Inspired by the classic Italian Caprese salad, this Caprese Toast layers juicy blistered tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil on crisp artisan bread. We love a finish of olive oil, balsamic glaze and chilli flakes. It’s a quick breakfast, lunch, or snack that feels gourmet but comes together in under 10 minutes!
YES, we’re still on the move making more and more Caprese recipes. With all the AMAZING variations we have, we still love some more!
Here are some of our TOP Caprese Recipes
Caprese Sandwich
Caprese Pizza
Classic Caprese Salad
Best Appetizer: Caprese Skewers
Whether you’re hosting brunch or looking for a healthy breakfast , this one is perfect! Add to it a poached egg for a sinfully delicious breakfast! Or leave it as it for an elevated toast recipe. Plus, it’s vegetarian, summer-friendly light meal, and perfect for showcasing seasonal tomatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Caprese Toast Recipe
- ABSOLUTELY TASTY! This simple toast made with basic and simple ingredients is utterly luscious! Sweet seasonal roast tomatoes with herbs garlic and olive slathered over bread. While you can add fresh mozzarella cheese, for an even divine taste we added Burrata Cheese.
- Similar to our Burrata Cheese, this recipe requires only a few ingredients.
- Fresh and healthy! Simple, clean ingredients
- Super Quick! This is a 15 minute recipe that feels like a dream meal! I mean who can resist a toast like this for a summer dinner?
- Versatile! This makes a perfect toast recipe for breakfast, lunch, or even an appetizer.
- Customizable! You can transform this humble toast into a richer nutrient dense meal. Try adding avocado, fried eggs, or pesto for a twist. Also add in some cooked chicken for the flavors of Chicken Caprese.
- A very Mediterranean recipe inspired by the beauty of Italian cuisine. You’ll see endless variations of these ingredients when you visit Italy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread. Sourdough, multigrain, or country loaf (toasted). We love a good large sourdough toast for its rich flavor.
- Mozzarella Cheese. Use fresh mozzarella for this recipe, always. Never use the dried pizza type cheese. You can take this recipe to the next level by using Burrata Cheese.
- Tomatoes: Heirloom, cherry, or Roma tomatoes work best. Make sure they’re seasonal and sweet. We love sweet cherry tomatoes.
- Basil. Use fresh basil leaves for the freshest taste of the herb. You can likewise use Basil Pesto for a richer flavor of basil.
- Garlic. We use fresh garlic cloves roasted with the tomatoes for a sweeter richer garlic note. This is optional but highly recommended.
- Herbs. Additionally and optionally we love using sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Extra virgin olive oil. KEY to a great tasting meal is great tasting olive oil. We use the Moroccan brand Mina always.
- Balsamic glaze or reduction. This rounds off the sweetness of the caprese toast recipe, so highly recommended!
- Seasoning. Salt, chilli flakes and freshly cracked black pepper
How to Make Caprese Toast
Prepare the Tomato Mixture
- We love roasting the tomatoes and garlic in the oven. This creates a richer and deeper flavor of the Caprese toast like you won’t even imagine!
- You’ll need a baking dish or baking sheet. Add to it the tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, lots of olive oil, thyme and season.
- Bake the tomato mixture until it has blistered and the garlic cloves have turned soft and golden. This takes 15 minutes.
- You can optionally broil the mixture for a charred taste.
- Once out of the oven, add in your fresh mozzarella cheese in slices. Or add in Burrata cheese for a Burrata Caprese.
Spread over Toast
- Toast the bread. Use a toaster, grill pan, or oven until golden and crisp. This helps the bread absorb the sweet and juicy tomato mixture.
- Assemble the toast by using a spoon and spread the sweet tomato, olive oil and cheese over the bread.
- Tear up some fresh basil leaves and add between the cheese and tomatoes.
- Finish with a good drizzle of the garlic olive oil and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle salt, black pepper and chili flakes on top.
- Cut the toast into halves if it’s a larger loaf, otherwise keep it as is. ENJOY!
Caprese Toast Tips
- Use seasonal sweet tomatoes for the best flavor. You can use any type you prefer, and make sure to use equal slices of tomato if using larger ones.
- For the cheese, you can use Burrata or fresh Mozzarella cheese. Use room temperature cheese for the best creamy texture.
- Baking the tomatoes with whole garlic coves in olive oil enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. It also creates a garlicky olive oil base to drizzle over the caprese toast. You can skip this step, but it makes a huge difference.
- Use a generous amount of seasoning to bring out flavors.
- Balsamic glaze adds depth and sweetness. You can find store bought balsamic glaze at your local grocery store.
- The type of bread and toast you use matters dramatically! A thin bread will be soggy, and an extra thick or hard bread will be hard to eat.
- Ideally you can use pre-cut sourdough slices or a baguette. The baguette bread will be more of a crostini than toast, but it offers an awesome texture.
- Remember to toast your bread to soak up all the juicy tomatoes and olive oil.
What is Caprese toast made of?
Caprese toast is made of toasted bread of your choice topped with Caprese salad ingredients. So fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic glaze. This is the basic version and you can twist it endlessly!
What kind of bread is best for Caprese toast?
Use thick, pre-cut hearty breads like sourdough, ciabatta, or a country-style loaf. These hold the toppings well and offer the perfect crunch.
Can I use cherry tomatoes?
Yes! We have used these today actually! Whole roasted cherry or grape tomatoes are great for a sweet, juicy bite and add beautiful color.
Is Caprese toast healthy?
It depends what your idea of healthy is. It is definitely a clean recipe with simple and fresh ingredients. It’s also vegetarian and Mediterranean-diet friendly.
Can I make this ahead of time?
To make this ahead of time, avoid assembling the toast. Toast bread and store toppings separately until serving and assemble just before eating to avoid sogginess.
What protein can I add to Caprese toast?
If you have cooked chicken, it will be similar to our Chicken Caprese. You can likewise add poached or fried eggs for a sinful breakfast or brunch. To keep it fully vegetarian, you can add tofu.
Caprese Recipes
Caprese Bites
Holiday Caprese Wreath
Caprese Sandwich
Best Caprese Pizza
Caprese Skewers
Classic Caprese Salad
Burrata Caprese
Caprese Toast
Ingredients
Toast
- 4 Sourdough toast largest size
Caprese Mixture
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves Smashed
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin olive o il
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes optional
Assemble
- 1 burrata cheese or fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 1-2 Tablespoons balsamic glaze
Instructions
-
Prepare the Tomato Mixture
-
You'll need a baking dish or baking sheet. Add to it the tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, lots of olive oil, thyme and season.
-
Bake the tomato mixture until it has blistered and the garlic cloves have turned soft and golden. This takes 15 minutes.
-
You can optionally broil the mixture for a charred taste.
-
Once out of the oven, add in your fresh mozzarella cheese in slices. Or add in Burrata cheese for a Burrata Caprese.
-
Spread over Toast
-
Toast the bread. Use a toaster, grill pan, or oven until golden and crisp. This helps the bread absorb the sweet and juicy tomato mixture.
-
Assemble the toast by using a spoon and spread the sweet tomato, olive oil and cheese over the bread.
-
Tear up some fresh basil leaves and add between the cheese and tomatoes.
-
Finish with a good drizzle of the garlic olive oil and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle salt, black pepper and chili flakes on top.
-
Cut the toast into halves if it's a larger loaf, otherwise keep it as is. ENJOY!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Caprese Toast Tips
- Use seasonal sweet tomatoes for the best flavor. You can use any type you prefer, and make sure to use equal slices of tomato if using larger ones.
- For the cheese, you can use Burrata or fresh Mozzarella cheese. Use room temperature cheese for the best creamy texture.
- Baking the tomatoes with whole garlic coves in olive oil enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. It also creates a garlicky olive oil base to drizzle over the caprese toast. You can skip this step, but it makes a huge difference.
- Use a generous amount of seasoning to bring out flavors.
- Balsamic glaze adds depth and sweetness. You can find store bought balsamic glaze at your local grocery store.
- The type of bread and toast you use matters dramatically! A thin bread will be soggy, and an extra thick or hard bread will be hard to eat.
- Ideally you can use pre-cut sourdough slices or a baguette. The baguette bread will be more of a crostini than toast, but it offers an awesome texture.
- Remember to toast your bread to soak up all the juicy tomatoes and olive oil.
What is Caprese toast made of?
Caprese toast is made of toasted bread of your choice topped with Caprese salad ingredients. So fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic glaze. This is the basic version and you can twist it endlessly!
What kind of bread is best for Caprese toast?
Use thick, pre-cut hearty breads like sourdough, ciabatta, or a country-style loaf. These hold the toppings well and offer the perfect crunch.
Can I use cherry tomatoes?
Yes! We have used these today actually! Whole roasted cherry or grape tomatoes are great for a sweet, juicy bite and add beautiful color.
Is Caprese toast healthy?
It depends what your idea of healthy is. It is definitely a clean recipe with simple and fresh ingredients. It’s also vegetarian and Mediterranean-diet friendly.
Can I make this ahead of time?
To make this ahead of time, avoid assembling the toast. Toast bread and store toppings separately until serving and assemble just before eating to avoid sogginess.
What protein can I add to Caprese toast?
If you have cooked chicken, it will be similar to our Chicken Caprese. You can likewise add poached or fried eggs for a sinful breakfast or brunch. To keep it fully vegetarian, you can add tofu.
I made this for lunch yesterday and it was so fresh and tasty! The mix of tomato and cheese with the toasted bread is just perfect.
This toast was incredibly delicious with the balsamic glaze. The chili flakes give it a kick of flavor.
Those look so good! I can see these as a nice brunch addition.