Vegan Caprese Panini Sandwich (air fryer grilled)

The most luxurious vegan Caprese panini sandwich for lunch, toasted in an air fryer (or grilled) for that crisp finish with melted cheese.

Vegan Grilled Italian Caprese Panini Sandwich.

All the delicious summery flavours of Italy in the most indulgent vegan grilled cheese sandwich.

I give you my latest vegan lunchtime creation.

The vegan Caprese panini sandwich.

🥪 For more sandwich ideas, say hello to the 150 Easy Vegan Sandwiches (with 6 ingredients or less) ebook. You'll never be stuck for lunch ideas again! All for the price of a coffee.

Keep it on your phone when shopping or in the kitchen or print it out to keep handy to glance through. Get it now!

Jump to:

🥪 What is a Caprese sandwich?
💭 Do you have to grill a caprese sandwich?
🍞 Which type of bread?
🥖 Panini FAQs
🥪 Vegan Caprese sandwich ingredients
🧀 Which type of vegan mozzarella is best?
🧀 How to make vegan cheese melt
🌡️ Air fryer cheese toasties
💭 Air fryer toastie tips
🍅 Ripening tomatoes tip
📖 Vegan Caprese toastie variations
🥗 What to serve with a vegan Caprese sandwich
⭐ Hit the heart (NEW)
🥪 More vegan sandwiches
🥪 If you like your sandwiches toasted
👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a vegan Caprese panini sandwich
📖 Recipe
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🥪 What is a Caprese sandwich?

A Caprese sandwich is based on a famous Italian salad of the same name.

Created by a stone worker in tribute to his beloved homeland after the First World War. You can read more about it in this article the history of the Caprese salad.

The main ingredients are mozzarella, tomato and basil.

Turning it into a toasted sandwich makes it a more substantial lunch.

💭 Do you have to grill a caprese sandwich?

A simple sandwich with the flavours of a Caprese salad would be great just served on soft bread, but it is best grilled.

Vegan Grilled Italian Caprese Panini with balsamic glaze.

Grilling it brings out all the flavours, gives you that crunch and then there is all that gorgeous melted cheese.

Just like a vegan grilled cheese but better.

🍞 Which type of bread?

Caprese sandwiches are best made with a crisp Italian bread like ciabatta or panini.

You can find a selection of Italian bread in the bakery aisle of supermarkets or your local bakery.

🥖 Panini FAQs

What is a panini?

Panini is Italian for 'small bread' and is a term used to describe toasted sandwiches made with Italian bread.

It is uaually ciabatta bread rolls, but in the UK you can buy flat Italian rolls called panini in supermarkets and bakeries, which are partially grilled with the grill lines on top.

panini.

Should panini be grilled?

Panini are grilled sandwiches which are served while hot and crisp. An Italian version of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Do you need a panini press to grill a panini?

There is no need to have a paninin grill to toast sandwiches. You can grill them under a grill (broiler), in a sandwich maker or in a frying pan. You can even grill them in an air fryer.

Can you grill panini in a waffle maker?

There are so many things you can grill in a waffle maker including panini. The waffle iron makes a super crisp and crunchy sandwich with that distinctive grid pattern.

🥪 Vegan Caprese sandwich ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this tasty vegan caprese panini.

Panini- or ciabatta
Pesto - vegan pesto (shop bought or homemade pesto)
Tomato - large ripe salad tomatoes
Fresh basil - adds so much flavour
Mozzarella - grated vegan mozzarella
Mayo - vegan mayo
Black pepper
Balsamic glaze - a balsamic vinegar reduction, which can be bought ready to use

For full quantities, method and calories, see the printable recipe card below.

For more inspiration check out 101 Vegan Sandwiches - Back to School Kids Lunch boxes.

🧀 Which type of vegan mozzarella is best?

There are so many vegan mozzarellas out there now.

Some are made with rice, some are made with coconut and others are made with cashew nuts.

Which is best, is hard to answer as it's a personal choice.

We used to just buy the Violife mozzarella, but the Tesco one isn't bad either and we quite like the mozzarisella that Pizza Express use on their vegan pizzas.

🧀 How to make vegan cheese melt

The trouble with vegan cheese, mozzarella included is it can be difficult to get that same stretchy cheese melt that you get from dairy-based cheese.

But never fear, I've got this!

After much experimenting, I found if you mix some vegan mayo with vegan cheddar or mozzarella, it really helps give that oozy cheese finish.

You are welcome!

🌡️ Air fryer cheese toasties

So basically this vegan panini is vegan toasted sandwich.

If you have an air fryer (they are amazing bits of kit, I love mine), hopefully you will have experienced the joy of toast cooked in it.

It is super crisp and crunchy. Mmmmm!

Air fryers really do make the best toasties.

If you have one, I do hope you make this air fried grilled cheese.

If you love cheesy air fryer recipes, try these cheesy cauliflower steaks next.

💭 Air fryer toastie tips

Here are a few tips for making air fryer grilled cheese.

In the middle - It's best to grill in the middle of the air fryer as the top is hotter (if you have an air fryer with shelves, if not boost it up)
No oil - you don't have to spray the bread with oil for that crisp and golden finish
Cheese first - open grill the slice of bread with cheese first, to give it a chance to melt, before adding the other ingredients and other slice of bread
Sandwich it - then add the rest of the sandwich and air fry it until the outside is crisp

For easy vegan air fryer recipes, check out my air fryer page and 31 easy air fryer vegetable recipes.

🍅 Ripening tomatoes tip

Ripe tomatoes is the key to flavour when making a sandwich, but how do you help them ripen?

Pop your large tomatoes in a bowl and place them on the window sill.

They will ripen in the sun and this helps the flavour to develop.

Room temperature is the best way to serve tomatoes, as the chill of the fridge deadens the taste.

Small tomatoes like cherry tomatoes need to be kept in the fridge as they spoil quickly if left out.

📖 Vegan Caprese toastie variations

Here are a few tweaks you can make to this vegan grilled sandwich.

Baby spinach - instead of or as well as basil
Red pesto - instead of basil pesto
Cream cheese - instead of mozzarella
Roasted red pepper - instead of tomato

Also, try these toasted pickled vegetable sandwiches with cream cheese.

🥗 What to serve with a vegan Caprese sandwich

Here are some ideas for serving this tomato and mozzarella panini for a hearty lunch or light dinner.

Crisps - on the side or chips to my American friends
Salad - a dressed green side salad
Slaw - try this carrot and dill coleslaw
Potato salad - try this dill potato salad (yes I love dill!)
Chips - or French fries
Sweet potato fries - or wedges

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🥪 More vegan sandwiches

Here are a few more tasty vegan sandwiches to try after this gorgeous Caprese panini.

Carrot Sandwiches - an easy and tasty sandwich filler
Cheese & Onion Sandwiches - total comfort food
Easy Vegetable Salad Sandwiches - full of colourful veg
Egg Mayo Sandwiches - just like the real thing
Hummus Beet Sandwich - so, so good
Tofu Grinder Salad Sandwich - the Tiktok famous sandwich

🥪 If you like your sandwiches toasted

Try these grilled vegan sandwiches.

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Toasties - with extreme cheese melt
Black Olive & Tomato Toastie - made with easy homemade olive tapenade
Cuban Sandwich with Mushrooms - my all time favourite
Falafel Beetroot Bagel Sandwich - a colourful packed bagel
Reuben Sandwich with Russian Dressing - oh my that dressing

For more vegan sandwich inspiration, check out my sandwiches and wraps page.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a vegan Caprese panini sandwich

Step-by-step photos. Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe (with full ingredient list, calories and nutritional info).

Step 1 - The filling

Cut your panini or ciabatta in half and spread one side with a generous layer of pesto.
Top with a layer of fresh basil and slices of ripe tomato.
Season the tomato with salt and pepper.

Step 2 - The cheese

Grate (or add your pre-grated) vegan mozzarella to a bowl.
Add the mayo, salt and pepper. A sprinkle of oregano is good too.
Mix well and top the other slice of panini
Pop this slice in the air fryer (or under a grill/broiler) to melt. You can do the other side with the tomato too if you want to, but I prefer to leave it fresh.

Step 3

Drizzle the tomatoes with balsamic glaze.
Top with the melted cheese slice and pop back in the air fryer (or under the grill/broiler) for a few minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

📖 Recipe