Caprese Panzanella Salad Skewers
Caprese Panzanella Salad Skewers, a simple and fresh salad skewer appetizer featuring cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and crusty bread. Put a caprese salad on a stick!
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This Caprese Panzanella Salad Skewer recipe is a simple, five-ingredient appetizer recipe that comes together in under ten minutes. It’s perfect for picnics, cookouts, and outdoor parties and can be made up ahead of time, which makes it the perfect dish for potluck parties. Plus, they’re just plain fun to make AND fun to eat. Win, win.
👉 Ready to learn how to make a caprese salad on a stick? Let’s do it!
🍅 Ingredients
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes work best for skewers, but you can also cut other tomato varietals (roma are great options) into 1 inch squares
- Mozzarella: Balls of mozzarella (also as ciliegine or perlini) are best, but you can also cut larger balls of mozzarella into 1 inch pieces
- Bread: Ciabatta is our favorite options, but most any loaf of bakery artisan bread will work (sourdough would be delicious!)
- Basil: Fresh basil leaves are best, but in a pinch a sprinkle of dried basil will do
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is our choice for drizzling
- Seasonings: Flaky sea salt and fresh ground black pepper add flavor and texture
🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Prep the ingredients
The first step to making caprese salad skewers is to prep the ingredients before building each skewer.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and set aside. Then drain the mozzarella cheese balls from their liquid and let dry for a few minutes in a colander or on a kitchen towel so they’re not wet.
Then cut the ciabatta bread into 1 inch squares and set aside. And finally, cut or tear large basil leaves into 1 inch pieces.
2️⃣ Step Two: Build the skewers
To make a skewer simply spear each ingredient onto the skewer, alternating between the cherry tomato, the mozzarella ball, and a piece of basil.
Repeat this alternating ingredient pattern until each skewer is full of the caprese salad ingredients.
3️⃣ Step Three: Garnish and serve
The last step is to garnish the skewers by drizzling them with olive oil and then sprinkling with sliced basil.
Finally, sprinkled flaky sea salt and add fresh ground black pepper to season, and then you’re ready to serve!
💡 Ideas for serving
- As an appetizer. These salad skewers are a great summer appetizer options for parties and picnics.
- As a side dish. Make these skewers on the side with your favorite simple pasta.
- On game day. Caprese skewers are a healthyish twist on game day snack, and they will go fast!
- As a fun snack. Make a batch of mozzarella and tomato skewers to enjoy during the week as a quick snack.
🧊 How to store
- Refrigerator storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days, however they are best enjoyed within a few hours after making as the bread will eventually become hard and begin to go stale.
- Freezer storage: We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
🥗 More summer salad recipes
Want more salad recipes with fresh summer produce? We’ve got you covered:
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Caprese Panzanella Salad Skewers
Equipment
- 10-15 skewers wood or metal
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 4 ounces mozzarella balls about 1 cup
- 4 cups ciabatta bread cubes cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup fresh basil cut into 1 inch squares (+ more for garnish)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper flaked sea salt, ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: First, prep ingredients by washing cherry tomatoes, draining mozzarella balls from their liquid, and cutting the ciabatta bread into cubes. Then tear or cut basil into small 1” squares and thinly cut a few basil leaves for a garnish.
- Make the skewers: Take a skewer and alternate adding a cherry tomato, mozzarella ball, and a bread cube by poking the skewer through each ingredient. Continue alternating the tomato, cheese, and bread until the skewers are all filled.
- Garnish and serve: When all skewers have been completed, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with sliced basil, flaky sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately or store to enjoy later.
Notes
- Make ahead: Because this recipe uses fresh bread as part of the skewers, we don’t recommend making more than a few hours before serving or the bread will become hard and eventually become stale.
- Leftovers and storage: Store leftover skewers in the refrigerator for up to two days. Note that the bread may become hard after a day, so you may need to add fresh bread if storing for more than 1 day.
- Nutrition notes: Nutrition information was calculated for 12 servings, but your serving size may vary depending on the size of your skewers.
Nutrition
UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in June 2018 and updated for clarity in May 2022.
So what is panzanella exactly? I see it everywhere but I’m still not sure if its a type of food, or a prep style, or something else?! Either way, these are going to be great for my housewarming party!
Great question, Alex! Panzanella is typically an Italian tomato and bread salad, however you can find trendy recipes lately that use things like peaches like this Summer Peach Panzanella Salad. The panzanella possibilities are endless!