Gluten-free Balsamic Bruschetta Dip

This balsamic bruschetta is my go-to gluten-free appetizer that's perfect for everything from casual weeknight dinners to easy party snacks.

We've been trying to squeeze out every ounce of summer that we can, which is why I love making fresh bruschetta in the summer because it uses all the deliciously in-season tomatoes that summer offers. Plus, it has fresh basil, one of the few herbs I can seem to keep alive in my herb garden. Pile it high on freshly toasted gluten-free french bread, and it's a summer favorite for everyone to enjoy all year.

Jump to:

• Is bruschetta gluten-free?
• Ingredients
• The best bread for bruschetta
• Tips and Tricks
• How to chiffonade basil?
• How to Make Bruschetta Dip?
• Serving Bruschetta
• Make it your Own
• How to Store?
• More Gluten-free Dips
• 📖 Recipe

Is bruschetta gluten-free?

Bruschetta, by definition, is an Italian starter, or antipasti, that consists of toasted bread and topped with something as simple as olive oil and salt or topped with tomatoes, beans, meat, and even cheeses. Therefore, if someone is serving bruschetta, it's always best to check if they are serving gluten-free bread to make sure you are eating gluten-free bruschetta.

Ingredients

For this gluten-free bruschetta, we are making a balsamic tomato bruschetta topping to go with toasted gluten-free french bread.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Minced Garlic. - You can also use garlic powder if you don't want the garlic to be as strong.
• Tomatoes. - I prefer to make this balsamic bruschetta with roma tomatoes, but you can use any variety you prefer, including making this a cherry tomato bruschetta.
• Balsamic Vinegar. Since this is a balsamic bruschetta, you want to make sure to use good-quality balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar should be naturally gluten-free, but it's always better to double-check your variety and make sure it is not mixed with something like malt vinegar which would make it not gluten-free.
• Fresh Basil. - I find fresh basil makes the best tomato bruschetta. If you don't have fresh you always use dried.
• Salt and Pepper

The best bread for bruschetta

Since bruschetta is really the bread, it's essential to have good gluten-free bread to toast and top. I personally love to make a batch of my homemade gluten-free french bread, or when I want something grain-free, I'll bake my grain-free version, which is my cassava bread recipe. If you don't want to bake something from scratch, you can buy some gluten-free baguettes or artisan bread from the store.

Some good ones are below.

• Schar gluten-free baguettes.
• Against the Grain Gourmet.
• BeFree
• Udi's

Tips and Tricks

• Mince the garlic - This might sound silly to call a trick, but it is. The reason is that you don't have large clumps of garlic just sitting in your bruschetta, so mincing it is critical. It also adds a more intense garlic flavor when you mice it, and you don't want to miss that in this dish. You can also use garlic powder if you prefer and have it on hand.
• Seed the tomatoes. - This isn't necessary; I just find that the bruschetta has a prettier look with serving and tends to be less watery when I remove the seed and membranes as I am dicing it.
• Chiffonade the Basil-  This just means cutting the basil into ribbons, and it's a lot easier than it sounds.
• Let it rest. - The best balsamic bruschetta is one that has rested for about 15-20 minutes before serving so the tomatoes can soak up all the flavors.

How to chiffonade basil?

This might sound fancy, but really all we are doing is making it easy to slice the fresh basil into thin ribbons. I promise it is not hard, but it adds a little extra to fresh bruschetta. You are already going through the trouble of making this with all the fresh ingredients; you might as well do them justice.

1. Wash and pat dry your fresh basil.
2. Stack the basil leaves on top of each other so they nest into each other.
3. Roll the stack of basil leaves tightly like you would roll up cinnamon rolls.
4. Hold the rolled-up basil leaves and make small slices across the roll of basil leaves like you would cut into cinnamon rolls.
5. Continue slicing until you've cut the entire roll of basil leaves.
6. That's it!

How to Make Bruschetta Dip?

Now, let's make an easy balsamic bruschetta.

Step 1. Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and spices in a bowl.

Step 2. Cut the basil and dice the tomatoes.

Step 3. Add the diced tomatoes and basil to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Step 4. Let the balsamic bruschetta rest.

Serving Bruschetta

Serve enjoy it over some toasted slices of your favorite gluten-free french bread. If you want even more delicious flavor, I highly suggest using this to top some of my gluten-free garlic bread and eating this as a garlic bread bruschetta. Trust me; you'll thank me later.

If you don't want it over bread, you can also serve it up with your favorite gluten-free crackers.

Make it your Own

This tomato bruschetta dip is delicious on its own, but there are so many ways to enjoy it.

• Add some burrata cheese and make this a burrata bruschetta. Goat cheese is really delicious with it too!
• Want to enjoy it some more? I love to add some to the top of some grilled chicken with an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar for an easy bruschetta chicken. You can even make a steak bruschetta to serve or even an easy lunch with some tuna.

The possibilities are endless.

How to Store?

If you want to make this ahead of time, I suggest prepping the ingredients and storing them separately. I find this does not last longer than about a day. I tend to make this the day I plan to serve it.

I find this bruschetta is best eaten within 1-2 days when stored in a container in the fridge.

More Gluten-free Dips

📖 Recipe