Italian Bruschetta
on Aug 13, 2022, Updated Jul 24, 2025
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My love for Italian Bruschetta knows no bounds 🇮🇹. It’s the perfect low-effort, crowd-pleaser appetizer. Like any great Italian recipe, it relies on just a few simple ingredients and the flavor comes from the quality of each ingredient, so opt for juicy ripe tomatoes and full-flavored olive oil. Bruschetta (pronounced “broos-ke-ta”) comes from the word “bruscare,” “to toast”. Bruschetta originated in Italy during the 15th century. However, the dish can be traced back to Ancient Rome, when olive growers would bring their olives to a local olive press and taste a sample of their freshly pressed oil using a slice of bread. In Italy, bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolina grill but since I don’t have one, we use any grill pan we have on hand.
Why You’ll Love Italian Bruschetta
There’s a reason Italian Bruschetta is one of the most popular dishes worldwide. This appetizer, or antipasti, is perfect for hosting: the dish can be made fresh in under 10 minutes and makes for perfect finger food. I love to make these in summertime, when its peak tomato season, and you have your pick of the bunch: cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and sungolds are all excellent varieties to consider 🍅.
Ingredients
- Baguette: You want a nice crunchy slice of bread to soak up all of the juices of the tomato mixture. Cut the baguette on the bias to increase the surface area for toppings.
- Olive Oil: You want a bold olive oil here, to add peppery flavor to the bruschetta recipe.
- Garlic: This essential ingredient is working double time in this recipe: first, infusing grilled bread, and then adding bite and aroma to the tomato topping.
- Tomatoes: Opt for the juiciest, most vibrant tomatoes you can get. Both big fat red, orange, or yellow tomatoes or petite cherry tomatoes do the trick.
- Basil: Fresh—not dried—basil is a must for the purest flavor.
- Balsamic Glaze: This is a storebought product made from balsamic vinegar that has been reduced until it’s syrupy and thick. It’s a delicious condiment.
Nonna’s Tip 🔪
Cutting the bread on the bias—or at an angle—allows for the greatest surface area for toppings.
Variations and Substitutions for Italian Bruschetta
- Instead of tomatoes, try ripe peaches or nectarines 🍑. Omit the garlic.
- Use your favorite fresh herbs: thyme, mint, parsley, tarragon, etc 🌿.
- You can also add some cheese: a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano or some thinly sliced fresh mozzarella 🧀.
- In addition to tomatoes, you can also add to the mix some roasted bell peppers 🫑 or jarred marinated artichoke hearts.
Best Served With
- Serve the prepared toasts and the tomato mixture separate and have guests assemble their own bruschetta. This will allow for the freshest, least soggy experience.
- These bruschetta make a delicious appetizer. Follow up with an easy Italian meal, such as Carbonara or Pasta Limone 🍝.
- Keep things summery and light with a simple Branzino or Seafood Salad.
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Common Questions
You can cook the bread in a skillet on the stove, directly on a gas or bbq grill, or in the oven. For a skillet, a cast-iron over medium-high heat works best. If using a grill, cook over direct heat, being careful not to let the bread fall through the grill grates. For the oven, bake on a sheet pan with the oven on broil, keeping a close eye to watch for burning.
Certainly, you can use your favorite gluten-free bread to make this bruschetta.
Definitely! You can add grilled shrimp, chicken, or steak on top of each piece of bruschetta for a more filling appetizer. Additionally, you can add grated or thinly sliced cheese.
This infuses each piece of bruschetta with lovely garlic aroma. You can also use the clove you use for rubbing in any cooking.
Bruschetta gets soggy quickly, so it’s best to prepare this and enjoy it fresh. However, you can prepare the toast and tomato mixture separately and keep them for an hour or two before serving.
Italian Bruschetta
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Drizzle each bread slice with a little bit of olive oil on each side. Get a grill pan, oil it up a bit, and place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, grill the bread on each side until toasted and golden-brown.
- Remove the bread from the grill and rub each slice with the half clove garlic. This will give the bread so much aroma and flavor.
- Add the tomatoes to a bowl with a pinch of salt, the minced garlic, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil and stir. Top each slice of bread with a heaping tablespoon of the tomatoes. Optionally, you can drizzle on balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar. Enjoy right away.
Notes
- Toast the bread: In the oven at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes, or under the broiler for 2 to 6 minutes, or in an airfryer at 400F for about 10 minutes.
- Bread options: Use any crusty bread you like, such as ciabatta, levain, or baguette.
- Prep it: This appetizer is meant to be enjoyed right away, so if you are making it for a party you can grill the bread the day before and toss everything together before you serve it. It is not to be kept in the fridge because it will go soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Thank you for sharing this recipe – it was delicious!
Thanks Jean!
Amazing recipe!
Glad you loved it