These mini tomato pastry bites are flaky, golden and packed with Mediterranean flavour. Each bite is topped with pesto and a balsamic-glazed cherry tomato, which is sweet, juicy and lightly caramelised. Perfect for lunchboxes, served as picnic food or served as a starter (appetiser) or bite-sized party snack.
Made with just a handful of ingredients, these bite-sized puff pastry snacks look impressive but are surprisingly simple to make.
They are delicious served warm from the oven or packed cold for lunches. Serve them with a Creamy Lemon & Chive Dip or a side salad dressed with Balsamic Dressing, to carry on the flavour profile.
Or for a picnic, make this Best Dill Potato Salad Recipe to serve with them.
At-a-Glance - Tomato Pastry Bites
⏲️ Ready in: 30 minutes
👪 Serves: 50 tiny bites
🍽 Calories: 97
🧾 Main ingredients: Puff pastry, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, cashew nuts, garlic, olive oil, seasoning
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian & gluten-free (if you use gluten-free puff pastry)
These are really delicious little pops of flavour that are restaurant quality, but simple to make.
Summarise & save this recipe:
Jump to:
- At-a-Glance - Tomato Pastry Bites
- ⭐ Why You Will Love These Tomato Bites
- 💭 What Do They Taste Like?
- 📋 What You Need
- 🍅 Choosing the Best Tomatoes
- 🥄 Homemade Vs Shop-Bought Pesto
- 👩🏻🍳 How to Make Mini Tomato Pastries
- 💭 Get the best from the pastry
- 🍅 Ways to Serve Mini Tomato Puff Pastry Bites
- 👪 Packing These for Lunch
- 💭 FAQs
- More Vegan Savoury Bites
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ Why You Will Love These Tomato Bites
- Ready in around 30 minutes
- Only a handful of ingredients
- Great hot or cold
- Perfect for lunch boxes and picnics
- Easy to make ahead
- Great for partied and buffets
- Freezer-friendly
- A delicious way to use cherry tomatoes
💭 What Do They Taste Like?
These little pastry bites have buttery, flaky pastry topped with garlicky, nutty pesto and a sweet pop of roasted cherry tomatoes glazed with the sweet tang of balsamic vinegar. They are the perfect little bite-sized tomato tart.
📋 What You Need
These are the tastiest little pastry bites, and they are so moreish. Once you have tried them, you will make them again and again.
- Pesto ingredients - you can use shop-bought pesto instead of making your own with basil, garlic, cashews and olive oil
- Cherry tomatoes - any mini tomatoes will work for these pastries
- Puff pastry - if you are rolling a block or pastry, you will need a little flour to flour your work surface and rolling pin but if you are using ready-rolled puff pastry, you won't need flour
You are going to love these mini cherry tomato pies.
🍅 Choosing the Best Tomatoes
| Type of Tomato | Result |
|---|---|
| cherry tomatoes | sweet and juicy |
| baby plum tomatoes | more tomato flesh, less watery seeds |
| mixed heritage tomatoes | colourful |
| small vine tomatoes | more flavour |
🥄 Homemade Vs Shop-Bought Pesto
| Homemade | Shop Bought |
|---|---|
| Fresher flavour | Quicker and more convenient |
| Easy to change flavours | Always tastes the same |
| Great for using basil | The basil flavour is more subtle |
| Brighter green | Darker colour and often oily |
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Mini Tomato Pastries
These step-by step photos will show you how easy it is to make these little tomato pies. Keep scrolling for the recipe card.
- Step 1: Add the cherry tomatoes to a dry, hot frying pan or wok and cook until they split, then pour in the balsamic vinegar to glaze them. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2: If you are using a block of puff pastry, flour your surface & rolling pin, then roll out fairly thin. If you are using ready-rolled pastry, unroll it carefully.
- Step 3: Cut out small circles of pastry, just a little bigger than the cherry tomatoes. A shot glass works well, or a small cookie cutter.
- Step 4: Place the pastry circles on a lined baking sheet and top with a little pesto (leave edges bare) and top each with a balsamic tomato.
- Step 5: Bake until the pastry is golden. Serve hot or cold and enjoy!
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Get the best from the pastry
For the best results, don't add too much pesto and let the tomatoes cool before adding them to the pastry.
🍅 Ways to Serve Mini Tomato Puff Pastry Bites
They are delicious:
- In lunchboxes
- On picnic platters
- As party nibbles
- On a grazing board
- Alongside soup with a side salad
- For lunch with hummus and crunchy veg sticks
- As part of a brunch spread
- On a buffet
- As a starter with a green salad
👪 Packing These for Lunch
Kids will love these little tomato bites in their packed lunch (adults too!).
- Cool completely before packing.
- Store in a rigid lunch box
- Pair with cucumber and carrot sticks with some hummus
- Add grapes or apple slices for a balanced lunch
For more lunch ideas, check out my Vegan Packed Lunch page or Vegan School Lunch page.
💭 FAQs
You have either added too much pesto, the tomatoes weren't cool before adding, or the pastry is undercooked.
The oven wasn't hot enough, or the pastry was rolled too thin or became too warm before it was cooked.
Don't worry they should burst as they cook and they will have so much flavour.
More Vegan Savoury Bites
📖 Recipe
Mini Tomato Pastry Bites
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g chilled puff pastry
- Flour for dusting if rolling out a block of pastry
Tomatoes
- 50 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pesto
- 125 ml olive oil
- 25 g fresh basil
- 100 g salted cashew nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- a good grinding of black pepper
Instructions
- Take the pastry out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/400f/gas mark 6. Line one large or two standard baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
- Heat a wok or frying pan and add the cherry tomatoes. Don't add any oil, you want to fry them dry. When the skin of the tomatoes start to crack, add a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the pan. This will seep into the cracks and caramelise slightly at the edges. Remove the tomatoes from the pan and set them aside.
- Time to make the pesto (unless you are using shop-bought pesto). Whizz the pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor. It doesn't have to be too smooth.
- Lightly flour your worktop and roll out half the pastry and cut little circles using a shot glass, small cookie cutter or jar lid. Something just a little bigger than the cherry tomatoes.
- Place your pastry circles on one of your lined baking trays and top each with a little dollop of pesto and a cherry tomato.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until the pastry has risen and is golden. Remove and leave to cool.
- While the first batch is baking prepare the second batch.
- You can prepare both trays and put them in at once, The tray below may need a little longer.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can prepare a small batch at a time. Just cut a smaller piece of pastry and make up as many as you like.
- You may make the pesto listed in the recipe or use a jar of shop-bought pesto.
- You may skip the balsamic vinegar if you think your child would prefer them plain. Just add a tomato to the pesto-topped pastry without frying them in a pan.
- These pastries can be kept in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Noelle says
These were the perfect lunch! Great sizes and flavors!
Jill says
I've made these bites so many times both for a starter and for a work lunch. I love them but you do need time to cut the pastry. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'm so glad you love them Jill and yes the pastry circles take a wee while to cut, but I think they are so fun to make. Great if you have a little helper too.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Haha yes there is that slight problem. They are sooooo good!
Nkechi Ajaeroh says
These are perfect appetizers! YUM. I see myself eating several of these minis.😋
Ness says
These are little mouthfuls of delight. So simple to make and so hard not to eat a whole plateful.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Awww, I'm so glad you love them Ness. That makes me happy.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Thanks and yes they are tasty.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
These are always popular with adults and kids. Such a lot of flavour in such little bites.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes definitely. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes they just burst with flavour and the cherry tomatoes are so juicy in contrast to the crisp, flaky pastry.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Haha yes same here, always needing to think up new ideas.
Jacque says
These would be perfect for an afternoon snack. I love how simple they are and they fit perfectly within my lunch menu this week. Thank you for sharing!
Adrianas Best Recipes says
I am in love with this idea I bet is a burst of flavor too. I would make this for appetizers too.
FoodtasticMom says
What a great idea for lunch. I'm always looking for new things to pack for my kids!
Coco and Ash says
These are so cute and delicious!!
Jessica Formicola says
I'm always looking for new things to pack for lunches, and this is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing!