Light, fresh, and perfect with so many different dishes, Keto Caprese Salad is a pretty dish that’s easy to pull together. And, with plenty of flavor, it can be a whole meal or just a side dish! Hungry? Read on and I, Chef Jenn, will show you all my tips for making this amazing salad perfectly every time!
Not a typical caprese salad with thick slices of tomato and mozzarella, this fork-friendly keto Caprese Salad features bite-sized goodness. With a classic combination of mozzarella, tomato, and basil, I’ve upped the flavor in this dish with a few other tasty ingredients.
I’ve been making this tomato salad recipe this way since I had my restaurant and catering business. It’s fresh, easy to make, and stores perfectly in the fridge so that you can munch on it for a few days.
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What You Need To Make Keto Caprese Salad
- Medium size mixing bowl
- Grape tomatoes
- Fresh mozzarella – see note below
- Shallot
- Garlic – fresh is best!
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsely
- Salt and pepper
Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella is different from the bags of shreds or blocks of cheese you get at the grocery store. In fact, fresh mozzarella tastes sweeter and is more delicious than the other kind.
How do you tell the difference? The main difference is that fresh mozzarella is packaged in water. It may look more like whey when you open it, but fresh moz is always packed in liquid. This helps to retain the moisture.
For this keto chopped Caprese Salad recipe, you can choose to go with small balls of mozzarella, or cut up a larger ball. It’s up to you. Look for the fresh mozzarella in the deli section of your store, or check out an Italian market.
What are Shallots?
Shallots look like small onions. They’re sold in grocery stores near the onions and garlic, but they’re not an onion. Shallots are related to onions and garlic, but they have a much milder and sweeter flavor than onions. I LOVE using shallots. They can be eaten raw, without that sharp oniony-ness, and they go sooo nicely in soups, salads, and whenever there are more delicate flavors.
Shallots are perfect in this keto tomato salad recipe, but if you don’t have shallots, you can use Vidalia onion or even red onion.
Are Tomatoes Even Keto?
Yes! They’re not an ingredient you want to go crazy eating, but in moderation, tomatoes are totally keto. You can read more about tomatoes on a keto diet here. And, in this chopped Caprese salad, there’s plenty of mozzarella to balance out the carbs.
How To Make This Keto Caprese Recipe
This Caprese salad with cherry tomatoes recipe really couldn’t be any easier:
- Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic.
- Whisk the red wine vinegar into the olive oil to create an emulsion.
- Add the tomatoes, shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, and mozzarella balls in a bowl with the dressing.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper and serve!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- I love using grape tomatoes for this recipe. They are usually small enough that I don’t need to cut them in half, in fact, your salad will keep longer in the fridge if you don’t cut the tomatoes.
- Use a good quality olive oil for this salad. Avocado oil will also work nicely.
- Like the heat? Feel free to double up on the chili flakes to add more heat.
- Fresh herbs put this dish over the top. Fresh basil can usually be found year-round in most supermarkets, and fresh parsley is easy to find.
- Add even more flavor with a drizzle of pesto sauce over the top. Yum!
What To Serve with Keto Caprese Salad
Top this salad with a few slices of grilled chicken or shrimp and you’ve got a full meal. Or, serve it as a side with keto Pulled Pork, Roast Beef, or keto Chicken Marsala. It also goes splendidly next to grilled steak, or this keto Italian sausage dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you sure can. This dish will keep fine in the fridge for 3-4 days if tightly covered. Or, prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and just toss it all together about an hour before serving. You want to give the flavors a chance to blend together before serving.
It sure is! Limit the shallot and the garlic to keep the carbs in check, and a moderate serving of this salad has about 4 net carbs in it, making it a great choice for keto diets.
Absolutely! This salad is easy to scale up – just double or triple the ingredients to make enough for a crowd.
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Step By Step Process
Keto Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sliced shallots
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 cups grape tomatoes
- 2 cups mozzarella balls
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the shallots, garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, pepper flakes, and herbs to a medium size mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing by whisking the red wine vinegar into the olive oil to create an emulsion.
- Mix the salad with the vinaigrette, season with a pinch of salt and pepper (optional), and serve!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Want Even More Easy Keto Recipes?
These are some of my current favorites:
- Crack Cauliflower
- Beefy minestrone soup
- Grilled vegetables
- And this dump-and-go Instant Pot classic
Having trouble counting carbs? Check out this handy calculator.
Such a great salad, and awesome that it’s keto too!
This looks like a perfect recipe for entertaining! Saving it
I loved this Caprese salad, it was super fresh and easy to make.
Caprese salad is something my whole family enjoys. We do not follow a keto lifestyle but will be enjoying this recipe none the less with fresh basil from the yard.
The end of the summer is the perfect time for caprese salad! The red pepper flakes add a nice kick!