These FRIED BLUE CHEESE STUFFED OLIVES are just delicious. And when served with a simple garlic aioli sauce, they are absolutely addicting! These fried and stuffed olives are the perfect holiday appetizer, just what you need for Christmas or New Year’s Eve!
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives are the perfect New Year’s Eve appetizer. They’re simple, they’re bite-sized, and they’re addictingly good paired with the garlic aioli sauce!
In a past life (about 10 years ago), I was a waitress at a really beautiful high-end martini bar/restaurant in Jacksonville Beach. Considering my hermit like lifestyle these days (kind of kidding), it’s weird to think about what a social life I had right after college. I learned so much about amazing wine, delicious food, and talking to strangers on a nightly basis. If I tried to cocktail waitress today I’d probably be fired within hours. SOMEONE GET RID OF THAT BORING GIRL!
But at the time, it was so fun and the world seemed like my oyster. Or maybe, better yet, the world was my blue cheese stuffed olive! Every night before we opened, we would stuff the olives with blue cheese in anticipation of all the dirty martinis people would order, and I would sneak a few every single time. Have you tried them? I don’t even like olives but I LOVE these Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives!
So when we had the idea to stuff olives with blue cheese and deep fry them, I thought this just might be the grown up, hermit like version of my 24 year old self. I’m pretty pleased with the result! These fried blue cheese stuffed olives are the perfect holiday appetizer, or the perfect treat to indulge in year round. They’re also a unique ingredient for charcuterie boards and appetizer platters. So easy and delicious!
And don’t even get me started on the garlic aioli sauce we made to dip them in…YUM! An appetizer match made in heaven.
These Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives make the perfect, classy New Year’s Eve appetizer. Don’t forget the garlic aioli sauce!
New Year’s Eve Appetizer: Stuffed Olives
This is such a simple yet amazing appetizer. Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives are the ideal New Year’s Eve appetizer, trust me! There’s so much flavor in such a small bite. You can pop them in your mouth by themselves, over and over again, or you can dip them in this easy Garlic Aioli sauce. Both are good decisions, I assure you! They’re great on their own, or great paired with holiday cocktails. Also a great idea! I just can’t get enough of these fried and stuffed olives!
We stuffed our olives with blue cheese, but you could also stuff them with other favorites such as goat cheese, pimentos, or ham. Or you could use Boursin cheese. I love me some boursin. But I guess it is my time at that martini bar that brings me back to loving the blue cheese best. It’s just such a classic. And so tasty!
These fried olives will be right at home at any New Year’s Eve party. Serve them along with all the best appetizers, a few cocktail options, and your guests will be more than happy. Of course these olives are good for any occasion, but I think they suit New Year’s Eve so well.
How to Make Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
I made a seemingly endless stream of blue cheese stuffed olives when I was at the martini bar, so trust me when I say this recipe is simple! Sure, we’re frying them up, so there are a few extra steps beyond just stuffing the olives, but frying these babies up will be done quicker than you think.
How to Make Stuffed Olives:
- Stuff each olive with a piece of cheese and set them aside. Be sure you dry the olives well before stuffing.
- Using a large pot or dutch oven, fill about 1/3 of it with oil, and heat it to 350°F.
- Set up 3 small bowls: place flour in one, beaten eggs in the second, and breadcrumbs in the third bowl.
- Place olives (5-8 at a time) in the bowl of flour, and toss to coat.
- Transfer olives to the egg bowl, and fully coat them with egg.
- Move the olives to the bowl of breadcrumbs and toss to coat the olives.
- When the oil is fully heated, place the prepared batch of olives in, and fry them for about 30-45 seconds. Then removed them and set them aside while you fry the rest of the olives.
If you are preparing these blue cheese stuffed olives for a party, you can easily make them ahead of time so that you’re not frying while guests are arriving. Just follow the steps above and refrigerate the olives. When it’s time to serve, reheat the stuffed olives in the oven at 400°F for just 2-3 minutes.
How to Make Garlic Aioli
This recipe is not complete without the garlic aioli sauce! Sure, the stuffed olives are plenty good on their own, but a little dipping sauce makes everything better, right? Whip up this aioli in no time to serve with the olives, or refrigerate it and use it for any of your dipping needs!
- Place garlic cloves through a garlic press.
- Make a garlic paste by mixing the garlic with salt, and using a knife to scrape, press, and mix.
- Mix garlic paste with Greek yogurt (or mayonnaise), olive oil, and lemon juice.
- Whisk mixture together, season with salt & pepper, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Blue cheese stuffed olives and aioli are a match made in heaven!
Finding the perfect appetizer for New Year’s Eve, holidays, or any party is tough, but these simple Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives have got you covered! Prepare these fried olives, serve with the garlic aioli, and your guests will be amazed!
See the recipe card below for details on how to make Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives with Garlic Aioli. Enjoy!
If you like this stuffed olive recipe, try these other appetizers for New Year’s Eve and beyond:
- Swedish Meatballs recipe
- Pigs in a Blanket
- Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots
- Classic Sausage Balls Recipe
- Cordon Bleu Chicken Meatballs
- Cheeseburger Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
- Whipped Goat Cheese Crostini
Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
Ingredients
For the Fried Olives
- ¼-½ cup mild Blue or Gorgonzola cheese crumbled
- 40 pitted Spanish green olives dried thoroughly
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup regular Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
For the Aioli Dip (garlic dip):
- Aioli can be made up to 2 days ahead. Place in a tightly covered dish and refrigerate.
- 2 garlic cloves pressed through a garlic press
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt or mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice from ½ lemon or lime
Instructions
- (Note: The olives can be fried ahead of time and refrigerated to enjoy later. To serve, reheat in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 2-3 minutes. Watch closely.)
- Gently stuff each dried olive with a small piece of Blue or Gorgonzola cheese and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside until ready to fry.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed stovetop pan, pour enough oil to fill the pan 1/3 of the way up the sides. Heat oil until a deep-frying thermometer reads 350 degrees F or until a cube of bread, deep-fried, takes 2 minutes to brown.
- While oil is heating, place the flour in a cereal-sized bowl – place the slightly beaten eggs in another cereal-sized bowl and combine the Panko breadcrumbs, plain breadcrumbs and Parmesan in another small bowl. **See Note.
- 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 coved with flour.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve with Aioli Dip
- Enjoy!
- **Note. If the dipping mixtures become “gummy” – replace with fresh ingredients.
For the Aioli Dip (garlic dip):
- Press the garlic through a garlic press and transfer the garlic to a cutting board.
- Sprinkle the garlic with the coarse Kosher salt. Scrape the garlic and salt back-and-forth, while pressing the mixture firmly, with the side of the knife, until a paste forms.
- Place the garlic paste in a small bowl and add the Greek yogurt, olive oil and lemon (or lime) juice. Whisk quickly until mixture is well incorporated. Season to taste with salt & black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- This dip can be made up to two days ahead of using.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Aioli is >>by definition<< made with garlic. Ail is the French word for garlic. Saying “garlic aioli” is like saying “Rio Grande River” — redundant.
Hi, thanks for sharing that tidbit! Lots of folks don’t know that and think of aioli as just a mayonnaise-based sauce, so we included it to help out those without as much knowledge or experience!
Do you ever fry the olives, 3 to a toothpick, like in the pic..?
You can do it!
It’s great because of the knowledge you share with us, I will always follow your blog and will share your blog with my friends