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What Are the Best Tomatoes for Caprese? (8 Best Tomatoes)

Today I’m going to talk about the best tomatoes for a Caprese salad.

Best Tomatoes for Caprese

Caprese salad is one of my favorite dishes—especially in the summer.

It’s bright, refreshing, and very pretty to look at on your plate.

But in order to make this delicious salad, you need to know how to choose the right ingredients.

That means finding the best tomatoes for a caprese salad.

There are a lot of different types of tomatoes out there, and some of them are better than others for this dish.

In fact, not all tomatoes can even be used in a caprese salad because they’re not fleshy enough!

Your best bet is to stick with these 8 types of tomatoes:

Read Also: What To Serve With Caprese Sandwich? 10 Best Side Dishes

What Are the Best Tomatoes for Caprese?

Caprese salad

Caprese salad is a traditional Italian tomato salad that combines fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese.

The key to making a great Caprese salad is the quality of the tomatoes.

If you can find large, beefy heirloom tomatoes, then they will give your caprese salad the best flavor. However, if you can’t find such large tomatoes, then it’s okay to use smaller, more flavorful tomatoes.

1. Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are the most flavorful and juicy.

They’re also the most unusual looking and come in a variety of shades and shapes.

These tomatoes are a mainstay of Caprese salad, but they can also be used on sandwiches, burgers or roasted in the oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Sungold Tomatoes

Sungold Tomatoes

Sungolds are bite-sized tomatoes that have an intense, almost fruity flavor.

Originally from Japan, the golden tomato is prized for its sweetness and makes a perfect addition to a caprese salad.

It’s best to slice them in half or use them whole.

3. Campari Tomatoes

Campari Tomatoes

Campari tomatoes are seedless, generally larger than a cherry tomato and rounder in shape.

They’re typically found in grocery stores year-round, but they’re best during their peak season in late summer through early fall.

This is the perfect time to add these to your caprese salad — they have a thick skin and dense flesh that makes them great for slicing and layering between other elements on the plate.

4. Roma Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes

These babies are perfectly shaped and sized for slicing, which means they’ll fit perfectly on top of a piece of cheese.

They’ve got a nice sweet flavor that pairs well with the mild mozzarella cheese, with just a hint of acidity to keep things interesting.

5. Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are typically smaller than grape tomatoes but larger than sungolds.

They have an oval shape and come in various colors, including red, pink, yellow and orange.

Cherry tomatoes taste great on their own, but you can also mix different types together to make your caprese salad more interesting.

It’s best to cut them into halves or quarters when adding them to your caprese dish.

6. Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beefsteak Tomatoes

The beefsteak tomato is another one you’ll see frequently at markets and in gardens.

These are much larger than most other tomatoes, which makes them ideal for slicing up for salads or sandwiches.

They aren’t as naturally sweet as some varieties, so if you choose to use one for your caprese salad, try adding some balsamic vinegar for flavor.

This will also help balance out the acidity of the tomato if it’s particularly strong.

7. Plum Tomatoes

Plum Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes are often used for making sauce because of their meaty texture, high juice content and low seed count.

However, they make excellent additions to caprese salads too!

Their shape is similar to a Roma tomato, but plums tend to be sweeter than their Roma counterparts.

Due to their size, you may want to cut plum tomatoes into quarters instead of halves before adding them to your salad so you can bite into them easily without getting your hands dirty.

8. Grape Tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes

Grape tomatoes have a round shape similar to grapes and come in red, yellow and pink varieties.

The sweet flavor of this type of tomato is similar to that of cherry tomatoes but with less acidity, making them a great addition to any caprese recipe if you prefer sweeter flavors.

How to Pick the Right Type of Tomato for Caprese Salad

How to Pick the Right Type of Tomato for Caprese Salad

When you’re making Caprese salad, which is one of the easiest, tastiest ways to enjoy tomatoes, choosing the right tomato is key.

They should be ripe and juicy, and they should taste great.

But how do you know which tomato to use when cooking Caprese salad?

Here are some tips:

The best tomatoes for caprese salad are those that are ripe, smooth and firm.

Since the tomato is the star of this dish, you want to choose tomatoes that have a deep red color, with only a very slight orange tone.

The skin should be smooth and unblemished, with no bruises or dark spots.

The tomato should also be firm to touch but not overly hard. It should also give slightly when pressed.

If the tomato is too soft, it will not hold up well in slices on the salad.

Look for tomatoes that are free of blemishes on their surface and plump in shape.

The tomato should feel heavy for its size and should feel slightly juicy when it is pressed gently between your fingers.

Avoid using tomatoes that have any bruised or damaged areas on their surface as these areas will be hard to remove without sacrificing some of the flesh of the tomato in the process.

FAQ

What Are the Best Tomatoes for A Caprese Sandwich?

The best tomatoes for a caprese sandwich are cherry tomatoes. They’re small, juicy and sweet, which makes them the perfect complement to the mozzarella, basil and tomato in a caprese.

The key to a great caprese sandwich is a good tomato.

Tomatoes can range from sweet to acidic, and depending on how ripe they are when you buy them, they can also be very soft or firm.

If you’re going to make a caprese sandwich, you should pick up some fresh tomatoes at the store. Ripe tomatoes will yield a creamier filling, while green tomatoes will be firmer.

If you’re not sure which ones to get, ask the produce manager.

What Are the Best Tomatoes for Caprese Skewers?

The best tomatoes for caprese skewers are the cherry tomatoes because they have a sweet flavor and are smaller than the grape tomatoes.

You can also use the larger plum tomatoes or the beefsteak tomatoes.

What Are the Best Tomatoes for Caprese Pizza?

If you’re looking for the best tomatoes for caprese pizza, look no further than Roma tomatoes.

They have a rich flavor that makes the dish taste even better. They also have a nice sweet flavor that pairs well with basil.

Caprese Salad

8 Best Tomatoes for Caprese Salad (And More)

What's so wrong with using the tomatoes you have on hand to make a Caprese salad? They're tomatoes, right?
Not exactly. There are lots of different kinds of tomatoes, and they all taste a little bit different.
You may not notice it when you eat them by themselves, but when you put them in a dish like Caprese salad that doesn't have a lot of other flavors going on, the difference can make or break your meal.
It's important to choose the right tomato for your Caprese salad
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Salad
Servings 4 people
Calories 70 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Sungold Tomatoes
  • Campari Tomatoes
  • Roma Tomatoes
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Beefsteak Tomatoes
  • Plum Tomatoes
  • Grape Tomatoes

Instructions
 

  • Pick any type of tomato from this list to use for your caprese meal.
  • Prepare the rest of your meal.
  • Be ready to eat in no time!
Keyword Best Tomatoes for Caprese, Best Tomatoes for Caprese Pizza, Best Tomatoes for Caprese Salad, Best Tomatoes for Caprese Sandwich, Best Tomatoes for Caprese Skewers
CEO at Happy Muncher | benjamin@happymuncher.com | Website | + posts

Hi, I'm Benjamin. I love cooking, long walks, and my girlfriend! Here you’ll find simple and delicious recipes that you can make in 30 minutes or less.