Caprese Christmas Tree
A classic Italian appetizer, but with a festive twist! Our Caprese Christmas Tree is a new and unique way to serve this fresh and healthy appetizer and add a little holiday flair to any party!
Bring on all of the festive holiday parties and get-togethers! I love this time of year so much. As crazy as it is with two kids, as much work as it is as a mom to keep up with creating all of the magic and keeping up with all of the traditions, I cherish these holidays while my kids are still small and their eyes full of wonder and joy during this time of year. That’s why when it comes to easy, fun, and delicious holiday snacks and appetizers, our Caprese Christmas Tree has become one of our new staples! It takes everything you love about the iconic Italian classic, but transforms it into a fun festive tree!
Ingredients Needed
Just 5 simple ingredients and a few toothpicks are all you need to transform a standard caprese skewer into a festive holiday tree!
- Cherry Tomatoes – Because obviously you can’t have caprese without tomatoes and these sweet cherry tomatoes are the perfect shape for this Caprese Christmas Tree. You can also use grape tomatoes, too.
- Mozzarella Pearls – No slicing is required for these fresh mozzarella pearls. You can also really go the extra mile and make your own fresh mozzarella!
- Fresh Basil – Big beautiful basil leaves for the caprese and the green of the tree.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Reduced to make a balsamic reduction dipping sauce!
- Eggplant – This is our hack for a base that’s easy to make and doesn’t use styrofoam or plastic.
- Toothpicks – To keep it all together!
SO Easy to Make
Trim Eggplant Base
I’ve seen Christmas Tree shaped appetizers that use styrofoam and plastic to hold the shape, but we prefer to use an eggplant for a more natural and plastic/artificial free appetizer. To use an eggplant as a base, you can just trim the bottom off and then shave down the sides to create a tall triangle shape.
Tree Shaping Tip
Find a large and uniform-shaped eggplant, this will make the shaping of the tree a lot easier. Once the base is cut, trim down the sides to create a tree shape. Then trim the sides down just a little more to create a more dramatic shape of the tree when the skewers are added.
Create Caprese Spears
Once you have the tree shaped, it’s just a matter of creating the caprese skewers. Basil, tomato, and finished with a little fresh mozzarella pearl!
Create Christmas Tree
Now add those caprese skewers right into your eggplant base!
“Tree” Decorating Tip
You can either pre-make the caprese skewers, or you can poke the toothpick right into the eggplant and then add the basil, tomato, and mozzarella. Do whichever you find easiest. We find that adding the toothpick first is easiest anywhere there’s some eggplant skin.
Caprese Christmas Tree! Served with a thick balsamic reduction and you have a delightfully festive, clean eating, healthy holiday appetizer!
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A vegetarian, gluten-free, fun to serve and eat snack that is just a few ingredients and so fun to make with the kids! You’ll find our Caprese Christmas Tree at all of our holiday parties and gatherings!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Caprese Christmas Tree
Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant as uniform in shape as possible
- 10-20 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1.5-2 oz fresh basil leaves
- 3-4 oz mozzarella pearls
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Create Balsamic Glaze: Add balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Heat on medium to a boil and then reduce to low/medium-low to a very low simmer to reduce. Let simmer for approximately 20 minutes until it has reduced to about 1/4-1/3 of a cup.
- Trim Eggplant: While the balsamic reduces, prep the eggplant by first, slicing a flat piece off of the bottom so that it will stand upright. Trim the sides down at an angle from the top shaping it into a triangle by shaving more from the top and less the closer you get to the base of the eggplant. Do this on all sides. Trim the top just enough to take the green part at the top (calyx) off. Tip: Trim so that it seems a bit more dramatic and exaggerated of a tree shape as that is how it look more like a Christmas tree once everything is added.
- Add Caprese: On a toothpick, add a basil leaf, cherry tomato, and then mozzarella pearl. Stick that toothpick into the eggplant so the basil is at the base and on the eggplant. Repeat to cover the whole eggplant. You can also first stab the eggplant with the toothpick and then add the basil, tomato, and mozzarella as the eggplant skin can be tough.
- Serve: Once the balsamic glaze has reduced, add to a small bowl that's wide enough to dunk the skewers into. Serve with the Caprese Christmas Tree!
