Caprese salad with mozzarella balls! This fresh tomato cucumber mozzarella salad is bursting with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers and creamy mini mozzarella, tossed in a tangy homemade red wine vinaigrette.
This simple side dish is perfect for your next outdoor gathering or a light lunch on a hot day. Alternate it with my crisp cucumber salad, chickpea tomato salad and refreshing cucumber tomato salad!
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: none
- ⏳ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4
- ⚡ Calories: 334kcal per serving, with 7g carbs
- 🥣 Ingredients: 10 (tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, red onion, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, mini mozzarella balls, fresh basil)
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumber and creamy mozzarella in a garlicky red wine vinaigrette
- ✋ Difficulty: Dice, whisk, toss
Quick Answer
Dice 3 Persian cucumbers and ¼ cup red onion into tiny pieces, and halve about 4 large tomatoes, remove the watery centers and dice them to make 3 cups. Mince 1 garlic clove finely and whisk it with ⅓ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, 8 ounces of drained and patted dry mini mozzarella balls and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix and enjoy. It serves 4 at 334 calories and 7 grams of carbs each.
Jump to:
Indulge in this quick and easy dish that marries the juiciness of tomatoes with the satisfying crunch of cucumbers and pillows of silky mozzarella. Top it with our homemade red wine dressing or try it with homemade Italian dressing, and you'll never look at summer salads the same way again!
It is light and refreshing like an easy quinoa salad. I even feed this one to my toddlers since it is tiny bite-size pieces, and they love it!
Why This Caprese Salad Works
Click to see why it works
- Seeded tomatoes. Scooping out the watery centers keeps the salad from turning soggy.
- Persian cucumbers. Small baby cucumbers dice neatly and stay crisp.
- Dry mozzarella. Draining the balls and patting them dry lets the dressing cling.
- Grated garlic. Mincing it on a cheese grater means no large chunks, just Italian caprese flavor.
- A simple vinaigrette. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper add all the flavor.
- Tiny dices. Every spoonful gets tomato, cucumber, onion, cheese and basil together.
Why You'll Love This Salad
- Ready in 15 minutes, with no cooking.
- Low carb, with only 7 grams of carbs per serving.
- Kid friendly, with bite-size pieces even toddlers love.
- Easy to change up as a pasta salad, an avocado caprese or with burrata.
- Perfect for summer gatherings, potlucks and light lunches.
Key Ingredients
- Tomatoes - Campari, Roma or any size. Scoop out the centers so the salad is less watery. Grape or cherry tomatoes work too, halved or quartered; they're also great in a corn tomato salad. Learn how to store tomatoes so they last.
- Persian cucumbers - small baby cucumbers. An English cucumber works if you dice it very small.
- Red onion - diced very small for color and a subtle bite. Sweet white onion also works.
- Garlic - minced finely so there are no large chunks.
- Mini mozzarella balls - drained from their water and patted dry with a paper towel.
- Red wine vinaigrette - olive oil, red wine vinegar, the garlic, salt and pepper.
- Fresh basil - 3 tablespoons, chopped.
See recipe card for quantities.
Caprese Salad Variations
- Caprese pasta salad - add 3 cups of cooked pasta such as bow tie, macaroni or fusilli.
- Avocado caprese - add 2 ripe avocados that are still slightly firm (not mushy like for a guacamole recipe), diced small like the tomato and onion.
- With Italian dressing - swap the vinaigrette for Italian salad dressing or champagne vinaigrette dressing.
- Balsamic - use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar for a balsamic vinaigrette.
- Burrata - replace the mozzarella balls with burrata broken into mini pieces.
How to Make Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad
1Chop. Cut the ends off the cucumbers, quarter them lengthwise and dice them small. Dice the onion small too (see my Pinterest tutorial on how to cut an onion). Halve the tomatoes, remove the watery centers and dice.
2Mince the garlic. Peel the garlic and mince it finely on a cheese grater, then transfer it to a small bowl for the dressing.
3Whisk the dressing. Whisk together the garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
4Combine. In a large salad bowl, add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, mozzarella and basil.
5Dress. Pour the salad dressing over the salad.
6Toss and serve. Mix the salad together and enjoy!
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Pick ripe, firm tomatoes. The more vibrant the red fruit, the sweeter the tomato.
- Remove the tomato centers so the salad stays crisp, not watery.
- Pat the mozzarella dry after draining.
- Keep the cucumber skin on. The skin of the cucumber is highly nutritious, holding much of the fiber and antioxidants.
- Eat it fresh. It is best the day it is made, before it softens.
More Summer Salads
If you love this tomato cucumber mozzarella salad, try my Cucumber Tomato Salad, Fresh Corn Tomato Salad, Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing or Cannellini Tomato Cucumber Salad next.
Serve it alongside my tomato basil soup or with cucumber feta mint bites for an easy summer meal.
Caprese Salad FAQs
About 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Enjoy it fresh for the best taste, since it can become soggy.
Fresh mozzarella and tomato, especially with basil and olive oil, is a delicious and healthy side dish in moderation. Tomatoes are highly acidic, so too much can cause acid reflux in some people.
It is low carb, with only 7 grams of carbohydrates per serving across 4 servings.
Yes. The skin is rich in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, so keeping it on gives you the nutrients of the whole fruit.
Yes. Homemade Italian dressing or champagne vinaigrette are both delicious swaps for the red wine vinaigrette.
Yes. Halve or quarter cherry or grape tomatoes instead of dicing larger ones.
More Fresh Salads
Keep summer fresh with Cucumber Tomato Salad, Cucumber Salad, Corn Tomato Salad and Italian Pasta Salad. If you make this tomato cucumber mozzarella salad recipe I would love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Cucumber Tomato Mozzarella Salad Recipe
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Equipment
- mixing bowl
- paring knife
Ingredients
- 3 cups tomatoes diced - about 4 larger tomatoes
- 3 Persian cucumbers diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces mini mozzarella balls drained from water and patted dry
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Wash and cut the ends of the cucumbers off. Then cut horizontal and in quarters then into tiny dices. Cut the onion into tiny dices and see my Pinterest tutorial on how to cut an onion. Wash the tomatoes and cut in half then remove the watery centers and cut into dices.
- Peel the garlic and mince it finely by using a cheese grater. Then transfer it to a small mixing bowl for the salad dressing.
- In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
- In a large salad bowl add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, cheese, and basil.
- Pour the salad dressing over the salad.
- Mix the salad together and enjoy!
Notes
- Add in 3 cups of cooked pasta such as bow tie pasta, macaroni noodles or fusilli noodles.
- For an avocado addition ad in 2 ripe avocados that are still slightly hard (not mushy like you use for guacamole recipe). Remove the skin and seed and dice into small pieces like the tomato and onion.
- You can also swap out this salad dressing for champagne vinaigrette dressing or Italian salad dressing.
- Substitute red wine vinegar for balsamic vinegar for a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
- Mozzarella balls can be replaced with burrata cheese. Just break the burrata into mini pieces.
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