Years ago in Peru we wandered into a tiny Lima cafe called El Pan de la Chola and ordered the simplest thing on the menu, and I have been making it on repeat ever since: Burrata Tomato Toast, a thick slab of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and piled with creamy burrata, sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and good olive oil. It is the kind of Mediterranean open-faced toast that works for breakfast, lunch or dinner, especially at the tail end of tomato season when the little ones taste like candy. If you love it, my Burrata Tomato Salad is the same flavors in a bowl, my Bruschetta Bar turns the idea into a party, and my roundup of 30 Delicious Burrata Recipes has every other way I put the cheese to work.
Burrata Tomato Toast at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 15 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 2 toasts (easily scaled for a crowd)
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Mediterranean (Italian-inspired)
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Creamy, fresh, and savory, with rich burrata, sweet tomatoes, garlic and basil
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian; contains gluten and dairy
- 📦 Storage Notes: Assemble to order; burrata keeps refrigerated to its sell-by date, and you can grill the bread and slice tomatoes a few hours ahead, then build just before serving
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: It is the easiest way to turn three perfect ingredients into something you would order at a cafe. Crisp garlic-rubbed bread, oozy burrata and sweet summer tomatoes come together in 15 minutes with no real cooking. It works for breakfast, a fast lunch, or a light dinner with a glass of wine.
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I'm ALMOST ready for fall... almost. But seeing as how I spent the weekend at my most favorite farmers market, and there are still tomatoes and strawberries coming out of every corner, I'm still functioning as if it's summer.
Substitutions & Swaps
🧀 The Cheese
- Burrata - The whole point; its creamy stracciatella center spills over the toast
- Fresh mozzarella - The easiest swap; firmer and milder, so tear and salt it well
- Stracciatella - Burrata's gooey interior sold on its own; spoon it straight on
- Whole-milk ricotta - Spread it first as a creamy base under the tomatoes
- Labneh - Tangier and thicker; a Middle Eastern spin on the same idea
🍞 The Bread
- Sourdough - Sturdy, tangy, and holds up to all that creamy topping
- Ciabatta - Open crumb and crisp crust, very Italian
- Country loaf - A rustic boule cut thick is the classic move
- Focaccia - Richer and more tender for a softer, oilier toast
- Gluten-free crusty bread - Works fine; just toast it harder so it does not crumble
🍅 The Tomatoes
- Cherry or grape tomatoes - Sweetest and most reliable; halve them and salt
- Heirloom tomatoes - Thick slices in peak season; salt and drain first
- Sungold tomatoes - Candy-sweet and orange; gorgeous against white burrata
- Blistered tomatoes - Char them in a hot pan when raw tomatoes are out of season
🌿 Herbs & Finishes
- Fresh basil - The classic; tear it on at the end so it does not bruise
- Flaky sea salt - Maldon on top hits harder than salt mixed in
- Balsamic glaze - A few drops for sweet-tart depth, especially on flat tomatoes
- Hot honey - Sweet heat that loves creamy cheese
- Lemon zest or chili flakes - Brightness or heat to finish
🧄 The Aromatics
- Raw garlic rub - Rub a cut clove on the hot toast; subtle and classic
- Confit garlic - Smear soft, mellow cloves on for deeper, sweeter garlic
- Chili oil - Swap for the plain olive oil drizzle when you want heat
A few years back, while we were in Peru, we stumbled across the cutest cafe called El Pan de la Chola and poked out heads in. In typical form, we had just finished one meal, weren't even remotely hungry, but ended up ordering a handful of things on the menu because the cafe was churning out the most beautiful bread of all times. One of the combos couldn't have been more on brand - burrata, tomato, toast, thyme, salt and pepper. It was perfection. The burrata was creamy and salty and everything I could have ever asked for in life. The itty bitty tomatoes were super sweet - just like the ones at the market this month! And I've been making it on repeat ever since. Between this and my avocado toast obsession, chances are I might just turn into a giant piece of bread at any moment. Whatever... I'll deal.
🧀🍅🍞 Tips & Tricks for the Best Burrata Tomato Toast
With this few ingredients, every small move matters, starting with how hard you toast the bread.
- Toast the bread hard. A truly crisp surface is the only thing standing between you and a soggy toast.
- Rub it with raw garlic while warm. The hot crumb grabs the garlic oil, so do it the second the bread comes off the heat.
- Bring the burrata to room temperature. Cold burrata is firm and bland; 20 minutes out and it goes creamy and full-flavored.
- Salt the tomatoes separately. Let them sit 5 minutes so they release juice you can drain off instead of soaking the bread.
- Tear the burrata, do not slice it. Tearing lets the creamy center spill exactly where you want it.
- Drizzle the oil last, over the top. Oil on bare bread makes it greasy and soft; oil over the toppings makes it glossy.
- Use the best olive oil you have. With so few ingredients, the oil is a flavor, not just a lubricant.
- Finish with flaky salt. Maldon scattered on top tastes completely different from salt stirred in.
- Assemble to order. Build each toast right before eating, because it does not hold for later.
- Add acid if the tomatoes are flat. A few drops of balsamic or a squeeze of lemon wakes up out-of-season fruit.
Burrata Tomato Toast FAQs
What is burrata tomato toast?
Burrata tomato toast is a Mediterranean open-faced toast of thick grilled or toasted bread rubbed with garlic, then topped with creamy burrata cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. It is essentially a Caprese on toast, eaten for breakfast, lunch, a snack or a light dinner. It is at its best in summer and early fall when tomatoes are sweetest.
What is burrata and how is it different from mozzarella?
Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from a mozzarella shell filled with stracciatella (shredded curd) and cream, so it is far richer and oozier than a solid ball of mozzarella. When you cut into it, the creamy center spills out, which is exactly what you want on toast. Use fresh mozzarella only if you cannot find burrata; the texture will be firmer.
What bread is best for burrata toast?
Use a sturdy, open-crumb bread like sourdough, ciabatta or a rustic country loaf, cut thick so it holds the toppings. Grill or toast it until the surface is crisp and golden, then rub it with a raw garlic clove while it is still warm. Flimsy sandwich bread will go soggy under the burrata and tomatoes.
How do you keep burrata toast from getting soggy?
Toast the bread until it is genuinely crisp and add the burrata and tomatoes right before serving rather than ahead of time. Salt the tomatoes separately and let them drain for a few minutes so their juice does not soak in. Drizzle the olive oil last, over the toppings, instead of onto the bare bread.
Can I make burrata tomato toast ahead of time?
Not really; it is an assemble-to-order dish and the bread softens fast once topped. You can grill the bread and slice the tomatoes a couple of hours ahead, then build each toast just before eating. Burrata is best at room temperature, so pull it from the fridge about 20 minutes early.
Burrata Tomato Toast
Ingredients
- 2 thick pieces of bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil plus extra as needed
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 ball burrata cheese
- fresh basil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle the bread with the olive oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until toasted.
- Once toasty, remove the bread from the oven and carefully rub the garlic clove on top of the bread to infuse it with a little garlic flavor.
- Drizzle the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10-ish minutes until bursting.
- Slather a big giant spoonful of burrata on top of the pieces of toast with the burst cherry tomatoes.
This was outstanding. I've made twice in past 3 days. Everyone LOVED. Thank you!
best combo, burrata cheese, and tomato!
While in Spain in 2012, we encountered a similar breakfast and snack offering and loved it. The Spanish version didn’t have burrata, but was wonderfully tasty. The Spanish are very proud of their olive oil and I’ve become a fan as well! Try it, you’ll love it.
dying to get over to Spain and eat my way through all their incredible food!!
You had me at burrata!! The perfect bite. And CONGRATULATIONS...
I would love for summer to stay forever!! Love all the fresh goodness in this.
I was just wondering, which bread you used in the above recipe for Burrata Tomato Toast?
So funny, I was browsing through the toast feed from the feedfeed and saw this picture. I thought to myself that looks a lot like a dish from el pan de la chola. I love that place! Whenever I am in Peru visiting family I make sure to visit it. Yours looks great btw!
Burrata is really the only way to ever go. Love these toasts!
Hope I can still find some of these yummy tomatoes. The whole thing looks perfect!
Toast never looked so happy and delicious! Love these!
Guuuuuuuuurll, you're killing me over here. This is on POINT!!
p.s. - still so jealous of that Peru trip. Magical.
Yum!! Burrata on anything is perfection!!
Looks so simple and easy but still so elegant- love that burrata!
Why have I never thought of this?!?! Pure deliciousness! This will be perfect with all the little tomatoes I have from my garden!
Love love burrata and tomatoes together!!