This easy tomato bruschetta crostini is the perfect appetizer! It tastes fresh and delicious. This recipe is the perfect use for those summer tomatoes and fresh basil.

This tomato bruschetta crostini is a perfect appetizer, snack, or part of a meal. To make it part of a meal, just serve alongside some chicken or pasta.
So easy. The fresh tomato and garlic flavors pair so nicely with the freshly toasted bread.
Honestly, the most time-consuming part of this dish is chopping all the tomatoes, but if you have a great helper (like my husband), those tomatoes are chopped in no time!
How to pronounce bruschetta
And before we move onto the recipe for this easy tomato bruschetta, let's just talk briefly about the pronunciation of the word bruschetta.
I keep pronouncing it broo-sheh-tuh. And Josh keeps correcting me, saying it's broo-sket-uh. Who's right? Apparently he is. Regardless, it is a delicious and yummy creation.
Ingredients
- French or ciabatta bread
- Campari tomatoes (or roma tomatoes)
- Garlic clove
- Fresh basil
- Dried parsley
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar - You can also use red wine vinegar!
- Salt and pepper
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (we use this microplane to grate ours)
What type of bread to use to make the crostini
Typically, a nice crusty bread works well with tomato bruschetta.
That means grabbing a nice ciabatta or French bread at the grocery store. You can also use sourdough, as long as it's pretty crusty and firm.
I'd stay away from soft breads like white sandwich bread and brioche.
What type of tomatoes to use in bruschetta
I love roma or campari tomatoes when making bruschetta crostini. I feel like those have the perfect balance of juiciness, firmness, and flavor.
In a pinch, you can also chop up some cherry tomatoes or a beefsteak tomato, but those won't have the same impact.
Customization ideas
The nice thing about bruschetta is that it's easy to customize. You can make super-authentic versions, but we always love to just make easy, delicious recipes with what we have around!
I'd say the two ingredients not to miss are fresh tomatoes and garlic.
Otherwise, you can add peaches, similar to our peach panzanella, more veggies, or different fruits that pair well together.
You can even swap out the type of cheese! You can top your bruschetta crostini with mozzarella or feta cheese.
How to store bruschetta
You can store the tomato mixture in the refrigerator, either covered with plastic wrap or in a sealed container. I like to bring it to (close to) room temperature before serving over the toasted bread.
I would not prepare the toasted crostini ahead of time. That's best prepared right before serving!
Instructions
To make the tomato bruschetta, first gather all your ingredients together. Take the tomatoes and dice them into chunks.
Then finely chop the garlic and cut the basil leaves into ribbons.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, and basil to a medium bowl. Then add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Stir together until well-combined and set aside.
Now it's time to make the crostini! Turn on the oven broiler and grab your loaf of bread. (You can also make easy air fryer crostini).
Slice the bread into ½ inch to 1 inch slices.
Place each slice onto a cookie sheet or baking sheet and brush with olive oil, making sure to go all the way to the edges! If you don't get the oil all the way to the edges, the edges will tend to burn under the broiler more quickly.
Then place under the broiler until nicely browned, but not burnt.
Remove the toasted crostini from the oven and spoon the tomato mixture over the top.
If desired, sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Serve the tomato bruschetta crostini immediately and enjoy!
Other recipes to love
Tomato Bruschetta Crostini
Ingredients
- ½ loaf french or ciabatta bread
- 6 campari tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tablespoon loosely packed basil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil plus more for brushing onto bread
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Parmesan cheese optional
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Dice the tomatoes and put into a small mixing bowl
- Finely mince the clove of garlic and add to the bowl
- Chop the basil into thin ribbons and add to the bowl
- Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the bowl
- Add a little salt and black pepper
- Stir ingredients together. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed
- Set aside and let flavors marinate together
- Turn on oven broiler
- Cut half of the loaf of bread into about ½ inch slices
- Place onto baking sheet and brush olive oil onto one side of the bread slices, making sure to get the edges
- Place under broiler until nicely browned. Cooking time will vary based on your oven, so just keep an eye on it! You want the bread to be crisp, but not burned.
- Remove bread from oven and evenly spoon and distribute tomato mixture over the bread slices.
- Grate Parmesan cheese over the top, if desired.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
Mike
Oh wow, this looks like just what I need this spring.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
it has been way too long since i last made bruschetta. these look so delicious and addictive. thanks for the inspiration!