This Burrata Bruschetta recipe is a perfect appetizer for your next dinner party with its creamy burrata cheese, juicy fresh tomatoes and garlicky toasted bread. And best of all you only need a handful of fresh ingredients and about 10 minutes to put it together.
We love sharing any recipe that features garden-fresh produce, crusty bread and delightfully creamy cheese. This happens to be a recipe that hits all those marks: a handful of fresh basil, chopped tomatoes, simply toasted bread rubbed with garlic and of course burrata cheese. While it's best to serve this recipe in the peak of summer, if you have access to good tomatoes off season you can certainly make burrata bruschetta year round.
Ingredients That Matter
Head to the garden (if you have one) and grab those ripe tomatoes and basil for this simple recipe. Here's the ingredients you'll need:
- Tomatoes. Any tomato works well for bruschetta, but the best are juicy varieties like cherry, heirloom or beefsteaks. What matters the most is that the tomatoes are ripe. We'll doctor up the tomatoes a bit, but for the most part you want the flavor of a ripe tomato to be at the center of this recipe.
- Burrata. This Italian cheese is a bit of a splurge for us, both in terms of price and richness! But it's important to treat yourself once in a while, if you can. Burrata is simply a fresh cheese made with mozzarella and cream. The interior is a mixture of cheese curds and cream while the outside is a fresh mozzarella. For this recipe we call for cutting burrata balls into small pieces and be sure each piece has some of the creamy inside and firmer exterior.
- Crusty Bread. We love a simple ciabatta bread cut into ½-inch thick slices, but you can use any crusty bread, like a baguette or a sourdough peasant loaf. The important part is the bread is sliced thick enough to hold the tomatoes and cheese but not so thick it breaks your jaw trying to take a bite.
- Basil. A small handful of fresh basil compliments the tangy and juicy tomatoes incredibly well. If it grows together, it goes together! Add the basil at the last minute to prevent it from oxidizing and turning black.
- Garlic. This is where your love for garlic plays a role in this recipe. For our tastes, we tend to simply rub the toasted bread all over with a cut piece of garlic. This imparts a good garlic flavor without being overpowering. But, you can certainly add raw garlic (preferably minced or grated) to the tomatoes if you want big and hot garlic flavor.
- Oil and Vinegar. We use extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to stir into the tomatoes and basil. Both are fruity and bright and bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
How to Make Burrata Bruschetta
You'll want to assemble this recipe just before serving to avoid the bread from getting soggy. Luckily it comes together quite easily. Here's how:
Start by cutting the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces (big enough that they don't fall apart when tossing with the oil and vinegar but not so big that it's hard to eat the bruschetta). Add the tomatoes to a mixing bowl.
Thinly slice the basil then add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Add extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt to the bowl with the tomatoes and basil. Toss gently to combine.
Rub the toasted slices of bread all over with garlic then spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of each slice.
Slice or break up the burrata into bite-sized pieces then add to the top of the tomatoes. Just before serving, spoon some of the oil and vinegar from the bowl of tomatoes on top and garnish with more torn basil leaves.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Some components of this recipe may be made ahead slightly, but it's best made fresh just before serving. However, you can toast the bread a day ahead of time (we suggest waiting to rub with garlic until just before serving). You could also make the tomato topping a day ahead and store in the refrigerator. Just note that the tomatoes will not taste as good once refrigerated.
If you are doubling or tripling this recipe for a big party, here's how we'd make it ahead.
- A day ahead slice and toast the bread.
- Up to a few hours before serving, make the tomato topping and refrigerate for no more than 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before assembling the bruschetta.
- Up to 30 minutes before serving, rub the toasted bread with garlic.
- Up to 30 minutes before serving, add the tomatoes to the toasted bread.
- Up to 15 minutes before serving, top the bruschetta with the cheese. You'll want to tear or slice the burrata just before assembling (once cut it's easy to lose some of the cream filling).
- Just before serving, garnish with the basil.
Other serving suggestions. Try topping this burrata bruschetta with:
- Easy Caramelized Mushrooms and Onions
- A pinch of black pepper
- A pinch of kosher salt
- Thinly sliced red onions
- More fresh herbs
- Balsamic Glaze
More Appetizers and Sides
Looking for more appetizers and sides recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Burrata Bruschetta
- Total Time: 10 min.
- Yield: 8 burrata bruschetta 1x
Description
This Burrata Bruschetta recipe is a perfect appetizer for your next dinner party with its creamy burrata cheese, juicy fresh tomatoes and garlicky toasted bread. And best of all you only need a handful of fresh ingredients and about 10 minutes to put it together.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ripe tomatoes (preferably cherry, beefsteak or heirloom)
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. thinly sliced basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 8 (½-inch thick) slices crusty bread, such as ciabatta, toasted
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half
- 4 oz. burrata cheese
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into small bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add olive oil, balsamic, basil and salt and gently toss to combine.
- Rub bread all over with the cut side of the garlic clove. Divide tomato mixture and spoon over toasted bread (about ¼ cup per slice of bread). Tear or cut burrata into bite-sized pieces. Place on tomatoes and garnish with fresh basil. Spoon on some of the leftover oil and vinegar. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For best results, we recommend making this recipe just before serving. If needed, toast the bread a day ahead but wait to rub with garlic until just before serving. Since tomatoes lose much of their flavor once refrigerated, we recommend storing the tomato mixture in the refrigerator for no more than 8 hours and bringing to room temperature 30 minutes before assembly.
- While we prefer cherry, beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, the most important thing is that the tomatoes are ripe.
- If you can't find burrata, simply use fresh mozzarella.
- Prep Time: 10 min.
- Cook Time: 0 min.
- Category: Appetizer/Side
- Method: Chopping
- Cuisine: Italian
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