is the bomb! My husband and I both love Olives. I bought two loaves of pre baked French bread and cut them in half. There was enough filling for all 4 halves. I was able to freeze them until I wanted to use them. Most of the time as a side to soup for dinner.
Delicious
I made this fir brunch today and added salad shrimp. It was a huge hit with the entire family including picky grandson. Thank you for sharing.
Love! I used a mixture of mozzarella and goat cheese. Paired so well with the olives. Definitely will make again!
Made it. Was great. Will try adding maybe add roast chicken or ham or pepperoni next time I make it.. Thanks
This is the absolute BEST bread, omg!!! Can’t get enough of it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
~Lynda
I have made this at least 6 times. It’s delicious!!! Once I made up the olive topping and put the bowl into the refrigerator (covered) overnight for the next day. My hubby was going to pick up the French bread on his way home from work. Well as luck had it he forgot and I didn’t have time was guests were arriving soon. So I put the cheesy olive mixture into a fancy bowl and put a napkin lined basket with club crackers ( that’s that I had in the pantry.) along with a couple butter knives and everyone just loved it. They had no idea it was suppose to be hot and on French bread.
Love the idea of this as a dip!
This can also be frozen. I usually wrap and freeze it in 4 individual sections. I take it out of the freezer and put it straight into the oven. One section is just right for me and my husband to go along with soup or salad. We love it.
So yummy! I am only one in my family who loves olives too. My mom always had the green & black olives out at gatherings.
How can I make this a day ahead? Traveling to another home and I want to “ put together as much as I can ahead of time”.
Please read the notes in the recipe card, thanks!
Is there a suggestions for swapping out the siriachi ? Thanks
A couple dashes of Tabasco.
Try using pepperjack instead of regular jack cheese
This was FANTASTIC!
Great vegetarian recipe! I made this using an egg free, dairy free mayonnaise called Just Mayo. It’s with all the regular mayos on the shelf in a squeeze bottle.
I have used this recipe several times using Miracle Whip. Since having my gall bladder out I can not eat mayo. Never really did care for it. We liked it with the Miracle Whip.
I switched the cheese to colby and monteray jack and used olive salad it was AMAZING!!
Made this for poker night and everyone loved it! No changes needed. Will make this again and again, thank you so much for a great recipe.
I used alfredo sauce and it was delicious!
I halved the recipe since there’s only 2 of us – we loved it.
I love this recipe! I took it up a notch and added ground sausage for a complete dinner. It was a huge hit, even with the kids! I halved the mayo and used plain Greek yogurt to bring the fat content down a bit with the sausage. It’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Oh yay! I’m so glad. And I love the idea of adding sausage. Good call! Thanks for stopping by, Katie :D
How can you go wrong with ANYTHING that involves cheese and bread? If I were you, I’d be perfectly fine with the fam not liking this recipe…more for you!
Oh, dear. Olive lovers unite, indeed. This looks fabulous… even better since you didn’t need to share :)
I did the EXACT SAME THING with olives! My mom would actually have to restrict me to eating only as many olives as I could fit on my finger. And then I’d sneak behind her back and steal them out of the salad. True story.
I’m so enamored with this bread. It has all of my favorite things in life in it.
I know I would love this, but my other half HATES olives of any kind. I might make half a recipe just for me!
This cheesy olive-y bread looks great, and all I can think of is a big ol ale or porter or stout beer to go with it. Cheers.
Yay for olives! And since my husband loves them too, making this bread should NOT be a controversial issue in our house. =)
I like olives, but don’t love them enough to mourn their absence in my house because, duh, Steve hates ’em, too.
Julie and I did do olive fingers at the holidays, though. Oh yeah. :D
I know, boo hoo. I suppose I’m being over dramatic…it’s not like I lay awake at night dreaming about them. I just get tired of missing foods I like – olives, artichoke hearts, beets, goat cheese. Waaaah. BUT Paul will eat (and enjoy) most things, and the fact that my 6YO requests hummus and carrots for a snack gives me little to complain about, right?
This looks awesome, Amy!! I LOVE olives, especially green. Looks like a great way to use them.
Thanks Kristy! It was SO easy, too.
We both enjoyed this bread. I cut the amounts down as only the two of us. I only used green olives as I think the taste would overpower tbe flavor of the black olives. This would also be good with black olives only, depending what you’re main dish is. I had half a loaf of Cuban bread left. I used the first half with stuffed red bell peppers and the other with grilled sirloin steak. Excellent!