Caprese salad with sweet cherry tomatoes and creamy burrata cheese is the perfect summer meal or simple side dish. Quick and flavorful, it's the the perfect summer salad that's ready in just 10 minutes!
On a hot summer day, there's nothing better than a light, refreshing delicious Caprese salad. Fresh, ripe tomatoes, creamy cheese, sweet basil and a healthy drizzle of olive oil, it's one of my favorite things to eat all summer long.
Traditional Caprese salad is made with slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese, but my personal preference is to take it up a notch by pairing juicy, ripe cherry tomatoes with a big ball of burrata.
Cherry tomatoes fresh from the farmer's market are like little flavor bombs that explode on your taste buds. Pair that with some super creamy burrata cheese and you've got the most delicious salad with very little effort. Caprese salad is truly a great way to enjoy every bit of peak tomato season!
Ingredients
All you need is a handful of simple ingredients to make this super fresh salad that's full of vibrant flavors.
- Fresh Cherry Tomatoes - I love to use halved colorful cherry tomatoes in a Caprese salad. You can also use grape tomatoes or thick slices of large fresh tomatoes.
- Burrata Cheese - burrata is a thin pouch of mozzarella that's filled with soft curds and cream. It's softer than than fresh mozzarella and has multiple textures with a firm outside and super creamy inside. It's amazing for a Caprese salad.
- Fresh basil leaves - I love to chiffonade the basil into thin strips so you get some sweet, herby goodness in each bite!
- Extra-virgin olive oil - use good quality olive oil. The Furies is my go-to!
- Flaky sea salt - Get some Maldon. It's worth it!
Method
A classic caprese salad is so easy to make, you really don't even need a recipe! The most important thing in this recipe is to use high quality, fresh ingredients. Caprese salad is so simple, you will taste the difference! Make sure that the tomatoes and burrata are at room temperature.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Chiffonade the basil leaves into thin strips by stacking the basil leaves on top of each other, gently rolling it into a log and then slicing thinly into strips. Stir about ¾ of the basil into the tomatoes. Transfer tomatoes to a serving platter.
Tear the ball of burrata into a few pieces and place it on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle on more flaky salt to taste. Finish with reserved basil.
Variations
- Drizzle the finished salad with a bit of balsamic glaze for added flavor.
- Layer Caprese salad into a split baguette for a delicious sandwich.
- Bulk it up into a pasta salad by adding some cooked pasta and balsamic dressing.
- Serve it over a bed of fresh arugula tossed with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.
- Add some fresh, ripe peaches for a flavorful twist.
- Instead of basil leaves, add a few dollops of basil pesto.
- Spoon roasted tomatoes or my Cherry Tomato and Garlic Confit over burrata.
- If you can't find burrata cheese, small fresh mozzarella balls or mozzarella pearls would be the next best choice for making Caprese with cherry tomatoes.
What to eat with Caprese Salad
Caprese salad can be served as an appetizer, light lunch or as the perfect side dish for a summer dinner. It's delightful on it's own but I think good, crusty bread is absolutely critical to mop up all of the olive oil and tomato juice swimming around on the platter. If you plan on serving caprese as an appetizer or side, it pairs perfectly with grilled chicken breasts or steak! Try it with:
- Grilled Mediterranean Chicken
- Creamy Sweet Corn and Basil Pasta
- Casarecce with Broccolini and Italian Sausage
- Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Fries
More summer tomato recipes you will love
- Sungold Tomato Pasta
- Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad with Whipped Ricotta
- Fiesta Salad
- Loaded Burger Bowls
- Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken
Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad with Burrata
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 8 oz ball of burrata cheese
- ¼ cup basil leaves chiffonade
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to taste
- flaky sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Let ingredients come to room temperature.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a big pinch of flaky salt. Toss tomatoes together with about ¾ of the chiffonade basil leaves.
- Transfer tomatoes and basil to a serving platter. Tear burrata ball into several pieces and arrange on top of tomatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with flaky salt to taste. Serve immediately.
Jazz
My first time working with burrata at home and I'm so glad I found your salad recipe! Easy and tasty so I'll be making it again this weekend!
LaKita
Perfect timing coming across this salad recipe because I had all of the ingredients on hand. It came together in minutes and is so fresh and delicious!
Robin
Nothing tastes better than a fresh salad! Caprese has been a favorite of mine for years, but I had never used burrata before. After tasting this version, I'll never make it any other way.
Marta
I'd never had caprese with burrata and after tasting it, I'm kind of mad at how much I've been missing out on. I think this will be my go-to way of preparing it from now on.
Chenée
This is the perfect summer salad! I've tried it before with mozzarella, but the burrata was so much better!