Burrata Caprese

This Burrata Caprese recipe is everything you love about the classic, with extra richness and creaminess. With sweet vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil, this simple salad is a celebration of some of summer’s best ingredients!

Burrata! Where have you been all my life?!

Seriously, though: where has burrata been all my life? Burrata is one of those ingredients that seems to have popped out of nowhere and now it’s absolutely everywhere. And I’m not complaining! It’s like mozzarella 2.0, with extra creaminess that takes this burrata caprese salad to the next level.

So, What Is Burrata?

Burrata actually is mozzarella—or partly mozzarella, at least. It’s a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid fresh mozzarella while the inside is a mixture of  mozzarella and cream. When you slice into burrata, the creamy filling spills out and yes, it’s just as rich and decadent as it sounds. In other words: it is amaaaazing.

Burrata is originally from the Puglia region of Italy, and unlike so many of the other classic Italian cheeses we all know and love that have hundreds of years of history behind them (Parmesan! Mozzarella! Asiago!), it’s relatively young—it was first developed in the 1950s. 

For more burrata recipes, try my Burrata Toast and Peach Burrata Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette.

Ingredients for Burrata Caprese

Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the full ingredient list with measurements and quantities.

• Cherry Tomatoes or Sliced Tomatoes – This is THE recipe to showcase your very best tomatoes from the garden (or the best ones you can find at the farmers’ market). All those funky, colorful heirloom tomatoes would be fab here.
• Burrata – The star of the show! Yes, you could substitute mozzarella if you can’t find burrata, but you came here for burrata caprese, right?
• Basil – Because tomatoes and basil are a match made in culinary heaven.
• Olive Oil – A fruity, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil would be great here if you happen to have one, but don’t go out and buy one if you don’t.
• Balsamic Glaze – Or a very aged balsamic vinegar with a thick, syrupy consistency. 
• Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper – Flaky sea salt is especially good with a caprese salad.

How to Make Burrata Caprese

There’s really not much to this recipe, but you’ll find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Arrange. Set the tomatoes on a platter and top with the cheese and basil. 
2. Dress. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze
3. Finish. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top, then serve.

Tips for Buying Burrata

You can find burrata in the cheese section of most grocery stores these days; it might not be at your local Target or Walmart, but you should be able to find it at chain grocery stores and definitely at higher-end grocery stores. It’s usually sold in plastic tubs like mozzarella, and you can typically find it next to the mozzarella too.

Burrata is a fresh cheese, so it doesn’t have a long storage life—be sure to look at the date on the package and use it within a few days of buying.

Burrata Caprese Variations

I love this burrata caprese salad recipe just as it is, but there’s also a lot of room to customize it and make it your own. It’s hard to go wrong—just don’t add TOO many additional ingredients because I think what makes caprese so good is its simplicity!

• Add fresh peaches. Peaches and other stone fruit like plums and nectarines are fan-freaking-tastic in a burrata caprese salad. You can use them in addition to or instead of the tomatoes. (If you do swap the tomatoes for fruit, you can also swap the basil for mint leaves.)
• Use roasted tomatoes. Instead of fresh tomatoes, substitute roasted cherry tomatoes or oven roasted tomatoes.
• Make it a green salad. Assemble the burrata caprese over a bed of fresh arugula.
• Add a drizzle of pesto. A spoonful of basil pesto drizzled over the top adds another layer of flavor and richness.
• Sprinkle on some pine nuts. Toasted pine nuts add crunch and nuttiness.

What to Serve With Burrata Caprese

There are a lot of ways to serve burrata caprese—as a light meal, as a side dish, or as an appetizer for a party. Here are some ideas:

• Bread – You can make this burrata caprese an appetizer by serving it with slices of baguette, Garlic Rosemary Focaccia, or No Knead Sourdough Bread.
• Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin
• Crackers and breadsticks
• Pan Seared Salmon
• Basil Pesto Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Roasted Zucchini

More Summer Salad Recipes

• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Avocado Corn Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Watermelon Feta Salad with Cucumber and Blueberries
• Cucumber Onion Salad
• Tomato Mozzarella Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites Recipe)

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