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Strawberry bruschetta with cream cheese, basil, and balsamic vinegar is the party appetizer everyone will talk about. If you think it's off-limits because you're on a low-carb diet, we've got good news for you!

Strawberry Bruschetta with cream cheese, basil and balsamic vinegar reduction on thin slice of baguette.

When fresh, juicy berries are in season, you have lots of choices, from cheesecake stuffed strawberries for dessert to strawberry chicken for dinner. But be sure to save some to make this easy finger food too!

It's healthy. It can be low-carb and keto-friendly too. Let that sink in!
It takes 15 minutes or less to make.
It requires only a few ingredients, and many can be prepped ahead of time.

I lay out all the options and variations so you can build the ultimate strawberry bruschetta appetizer for your next celebration.

Jump to:

Ingredients and Variations
Bread Options
How to Make Balsamic Reduction
Directions with Pictures
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
More Fruit Appetizers and Desserts
📋 Recipe

Ingredients and Variations

Truth be told, you can leave off a few ingredients like fresh basil or balsamic glaze, and your guests will still be very happy. You can also make substitutions to make this recipe low-carb.

Here's what you'll need:

Strawberries that are fresh and firm. Frozen strawberries aren't recommended. Other fruits that you can use include raspberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches,, and mangoes.
Bread for the base. See the section below for various options.
Cream cheese can be full-fat, lightened, fat-free or plant-based. We used full-fat cream cheese. Ricotta is another option that can be used instead.
Sweetener is mixed with the cream cheese. It doesn't call for much, only 1 teaspoon of sugar. Use the type of sweetener you already enjoy to equal this amount, including honey. We linked to the Stevia Baking Blend that we love in the recipe card!
Vanilla extract is added for flavor and helps thin the cream cheese to a creamy consistency.
Fresh basil adds another layer of flavor. Dried basil is not suggested in this recipe. If you're not a fan of fresh basil, leave it off.
Balsamic vinegar or glaze pairs beautifully with strawberries. If you have some, definitely use it. It adds flavor, even if you don't reduce it. But if you'd like to take that extra step, we provided the directions below.

Bread Options

A base is needed to make this an appetizer you can pick up and hold in your fingers, much like traditional bruschetta or crostini. I'm taking liberties with the definition, but there are lots of delicious options for the base, and many will make this recipe very low in carbohydrates.

Baguette. This is the traditional way to prepare it. I used thin-sliced, whole wheat bread. It can be cut thick instead. Steer clear of sourdough bread because the flavor will overpower the strawberries. If you're making these for a special occasion, thin-sliced bread is the way to go! Yield: approximately 4 slices per serving.
Low-carb flour tortillas. Use 4 small street-style sized tortillas. Cut each one into 4 triangles with a pizza cutter and then crisp them in an oven or air fryer. I ordered this next because I make this nacho-style version often. Yield: 16 triangles from 4 tortillas.
No-carb, low-carb or keto bread. This type of bread is popping up everywhere. Cut 4 slices into squares (or diagonally into toast points) and toast as you normally would. Yield: 16 toast points from 4 slices.
Cloud bread. Use our recipe and spoon out small little rounds instead of the larger ones.
Crackers that are not heavily seasoned.
Cookies that are thin or flat, such as shortbread or sugar cookies. If you have a favorite low-carb cookie, try that!

Fingers holding low-carb strawberry appetizer.

How to Make Balsamic Reduction

Balsamic glaze can be purchased at the store. But it's so easy to make! The directions below will yield more than you need, so you can use it with other things like Watermelon Salad or Caprese-style dishes.

Place about half a cup of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. There's no need to add any sugar or sweetener, but you can add a pinch if desired.
Bring vinegar to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and simmer until it turns syrupy and coats the back of a spoon when you stir it. It takes about 10-15 minutes, depending on how much you want to reduce it! Ideally, the volume will be cut in half.
Allow it to cool before using in the recipe.

Directions with Pictures

We paired up the instructions with pictures of each step:

To soften cream cheese quickly, cut it into smaller pieces and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for 10-15 seconds.
Add sweetener and vanilla to the bowl and combine. It should be very easy to stir.
Dice or slice strawberries. It's a little extra work to dice them, but it makes each slice easy to bite into as you hold it.
Stir in chopped basil.
- Tip: The easiest way to cut basil is to stack the basil leaves, roll them, and cut them into thin strands with kitchen shears.
Stir in balsamic vinegar or glaze. Alternatively, you can drizzle it over the top just before serving.
Toast bread in an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.
Spread a dollop of the cream cheese mixture on each piece of bread.
Spoon strawberries over the top and enjoy!

Numbered graphic of steps 1 through 4 to make recipe. — Steps 1 - 4 to make recipe.

Numbered graphic of steps 4-8 to make recipe. — Steps 5 - 8 to make the recipe.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

Even though it's easy to whip up this recipe, you may want to prepare a few things ahead of time, particularly if you're making this for a party or doubling the recipe.

Cream cheese base can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container.
Balsamic reduction can be prepared and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Bread can be sliced and toasted up to a day ahead of time and stored on the counter in a sealed container.
Strawberries are best washed and diced the day of serving.
Cut fresh basil the day of serving too!

So, there are lots of things you can do to save prep time on serving day. But we don't recommend assembling strawberry bruschetta with cream cheese until the day of the party!

More Fruit Appetizers and Desserts

Plate with 3 slices of strawberry bruschetta cream cheese appetizer topped with basil and balsamic vinegar glaze.

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📋 Recipe