Bruschetta
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and crisp baguette slices come together in this no-fuss bruschetta—easy to throw together and perfect for summer snacking.
Simple to make, bruschetta (pronounced broo-SKEH-tah) is an Italian appetizer of toasted bread drizzled with olive oil, rubbed with garlic, and topped with whatever’s fresh and in season. This version is all about two summer staples—ripe tomatoes and fresh basil—plus a handful of briny olives and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Feel free to make the recipe your own. If you’re not into olives, just leave them out. Or toss in some cubed fresh mozzarella and turn it into the ultimate girl dinner. Perfect with a glass of wine!
“Delicious! Good thing this is healthy because I ate a very large portion of these!”
What You’ll Need To Make Bruschetta
- Tomatoes, olives & basil: Juicy, briny and fresh, this combo makes a delicious bruschetta topping. Look for the juiciest, ripest summer tomatoes; I love heirlooms for their varied color and flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper & olive oil: A simple combo that brings it all together with sweet tang, richness, and just the right seasoning. Use good-quality oil and vinegar; it really makes a difference.
- Baguette & Garlic – The base of any good bruschetta. Toasted baguette slices get rubbed with garlic while they’re still warm, adding a layer of savory flavor that soaks right in. Look for a good, bakery-quality baguette—supermarket bread tends to be too soft and won’t hold up to juicy toppings.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Make the tomato mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and ⅓ cup of the oil. Toss to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If the tomatoes aren’t very sweet, go ahead and stir in ⅛ teaspoon sugar.
Step 2. Toast the bread. Slice the baguette into ½-inch-thick slices and arrange on a baking sheet. Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the bottoms are crisp and golden brown.
Step 3. Rub with garlic. Flip the bread slices so the golden side faces up. Rub the top side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic clove, going back and forth once or twice, depending on how garlicky you like it.
Step 4. Assemble and serve. Transfer the toasted bread to a serving platter and spoon the tomato mixture onto each slice of bread. Sprinkle with more basil and serve within 10 minutes so the bread stays crisp.
Mix It Up
Want to switch things up? Once you’ve got the classic bruschetta recipe down, there are so many easy bruschetta toppings to try. Try burrata with roasted cherry tomatoes, mozzarella with tomato peach jam, or creamy goat cheese with roasted beets, or ricotta with a drizzle of hot honey. You can even go fruity—bruschetta with fig jam and prosciutto or strawberries and balsamic is always a hit. Whether you’re serving bruschetta for a party, date night, or just snacking with a glass of wine, it’s one of those recipes that’s endlessly riffable and always crowd-pleasing.
More Finger Foods You May like
Bruschetta
All it takes is a handful of ingredients to whip up bruschetta that’s fresh, full of flavor, and tastes like summer in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom), cored and diced (3 to 4 tomatoes)
- ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A few grinds freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 good quality baguette, cut into scant ½-in-thick slices on the bias
- 1 clove garlic, halved lengthwise
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack in the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and ⅓ cup of the oil. Toss to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (If the tomatoes aren't as sweet as you'd like, add ⅛ teaspoon sugar.)
- Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp and golden on the bottom.
- Using tongs, flip the bread slices so the golden side is facing up. Rub the top side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic, going back and forth once (or twice, if you like your bruschetta extra garlicky). Transfer the toasted bread to a serving platter and top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the bruschetta with more basil. Serve within 10 minutes so that the bread stays crisp.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The tomato mixture can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Taste and adjust seasoning before topping the toasted bread.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Serving size: 1 piece
- Calories: 108
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 147 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
So delicious! Made with green Sicilian olives and tomatoes fresh from the garden. Made our simple meal very special. Thanks again for another great recipe.
We really enjoyed this recipe for Bruschetta! Is there some trick that I’m missing in how to eat these without it the topping falling off?
Ha, not really — just to eat them very carefully (but you’re likely to have some topping fall off no matter what). Glad you like it though! 🙂
We spread thin layer of Philadelphia cream cheese on our baguettes
Hi Jenn, I have lots of wonderful summer tomatoes and want to make this. I don’t have Kalamata olives. Can black or Manzanilla be substituted or should I just leave them out?
Sure, Sharon, you can substitute the olives you have on hand. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for your quick reply! Looking forward to having this tonight with your delicious grilled shrimp with pesto 🙂
Dear Jenn,
Hello again from Pam and Trevor in Canberra. Like the rest of the world, Australia goes in and out of this crazy time but your blog remains a source of comfort and entertainment. Today we made two types of bruschetta – this recipe and used your Roasted Pepper Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts & Basil recipe (with less oil and no sugar) as the other topping. We made our bruschetta as a deconstructed dish. Toasted the bread slices in the oven, made up the toppings and set the toasted pinenuts in a separate bowl. Then topped the bread with whatever we wanted. The bread stayed crispy, the toppings were tasty, and, a good time was had by all.
Thank you for your continuing efforts and stay as safe as you can,
Pam and Trevor
Australia
This is delicious, and a great use of all the amazing tomatoes we are getting from our CSA. Love the addition of olives! I didn’t use much oil at all (maybe 2 TBL) as my tomatoes were SUPER juicy. Added a little more basil, because we just love it. Thanks for another great recipe!
What kind of baguette do you use ? Sour dough ?
Hi Asra, baguettes aren’t typically sourdough. I’d just look for the standard baguette in your store’s bakery. Hope that clarifies!
Hands down the best bruschetta I have ever had. Even my family members who don’t love olives devoured it!
Absolutely delicious and so easy. I prepared the topping and took it, along with some homemade gluten baguettes, to a friends house (she’s GF I’m not) then put it together in no time for a nice light appetizer and they all loved it. I haven’t had a fail from any recipe I’ve tried on this website.
So I made this but left out the olives – I had some guests over who don’t care for olives. Turned out great!
Very easy yet so delicious. Quick yet simple and full of flavor. I used lots of garlic and my fresh garden tomatoes. The bread I used was sweet and balanced the salty or briney olives perfectly. I hope I always make this recipe. I thought it went really well with hard-boiled eggs that were enhanced with black truffle mustard.