Strawberry Caprese Skewers Appetizer for Valentine’s Day
Home » COOK » Recipes » Recipes By Course » Appetizers & Starters »
Fresh strawberries are always a great dessert to serve for Valentine’s Day. BUT, why not serve them as an appetizer? These Strawberry Caprese Skewers are perfect to serve up for your Valentine’s Day dinner. This variation is a delicious twist on the classic tomato, basil, and mozzarella recipe, using sweet strawberries instead of tomatoes!
Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure and Privacy Policy
Strawberry Caprese Skewers
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil, occasionally paired with arugula. It is usually arranged on a plate in restaurant practice. Like pizza Margherita, it features the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red.
Wikipedia
Serving caprese salad onto skewers is a great party appetizer or starter at a dinner party, but for a bit of a twist, have you ever tried switching the tomatoes for strawberries? No? Well you’re in for a treat here!
Strawberries are actually a great addition to savory salads, and pair beautifully with balsamic vinegar.
This quick and easy strawberry caprese appetizer is perfect starter for a Valentine’s Day meal at home and can be served with or without the balsamic glaze. You could add a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil too to add to the savouriness of the dish.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. The full list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Strawberries – try to use small ones.
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Mini Mozzarella Balls
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Wooden Skewers – you will need them to be 6-inch in length.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog! I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Strawberries
One of the hero ingredients in this recipe is strawberries, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Strawberries & Cream Filling!
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Mini Berry Pavlovas
More Appetizer Recipes
Looking for more appetizer inspo? Check these recipes out next:
- Garlic Parmesan Shrimp with Roasted Garlic Dip – Perfect for Sharing!
- Lemon-Pepper Baked Chicken Wings – An Awesome Game Day Appetizer!
- Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts Party Appetizer with Spicy Mustard Dip
Recipe Tips
- The warm balsamic glaze will start to melt the cheese on contact. For a cleaner presentation, avoid adding the glaze to the cheese while drizzling it onto the skewers.
How Do I Make Strawberry Caprese Skewers?
Just check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos.
Strawberry Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Glaze
Fresh strawberries are always a great dessert to serve for Valentine’s Day. BUT, why not serve them as an appetizer?
Ingredients
- 16 fresh, small strawberries, washed and cut in half across the width, hull intact
- 32 medium fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
- 16 Ciliegine (mini-Mozzarella balls)
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
To Serve
- 16 (6”/15cm) wooden skewers
- 2 Tbsp high-quality extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle, optional
Instructions
- Thread the top half of one strawberry onto a wooden skewer with the hull facing up.
- Next, fold one basil leaf in half, the dark side facing out, and add it to the skewer.
- Add one mini-Mozzarella ball, followed by another folded basil leaf, and the bottom half of the strawberry.
- Repeat steps 1-3 with the remaining strawberries, basil, and Mozzarella until you have 16 completed skewers. Arrange on a serving platter and set aside.
- To prepare the glaze, add balsamic vinegar to a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the vinegar is reduced to about ⅓ of its original volume.
- Remove glaze from heat and let cool slightly.
- Drizzle over the skewers, along with some extra virgin olive oil, if using.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 126Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 15mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the appetizer, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Main Dish: One-Pan Chicken Cacciatore – Italian Hunter’s Stew
- Side Dish: Italian Roasted Vegetables
- Beverage: Prosecco Cocktail with Blackberry, Elderflower & Basil
- Dessert: No-Bake Mini Cannoli Pies
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!