Few dishes celebrate the tomato quite like bruschetta. (Not to be confused with crostini, bruschetta is the Italian dish of toast bread topped with tomatoes. Whereas crostini means little toasts in Italian and can sometimes be used as the base of bruschetta.) When I was growing up, my Italian American grandma showed me how to turn the abundant tomatoes in our garden into this dish. It was a simple and fresh tradition: We’d pile a vibrant, garlicky tomato topping onto toasted Italian bread, the drizzle it with olive oil and generous amounts of fresh basil. We’d savor the first bite together before sharing it with the family.
Later, as I graduated high school in the early 2000s, bruschetta became a staple on restaurant menus, with chefs innovating new fresh takes. Whether in its simple, traditional form or a chef’s modern twist, this beloved appetizer consistently proved to be a crowd-pleaser. But what’s the best way to prepare it? Do traditional recipes reign supreme, or do variations enhance the essence of this dish and allow the tomato to shine brightest?
To uncover the ultimate bruschetta, I prepared six highly-rated recipes and gathered a group of culinary-savvy friends for an evening of bruschetta taste testing. Individually, nearly every bruschetta was a winner, but the side-by-side comparison truly highlighted the standouts. Read on to find out which recipes reigned supreme and why.
So, What’s the Best Brushetta Recipe?
With Parm-topped rounds of crispy bread and juicy tomatoes, Natasha’s Kitchen’s Classic Bruschetta is our clear winner. Its brilliant combo of balsamic vinegar and glaze, paired with just the right amount of garlic, accentuates everything we love about bruschetta.
Meet Our 6 Bruschetta Contenders
All the bruschetta contenders focused on five core components: tomato, toasted bread, olive oil, garlic, and basil. Each distinguishes itself by using a different type of tomato or a distinct combination of additional ingredients and calls for a given amount of time to marinate or bake the tomatoes before assembling the bruschetta.
A key takeaway from trying all these recipes: The tomato mixture significantly improves with time. That said, I recommend marinating the mixtures. Doing this makes all six recipes excellent make-ahead dishes; just remember to keep the tomatoes and bread separate until serving.
Pasta Queen: This bruschetta emphasizes simplicity and high-quality ingredients. Tomatoes are marinated in a generous amount of olive oil with basil to create a saucy tomato topping that is spooned over garlic-rubbed toasts. Notably, this recipe yields two substantial toasts, unlike the appetizer-sized portions of most other contenders.
Natasha’s Kitchen: Leaning towards a less juicy tomato topping, Natasha selects Roma tomatoes for her bruschetta and drains off excess juices after chopping them. She incorporates balsamic in a balanced way: a touch of vinegar with the tomatoes, and a syrupy drizzle of balsamic glaze on top. The crostini are finished with Parmesan for a salty pop of umami.
RecipeTin Eats: This bruschetta features a similar tomato mixture to the Pasta Queen, which she also spoons over garlic-rubbed toast. It takes a different path by grilling sourdough or ciabatta bread instead of toasting it in a pan, roughly chopping the basil instead of tearing, and deseeding the tomatoes. This recipe makes 4 substantial toasts.
Pioneer Woman: Cooking the garlic in oil (instead of mixing it in raw) and topping the baguette with an appealing mix of red and yellow cherry tomatoes are key differentiating features of the Pioneer Woman’s bruschetta recipe. Yet the standout aspect is the crostini, which is toasted to a crisp in an abundant amount of butter.
Giada De Laurentiis: By far the most over-the-top and chef-heavy bruschetta, Giada prepares three distinct crostini toppings: ricotta, oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, and spicy honey, and layers them over crispy thin crostini.
Martha Stewart: Martha offers the promise of an accessible bruschetta that can be made year-round, by warming store-bought grape tomatoes in a baking dish with feta, oil, garlic, and sugar while toasting thin crisp crostini on another rack at the same time. Each bruschetta is finished with additional unbaked feta and hand-torn basil before serving.
How I Tested the Bruschetta Recipes
I prepared the recipes in three batches, tasting two at a time. I carefully paired recipes, for example, grouping the two warm bruschetta recipes and matching the similar Pasta Queen and RecipeTin Eats versions. The pairings ultimately helped reveal subtle differences that made a big impact in the overall decision. Four trusted culinary friends joined me to help round out my opinion.
The bread. To ensure a fair competition, I bought the bread specified in each recipe. I precisely cut the bread to the thickness requested in the recipe and toasted it per their instructions. The Pasta Queen didn’t specify bread type, so I made an educated guess based on her video. For all recipes calling for baguette, I used the same brand to ensure consistency.
The tomato topping. I marinated the tomato mixtures for the minimum duration listed in each recipe, reserving portions for the maximum marination time as well. For recipes with warm tomatoes, I strictly followed the recipe’s baking temperature, time, and cooling instructions.
The remaining ingredients. I procured all recipe ingredients as stated in the recipe, following the amounts as stated to a “T.” I did not make any adjustments to taste unless explicitly instructed by the recipe to do so.
Why You Should Trust Me as a Tester
For 15 years I’ve honed my expertise in recipe testing, creation, and styling for both photo and video shoots. This includes five years rigorously testing recipes in Martha Stewart’s Test Kitchen, followed by Food & Wine magazine, where I collaborated with top chefs. My work has been featured in most major culinary publications. Ultimately, discerning what works comes from extensive experience and a passion for food — both of which I bring to the table.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
1. The Most Lackluster Bruschetta: Martha Stewart’s Warm Bruschetta With Tomatoes and Feta
Overall rating: 4/10
Get the recipe: Martha Stewart’s Warm Bruschetta With Tomatoes and Feta
For this recipe, thinly sliced baguette is toasted on the oven’s top shelf, while a mixture of halved grape tomatoes, feta, oil, minced garlic, and sugar bakes in a 9-by-13 baking dish on the bottom shelf for just about 10 minutes. The warm tomato mixture is spooned over crostini and finished with additional cold feta and hand-torn basil leaves.
The overall flavor profile was somewhat lacking. The tomatoes, although mildly warmed, weren’t cooked sufficiently to concentrate their flavor, leaving them “in-between” and without depth. The feta, rather than enhancing the bruschetta, felt out of place and detracted from the experience. This rendition was also a little difficult to eat; the slippery grape tomatoes combined with the very crispy bread made for an uneasy bite. The bruschetta was, unequivocally, my least favorite of the bunch, which is a candid assessment I have made despite my long-standing career at Martha Stewart.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
2. The Soggy Bruschetta: The Pasta Queen’s Classic Italian Bruschetta with Tomato & Basil
Overall rating: 6/10
Get the recipe: The Pasta Queen’s Classic Italian Bruschetta with Tomato & Basil
The Pasta Queen’s bruschetta (pronounced “bruuu-ske-tta” as she reminded us) champions simplicity and quality ingredients. You marinate diced juicy ripe tomatoes with a generous glug of extra-virgin olive oil and a few torn basil leaves (never sliced!) for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Next rub two thick slices of bread, toasted in a cast iron skillet, with a garlic clove before piling the marinated tomatoes onto the toast with a drizzle of the juices in the bowl.
I sourced farmers market ripe tomatoes, a nice Italian olive oil, and a rustic loaf of white bread from a local bakery (purchased a few days prior, per her suggestion).
Initially, I had high hopes for this bruschetta; I believed its quality ingredients would make it a standout. However, it ultimately ranked second-lowest among those we tried. The primary issue was the excess tomato juice, which diluted the overall flavor and made the bruschetta unpleasantly sloppy. Furthermore, the recipe would benefit from a brighter element, such as a splash of vinegar or a more generous amount of garlic or basil.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
3. The Buttery Bruschetta: Pioneer Woman’s Bruschetta
Overall rating: 7/10
Get the recipe: Pioneer Woman’s Bruschetta
To prepare this recipe, you make a fragrant garlic oil using 5 cloves of minced garlic and olive oil. Toss the warm oil with halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil. Let this mixture marinate for 1 to 2 hours. I chose baguette over ciabatta and cut it on a strong bias, to match the recipe photo. Then toast sliced baguette to a buttery crispness with an entire stick of butter before topping with the tomato mixture.
The introduction of butter to bruschetta was a revelation — it created a perfect combination of buttery, crisp, and soft textures, but the butter’s richness ultimately detracted from the clean fresh flavors that define traditional bruschetta. I used unsalted butter, but salted butter would work nicely here as well. I thought I’d really enjoy the cooked garlic, but ultimately preferred the bite of raw garlic in Natasha Kitchen’s recipe below, which called for a similar amount of garlic.
Despite its beautiful presentation, this recipe scored low on eatability. The cherry tomatoes slipped and slid off the toast, which led to a messy eating experience, as there’s nothing to secure them in place. Overall, while good, the recipe lacked a sense of authentic bruschetta.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
4. The Most Tomato-Forward Bruschetta: RecipeTin Eat’s Real Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
Overall rating: 8/10
Get the recipe: RecipeTin Eat’s Real Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
To prepare this bruschetta, diced ripe tomatoes are tossed with basil and olive oil, then marinated for 5 to 10 minutes or up to 1 hour unseasoned. To concentrate their flavor, the tomatoes are deseeded before dicing — an optional step that I took. While the tomato mixture marinates, oil-brushed bread is grilled and rubbed with garlic. The bruschetta is then topped with the tomato mixture and a final drizzle of oil.
I used readily available grocery store vine-ripened tomatoes and my everyday extra-virgin olive oil. This method, which prioritizes intense tomato flavor over a “watery” outcome, proved effective. Deseeding the tomatoes resulted in a more concentrated tomato flavor, and the basil note shined. Ultimately, this dish was great, but we all agreed that it would’ve been improved with more garlic (perhaps adding it minced into the tomato mixture as well). I tried both ciabatta and sourdough, and found that ciabatta was superior due to its delightful crispness and satisfying chewiness inside. I used 8 pieces of ciabatta to account for each slice being smaller than the sourdough, rather than the suggested 4.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
5. The Elevated Bruschetta: Giada de Laurentiis’s Ricotta Bruschetta with Sweet and Spicy Tomatoes
Overall rating: 9/10
Get the recipe: Giada de Laurentiis’s Ricotta Bruschetta with Sweet and Spicy Tomatoes
Start by baking cherry tomatoes, smashed garlic, basil, and oil until the tomatoes are tender and pop. Meanwhile prepare a spicy honey, which is a vibrant blend of Calabrian chile paste and honey, a seasoned ricotta, and very thin crisp crostini. Before enjoying, spread the crostini with the ricotta, spoon the roasted tomatoes over top, and drizzle with spicy honey.
The recipe suggested using chestnut honey. I found its intense flavor overwhelming, which proves that regular honey works perfectly well and there’s no need to seek out chestnut honey. I recommend halving the spicy honey. Just use a small drizzle of spicy honey on each bruschetta, so it doesn’t overwhelm the other components. In addition, Giada roasts the tomatoes on a small baking sheet, which is much too risky with the juices splashing out; I recommend using a 9-by-13 baking dish instead.
Despite creating a complex and elevated “tomato toast” experience, this dish ultimately didn’t quite hit the mark as traditional bruschetta; it lost points for deviating too far from the classic.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
6. The Best Overall Bruschetta: Natasha’s Kitchen’s Classic Bruschetta
Overall rating: 10/10
Get the recipe: Natasha’s Kitchen’s Classic Bruschetta
Natasha’s recipe calls for diced ripe Roma tomatoes, a less juicy tomato variety, and drains excess liquid to prevent a watery bruschetta. You then combine the tomatoes with 4 minced garlic cloves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chiffonaded basil (not torn or chopped!), which you marinate for 30 minutes. I opted for a baguette over ciabatta, aligning with the recipe’s photo. Brush crostini with garlic oil, top with Parmesan, and bake until crisp. To finish, pile the marinated tomato mixture onto each crostini and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
This bruschetta was the favorite of the group. It perfectly highlights the essence of bruschetta with well-judged additions. The tomato mixture had a juiciness to it without being wet. The use of both balsamic vinegar and balsamic glaze was a brilliant touch; a light drizzle of the glaze was crucial for balance, although I learned a heavy hand could easily overwhelm. The Parmesan topping was a revelation — it created a frico-like layer that added subtle depth (it also seemed to help prevent the bread from getting soggy). This recipe ultimately proved that a classic dish can be elevated with a few well-judged additions that bring out the best in the core ingredients. It was so well-received that we all agreed it would be a staple at our summer gatherings for the rest of the season.
Dining and Cooking