Olive Cheese Puffs

These mini Olive Cheese Puffs will make a unique and delicious addition to your small bites menu. Serve them with warm pizza sauce or pasta sauce on the side for dipping.

Ingredients to Make Olive Cheese Puffs Recipe

This easy appetizer recipe is packed with flavor. Olives have been served on appetizer menus for decades and they remain a favorite in pretty much any form. The mixed olive combination featured in olive salad expands the flavor of these cheese balls and makes them an ideal option for a wine and cheese party, cocktail party or holiday gatherings. My family are all huge olive fans, and I rarely make a salad that they’re not included in the ingredients. There are so many terrific brands of olive salad mix that you can choose from these days, to make these little cheese balls. Choose your favorite brand and you’ll be hooked! Ingredients to make easy Olive Cheese Puffs: (Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)

Flour – All purpose flour forms the base of the puffs dough.
Leavening – Baking powder and baking soda give lift to the cheese puffs.
Butter – One half cup butter adds richness to the flavor.
Seasonings – Seasoned salt, granulated garlic or garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper for a hint of spice.
Cheese – Freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Olive Salad – One cup chopped olive salad and sandwich spread well drained expands the flavor profile.
Liquid – Heavy cream or buttermilk for moisture.
Whole Egg – Egg adds structure to the dough.

How to Make the BEST Olive Cheese Puffs Recipe

Heat Oven and Prepare Pans – Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray 36 wells of two (24-count) mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, seasoned salt, granulated garlic, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
Cut in Cold Butter – Using a pastry blender, cut the cold butter into the sifted flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Some pea size pieces are fine!
Add Shredded Cheese – To the flour mixture add the cheddar cheese, Stir to evenly distribute.
Wet Ingredients – In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg.
Combine – Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the cream-egg mixture and the olive salad. Stir using a nonstick spatula until fully moistened, the dough will be thick.
Roll into Bite Size Balls – Roll into rounds and transfer to the prepared pan.
Oven – Bake in the preheated oven per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes back clean.
Serve – Serve warm with pizza sauce or pasta sauce on the side for dipping

Tips for Making Olive Puffs

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: Mini muffin tins, large bowl, small bowl, whisk, cheese grater, meatball scoop, measuring cups and measuring spoons.
Utilize a Food Processor: You can pulse the dry ingredients with the butter in a food processor, if you prefer not to do it by hand. I’ve also done this with success using a hand mixer fitted with the standard beaters or a stand mixer on low speed.
Use Freshly Grated Cheese: Pre-shredded cheese is a terrific time saver. That said, this is one of those recipes that really benefits from freshly grated cheese. It has more moisture and creates melt in your mouth puffs.
Alternate Pan: I recommend baking these bite-size puffs in mini muffin pans so the puffs are uniform in size. You could bake them on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper, but they will spread more.
Use a Meatball Scoop for Uniform Puffs: A meatball size scoop is perfect for dividing the dough into even portions. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to use a teaspoon or tablespoon to divide the dough. The key is to keep the pieces of dough similar in size for even baking.
How to Serve Olive Cheese Balls: These puffs are delicious warm or at room temperature with warm pizza sauce or your favorite flavor of pasta sauce for dipping.

Recipe Variations

Cheese: You could use low moisture mozzarella cheese, gruyere cheese, colby jack cheese or pepper jack cheese.
Cayenne: You could omit the cayenne and use smoked paprika for less spice. Likewise, you could add a few dashes of hot sauce to the heavy cream mixture to suit your taste.
Olive Salad: Olive salad is sold with the other olives in the grocery store. It’s the kind of mixed olive blend that’s used on muffulettas and subs. If you prefer using only chopped green pimento stuffed olives, you could.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store leftover Olive Cheese Puffs in an airtight container or wrapped in heavy duty foil chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave in short bursts or on a sheet pan in a 350°F preheated oven for a few minutes.
Freezer: You can make and freeze these olive puffs prior to baking. When doing so arrange them on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once frozen, package and store for up to 2 months.
Baking from Frozen: The oven temperature will remain the same, but you’ll need to add a few minutes to the baking time. Test the center with a toothpick before removing from the oven.

More Easy Appetizers to Make

Shredded Zucchini Fritters made on the stovetop.
Kicked-Up Creole Sausage Balls are perfect for your Mardis Gras celebrations and holiday parties!
These loaded Tachos are a crowd pleaser!
Serve these crispy Coconut Shrimp with cocktail sauce or Asian chile sauce for dipping.
Easy Corn Salsa for dipping with tortilla chips or on top of salads, tacos and more.
Make Potato Skins and watch them go.
This BLT Dip is great for holiday gatherings, picnics and game day snacking.
Jalapeno Popper Puffs made with crescent rolls.
Spanakopita from The Pioneer Woman.

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