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This easy tomato basil bruschetta recipe is fantastic, dare I say…the best I’ve made at home? I think so and I think you will too. The flavors are bold from the summer ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic glaze.

Just place this easy to make tomato basil mixture on some toasty bread and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing appetizer!

vertical close up of a piece of toasted bread topped with a tomato basil and balsamic mixture on top of a wooden cutting board

TOMATO BASIL BRUSCHETTA IS A GREAT APPETIZER

I’ve never met someone who didn’t like tomato bruschetta. If it’s served at a party, people get excited! Passed apps at a wedding? The tomato bruschetta is first to go. Ever serve a big bowl this tomato-y goodness alongside some grilled bread? Don’t tell me you haven’t seen someone take a huge serving.

People love this appetizer, and this is why.

It’s really easy to make.
It’s relatively inexpensive.
The flavors can be amazing.
It’s a good option for people with different dietary needs…hello vegetarian/vegan appetizer option!
It can be made ahead of time!

Have I convinced you yet to make this easy tomato basil bruschetta recipe for your next party?

Okay, good! You and your guests will be so happy with it.

LET’S TALK ABOUT BRUSCHETTA

Before I get into showing you how to make this tomato bruschetta, I need to talk about something. I need to get this off my chest…

Okay, so bruschetta is technically a nice thick grilled bread drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with garlic. Maybe sprinkled with a little salt and if you want, topped with fun things like this tomato basil mixture, roasted veggies, beans, etc.

Honesty time, I’ve been confused by this before too, so you’re not the only one!

a close up of a piece of toasted baguette topped with a tomato basil and balsamic mixture on top of a wooden cutting board

Until recently, I thought that the term bruschetta meant the tomato goodness on top of a crunchy piece of bread. Well, that isn’t really the case.

But here’s the deal, most people think that the tomato-y goodness ontop of tiny toasts (crostini) is the only thing called bruschetta! I had no idea what it really meant.

Anyway, this tomato basil garlic goodness can be used to top any type of bread, used in pasta, whatever floats your boat.

In the pics, I’m definitely using my crostini recipe (So I guess this would technically be called tomato basil crostini!).

You can use it for whatever you want, call it whatever you want, but I figured that I should share the knowledge since I recently learned about this.

Oh, here’s a good article talking more about the difference between crostini and bruschetta. It’s a good and quick read!

SEASONAL PRODUCE IS WHERE IT’S AT

It’s the end of summer and basically, I can’t get enough of those summer ripe tomatoes. They are like candy. I could seriously eat all of the perfectly sweet cherry tomatoes at the Studio City Farmer’s Market and not get enough.

That’s how much I love summertime tomatoes.

One of the best ways to highlight the amazingness of summer produce is by making this easy tomato basil bruschetta. It’s a great appetizer to make for a summertime party.

a large wooden cutting board with multi colored cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil on top and around it

I mean honestly, when you make this recipe for your next party, people will kill for the recipe. They’ll wonder why it’s the best they’ve ever had and how you made it.

You just need to tell them that it’s all about the magic of summer…and using seasonal produce!

Now, you can absolutely make this easy tomato basil bruschetta recipe any time of the year. The problem is that out of season tomatoes don’t taste nearly as good as what you can find during the summer.

But no judging here, you do you and make this appetizer whenever your heart desires! (I’ve totally made it out of season before…and people still enjoy it)

TOMATO SWAP

One more quick note on the tomatoes, I really like to use cherry or grape tomatoes for this recipe. Quartering them is the perfect size for topping bite-sized bread.

If you have a ton of regular tomatoes on hand (beefsteak, romas, heirlooms) feel free to use those for sure!

HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY TOMATO BASIL BRUSCHETTA STEP-BY-STEP

Are you ready to learn how to make this easy summer party appetizer? Yeah, you are! These step-by-step photos will help you along the way.

a wooden cutting board with cut cherry tomatoes on top of it with garlic and basil around the board

Step 1: Quarter your cherry tomatoes.

If you’re using standard-sized tomatoes, give them a rough chop.

a dark wood cutting board topped with pieces of torn basil and a garlic clove is in the background alongside a microplane

Step 2: Using a Microplane, grate your garlic and tear or chop the basil into small pieces.

a white bowl full of cherry tomatoes, basil, and balsamic on top of a large dark wood cutting board

Step 3: Combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, balsamic glaze, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.

Mix well!

wood cutting board with three pieces of toasted baguette topped with tomatoes, basil and balsamic for easy tomato basil bruschetta

Step 4: Serve with toasty bread and enjoy!

EASY TOMATO BASIL BRUSCHETTA RECIPE TIPS

Ready to make this recipe for your next party? Awesome! Here are some extra tips to help you along the way!

INGREDIENTS TIPS

I call for cherry tomatoes, but you can use any kind. Since the recipe calls for 1# tomatoes, you can substitute the amount 1 for 1.

If you notice that your tomatoes are putting off a lot of water, feel free to drain some off. I recently made this recipe with Campari tomatoes and there was a ton of liquid compared to the cherry tomatoes I normally use. There was so much liquid that I ended up draining off about half of it and that worked well!

I like to tear the basil or give it a rough chop so there are pieces. A lot of recipes have you do a chiffonade, but I find that it gets really stringy and that isn’t cute

I use a balsamic glaze in this recipe. It’s nice and thick so it coats the tomatoes well. Trader Joe’s has one that is pretty good and not crazy priced. If you’d rather make it, here’s a good balsamic glaze recipe you can follow! Just make sure it’s at room temp before adding it to your tomato mixture.

Don’t have a Microplane for the garlic? You can crush the garlic or mince it. You just don’t want huge chunks of garlic in this recipe.

When purchasing bread for your appetizers, I think a sourdough baguette is really nice. If you’re planning on going the crostini route, make sure to check out my crostini recipe so you can make your own at home!

TIME SAVERS FOR YOUR PARTY

Make the topping ahead of time – mix everything, except the basil, together for the topping up to 3 days before you plan on serving it. Store in a reusable container in the fridge. About an hour before serving, mix in the basil! No chopping tomatoes the day of the party for you!

You can serve it chilled, but personally, I don’t like cold tomatoes. So I let it sit at room temp up to an hour before serving.

Make sure to save yourself time and cook your crostini or grill your bread ahead of time too. Crostini can be made up to a week before serving as long as it’s stored in an airtight container.

Lastly, I really like to just set out a big bowl of the tomato basil mixture and have the toasty bread on the side. That way you aren’t stuck assembling the appetizer. You can just let your party guests build their own bites! Plus…you won’t end up with soggy bread this way!

overhead image of multiple pieces of toasted baguette on a wooden cutting board topped with a tomato basil and balsamic mixture. there is a bowl of the mixture on the board as well

YOU NEED A SHARP KNIFE TO CUT TOMATOES

Have you ever cut tomatoes to only have your knife kind of smash them instead of slicing them nicely? Your knife is dull!

While you do just need to get your knife sharpened professionally from time to time, you can do it quickly at home with a knife sharpener like this one.

I use it on the go when I’m in need of a quick sharp edge. It’s compact, which I love, and really easy to use. So definitely check out this knife sharpener if you don’t have one!

MAKE IT!

Okay, my love!

It’s time for you to make this easy tomato basil bruschetta recipe. Your party guests will love it and so will you.

Make sure to tag me on Instagram with a pic of your party food spread so I can see this recipe in action!

Easy Tomato Basil Bruschetta Recipe

Author: Michelle Ferrand
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Category: appetizer
Method: mix

Description

This easy tomato basil bruschetta recipe is a perfect summer appetizer that will show of the awesomeness of summer ripe tomatoes!

Ingredients

1 pound cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/3 cup basil, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

1 clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Toasty bread for serving (if topping crostini, you’ll need about 50 pieces)

Optional: additional balsamic glaze

Instructions

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.

Serve the tomato basil mixture on top of toasty bread and if you’d like, drizzle with additional balsamic glaze.

Notes

Tomato mixture can be made up to 3 days before serving.
If your tomatoes are very watery, feel free to get rid of some of it.
The serving size is based off of serving the topping with my crostini recipe. The tomato basil mixture will make enough to top 50 pieces of crostini. So 1 serving is about 4 pieces of tomato basil topped crostini.

Keywords: appetizer, tomatoes, basil, crostini, easy

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