Pesto burrata is a versatile appetizer, side dish, or a light dinner. The easy dish comes together in an hour using fresh, simple ingredients, and is a crowd-pleaser! It really doesn’t get better than this. Work tuna pesto pasta or orzo pesto pasta salad into your meal rotation for even more nutty pesto flavor.
What is Pesto Burrata?
When I want something fresh and light, pesto burrata is my go-to! Burrata in pesto is a fresh and easy appetizer you can serve with crusty bread or pasta.
You only need a handful of ingredients to make homemade pesto and tomato confit to serve with the creamy burrata cheese. Burrata comes from the Italian word “burro,” meaning butter, a nod to its buttery, rich insides. Burrata cheese has an outer mozzarella, but once you cut into it, the center spills out a soft mixture of cream and cheese curds called stracciatella, the perfect way to finish the pesto burrata.
Key Ingredients
- Tomato Confit: A simple tomato confit takes the dish to the next level. While it takes some time to make, it is well worth it. You will need cherry or grape tomatoes, garlic cloves, sea salt, and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Pesto: Use a store-bought pesto like the one from Costco, or make your own from scratch. Homemade pesto sauce combines fresh garlic cloves, pine nuts, kosher salt, freshly grated parmesan cheese, basil leaves, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Burrata: Creamy burrata cheese is central to the dish, so use the freshest burrata you can find. Its creamy filling adds the perfect finishing touch.
- Garnish: Drizzle the burrata pesto with extra-virgin olive oil and top it with freshly cracked black pepper and flaky sea salt.
Additions and Substitutions
- Experiment with pesto. Replace the fresh basil pesto with your favorite pesto recipe. Try pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, cilantro pesto, arugula pesto, spinach pesto, or mint pesto.
- Try a different topping. Fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, tomato jam, and sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil are good substitutes for the tomato confit if you are in a hurry, but it won’t have the same flavor.
How to Make Pesto Burrata
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Prepare the Fresh Ingredients
Step 1: Preheat oven to 300℉ (149℃). Arrange the cherry tomatoes and garlic in a small baking dish in a single layer.
Step 2: Sprinkle with kosher salt and pour the olive oil over the top. Bake for 1 hour, until the tomatoes soften and burst.
Cooking Tip
You want the tomatoes to be almost submerged, with just a little bit of tomato not covered in oil.
Step 3: While waiting on the tomatoes, combine garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves and process until combined. Then, stir in the olive oil.
Step 4: Cut the burrata cheese balls in half or quarters.
How to Serve the Burrata Cheese?
Use clean hands to break open the burrata cheese balls or cut them in half or quarters. Arrange the pieces on the pesto spread. Sometimes, I scoop out some of the creamy center and spread the cheese over top. You can also leave the burrata whole and cut into it as you eat—it’s entirely up to you!
Ways to Assemble Pesto Burrata
Method 1: Spread the pesto onto a platter or shallow serving bowl. Arrange the cheese onto the pesto, and spoon tomato confit over the top.
Method 2: Place the burrata cheese pieces onto a platter or bowl, add a few dollops of pesto, and garnish with tomato confit.
Step 5: Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper, and kosher salt. Serve with crostini, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Prioritize homemade pesto. Make your own pesto from scratch for the best flavor.
- Use room-temperature cheese. Pull the burrata cheese from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature to ensure the cheese has the creamiest texture.
If you enjoy pesto burrata, try more appetizer recipes from Jamil Ghar!
Serving Suggestions
There are countless ways to enjoy pesto burrata, depending on the occasion. Turn it into a light meal by spooning pesto, burrata, and tomato confit over lightly dressed greens and thin-cut chicken breast, or toss the ingredients with your favorite pasta to make burrata pesto pasta.
If you are serving a crowd, a platter presentation works beautifully. Spread the pesto across the platter, arrange balls of gooey burrata cheese, and finish with homemade tomato confit. Pair it with crunchy crostini, breadsticks, slices of Dutch oven sourdough, or crackers for easy scooping.
Sprinkle flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper over the dish for extra flavor, or top it with marinated olives, toasted nuts, roasted garlic, breadcrumbs, fresh figs, thinly sliced prosciutto, a few drops of fresh lemon juice, or a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Keep the ingredients for the pesto burrata in separate airtight containers. They will stay fresh for 2-3 days. I recommend removing them from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to serve to let them come to room temperature.
- Repurpose: Use the leftovers to create a light meal like a fresh-tasting pizza. Spread a thin layer of fresh pesto onto a cooked pizza crust and finish it with burrata cheese and some of the tomato confit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy burrata cheese?
Find burrata cheese in the deli section of the grocery store; look for burrata stored in water with 2 to 4 cheese balls inside.
More Burrata Recipes:
Pesto Burrata
- 1 package (10 ounces) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 small garlic bulb, cut in half
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 containers (8 ounces) burrata cheese balls
- 1 cup pesto sauce
- Preheat oven to 300℉ (149℃). Arrange the cherry tomatoes and garlic in a small baking dish in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with kosher salt and pour the olive oil over the top. Bake for 1 hour, until the tomatoes soften and burst. Tip: You want the tomatoes to be almost submerged, with just a little bit of tomato not covered in oil.
- While waiting on the tomatoes, combine garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves and process until combined. Then, stir in the olive oil.
- Cut the burrata cheese balls in half or quarters.
- Method 1: Spread the pesto onto a platter or shallow serving bowl. Arrange the cheese onto the pesto, and spoon tomato confit over the top.
- Method 2: Place the burrata cheese pieces onto a platter or bowl, add a few dollops of pesto, and garnish with tomato confit.
- Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper, and kosher salt. Serve with crostini, and enjoy!
- Prioritize homemade pesto. Make your own pesto from scratch for the best flavor.
- Use room-temperature cheese. Pull the burrata cheese from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature to ensure the cheese has the creamiest texture.