Make delicious and easy Italian tomato Caprese salad with fresh burrata in less than 15 minutes. This recipe makes one of the best summer appetizers or salads!
You'll love this tomato burrata salad!
We're sharing an authentic Caprese salad recipe using creamy burrata cheese just like they'd make it in Italy. By using fresh summer tomatoes and basil leaves, both at their peak during the summertime, you get a light, refreshing summer side salad with fantastic flavor yet minimal ingredients.
After spending two weeks Italy and the past two winters in the Mediterranean, there was no shortage of Caprese salad. We basically ate it every day. Many American food websites add balsamic to their Caprese salad recipes, but an authentic Italian recipe is actually made without balsamic!
We're making our version the Italian way focusing on high-quality Caprese salad ingredients that are as fresh as possible whether you grow them yourself or maybe get them from your local summer farmers market.
It's actually very common to layer the sliced tomatoes, burrata cheese ball (or mozzarella balls), and fresh basil leaves in a bowl, and then the extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper gets added tableside.
If you're obsessed with Caprese flavors as we are, you'll want to also try our Italian inspired Caprese recipes for Chicken Caprese bake, a classic Caprese salad, and our make-ahead Caprese skewers.
Key ingredients
burrata cheese - 2 (4 oz) balls of burrata
grape tomatoes, sliced in half (cherry tomatoes, sugar plum, mixed heirloom tomatoes) or Campari or plum tomato, sliced. Fresh tomatoes are essential.
extra virgin olive oil
salt - we used fine sea salt, kosher salt is a great option too.
freshly ground black pepper
fresh basil leaves, torn or left whole
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
Change up the veggies- Instead of making the classic tomato Caprese with ripe tomatoes and burrata, you can use a mix of heirloom tomatoes in all sorts of colors, or add in summer fruits such as peaches, and nectarines, watermelon, cantaloupe, cherries, avocado, or strawberries.
Add balsamic - While adding balsamic vinegar isn't common in Italy, a little drizzle of vinegar or balsamic syrup is delicious! Be sure to add the drizzle right before serving since it soaks and spreads into the cheese.
Make it a warm dish - Saute or roast the tomatoes instead of serving them cold. The tomatoes become dip-like and are perfect when scooped up with fresh bread slices. Burrata can also be briefly heated, it becomes warm and even softer on the inside.
How to make the burrata Caprese recipe
- Slice whatever variety of baby tomatoes you're using or cut smaller tomatoes like Campari into small wedges.
- Place the burrata cheese balls onto a small serving platter or shallow bowl. The burrata can be left as whole balls, they can be torn into smaller pieces or the ball can be cut open with a knife. Scatter the tomatoes around the burrata.
- Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top of the salad, sprinkle it with flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper, and garnish it with shredded, torn, or small whole fresh basil leaves.
- Toss the salad together and serve. You can drizzle this with a sweet balsamic glaze if preferred. Enjoy!
Common Questions
What to serve with Caprese Salad?
Serve the Caprese salad with a main dish like grilled chicken breasts or with roasted branzini fish. You can also make this a main dish Caprese salad by adding roasted chicken. It also makes a fantastic vegetarian light summer meal and pairs well with other vegetarian salads like our edamame bean salad which would give it a protein boost.
How long does it keep?
Up to 3 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. The cheese will start to break down a bit and the olive oil will harden once refrigerated, but the salad will still taste delicious. For best results, let the burrata Caprese salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating it as leftovers.
Do you eat the skin of burrata?
The skin of burrata is perfectly edible and is actually just made from mozzarella cheese. The inside of the burrata is a combination of cheese curds and cream.
More Mediterranean salads
- Arugula burrata peach salad
- Greek tomato cucumber salad
- Antipasto salad
- Mediterranean chickpea salad
- Vegan Mediterranean bowl
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Recipe
Caprese Salad with Fresh Burrata (Authentic Italian)
Ingredients
- 8 oz burrata cheese - 2 balls in total
- 16 oz baby tomatoes cherry, sugar plum, mixed heirloom tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves torn or left whole
Instructions
- Slice the baby tomatoes in half, any small tomatoes work such as cherry, sugarplum, or mixed heirloom colored tomatoes like a mix of yellow, orange, and red. You can also use plum or Roma tomato slices.
- Place the burrata cheese balls onto a plate or shallow bowl. The burrata can be left as whole balls or can be torn into smaller pieces. Arrange the tomato slices around the burrata cheese.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the salad, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and garnish with shredded, torn, or small whole fresh basil leaves.
- Toss together and serve. Enjoy!
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