Caprese is a recipe only in the loosest sense — it's more of an arrangement. What matters is the produce. Real tomatoes from a nearby farm in August, torn-up fresh mozzarella, basil with the stems still attached, and olive oil that tastes like something. Eight minutes of assembly, and the meal is built around the plate. Find the grower whose tomatoes you trust, buy from them all summer, and the rest of the recipe takes care of itself.
Salad
Easy
Italian
Classic caprese salad
Ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and torn basil dressed with good olive oil and flaky salt — the summer salad that depends entirely on the produce.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Serves
- 4
Classic caprese salad
Serves
4
Scaled 1×. Ingredients adjusted — but cook time, pan size, and oven temperature don't scale linearly. A bigger batch usually needs a bigger pan and a few extra minutes; a smaller batch often finishes sooner. Trust your eyes, not the timer.
Ingredients (6)
You'll need
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Serving platter
Instructions
0 of 7
Nutrition
Estimated per serving · 1 serving (about 1 1/2 cups)
290
Calories
14 g
Protein
8 g
Carbs
22 g
Fat
2 g
Fiber
6 g
Sugar
370 mg
Sodium
What to look for when you shop
Best varieties
- Cherokee Purple — smoky, complex heirloom; the classic caprese choice
- Brandywine — sweet-tart and juicy; pink variety that looks beautiful sliced
- Green Zebra — tangy and firm; adds color contrast to a mixed plate
- Sungold (cherry) — intensely sweet for halved cherry caprese
- Beefsteak — reliable and meaty; great when heirlooms aren't available
- San Marzano — meatier and less juicy; works sliced thick
Ripeness
A ripe tomato is heavy for its size, fragrant at the stem (smell it — real tomatoes smell like summer), and yields slightly when pressed at the shoulders. Avoid tomatoes that are rock-hard, pale, or have been refrigerated.
Imperfections are fine
Cracks, irregular shape, shoulder greening, blemishes — all fine. Heirlooms are famously ugly compared to commercial tomatoes, and it has no effect on flavor. Trim any soft or split areas.
Good substitutions
- Mix of heirloom and cherry tomatoes for color — halve the cherries
- Burrata instead of mozzarella — more luxurious, same technique
- Fresh peaches added (yes, really) — summer fruit caprese with tomato and peach
- Ricotta or a good crumbled feta if fresh mozzarella isn't available
In season
US tomato season peaks July through September. This salad is worth making only when local tomatoes are in season — out-of-season tomatoes ruin the dish.
How much to buy
About 1 1/2 lb — 3 to 4 medium heirlooms, or 2 big slicers, or 1 lb of mixed cherry and medium tomatoes.
From a grower near you
Find your tomato grower on CollectiveCrop
Supermarket tomatoes are bred for a long ride — picked green, gassed red, flavorless by the time they reach you. A tomato from a grower two towns over is a different food entirely. CollectiveCrop is how that grower finds you: Cherokee Purples, Brandywines, the heirlooms that never survive a shipping truck. Caprese is the recipe that proves why it matters.
- In season July – September (peak); June and October on the shoulders
- For this recipe 1 1/2 lb / 3 to 4 medium tomatoes
- Freshness Picked within this week
- Imperfects welcome Second-grade produce works great here
- Diet-friendly vegetarian · gluten-free
- While you're there Fresh basil · Garlic · Mozzarella from a local dairy · Rustic bread · Summer stone fruit
At the market
About 1 1/2 lb — 3 to 4 medium heirlooms, or 2 big slicers, or 1 lb of mixed cherry and medium tomatoes.
Best varieties
- Cherokee Purple smoky, complex heirloom; the classic caprese choice
- Brandywine sweet-tart and juicy; pink variety that looks beautiful sliced
- Green Zebra tangy and firm; adds color contrast to a mixed plate
Good to know
Tips
- Salt the tomatoes 5 minutes before plating to draw out and concentrate their flavor — and collect the released juice to stir into the olive oil.
- A mix of tomato colors (red, yellow, green, purple) turns a simple salad into a showstopper.
- If your olive oil is dull, you'll taste it here. Open a good bottle, not the cooking bottle.
- For a more rustic look, tear the mozzarella instead of slicing.
- Let leftovers become panzanella: tear stale bread into the leftover tomato-oil juice and let it soak.
Storage
- This salad doesn't store — it weeps within 30 minutes and turns soggy.
- Leftover tomato-olive oil liquid is liquid gold. Save it and mix with pasta the next day or soak stale bread for panzanella.
Reheating
- Not applicable — caprese is served cold to room temperature.
Make ahead
- Slice the tomatoes up to 1 hour ahead and leave at room temperature, lightly salted.
- Slice the mozzarella up to 2 hours ahead and keep refrigerated in the container's water.
- Wash and dry the basil up to 6 hours ahead; store wrapped in a damp paper towel in the fridge.
- Assemble just before serving.
Variations
- Caprese skewers: alternate cherry tomatoes, small mozzarella balls (bocconcini), and basil on toothpicks — great for a crowd.
- Peach caprese: add ripe peach slices alongside the tomatoes — perfect August pairing.
- Avocado caprese: add sliced avocado; California riff.
- Grilled peach and tomato: grill peaches for 2 minutes per side before plating.
- Caprese stacks: build individual towers of tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
- Balsamic-finished: only if tomatoes are underwhelming — drizzle 1 teaspoon of aged balsamic (not balsamic vinegar) over the top.
Swaps
- Vegan: swap mozzarella for good plant-based mozzarella (Miyoko's) or torn avocado; salt and oil remain the same.
- Dairy-free: replace cheese with a generous handful of marinated white beans or torn avocado.
- Lower-sodium: use unsalted fresh mozzarella (available at Italian markets) and skip finishing salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does traditional caprese have balsamic vinegar?
No. Classic caprese from Capri uses only olive oil, salt, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Balsamic is an American addition that masks the flavor of good tomatoes. Skip it when the produce is peak — add it only if your tomatoes need help.
What kind of mozzarella works best?
Fresh mozzarella packed in water — fior di latte (cow's milk) or mozzarella di bufala (water buffalo). Skip low-moisture block mozzarella; it's rubbery and the flavor is flat. Burrata is a luxurious upgrade.
How do I pick the best tomatoes?
Heavy for their size, fragrant at the stem, and slightly yielding to a gentle squeeze — not rock-hard, not mushy. Heirlooms from a local farm in peak summer are the whole point. Out-of-season or refrigerated tomatoes will ruin this salad.
Should you salt tomatoes before serving?
Yes. Salt draws out juice and concentrates flavor. Sprinkle with flaky salt 5 minutes before serving, not more — longer and they get mushy. Save the released juice and mix it into the olive oil.
Can I make caprese salad ahead?
Not really. It's a 10-minute no-cook salad that should be assembled just before eating. Tomatoes weep and mozzarella dries out. At most, slice the tomatoes and cheese an hour ahead; dress and plate at the table.
Why shouldn't you refrigerate tomatoes?
Cold destroys tomato flavor and mealies the texture. Store ripe tomatoes on the counter, stem-up, out of direct sun. If they're very ripe and you need to slow them down, one day in the fridge is the most; bring them to room temperature before serving.
What do you serve with caprese salad?
Crusty bread for mopping up the oil and tomato juice, grilled chicken or fish, a bowl of pasta, or a simple antipasto platter. It's also a perfect summer lunch on its own with bread.
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