Perfectly toasted pieces of bread get topped with a tomato and balsamic vinegar topping in this quick and easy tomato balsamic bruschetta recipe. Serve it up for a delicious appetizer worthy of any holiday party, girls night, or dinner party!
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Balsamic Bruschetta Recipe
We’ve been working on adding finger foods and appetizers to our recipe collection that would work well for holiday parties, adult birthday parties, and even girls nights!
I love the combination of bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic so I thought it’d be fun to turn that combination into a balsamic bruschetta recipe. In this recipe, the bread is brushed with olive oil, and broiled to perfection.
The toasted bread (bruschetta) is then topped with a tomato mixture that’s combined with fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. The crunch of the bread compliments the texture of the tomatoes so well, it really tastes like Italian food all in one bite!
We tested out different ways to cook the bruschetta, using butter versus olive oil, and more in our quest for the perfect bruschetta, and this was our favorite method!
Why You’ll Love This Bruschetta
- Customizable – tailor each bite to your taste buds with easy tweaks.
- Versatile – the topping works on so much more than bread, add it to everything from charcuterie boards to favorite grilled chicken.
- Great for parties – easily whip up a batch to bring to any occasion.
Ingredients in Balsamic Bruschetta
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
- Roma tomatoes – roma tomatoes are less juicy, making it last longer, but you can easily use another tomato, just drain the excess juice before adding it in.
- Basil – fresh is best. If in a pinch, you can get a similar result with dried. If you can’t get basil, fresh oregano will also work.
- Balsamic vinegar – don’t skip or substitute this; it adds depth to the flavors and makes this balsamic bruschetta!
- French Baguette – this is what’s traditionally used, but you can use whatever bread you prefer as long as you can cut it into small slices.
How to make This Bruschetta Recipe
There isn’t anything difficult about making this bruschetta, but the chopping of the tomatoes can get tedious. I use my vegetable dicer to breeze through the chopping part. Once you’re done chopping, it’s really as simple as toss, mix, and serve.
1 – Make the Tomato Balsamic Topping
- Chop all the ingredients for the topping then add into a medium bowl.
- Give it a gentle stir to combine everything.
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to marinate for half an hour while you toast the bread.
2 – Make the Bruschetta
- Slice bread and lay the pieces flat on a baking sheet.
- Lightly brush each slice with olive oil, then broil on high for about two minutes or until lightly browned. Watch carefully because it can go from browned to burnt very fast.
Move the pieces of bread to a serving platter and top each with a scoop of the tomato mixture to finish off the balsamic bruschetta. Serve immediately!
Helpful Tips
Only top what you are going to eat, once the tomatoes go on the bread, it becomes impossible to save without having mushy bread.
Allow people to top their own bread slices or serve the tomato mixture alongside toasted bread to avoid waste.
Store bread and topping separately. Place bread in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days. Cover and refrigerate the topping for up to two days.
How to Make Ahead of Time
If you’d like to save time the day of your party, you can make the tomato mixture up to two days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Then just toast the bread and add the topping right before serving!
I don’t recommend toasting the bread ahead of time because it may end up going stale. If you really don’t have time to cut and the toast the bread the day of the party, you can also buy crostinis at the store that would work well for this.
Recipe FAQs
How far in advance can I make the tomato topping?
You can make the tomato topping up to two days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Any longer and you’ll lose the crunch of the tomatoes and end up with a mushy mixture.
What type of bread works best for bruschetta?
The best bread for bruschetta is an Italian baguette that you can slice into small pieces that toast up well. If you can’t find a baguette, you can use any other bread that will toast up well – just cut it into small pieces.
How do you store bruschetta?
Unfortunately, bruschetta doesn’t store great because the toasted bread can get soggy if already topped and not eaten the day of. If you don’t think you’ll eat all of the bruschetta, you can just top half of the bread with the tomato mixture and store the rest for later.
Tomato Balsamic Bruschetta
Ingredients
Topping
- 5 roma tomatoes diced
- ½ cup basil chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Bruschetta
- 1 baguette sliced into 16 pieces
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Topping
- Add all the topping ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Stir the ingredients until just combined, taking care to not mush the tomatoes.5 roma tomatoes, ½ cup basil, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper
- Cover and place the bowl of topping in the fridge for thirty minutes to marinate.
Bruschetta
- When ready to serve, slice up the baguette and place on a baking sheet. Lightly brush the bread slices with olive oil. Place in the oven on broil for two minutes until just browned.1 baguette, 3 tbsp olive oil
- Place in the oven on broil for two minutes or until just browned. Watch carefully so the bread doesn’t burn.
- Remove from the oven and move the bread slices to a serving platter. Top each slice of bread with a scoop of the tomato mixture and serve immediately (or serve them separately if not eating right away).
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info
More Easy Appetizers
If you’re looking for other simple appetizers like this tomato bruschetta recipe, try these next!
- Fruit salsa recipe – serve this up with homemade cinnamon chips!
- Spinach artichoke wontons – the easiest way to enjoy spinach artichoke dip!
- Baked jalapeno popper dip – a super easy dip that tastes like jalapeno poppers!
- Pear and brie appetizer – the perfect girls night or holiday appetizer!
- Caprese salad skewers – a fun appetizer way to enjoy salad!
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