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Easy arugula burrata salad with fresh figs, tomato, toasted almonds and balsamic glaze. Six ingredients, no cooking, on the plate in 10 minutes.
I ordered this at a restaurant in Sofia with friends and spent the whole meal working out how to make it at home.
Theirs came with a thin green sauce spooned under the burrata — I never found out what it was, so I left it out and built the rest from memory.
One plate, ten minutes, and no stove.
The thing I got wrong the first time was the tomato. I sliced it neatly, the way you would for a caprese, and it was fine but flat.
Cutting it into rough chunks instead is what makes this work — the ragged edges hold onto the balsamic and the juice runs into the burrata instead of sitting under it.
It looks less tidy and tastes considerably better.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Six ingredients, no cooking, and it takes about as long as setting the table.
Peppery arugula is what keeps the whole plate from tipping into sweet — burrata, figs and balsamic glaze are all soft and rich, and the greens are the only thing pushing back.
The glaze does the work of both a dressing and a sweetener, so there’s no honey and no whisking.
How to Make Arugula Burrata Salad
There are no steps to speak of — this is assembly, and the only thing that matters is the order.
- Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until they smell nutty and turn pale gold. Tip them straight out of the pan or they keep cooking.
- Cut the tomato into rough, uneven chunks rather than slices. Quarter the figs and leave the skin on.
- Pile the arugula on one side of a wide, shallow plate — loosely, not packed down, so the leaves stay open. Tear the burrata and set it on the other side, cut side up, so the creamy inside is exposed.
- Scatter the tomato and figs over both, letting some land on the burrata and some on the greens.
- Drizzle with olive oil, then the balsamic glaze, going heavier over the burrata than the arugula. Season with salt and cracked black pepper.
- Scatter the toasted almonds over everything and serve straight away, while the burrata is still cool and the almonds are still crisp.
Choosing the Arugula, Figs and Tomato
This salad is six ingredients, so each one has nowhere to hide.
Buy arugula loose rather than in a bag if you can — bagged leaves are usually a few days older and have lost most of their pepper, which is the one thing they’re here to provide.
Baby arugula is milder and works, but mature leaves with the jagged edges are better against burrata.
A ripe fig gives slightly when you press it and the skin looks a little dull rather than shiny — a firm, glossy fig will taste of almost nothing here, and no amount of balsamic fixes it. September and early October are when they’re worth buying.
The tomato needs to be a proper ripe one, the kind that smells like tomato at the stem end. Half a large tomato is enough for one plate.
Cherry tomatoes work if that’s what you have, but halve them rather than leaving them whole, or they roll off the fork.
Tips
- Take the burrata out of the fridge 15 minutes before. Cold burrata is firm and mutes the flavor. At room temperature the inside loosens and runs into the tomato juice, which is the whole point of putting them on the same plate.
- Tear the burrata, don’t slice it. Torn edges catch the glaze and expose the soft center. A clean slice keeps everything sealed inside.
- Use balsamic glaze, not balsamic vinegar. The glaze is already reduced and sweet enough that this needs no honey — plain vinegar would make it sharp and thin, and you’d end up adding something to compensate.
- Toast the almonds even though it feels unnecessary. Straight from the bag they’re soft and taste of nothing. Three minutes in a dry pan is the difference between a garnish and an actual ingredient.
- Dress it at the table. Arugula under balsamic collapses within a few minutes. If you’re photographing it or carrying it outside, take the oil and glaze with you and pour them once it’s down.
- Salt the tomato, not the burrata. Burrata is already salted in the making. The tomato is what needs it, and salting it directly draws out juice that becomes part of the dressing.
What to Serve With Arugula Burrata Salad
Bread is the obvious partner, because half the pleasure here is mopping up the balsamic and burrata left on the plate.
Homemade focaccia is what I make for it — torn warm, no butter needed.
If you’re building a bigger summer table, balsamic grilled vegetables echo the glaze without repeating anything, and the two plates look good next to each other.
For a full meal, this works as a starter before something simple off the grill.
It’s rich enough that whatever follows should be plain.
More Salad Recipes
If it’s the tomato-and-soft-cheese combination you’re after, Greek salad is the version that keeps for a crowd and doesn’t wilt.
When figs are out of season, grilled veggie caprese sandwich scratches the same itch with mozzarella and grilled vegetables.
And cucumber yogurt salad is the cooling one to serve alongside if you’re feeding more than two.
Arugula Burrata Salad with Figs and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ball burrata, about 125 g / 4 oz
- 1 –2 fresh figs, quartered
- 1/2 large ripe tomato, cut into rough chunks
- 2 large handfuls arugula, about 40 g
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic glaze
- salt, to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale gold. Remove from the pan immediately.
- Cut the tomato into rough chunks and quarter the figs.
- Arrange the arugula on one side of a plate and the torn burrata on the other.
- Scatter the tomato and figs over the top.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Season with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the toasted almonds over and serve immediately.
Notes
- Let the burrata sit out for 15 minutes before serving so the center softens.
- For a restaurant-style version, spoon a little thinned basil pesto onto the plate under the burrata. I didn’t use it in this recipe, but the salad that inspired it had a thin green sauce underneath.
- Dress at the last minute — arugula wilts quickly under balsamic.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Do you peel figs for a salad?
No — the skin is thin, edible, and it’s what holds the quarters together on the plate. Peeled figs collapse into mush the moment the balsamic hits them.
Just trim the hard stem tip and cut them into quarters through the stem end so each piece keeps a bit of structure. If the skin feels tough or leathery, the fig isn’t ripe enough to use here.
What’s the difference between burrata and mozzarella in this salad?
Burrata is a mozzarella shell filled with cream and curd, so when you tear it the inside spills out and becomes part of the dressing.
Mozzarella stays firm and separate. You can substitute fresh mozzarella and the salad will still be good, but you’ll want an extra drizzle of olive oil to make up for what the cream would have added.
Can I make arugula burrata salad ahead?
Not assembled — the arugula collapses within minutes of meeting the balsamic and the burrata weeps onto the plate.
What you can do ahead: toast the almonds (they keep in a jar for a week), wash and dry the arugula, and cut the tomato. Everything else takes two minutes when you’re ready to eat.
What can I use instead of fresh figs?
Ripe pear or peach both work, cut into similar wedges, and the salad stays balanced because they bring the same soft sweetness.
Dried figs are the one substitution I’d skip — they’re chewy and concentrated rather than juicy, and they fight the burrata instead of melting into it.
