Marinated Tomato and Burrata Appetizer
If you’ve ever wondered how to serve burrata, this easy burrata appetizer with marinated tomatoes is just what you need! It’s the perfect make ahead appetizer for entertaining, but can also be enjoyed as a summery snack at home.
Just serve with some gluten-free crackers or toasted bread for the easiest appetizer that is BIG on flavor!
Table of Contents
What is burrata?
Burrata is a soft Italian cheese made from cow’s milk (or sometimes buffalo milk) that is essentially formed into a pouch and filled with un-pulled curd and fresh cream. The result is a creamy, soft filling when you cut into the burrata.. absolutely divine!
Burrata is (traditionally) made with just 3 ingredients: cow’s milk, rennet and cream. Though, you’ll see some slight variances at the grocery store. For example, Trader Joe’s burrata adds vinegar and salt to their ingredient list.
Typically, burrata is served whole and cut into for serving so that you can preserve that creamy interior until serving.
Here’s what you’ll need
Ingredients:
- olive oil – Since we’re using the olive oil as a marinade, you want to use a really good quality olive oil for best results.
- balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt – Sea salt or regular table salt would also work here, too. I just love kosher salt!
- ground black pepper – My preference is always freshly cracked black pepper because it has such great flavor and I love the texture of the different sized granules. However, regular black pepper will work, too!
- minced garlic
- fresh basil – If you are unable to find fresh basil, try other fresh herbs instead like mint, oregano, dill, or thyme. A combination of these herbs would also be very tasty. If you cannot find any fresh herbs and need to use dried herbs, reduce to a total of one teaspoon.
- cherry tomatoes – If you can find colorful cherry tomatoes (red, orange, yellow, purple) use those! When they’re in season they are so flavorful… and gorgeous, too! Otherwise, regular red cherry or grape tomatoes will work just as well.
- burrata – If you can’t find burrata, mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella will work in a pinch. Keep in mind, they are not filled with cream so the appetizer won’t be as spreadable!
How to serve marinated tomatoes and burrata
I placed my appetizer in a large bowl, but a serving plate with higher edges would work great, too! You just want to make sure you keep all of that marinade in the serving dish because it is so delicious!
My favorite way to serve this easy burrata appetizer is with some gluten-free crackers or toasted gluten-free bread!
For gluten-free crackers, I love Simple Mills, Crunchmaster, and Mary’s Gone Crackers. For toasted bread, I like Schar baguettes, Bread SRSLY, and MYBREAD Bakery.
Make Ahead Tips
You can marinate the tomatoes ahead of time. In the recipe, I’ve noted to marinate the tomatoes for 30 minutes for best flavor.
However, if you want to infuse the tomatoes with even MORE flavor, marinating them at room temperature for 2-4 hours is the way to go. Coincidentally, this also makes them great to make ahead for parties. It’s really quick to slice up the tomatoes and stir up the marinade. Just let them sit until the party gets started!
After 4 hours, it’s best to place the container in the refrigerator and use up within 1-2 days. Just let the tomatoes come to room temperature before serving.
FAQs
No – use whatever you have on hand. Heirloom cherry tomatoes are absolutely gorgeous in this appetizer, but regular cherry tomatoes work just as well. In fact, if you have larger tomatoes, just cut them into chunks for this recipe! Use whatever you have.
Fresh basil is always a classic, but fresh mint, thyme, or oregano would also be great. In fact, I think a combination of fresh herbs would be delicious!
You can find burrata at your local grocery store. It’s typically next to the fresh mozzarella.
Yes, I think red wine vinegar would be a great substitution for balsamic vinegar in this recipe!
More Gluten-Free Appetizer Recipes
- Potato Nachos
- Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
- Corn and Cotija Guacamole
- Gluten-Free Pita Pizza
- Homemade Mango Salsa
Marinated Tomatoes with Burrata Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh basil (thinly cut into ribbons (from 10 leaves))
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes (halved (1 1/2 cups total))
- 8 oz burrata
For serving:
- drizzle of olive oil
- pinch of kosher salt
- pinch of fresh ground black pepper
- gluten-free crackers (for serving)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, fresh basil, kosher salt, black pepper.
- Add cherry tomatoes and stir to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes to marinate.
- Add marinated tomatoes to a serving bowl or plate. Top with fresh burrata.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Serve with gluten-free crackers or bread.
Nutrition
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
This is a really great recipe that I get requests from people to make all the time. It’s so easy to make and goes well with burrata, charcuterie and bread. It is a bit salty for me so the one thing I change is that I only use 1/2 a tsp of salt.
Thanks, Angie! So glad you like it!