Caprese Skewers

Caprese Skewers are the perfect easy appetizer to make for a crowd for any season! Crusty ciabatta bread, grape tomatoes, small mozzarella balls and fresh basil are layered and skewered to create a stunning finger food. To finish, simply drizzle with a balsamic vinegar reduction and enjoy! This simple caprese skewer recipe is great for sharing during the holiday season and beyond.

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hand holding caprese skewers on a napkin

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Caprese salad is one of those dishes that’s perfect year-round. But to fancy it up for the holiday season, I’ve made a slight twist on the classic.

Instead of plating this salad in layers like you normally would, I’m stacking them on skewers to make them the ultimate finger food.

Because finger foods are an elegant appetizer for holiday parties… but also, parties year-round because they are fresh and taste amazing.

This recipe first appeared in December 2015/January 2016 edition of JUSTINE Magazine.

Why I love this recipe:

This Caprese Skewers recipe is a easy, delicious bite to serve to guests anytime this holiday season. It works for any season, but the red and green obviously remind me of Christmas.

The flavors are on-point, with the creaminess of mozzarella balancing out the acidic, sweet notes from the tomatoes. The bread offers a nice crunch while the basil adds a burst of freshness and the balsamic glaze adds unexpected sweetness to finish.

One of the best parts about the recipe is that it’s easy. (After all, it’s a no bake appetizer.)

The only cooking you have to do is to reduce balsamic vinegar to make a balsamic glaze. In fact, this step is totally optional because you can purchase that at the store.

Additionally, you can make the skewers in advance and refrigerate them until it’s time to party.

This is a great recipe to ask for help from your kids, who will enjoy the skewering process. (Assuming your children will be able to handle the toothpicks without hurting themselves or others.)

There’s something fun about skewering a tomato with the mozzarella, a fresh basil leaf and crusty bread. The fresh flavors are unmatched. And there’s something satisfying about seeing the work you did, lined up all pretty for your guests.

And while I might not have had a ton of guests to enjoy these skewers with me when I made and photographed them, I can assure you that they were gobbled up just as quickly as if there had been multiple hungry partygoers.

Yep. They’re that satisfying. And I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that your party guests will adore them this season, too. You know, assuming they’re into tomatoes, mozzarella, bread and basil.

More easy appetizer recipes to make and share this season: Baked Brie Bites | Bacon Wrapped Dates | Pesto Pinwheels with Sun-dried Tomatoes | Classic Deviled Eggs | French Onion Bruschetta

close up of caprese skewers on a white plate

What you need to make this recipe:

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Let’s talk ingredients!

In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

Here’s what you need to grab at the grocery store:

Cherry tomatoes — or grape tomatoes, if you prefer. You want them to be bite-sized and contained so that the tomato juices don’t soak into the bread and make it soggy
Mozzarella pearls — these are bite-sized or mini mozzarella balls. You can also purchase a large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese and cut it down into bite-sized pieces if you can’t find the pearls.
Fresh basil — you need a large bunch so that each skewer can have its own leaf.
Ciabatta bread — or another crusty loaf to use as the base of our skewers.
Balsamic vinegar — this will cook down to make our balsamic reduction, which we then spoon over the top of our skewers. You can also purchase balsamic reduction at the store in a bottle if that’s easier for you.

Please note that this recipe for mini caprese skewers does not involve pasta or tortellini of any sort OR the use of fresh basil pesto, so if you’re looking for something like that, you will need to go elsewhere.

How to make Caprese Skewers

Make the balsamic reduction. Heat vinegar in a saucepan over low heat, and cook it down until the vinegar reduces by half and becomes syrupy. Remove from the heat, and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Dice the bread. The pieces need to be bite-sized. You also want to use the ones that have crust so that it can serve as an anchor for these skewers. The crustless pieces of bread do not have enough heft to hold the weight of the grape and mozzarella.

Wash and dry the tomatoes. Set aside.

Prepare the mozzarella. Pat them dry, if necessary. If cutting down a large one, cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Wash the basil leaves. Pat dry. Set aside.

Skewer the basil, fresh mozzarella balls and tomato in that order on a long decorative toothpick. You want the basil to be at the top of the skewers, so be sure to put those on first, followed by the mozzarella and tomatoes.

Choose a sturdy piece of bread and skewer it on the bottom to serve as the base.

Repeat until all the skewers have been made.

Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate until time to serve. These can be made a few hours in advance and stored in the fridge!

Just before serving, drizzle with the homemade balsamic glaze, and enjoy!

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

I love a recipe like these caprese salad skewers. Not only because they taste good, but because they are absolutely beautiful AND are simple to put together.

To me, these are the perfect appetizer for a gathering.

If I were to make these for a party, here are some things I would do:

Prep the ingredients early. This means making the reduction (or grabbing a bottle of the store-bought stuff), washing the produce, dicing the bread, etc.
Assemble everything and keep it cold. These skewers will last in the fridge for a few hours as long as none of the ingredients are damp.
Double or triple the recipe for a large crowd.
Serve ’em with the reduction, as well as a small bowl of extra virgin olive oil for drizzling.

caprese skewers on a white plate with balsamic

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a way for me to make this faster?

Not really. The assembly is really the piece that takes the longest time for obvious reasons. The way to speed it up is to make sure that everything is prepared to be put on the skewers before you start assembling the skewers. If you can get multiple people to help you and each person can be in charge of a singular ingredient and pass it down a line, that is a faster way to do it as well.

Love caprese salad? Check out these caprese-inspired recipes:

This bright and fresh Heirloom Caprese Panzanella Salad is the best summertime salad. Stunning Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta sings of summertime flavors and goodness with heirloom tomatoes.

Our entire family loves this simple baked Caprese Chicken.

Don’t love cucumbers? This twist on the classic, Cucumber Caprese Salad, calls for cucumbers!

Just want to make these this Caprese Skewers recipe for your next party?

Scroll on to the recipe card below…

Caprese Skewers

Servings: skewers

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

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EQUIPMENT

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