These Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives are a crispy, crunchy, salty, savory recipe that makes the perfect starter. These poppable little guys are paired with homemade garlic aioli for an unforgettable appetizer best served during Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

A big thank you to California Ripe Olives for helping create this recipe and sponsoring this post, all opinions posted are my own.

deep fried olives stuffed with blue cheese on white platter with aioli

Why you’ll love these fried olives stuffed with cheese

A perfect amuse bouche! I like to think of these deep-fried olives as a salty bite to really get the party started. They go wonderful with a bitter aperitif or cocktail. I even like to scatter platters of these fried olives around the room so my guests can mix, mingle and move around the room.

The ultimate finger food! Nothing beats an appetizer recipe that is literally one-bite. The California Green olives act as their own individual portion that’s first stuffed to the max with blue cheese, then coated in a super savory breadcrumb topping and fried until golden brown. Swooped and enjoyed with a garlic aioli, this is one to remember.

Elegant, classy and delicious! The color alone makes you want to dive in, but the real treat is when you get a taste of the fresh fried olive with a burst of salty, tangy blue cheese right along with it. You may even want to double or triple the recipe – these guys will go fast!

Olives are not just for martinis

I love the fact that green olives are the star of the show here. Olives have such a mild flavor and are super versatile, which is why I love to include them in so many of my recipes, like Mediterranean salmon. California Green olives, in particular, come with the California Grown identity. As a Californian, I love that they represent the heart and soul of our state. A whopping 95% of the domestic olive products are produced in CA – a fun fact you can wow your guests with while sipping and eating!

green olives stuffed with blue cheese on paper towels

Ingredients for blue cheese stuffed olives recipe

The ingredient list comes in two parts – the olives and the garlic aioli. Let’s take a look at what we need.

Frying olives

Green California Olives
Crumbled blue cheese
All purpose flour
Garlic powder
Salt
Cracked black pepper
Eggs
Panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil

Garlic Aioli

Mayonnaise
Garlic cloves
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Kosher salt

green olives, blue cheese, vegetable oil, flour, breadcrumbs, egg, mayo, lemon juice, garlic, salt

How to make olives stuffed with blue cheese

Stuffing olives is the fun part and I know some of you may be nervous about deep frying, but trust me when I say, the olives fry up so fast, they’ll be ready before you know it.

Stuff olives: Gently open olives and stuff a small piece of blue cheese inside. Close the two olive sides together and place them onto a paper towel-lined plate. Continue with the remaining olives.
Prep breading station: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, salt and cracked black pepper and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and set aside. Finally, place panko bread crumbs into a third bowl and set aside.
Heat oil: In a large heavy bottom skillet, add in enough oil to fill the skillet ⅓ of the way up the pan. Heat oil until a deep fryer thermometer reaches 350 F.
Coat with flour: When oil is ready, place 5-8 olives in the bowl with the flour. Toss gently with a slotted spoon or fork until olives are covered with flour.
Toss in egg and breadcrumbs: Place the olives in the bowl with the beaten egg, being sure to coat each olive with egg. With a different slotted spoon (or fork), transfer the olives to the breadcrumb mixture and, using yet another fork, turn the olives gently to cover with the breadcrumbs.
Fry olives: Place the olives in the hot oil and fry for 30-45 seconds, or until golden brown. Very gently stir the olives in the oil so all sides fry evenly. Transfer the olives to the paper-towel-covered plate to cool a few minutes before serving. Repeat until all olives are fried.
Make the aioli: In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and kosher salt until well combined. Serve on the side with the olives.

deep fried green olives on paper towels with fork

Serving suggestions

Serve these bite-size treats with an abundance of more appetizers and classy cocktails. I set up platters of cherry pecan baked brie and cranberry pistachio cheese ball. As far as cocktails go, you could try a chocolate manhattan, cranberry whiskey cocktail or Christmas margarita. I think these are elegant enough for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, but make the perfect accompaniment to just about any occasion.

How to make ahead

If you want to make this fried olive recipe ahead of time so you are not frying olives while your guests arrive, simply make as directed, then pop them in the fridge. When ready to serve, place in a 400 degree F oven for 2-3 minutes, or until warm and crispy.

hand dipping fried olive in dipping sauce from platter

Recipe tips:

Use a deep-fry thermometer. And make sure the end is not touching the bottom of the skillet. The thermometer will allow you to keep the temperature consistent throughout frying.
If the panko mixture becomes gummy, replace it with fresh ingredients. This especially comes in handy if doubling or tripling the recipe.
Only fry a batch of 5-8 olives at a time. This ensures the oil temperature doesn’t drop too low and the olives are not crowded in the pan.

Looking for more appetizer recipes? Check these out!

If you make this Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives recipe, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!

I seriously love seeing what you guys are making and sharing your creations with the College Housewife community!