This cherry caprese salad with blackberries is a delightful summer salad, with perfectly sweet fruit paired with creamy mozzarella cheese. Made without tomatoes, it's quick and easy to put together and lovely for summer BBQs or a potluck dinner. A vegetarian, gluten free and low histamine salad.
Summer always means the delicious combination of either fruit or vegetables and cheese that makes up a caprese salad for my family. If you love them too, then you may like to see my asparagus caprese salad and stone fruit caprese salad. Both fresh and light for summer!
This cherry caprese salad recipe is very simple but has the most delicious combination of flavours. Fresh cheese with equally fresh fruit is such a classic, because it's so good! An easy recipe that will delight any guests for summer meet-ups I think, or perfect for an easy weekend lunch enjoyed in the sunshine.
Jump to:
⭐ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make. It really is just a case of making the dressing then combining the fruit and cheese. Super simple!
- Light and fresh. This caprese salad is perfect for warm summer days, as it combines light and fresh summer produce. It's also low carb if that's helpful for you.
- Versatile. Change up the quantities of fruit, cheese or seeds to your preference.
🍒 Ingredients
Caprese salad is traditionally mozzarella, basil and tomatoes with a good glug of olive oil. There are now lots of variations, with different fruits and herbs. I've left out the tomatoes and made this salad all about the fresh and sweet fruit. The main ingredients you will need are:
- Mozzarella: the fresh ball that comes in a little liquid, rather than a harder, often grated, version.
- Cherries: always such a delight when they are in season. Make sure to remove the stones!
- Blackberries: pick your own if you can (and wash them well!), but store-bought is fine too of course.
- Basil: for that fragrant 'caprese' flavour. Pick fresh unbruised leaves.
- Olive oil: I suggest using something like the Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil as it has more flavour than regular olive oil.
- Apple cider vinegar: or distilled white vinegar if you are on a low histamine diet.
- Honey: the sweetness goes so perfectly with the cheese and fruit.
- Pumpkin seeds: just a sprinkle to add some crunch. The Terrsaoul organic pumpkin seeds are good.
📖 Variations to the recipe
Swap arugula for lamb's lettuce. If arugula isn't suitable for you, then swap for another lettuce leaf.
Swap apple cider vinegar for white distilled vinegar. If you are on a low histamine diet, then only use vinegar if you know you tolerate it as some people are unable to tolerate any forms. Apple vinegar scores 1 on the SIGHI list. For a vinegar that scores 0, there is white distilled vinegar.
🔪 Step by step instructions
This really is a quick and easy tomato-free caprese salad, that takes no time but looks so pretty!
Step 1
Use a cherry pitter to remove the stones from the cherries, and then tear into halves. Remove the stem too of course! (image 1).
Step 2
Tear the mozzarella into small pieces (image 2).
Step 3
Make the honey dressing by combining the ingredients and stirring or whisking well (image 3).
Step 3
Arrange the arugula on your plates, then add the cheese, fruit and basil leaves. Drizzle the dressing over the caprese salad, and top with pumpkin seeds if you are using (image 4). Then enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Use the best and freshest produce you can. This is all about the flavours of the creamy mozzarella and fresh sweet fruit, so use good quality produce.
- While you can use a knife to remove the cherry stones a cherry pitter will be much easier (and less messy!).
- Adjust the amount of oil and vinegar in the dressing to taste preference.
⏲️ Equipment needed
Cherry pitter - the easier and less messy way to remove the stones.
🥗 More delicious summer salads
Find fresh and tasty salads that work well for both a lunch idea or as sides for other dishes, including my butternut and beetroot salad and pear and fennel salad. Some recent recipes:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And please do leave a star rating ⭐ if you tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Cherry Caprese Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 mozzarella ball torn into small pieces
- ½ small bag arugula or lamb's lettuce
- 1 handful cherries stems and stones removed
- 1 handful blackberries
- small handful basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar optional, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey
- pinch salt to taste
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- Remove the stems and stones from the cherries.
- Tear the mozzarella into small pieces.
- Make the dressing by combining the ingredients in a jar or bowl and mixing together well.
- Arrange the arugula on your plates and top with the cheese, fruit, basil leaves and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle over the dressing and serve immediately.
Notes
- I suggest using good quality, fresh produce for this salad. With minimal ingredients, it is all about the taste!
- Lamb's lettuce can be used in place of arugula for a more subtle taste or if it is better suited to you.
- Adjust the dressing with more oil or vinegar to taste preference.
- Don't forget to de-stone the cherries!
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance
All ingredients score a '0' on the SIGHI scale, with the exception of:- apple cider vinegar, which scores 1. If you prefer to keep to foods rated as 0, then you could try white distilled vinegar.
- cherries rate as 0 but it is noted as 'controversial'.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
Katie Clark says
Such a beautiful salad. I have all the ingredients (except for the cheese) in my refridgerator right now. I may add some chicken (no cheese due to being DF) for a main dish. My husband loves fruity salads.
throughthefibrofog says
Sounds like a good substitution - I remember you aren't able to do dairy so that sounds like a great swap!
Sheryl says
All my favourites things together - couldnt get any better. The picture looks so good, too!
throughthefibrofog says
I'm such a fan of cherries at the moment! Hope you like the recipe if you try it out 🙂
Shruti Chopra says
I would never ever think of putting cheese and fruit together, at least not a berry cherry cheese salad. But that's because I struggle with thinking of having something sweet in a salad, yet when I try imagining this flavour, you've swayed me into believing it could work even for someone like me because it seems to have the right balance of flavours.
throughthefibrofog says
I love cheese and fruit together! As a child we used to do cheese with apple slices all the time, or cheese with grapes. Hope you like the combination 🙂
Holly says
This recipe sounds so delicious, I can't wait to try it! I pinned it for later and thank you for the cookbook recommendations!
throughthefibrofog says
Really hope you like it! Simple but delicious 🙂