As a kid, whenever I woke up on holiday mornings, my mom was already in the kitchen cooking. On Thanksgiving, we’d feast on golden turkey, our favorite boxed stuffing, and gravy-covered mashed potatoes—all the classic fixings. For Christmas, it was spiral-sliced ham and a plethora of savory sides.
Anyone who cooks knows that when you’re assembling a feast, having hungry family members in the kitchen isn’t ideal. Instead of constantly ushering my brother and me out of the room, my mom had the genius idea to set up a snack table in the dining room. It was filled with assorted cheeses, crackers, salami, and her star appetizer: cream cheese and olives spread.
Creamy, salty, and textured, it’s the trifecta of dips. The 3-ingredient combo is perfect for scooping up with pretzels and buttery crackers. And the best part? It starts with a block of cream cheese.
How To Make Cream Cheese and Olives Spread
To get started, you’ll need a large bowl and an electric mixer to whip an 8-ounce brick of softened cream cheese. If you don’t have an electric mixer, a wooden spoon will work better than a manual whisk. It may not aerate the cream cheese as much, but it will make it creamy without risking breaking your utensils.
Allrecipes/Qi Ai
Next, you’ll need to separate the olives from the brine, reserving about 1/4 cup for later use. Roughly chop about 1/2 cup of olives into bite-sized pieces. Feel free to add more or less based on your preferences. When my mom makes this recipe, she only uses manzanilla green olives stuffed with pimento, but you can use any type you like, including unique deli bar varieties.
Then, add the olives to the cream cheese along with two to three tablespoons of olive brine and a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise. Fold the additions into the cream cheese until well combined. If it seems difficult to stir, feel free to add more brine or mayonnaise until it’s your desired consistency. As always, you can put your own spin on it by adding herbs or a dash of hot sauce for spice.
Once mixed, cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours. You can serve this right out of a small dish or spoon it into a bread bowl surrounded by crackers, veggies, and sliced bread. That’s all there is to it!
As with any cream cheese-based dip, it should not be left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours due to the risk of foodborne illness. Additionally, this spread tastes best when eaten within three days, so be sure to enjoy it on toast or English muffins to use up leftovers.