My easy Caprese Skewers recipe is the perfect no-bake appetizer to serve at your next party! These grab-and-go bites look fancy, but are assembled in 5 minutes using fresh cherry tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella balls. You can also make them ahead, then drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve! It’s a winning classic Italian combination your friends will rave about.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Tried making this today – great combination of ingredients. Tastes delicious and looks very fancy. Thank you !!!” – Alesya ★★★★★
Caprese Skewers Video
Watch me make the easiest and cutest Caprese Skewers. If you like classic Caprese Salad, you’ll love these! My Caprese salad skewers turn the classic Caprese salad into finger food. If you want to be really fancy, you can call this Caprese Antipasto (Italian for appetizer).
They have all the classic flavors–fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with an irresistible drizzle of Balsamic Glaze to bring it all together. These are next-level delicious and aren’t they cute?
Caprese Skewers are the perfect appetizer because I build the skewers in minutes and they are so simple to serve on a platter. They are fresh, healthy, and so tasty. I first served these at my sister’s baby shower years ago, and everyone raved, so I’ve made these countless times since then, but I’ve streamlined the recipe even more by using mozzarella balls instead of cutting chunks and leaving the tomatoes whole instead of halving them.
Caprese Skewers Recipe Ingredients
You only need 3 ingredients, plus a simple dressing, to make these classic Italian Caprese Skewers, so opt for the freshest ingredients for the best flavor.
- Tomatoes – cherry or grape tomatoes work best since they keep all their juiciness inside. We’ll use about 20 cherry tomatoes, or one carton. For variety, try multi-colored tomatoes.
- Basil – choose basil that is uniformly green in color and avoid any leaves with brown spots. Store the basil like a bouquet of flowers in a cup of water covered loosely by a zip-top bag on the counter until ready to use.
- Mozzarella pearls – one container or about 3-4 oz. I love these fresh mozzarella balls. They come ready to use. I usually use the plain, but it works with marinated mozzarella pearls or even diced fresh mozzarella.
- Balsamic glaze – my homemade Balsamic glaze is incredibly simple to make and tastes great on everything from grilled chicken to fruit. There’s no shame in using store-bought glaze when you’re short on time.
- Extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper – this simple combination perfectly seasons the caprese skewers
How to Make Caprese Skewers
Let’s build the appetizer! You’ll need 10 small skewers or cocktail picks. I found these cute small bamboo skewers and I love that they have a little handle which makes them easy to serve. You can also use toothpicks to make 20 mini skewers.
- Skewer ingredients in order – tomato, basil, and mozzarella pearl–and then repeat so you have two of each item. Cut the tomatoes in half if they are too large and fold the basil if needed.
- Arrange the completed Caprese skewers on a platter in a single layer.
- Drizzle balsamic glaze and olive oil over the skewers just before serving and season with salt and pepper.
Helpful Reader Review
“They are so cute!!! . Light, easy and fast, Perfect for any occasion 🙂 beautiful presentation as always. “ – Inessa ★★★★★
Storage Tips
My Caprese skewer appetizer can be prepped ahead, but tastes best when dressed just before serving.
- To Refrigerate: Set skewers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 8 hours, being careful not to crush the basil.
- To Store Leftovers: Once the skewers are dressed, they will look their best for 2 hours, but you can cover and refrigerate leftovers and enjoy for 1 day after they are dressed.
- Repurpose Leftovers: You can chop them into a salad, add them to pasta, or fold them into omelets.
My easy Caprese skewers are an easy and elegant appetizer with just 3 ingredients, plus a simple dressing. You’ll love the fresh flavors of Classic Caprese Salad in a convenient grab-and-go form. Try these for your next event to see them fly off the plate!
Caprese Skewers
Ingredients
- 20 cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, *rinsed and patted dry
- 20 fresh basil leaves, *rinsed and patted dry
- 20 mozzarella pearls, or diced fresh mozzarella, *patted dry
- 1 Tbsp balsamic glaze, for drizzling
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- freshly ground black pepper, for sprinkling
- sea salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling, preferably a coarse salt
Instructions
- Skewer your tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil onto your small skewers, then repeat so you'll end up with 2 tomatoes, 2 cheese balls and 2 basil leaves on each skewer. Fold the larger basil leaves as needed when skewering.
- Arrange the skewers on a platter in a single layer. You can cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours at this point if making them ahead then add dressing just before serving.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Spring Appetizers
Once you try these Caprese Skewers, you’ll be hooked on fresh flavors and bite-sized foods! Try these other popular Spring Appetizers that showcase fresh and vibrant ingredients.
- Bruschetta
- Deviled Eggs
- Tomato Goat Cheese Crostini
- Cowboy Caviar
- Avocado Cucumber Shrimp Bites
- Spicy Guacamole
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Fresh Spring Rolls
- Mango Salsa
- Pico de Gallo
This recipe just popped up in my Facebook feed. I’ve made these for years, and they’re always a hit! Three things I do differently: 1) I use pearl mozzarella balls, 2) keep the tomatoes whole, and 3) add a kalamata olive to each one.
Thank you for sharing, Steve!
Can I make these the day before?
Hi Theresa, I love it fresh because I feel tomatoes don’t refrigerate well and generally should not be refrigerated or they turn mealy. Also, you wouldn’t want to drizzle on the glaze until ready to serve or it will discolor the cheese and basil and won’t look as presentable done ahead. I wish there was an easy way to make this one ahead, but alas… there is not.
These Caprese skewers are easy to put together and were a hit at a pot luck brunch we attended this morning (100% gone!). I decided to make them right before the event so the basil didn’t get weird in the fridge (like it sometimes does) and used BelGioioso fresh mozzarella snacking cheese from Costco for their easy size balls. The tiny drizzle of balsalmic was the perfect finishing touch. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Sue. I’m so happy it worked out for you! Thank you for the great review!
Hi Natasha, the toothpicks you bought are they longer then the regular size?
Thanks
Hi Tanya, the toothpicks I used on these Caprese skewers were regular sized 🙂 I wish I could find them again. They are so cute with that little spindle end 🙂
I found them in smart & final store, but thinking they to short. Planning to make a bunch for an engagement party.
What a fun idea! I hope you all love them!
“Fancy” toothpick with the spindle ends can be found at most Asian stores. They aren’t one sided. Some also carry an extra long version but I don’t think you’d want to fill it with more than one tomato/mozzarella/basil.
looks really good! can i make them a day ahead? or right before serving?
Thank you
Sveta, you can assemble them a day before, but drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil just before serving. Hope this helps :).
Caprese Salad is one of my favorite summer treats! I saw this recipe on Pinterest and pinned it about 6 months ago. When I needed something to bring to church for an event yesterday, I remembered these. They were a hit! Thank you so much for this fresh twist on an old salad!
You’re welcome! Thanks for pinning! I do the same thing when I’m looking for ideas. I love Pinterest! It’s like your own personalized magazine 🙂 I’m so happy you liked the skewers 🙂
I made these for a little get together. They are just beautiful addition to the table. My husband even liked them 🙂 Thank you so much for all your hard work!!!!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed them 😀
Tried making this today – great combination of ingredients. Tastes delicious and looks very fancy. Thank you !!!
I like the fanciness too 🙂
Too Cute! I was looking for a way to incorporate grape tomatoes with a Caprese salad for a teachers lunch at my sons school. I may leave the tomato whole because it will sit out a little while. I was able to find fresh mozzarella “pearls” (look like marbles).
The small balls of mozzarella would be perfect!
The liquid that fresh mozzerella is “marinated” in is simply water and salt. It keeps well in this liquid for days. If you havent used up the fresh mozzerella in a few days, just rinse the mozzerella in water, and replace the liquid with fresh water and salt. I dont recall the exact ratio of salt to water, but I’m sure you can look that up on any brand of fresh mozzerella. (Or Google their brand website).
By the way, these look super cute! I make brolied caprese sandwhiches in the oven. Rustic bread slices, olive oil, garlic salt, (You can use regular salt. I just cook everything with garlic salt. lol) tomato, basil, (I love spinach, so thats what I always use instead of basil.), and fresh mozzerella. These sandwhiches are amazing when the tomato is lightly browned and the mozzerella is melted. Yum!
Oh my gosh, broiled caprese sandwiches sound so good!! What you just described is making me drool! Thanks for the info. It’s good to know that you can replace the liquid to keep it fresh.
What a bright idea!
Thank you so much 🙂
Where did you get this fresh mozzarella cheese?
I bought it at Winco in a little tub. It was marinated in some kind of liquid. I also tried regular mozzarella, which works if you aren’t able to find the fresh mozzarella.
What is Balsamic vinegar? Can i just use regular?
Look for it next to the regular vinegars. Plain vinegar won’t work for this. It’s a dark vinegar made from a reduction of grape juice; the same thing they use for dipping bread at Italian restaurants. It’s also just fantastic mixed with a little olive oil for dipping homemade artisan bread. Mmmm.
They are so cute!!! . Light, easy and fast, Perfect for any ocation 🙂 beautiful presentation as always.
Thanks Inessa 🙂 You are so sweet!