Mexican Inspired Caprese Tostada Recipe

If you love the flavors of a caprese salad, you need to try this Caprese Tostada recipe!

With a crunchy tostada shell topped with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, salty cotija and a drizzle of crema, this snack is quick, easy and totally delicious.

This post was originally published on August 12, 2014 and has now been updated with better information so you can make this easy snack recipe perfectly every time.

Why This Recipe Works

This summer I have probably eaten my body weight in tomatoes. I just can’t stop. This is weird since I don’t consider myself a tomato fan.

Roasted tomatoes (like in my Roasted Tomato and Burrata appetizer) are usually what I prefer. But fresh tomatoes are excellent when paired with salty cheese and some crunch from a hard corn tortilla.

While a typical caprese salad has tomatoes paired with mozzarella, and basil, this recipe gives them a Mexican-inspired twist.

I came home and recreated this yummy snack after having it on vacation in Loreto. Swapping the basil with fresh cilantro gives it tons of flavor.

Whether served on its own or with other snacks, it’s an easy recipe to put together that your whole family will enjoy.

It’s a great recipe to serve at a Chicks and Salsa girl’s night in or any other Mexican-inspired gathering.

If these flavors sound tasty, check out my White Bean Caprese salad as well.

This is shot I took while on vacation. You can see that my recipe is a little bit different. But both are delicious!

Like with a lot of my recipes, I like to leave them open to interpretation so you can add or take away flavors that you don’t love.

Ingredient Notes

You could easily make your own tostada shells at home by frying your own tortillas. But I am clumsy and afraid of hot, angry oil so I bought them, ready-made, from the store.  

Mexican cheeses are pretty readily available in all of my markets so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Cotija is nice and salty while the crema is smooth and creamy like you’d expect.

You can probably substitute with feta if you don’t have cotija but it won’t be exactly the same. Cotija has a unique flavor that I prefer over feta, but they are both salty.

If you can’t find the crema, you can use sour cream.

Then it’s just fresh cilantro and Roma tomatoes. You can also add fresh basil if you want to keep it similar to the classic recipe.

How to Make a Mexican-Inspired Caprese Tostada

1. On a plate, place the crispy tostada shell.
2. Lay several slices of fresh tomato.
3. Sprinkle crumbled cotija cheese.
4. Drizzle with crema.
5. Finish with rough chopped cilantro.

What to Serve it With

I eat this caprese tostada as a lunch or snack. It’s great with all kinds of drinks like Shaken Basil Iced Tea or Iced Tea Sangria.

And of course, it’s great with a classic margarita on the rocks or even a cucumber margarita.

These would also make a tasty party food idea. Pair them with Margarita Sangria which is perfect to serve a crowd.

Or you can make it as a side dish for Chiptole Lime Chicken.

I just know you are going to love these. This Caprese Tostada is a great light snack or accompaniment to tacos, etc. I bet you could even add some scrambled eggs to it and make it a breakfast treat.

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