My Dad’s 3-Ingredient Holiday Appetizer Costs Less Than $3 and Requires Zero Cooking

The holidays are officially here and that means entertaining, cooking, and hosting nonstop until January rolls around. At Allrecipes, we're all about making holiday entertaining as seamless, affordable, and actually enjoyable as possible. That's why our team relies on no-cook, make-ahead, few-ingredient recipes more than ever during the festive season. But that still leaves room for family traditions.

Luckily, one of my family's favorite recipes at the holidays (and beyond) is a 3-ingredient marvel that requires zero cooking yet never fails to impress. Every time I break out this appetizer for a party, the recipe requests come pouring in, so I'm sharing my not-so-secret family recipe once and for all. Here's how to make my dad's marinated olives, the ideal holiday appetizer.

My Dad's Famous 3-Ingredient Marinated Black Olives

Fussy, fancy olives need not apply. This retro 3-ingredient appetizer is simply jumbo black olives (the canned kind), grated garlic, and olive oil—okay, and salt and pepper but we're not counting those. For as long as I can remember, my dad made these olives for all our holiday meals, and my grandma before him. They’re so, so easy, they’re portable, and most importantly, they don’t take up room in the busy oven. You can serve them cold or at room temperature, and the simple combination of ingredients feels elevated yet humble at the same time.

This is a slightly fancy way to serve these bites, even to people who normally hate olives. Personally, I find other varieties too tangy or overly savory (I can’t stand Kalamata olives!) These are much more accessible and crowd-pleasing—an ideal appetizer for people like me who like black olives on their pizza.

You’re basically two steps away from just putting out a bowl of black olives—and I wouldn't judge you if you did. But somehow the combination of the punchy garlic with the mild olives, plus olive oil, flaky salt, and pepper turns them into a must-have dish at our holiday gatherings. And the best part is they don’t fill you up before dinner, because there's nothing worse than spending all day cooking a fancy meal only to have your guests fill up on charcuterie in five minutes.

How to Make My Dad’s Marinated Black Olives

Start with one or two cans of jumbo black olives, drain them, and add them to a zip-top plastic bag. Grate in 3-4 garlic cloves and add a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff here), then season with flaky salt and pepper, to taste. Seal the bag and give it a good shake to get the olives evenly coated. Chill in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours. The garlic will still have a lot of bite after only that much time, so marinate longer—even overnight—if you want the garlic to mellow more.

When you're ready to serve, it's as easy as pouring them into a bowl and they're ready to enjoy. Stick them with a toothpick, stick them on the ends of your fingers, and chase people around the room for extra fun—your holiday crowd is gonna love them. Can holiday cooking possibly get any easier?