simple homemade bruschetta made with a mix of grape and cocktail tomatoes

This simple homemade bruschetta recipe is made with juicy grape and cocktail tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar on toasted bread. The perfect fresh and easy tomato appetizer!

I absolutely love summery tomatoes, turned bruschetta over toast! The sweet tomatoes with a splash of balsamic vinegar come together for a flavor explosion, and the bruschetta toast soaks up all of the juicy goodness! Truly, one of my personal favorite flavor combos.

If you love a fresh tomato appetizer, make my tomato caprese with burrata, prosciutto and mozzarella skewers, and/or charred corn and tomato caprese, next.

Tomato Bruschetta is the perfect easy Italian appetizer for pizza night, with pesto pasta, or use leftovers for chicken bruschetta pasta.

homemade bruschetta ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make a batch of fresh tomato bruschetta. The key is to use in-season tomatoes. Any tomatoes you like!

• Tomatoes: use the freshest, in-season summer tomatoes you can find. I like to use a mix of grape tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes because where I live they are the easiest to find. If you can find fresh heirloom tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine, those would also be perfect for this recipe. Sungolds would also be great.
• Basil: fresh, sweet and the perfect aromatic to balance the tomatoes!
• Garlic: grated or minced. Adds a zippy, fresh tang.
• Balsamic vinegar: The acid mixed with the tomatoes adds a nice layer of tang.
• olive oil: to toast your bread, and a splash for the bruschetta to bring it all together.
• Salt and pepper: just a pinch to help bring out the flavors.
• Bread: the best bread for bruschetta toast, in my opinion, is a nice, crusty baguette, but a quality French bread or an Italian loaf like ciabatta bread would also work for this recipe.

How to make this recipe

The most prep you’ll do is to chop tomatoes and make a batch of toasty bread for this bruschetta toast. It couldn’t be more simple.

1. Prep the tomatoes. To a large bowl, combine chopped tomatoes with basil and garlic, salt and pepper. Mix together and add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a splash of good olive oil. Mix gently to combine it all together.
2. Make your toast. slice your baguette of choice into 1/4-inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil and bake on a sheet pan at 400 degrees F until golden, about 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. Assemble. Spoon bruschetta mixture over toast, serve and enjoy.

Can I prep this ahead of time?

You can prep the bruschetta topping a few hours before serving as bruschetta toast. Make the tomato mixture and store in the refrigerator no more than 3-4 hours for the freshest, juiciest tomatoes for this appetizer. The tomatoes are the star here.

what if I have leftovers?

While fresh is best if the bruschetta mixture is the main star, the topping will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and can easily be repurposed into another dish!

If you find yourself with leftover bruschetta topping to use up, toss into pasta with grilled chicken and make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta or spoon over a chicken skillet with mozzarella for a Chicken Caprese Skillet.

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