This summery cherry tomato salad is made with ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, herbs and red onions, all tossed in a light garlic and herb dressing. A fun take on the classic caprese salad!
Tomato and mozzarella salad is a traditional summer side dish recipe that never goes out of style. This version uses cherry tomatoes and bite sized mozzarella balls and is perfect for a pot luck or barbecue. Serve it alongside other summertime favorites such as grilled pork chops or grilled chicken kabobs.
I often like to throw together salads that don’t contain lettuce for a nice snack. Of course, they work as a side dish just as well and one of my favorites is this cherry tomato salad. If you’re a tomato lover like me, you’ll be tempted to eat it all once that first tomato hits your taste buds.
Table of Contents
Cherry Tomato Salad Ingredients
To make this salad, you will need cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, red onion, fresh herbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Cherry Tomato Salad?
Place your fresh tomatoes, red onion, mozzarella balls, and herbs in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for your dressing and pour it over the top of the tomato mixture. Lightly toss and you’ve got a tasty snack or side that only takes minutes to make.
Tips For The Perfect Salad
- If you prefer grape tomatoes, those work just as well, but cherry tomatoes are usually my go-to.
- I think it’s really fun to get the multi color cherry tomatoes you usually find at the Farmer’s Market and use those in this tomato and mozzarella salad. It makes for quite a gorgeous side dish with little effort involved.
- Use a serrated knife to easily cut the tomatoes in half.
- You can use your favorite blend of fresh herbs. I typically use parsley, basil and chives. Other great options include dill or even cilantro.
Quick Tip
Cherry tomato salad will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Grape tomatoes tend to be smaller (about half the size) and more oblong shaped than cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes have a thicker skin and aren’t as sweet as cherry tomatoes. I find that grape tomatoes are more readily available at the grocery store these days. You can use either grape or cherry tomatoes in this salad with the same results.
It’s always best to serve dishes that contain a lot of fresh ingredients like this tomato and mozzarella salad, immediately. You can store the salad in the refrigerator to enjoy later, but the tomatoes will continue to release their juices as they sit, which can make for a more watery texture.
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Flavor Variations
This recipe is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Greens: Toss the cherry tomato salad with 4 cups of greens such as baby spinach, arugula or butter lettuce.
- Cheese: Swap out the mozzarella balls for shaved parmesan or cubes of provolone cheese.
- Toppings: Finish the salad with some capers, olives, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, or even toasted breadcrumbs.
- Grains: Feel free to stir in up to 2 cups of cooked pasta, farro or quinoa for a heartier dish.
There couldn’t be an easier side dish than this cherry tomato salad. The salad has been a huge hit with family and friends so I always keep it in my arsenal when party plans start brewing. Time is rarely on my side so I need easy recipes like this to keep me sane! Plus it’s the perfect way to showcase all those fresh summer tomatoes.
More Great Salad Recipes
Cucumber Tomato Salad
11 mins
Black Bean and Corn Salad
11 mins
Spaghetti Salad
35 mins
Tropical Fruit Salad
10 mins
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Cherry Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella balls halved
- 1/4 cup red onion minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, chives, green onions, oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes, mozzarella balls, red onion and herbs in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the tomato mixture and gently toss to coat evenly. Serve.
Notes
- If you prefer grape tomatoes, those work just as well, but cherry tomatoes are usually my go-to.
- I think it’s really fun to get the multi color cherry tomatoes you usually find at the Farmer’s Market and use those in this tomato and mozzarella salad. It makes for quite a gorgeous side dish with little effort involved.
- Use a serrated knife to easily cut the tomatoes in half.
Mozzarella and tomatoes, along with basil, are divine. This went really well with my grilled chicken dinner.
This cherry tomato salad is so zesty and refreshing, and *so* simple to make! The perfect summer picnic salad!
Love this cherry tomato salad recipe, is so refreshing and easy to make. Will be making this for lunch. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing 🙂
What a delightful summer salad! I love the combination of the cherry tomatoes and the mozzarella balls!
I just bought a load of cherry tomatoes from the store because they were on mega sale for summer. I used a bunch of them in this recipe and it was so tasty I think I’ll make another batch tomorrow!
I made this salad for lunch today and it was delicious! Exactly what I was craving and full of summer flavor!
Thank you so much hadn’t made for yrs and forgot.
We loved this! I made it a bit ahead of time and let it sit at room temp to soak in all the flavors. I also used more mozzarella than the recipe called for (I LOVE CHEESE!) and added a splash of balsamic at the end. I’m a first time visitor to your site and can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
I love salads and, as luck would have it I already had most of the fresh ingredients and all the pantry ingredients. So, I only needed to get the fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. Where I live some ingredients are not available and it was nice to have something so tasty be so easy to get ingredients for. Very easy to make as well. Yum!
Brought this along to a potluck tonight. It was pretty and delicious! Thank you! Will make again!
We love this easy tasty salad!