I started making this on nights when I couldn’t decide what to cook and had cherry tomatoes starting to wrinkle on the counter. Roasting them at high heat in the toaster oven takes maybe 15 minutes and turns them into something completely different — concentrated, a little charred, almost sweet. Pile that onto crispy toast with cold, lemony ricotta and a drizzle of honey and you’ve got dinner. Or lunch. Or honestly a very good snack at 10pm.
The toaster oven is perfect for this. It gets ripping hot fast, which is exactly what you need for proper tomato blistering. A full-size oven works too, but it takes longer to preheat and it feels a bit wasteful for four slices of toast. If you don’t already have a toaster oven baking pan with a rim, this recipe is a good reason to get one — the tomato juices go everywhere without it.
The ricotta situation is important. Don’t skip the lemon zest. It sounds like a minor detail but it lifts the whole thing and cuts through the richness in a way that just plain ricotta doesn’t. I’ve made this with part-skim ricotta and it’s fine, but whole milk is noticeably creamier. Spend the extra fifty cents. And if you’re in the market for a reliable countertop toaster oven that actually gets hot enough to blister tomatoes properly, it makes a bigger difference than you’d expect.
This comes together in under 25 minutes and uses ingredients most people already have. It’s vegetarian, it works for a quick weeknight dinner or a slow weekend brunch, and it scales up easily if you’re feeding more people. I’ve served it to guests who asked for the recipe. Good sign.
Toaster Oven Crispy Honey Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomato and Ricotta Toast with Fresh Basil
Thick slices of toasted bread piled with creamy ricotta, jammy roasted cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of honey-garlic oil. It's the kind of thing that looks fancy but takes about 20 minutes start to finish.
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes
Toast and Toppings
Instructions
Roast the Tomatoes
-
Preheat your toaster oven to 425°F on the bake setting. If yours runs hot, 415°F is fine.
-
Toss the halved cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, sliced garlic, honey, red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper directly on your toaster oven baking pan or a small rimmed baking sheet that fits inside.
-
Spread them out cut-side up in a single layer. This matters — crowding them means they steam instead of roast, and you want jammy and slightly charred, not mushy.
-
Roast for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tomatoes are blistered and the garlic is golden at the edges. Pull them when you see a little color on the garlic. The pan juices will look oily and delicious. Don't drain them — that's the sauce.
Make the Ricotta
-
While the tomatoes roast, stir together the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Taste it. It should be creamy and bright — adjust salt if needed. That's it.
Toast the Bread
-
Brush both sides of each sourdough slice lightly with olive oil. Once the tomatoes come out, switch your toaster oven to broil (or toast setting if broil isn't an option). Toast the bread directly on the rack for 2 to 3 minutes per side until it's golden and crispy on the outside but still has some chew inside. Watch it closely — broiling at this stage goes fast.
-
Alternatively, if your sourdough slices fit in a regular toaster, just run them through on a medium-high setting. Works great.
Assemble
-
Spread a generous layer of the lemon ricotta on each slice — don't be stingy, you want about 3 to 4 tablespoons per piece.
-
Spoon the roasted tomatoes and all those garlicky pan juices over the ricotta. The juices soak into the toast a little and it's honestly the best part.
-
Drizzle each toast with honey, scatter over the torn basil, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately while the toast is still crispy.
Notes
Bread choice really does matter here — something with structure like sourdough or a sturdy country loaf holds up to the juicy tomatoes. Sandwich bread will get soggy fast.
If your ricotta seems watery (some brands are), set it in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl for 15 minutes before using. Makes a big difference in texture.
You can roast the tomatoes up to a day ahead and refrigerate them. Reheat in the toaster oven at 375°F for 5 minutes or just let them come to room temp — both work.
For a more substantial meal, top each toast with a fried or poached egg. Totally dairy-friendly and really good.
Nutrition
Rate this recipe
Made it? Tap a star to rate.
Written by
Emma is a home cook who loves coaxing big flavor out of a toaster oven — from crispy roasted vegetables to easy weeknight dinners and sweet treats. She develops and tests Toastera's recipes for small-appliance kitchens.
Free: the Toaster Oven Cheat Sheet
Get the printable cheat sheet (temps, cook times & safety tips) plus new recipes. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
