Caprese Salad
25 Comments
Updated May 23, 2024
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Caprese salad is a classic Italian salad made with alternating slices of juicy, ripe tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella. It’s topped with fresh basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. It’s simple, fresh, and one of my favorite summer salad recipes.
Caprese salad (also known as insalata caprese) is a classic dish from the Italian island of Capri. It’s simple, juicy, creamy, fresh, and my go-to salad whenever I travel to Italy. Imagine sitting in a cafe on the Amalfi coast, gazing out at the ocean while enjoying a freshly made caprese salad with an Aperol spritz. It’s the most perfect experience ever.
So, I say let’s bring that same experience into your kitchen and whip up this caprese salad recipe. It’s easy to make, light and refreshing, and guaranteed to be a hit for all your summer dinner parties and cookouts.
Caprese Salad Ingredients
The most important thing about a caprese salad is the quality of the ingredients. That’s why it’s a summertime staple — when tomatoes and basil are fresh and at their best. Here’s what’s in it:
- Tomatoes: Splurge on the juiciest tomatoes you can find. Whether that’s organic heirloom tomatoes or plum tomatoes, just make sure they’re ripe with no hint of green and almost about to burst.
- Mozzarella: Again, don’t skimp on cheap stuff. Grab a big ball of fresh, creamy, authentic mozzarella (mozzarella di buffalo is also great) for the perfect texture. You’ll usually find it packed in water.
- Fresh Basil: Pluck those leaves fresh from the plant right before serving, if possible. You want a bright green color and a fresh aroma that make you feel like you’re wandering through an Italian garden.
- Olive Oil: I’m sure you’ve gathered the theme here, but freshness is also crucial with olive oil. Opt for an excellent cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil with a bit of a bite. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be good. California Olive Ranch and Lucini are two of my go-to brands.
- Balsamic Vinegar: I’ll be the first to say that balsamic vinegar is not classic or necessary on caprese salad, but boy do I love it. And when it’s made into a balsamic reduction, it’s thick, sweet, and lovely. You can add it or leave it off, it’s up to you!
- Salt and Pepper: Use a flakey salt like Maldon Salt or triangular sea salt for that perfect texture. Just don’t use table salt. Add freshly cracked black pepper for the finishing touch.
Helpful tip: If you’re abundant with fresh tomatoes, use them to make other Mediterranean favorites like my zucchini noodle caprese, marinara sauce, Greek salad, or this Nicoise salad!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Caprese Salad
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella. Once sliced, simply alternate them in layers on a plate. You can place the layers in a vertical row or round them out into a circle as I did. It’s all about presentation here!
Add the finishing touches. Layer the basil leaves in between the tomatoes and mozzarella, with a few baby leaves on top. Then, drizzle the olive oil and balsamic reduction on top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving. Then — cue the bottle of wine!
Storage Tips
Caprese salad is always best served fresh. But you could also make this up to 24 hours in advance (without the oil and balsamic vinegar). Just slice up the tomatoes and mozzarella and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If have a few slices left over, the salad will also keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just note that the tomato will soften over time.
More Caprese Recipe Ideas
If you want to get creative, try these fun caprese recipes! And if you’re looking for more salads to entertain with, any of these salad recipes or summer salads will impress.
- Persimmon Caprese Salad – a delicious way to enjoy caprese flavors in the fall or winter
- Caprese Skewers – the perfect finger food appetizer!
- Avocado Caprese Salad – the ultimate California spin
There’s never too much caprese salad during summer. So once you make it, let me know what your thoughts are on this recipe in the comment box below!
Caprese Salad Recipe
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced
- 8 ounces mozzarella, sliced
- handful of fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction
- flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the tomato and cheese. Add a slice of tomato to a plate, then add a slice of mozzarella on top. Keep alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella until you've used up all of the ingredients.
- Add the basil. Place fresh basil leaves in between the layers. I prefer smaller basil leaves to keep them whole, but if you have large basil leaves you can cut them up.
- Finishing touches. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic reduction on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then serve immediately.
Lisa’s Tips
- Make sure to check out my separate recipe for how to make a Balsamic Reduction (Balsamic Glaze). It’s easy and much better than store-bought.
- You can get creative and substitute the tomatoes for a variety of fruits, including peaches, nectarines, strawberries, and more. Use what’s in season!
Nutrition
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Originally posted July 2019, but updated to include new information.
Simply amazing… and your comment about fresh basil is so spot-on. As a bonus, the kitchen smells so marvelous when we’ve prepared anything with our home-grown basil. Thank you!
Using my remaining basil at the end of the season to make pesto has become so frustrating, since neither my blender nor Cuisinart food processor render it down properly without many pauses and scrapes…. any tips? (I can’t be the only one!)
I bet your homegrown basil smells amazing, especially for this Caprese salad! As for your pesto, I typically make it with my Vitamix blender.
Caprese Salad is one of our “go-to” summer salads. Imagine our horror when we found out I couldn’t tolerate cow’s milk without causing serious health problems (not just “gassy” either). So we found two things that can work well with caprese salad (one of which you mentioned is buffalo milk), and the other is pecarino ramano, which is sheep milk. We sometimes add onions to the mix for a little bit of interest as well. It hasn’t always been this painless to transfer recipe exchanges, and thank you for mentioning this dish and it’s wonderful flavors.
This was just about the easiest salad to make. Trader Joe’s carries pre-sliced mozzarella logs so literally all you have to do is assemble the items. What I didn’t know was how easy it is to make a balsamic reduction, simmer on low and time it for 15 minutes…wow! Thanks again, Lisa, for another brilliant recipe, easy-to-do, no fuss which is what we need during this heat wave.
Hi Esther – Happy to hear you enjoyed this Caprese salad! And yes, a balsamic reduction is so easy to make!
Made it for my boyfriend who is a culinary chef. He was impressed 👌🏻
Glad this satisfied even a chef!
So simple and delicious!
The Caprese salad looks amazing. Will be making the Caprese Salad for company this coming Sunday. Is there a particular balsamic vinegar that you recommend – which brand did you use to make your balsamic reduction. Thanks
This salad will be perfect for serving to guests! You can see which brand I use in my Balsamic Reduction recipe post :)
This is the best!
Glad you enjoyed this caprese salad Karen!
A friend from Italy was visiting me and was shocked to see me use basil pesto on my Caprese. I mix my pesto with olive oil so I can drizzle it – I always have pesto in my freezer and don’t always have access to fresh basil leaves.
He uses a black olive tapenade. It is an absolutely delicious option, I can assure you. The rich and salty tartness of the olive spread plays very well with mozzarella and ripe tomatoes.
I love pesto on caprese as well. It may not be as traditional, but I say go with what tastes good. Just like the tapenade!
ellen_lai@hmg.com.tw
I love salads and I’m always on the lookout for fresh summer salads. I can’t wait to try this!
It’s definitely the perfect summer salad. Hope you enjoy Tayo!
This looks so incredibly fresh and delicious! Can’t wait to try!
Those juicy tomatoes are everything! Enjoy the recipe Kate. :)
I made this yesterday for a get together and it was a huge hit! Classic recipe and I love your tips!
Awesome! I’m so happy you loved the recipe Emily. Caprese salads always seem to be a hit. :)
Definitely one of my favorite salads, too. And great taste with that balsamic vinegar – I always go back to it no matter what else I try from time to time :-)
Happy I’m not the only one who loves it with the balsamic. I know it’s not as traditional, but I just love balsamic on just about anything. ;) Thanks Danielle!
What a light and flavorful salad! So robust in flavor and easy to make too!
Thanks so much Sara! I agree! I’m happy you loved the recipe. :)