Caprese Salad

Keto Caprese Salad Recipe

A Caprese salad is the perfect keto salad for an event! This traditional Italian salad is beautifully laid out and will look impressive at your gatherings. If you are looking for a side dish to brighten up your spread of food, this is it. The red from the tomatoes beautifully contrasts the white from the mozzarella and the green from the basil. With balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, coarse kosher salt, ground black pepper, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese balls, and basil leaves, your salad will be refreshing and delicious. This keto salad will be a big hit at your next gathering so make sure to make some extra!

Is Balsamic Vinegar Keto?

While balsamic vinegar does contain sugar, this caprese salad recipe only uses a small amount of balsamic vinegar. By using a small amount, your salad will only have a few carbs per serving. For each serving, there are only 3.4 grams net carbs, making this recipe keto-friendly. Since all balsamic vinegar brands are different, you should look for one that has the lowest amount of carbs and sugars per tablespoon. You should also avoid balsamic reduction or balsamic glaze since the tend to have the highest sugar content.

Additions

Since most caprese salad recipes are typically very simple in ingredients, there are quite a few additions you can add to make this dish more interesting. For example, you can add slices of fresh avocado or even garlic for some extra texture and flavor. If you want a stronger Italian taste, you can also add a dash of Italian seasoning or a splash of Italian dressing. Even pesto and sliced olives would be a good addition. Heirloom tomatoes would add so much flavor to this keto salad as well. Add spinach if you are going for more of a chopped caprese salad. There are many versions of a caprese salad that work since mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil goes well with nearly anything. All of these options are keto friendly – especially the avocado!

Meal Prep and Storage Tips

This caprese salad recipe is best made fresh since if you make it ahead of time, the vegetables, especially the basil, will wilt. But there are a few things you can prepare ahead of time to make the process faster. You can slice the tomatoes and cheese ahead of time, or even buy presliced mozzarella. You can even whisk the balsamic vinaigrette dressing ahead of time. Just make sure to assemble the full keto salad just before you are ready to eat.