Hot Caprese Dip

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Fall is just around the corner, my garden is slowing down, but my cherry tomatoes are still producing! I grew three different types of cherries this year specifically so my dips and appetizers would be pretty and have a little more depth of flavor. My latest way to put them to use is this Hot Caprese Dip.

It’s a warm and cheesy take on the traditional Italian Caprese salad, with plenty of tomatoes, fresh basil, and a balsamic glaze drizzle. It has all those flavors we love, only baked into a creamy dip that is perfect for scooping onto toasted crostini.

Why You’ll Love This Hot Caprese Dip

This dip looks impressive, but it really is so simple to put together. It’s almost as easy as putting tomatoes and cheese on a platter for a Caprese salad—you just bake it instead!

The creamy cheese layer is made with cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Then you get those juicy little bursts of roasted cherry tomatoes, plenty of basil, and the sweet-tangy balsamic glaze over the top.

And those colors! If you can find a medley of red, orange, and yellow cherry tomatoes, definitely use them. They make this dip so pretty for serving.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The ingredients are simple and very Caprese-inspired.

• Cream cheese: I always use Neufchatel, the lower-calorie cream cheese. Make sure it is softened so everything mixes easily.
• Ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta keeps the dip nice and creamy.
• Mozzarella and Parmesan: Because one cheese is never enough for a hot dip!
• Fresh basil: Some goes into the cheese mixture and more gets scattered over the finished dip.
• Dried basil and oregano: These add even more Italian flavor.
• Garlic powder and red pepper flakes: Just enough to season everything and give the dip a tiny little kick.
• Lemon zest: Optional, but you could add a little to brighten everything up.
• Cherry tomatoes: About two cups. A medley of colors is especially pretty.
• Olive oil and balsamic glaze: These are the finishing touches that really bring those Caprese flavors together.

How to Make Hot Caprese Dip

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees and move the top oven rack up so the tomatoes will be in a good position for broiling later.

Mix the softened cream cheese, ricotta, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped fresh basil, dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl. If you’re using the lemon zest, add that now too.

Lightly grease a 9 x 9 baking dish with olive oil and spread the cheese mixture evenly across the bottom.

Next, place about two cups of cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Give them a little olive oil along with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of garlic powder.

Put the cheese mixture on the lower oven rack and the tomatoes on the upper rack. Bake both for about 20–25 minutes, until the cheese is hot and the tomatoes have softened.

Remove the cheese dip from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Leave the tomatoes in for another 3–4 minutes, just until they blister and get a little charred around the edges.

Watch them closely here because once that broiler gets going, it gets going!

Spoon the blistered tomatoes over the hot cheese mixture, add a handful of fresh basil leaves, and give the whole thing a drizzle of olive oil.

Then drizzle balsamic glaze back and forth over the top. That is what makes the finished dip look so pretty and gives you that sweet balsamic flavor in every bite.

Don’t Skip the Crostini

I toasted crostini to serve with this dip, and they are perfect for getting a little cheese, tomato, and basil all in one bite.

To make them, slice a baguette into rounds, drizzle or spray lightly with olive oil, season them, and toast until golden and crisp.

You could certainly skip that step and serve the dip with fresh crusty Italian bread instead. Make your life even easier!

Perfect for Game Day and Easy Entertaining

This dip was perfect for Sunday Funday Football and watching the Game Day Openers. It’s warm, cheesy, easy to share, and exactly the kind of appetizer people gather around.

But it really is one of those dips you can serve for any occasion—or no occasion at all—because you can whip it up in minutes.

It would be great for a fall get-together, happy hour, holiday appetizer table, girls’ night, or an easy weekend snack with a glass of wine.

And even though I love making this when my garden tomatoes are still going strong, you can buy cherry tomatoes all winter long.

There is absolutely no reason to save this one only for tomato season.

Tips for the Best Results

Let the cream cheese soften before you start. It makes mixing the four cheeses so much easier and gives you a smoother dip.

Use colorful cherry tomatoes when you can. I love the mix of yellow, orange, and red tomatoes because the finished dish is just so pretty.

Keep an eye on the tomatoes while they’re under the broiler. You want them blistered and slightly charred, not completely collapsed.

And add the fresh basil at the end. You’ll get that fresh basil flavor and beautiful green color against all those warm tomatoes.

More Caprese and Tomato Appetizers to Try

Love the warm tomatoes, basil, and melted cheese in this Hot Caprese Dip? Try one of these fresh, flavorful appetizers next:

• Caprese Phyllo Cups
• Stuffed Cherry Tomato Tulip Bouquet
• Autumn Leaf Bruschetta
• Red Grape Bruschetta Crostini

Final Thoughts

If you love Caprese salad, this hot version is such a fun way to enjoy those same flavors in an easy appetizer. Creamy cheese, blistered cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic glaze—there really isn’t much not to love here!

Serve it hot with toasted crostini or crusty Italian bread and watch it disappear.

Hope you enjoy!