Avocado Toast (4 Ways)
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Last updated on May 23, 2024
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Here’s how to make the best avocado toast with four different topping variations. It’s easy to make and perfect for a simple breakfast, snack or light lunch!
Given my love for avocado toast I couldn’t believe that I haven’t shared a plan ol’ avocado toast recipe on the blog. Well, that changes today!
It’s my go-to for a quick and easy breakfast or delicious mid-day snack. It comes together in under 10 minutes and is completely customizable. I could have avocado toast every day and not get board with how many flavor variations you could make! And it’s especially nice during the summer months where the last thing you want to do is turn on the stove. No cooking necessary!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Avocado Toast
- Easy to make – It can be whipped up in under 10 minutes with simple ingredients.
- Customizable – It’s completely customizable. I’m sharing my go-to variations below, but feel free to add your favorite toppings!
- Healthy – Avocados are full of healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. (source)
Ingredients Needed
There are three main components to avocado toast: avocado, bread and seasonings. From there, you can customize it however you’d like. I’m sharing my 4 favorite variations below, but the options are endless, so feel free to get creative!
- Avocado – the star of the show! Look for avocados that are dark green and give slightly when you press on the skin.
- Bread – I like using homemade sourdough bread, but feel free to use your favorite variety of bread. If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, use your favorite gluten-free bread or swap the bread for sweet potato and make this sweet potato toast instead.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, which is optional for a hint of spice.
- Optional ingredients – olive oil and lemon juice for some more healthy fats and a bit of tartness to balance out the flavors.
How to Make Basic Avocado Toast
Avocado toast couldn’t be any easier to make! It comes together in about 5 minutes. Here’s how to make it:
Step 1: Toast your bread.
Step 2: Mash your avocado in a bowl with lemon juice (is using), salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add mashed avocado on top of your toasted bread. Drizzle on olive oil and a sprinkle of flaked sea salt and crushed red pepper, if using.
Tips For Making The Best Avocado Toast
- Pick good avocados. Look for avocados that are dark green and give slightly when you press on the skin. You don’t want them to be too soft, otherwise that means they’re likely bruised inside and if they’re too firm that means they aren’t ripe yet!
- Use good bread. The bread you use matters! I prefer to use sourdough bread for avocado toast, but whatever bread you do use make sure it’s a sturdy, crusty bread that can support your toppings and easily be picked up. The worst is picking up your bread and losing all your toppings!
- Toast the bread. Don’t forget to toast your bread before adding your toppings otherwise your bread could get soggy.
- Used mashed avocado. I know slices of avocado look pretty on a piece of toast, but it’s not the most realistic. The slices are slippery so if you add extra toppings they’ll likely fall off and nobody wants that!
- Mash your avocado separately. I know some people say to mash the avocado straight on the bread, but I prefer to mash my avocado separately so I don’t risk ripping or poking holes in my bread. Just cut your avocado in half, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh and mash it in a small bowl or on a plate with a fork. Here’s a full guide on how to cut an avocado. Pro tip! if you’re making a big batch of avocado toast you can use a potato masher instead of a fork to mash your avocados.
Avocado Toast Variations
Basic
This is the perfect basic avocado toast recipe that I shared above, made with sourdough bread, mashed avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper with a drizzle of olive oil and flaked sea salt on top. I love adding a dash of crushed red pepper flakes for a little spice!
Everything + Egg
Top your mashed avocado with hard boiled eggs and a generous sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning. If you’re not a fan of hard-boiled eggs, feel free to top your toast with scrambled eggs, a poached egg or fried egg!
Smoked Salmon
This is my version of a bagel with lox and cream cheese. Instead of cream cheese we’re using mashed avocado as the base and topping it with lox or smoked salmon, red onion, tomato, capers, pepper, salt and fresh dill. It’s so good!
Caprese
I obsessed with my caprese salad, so I figured why not make a caprese avocado toast! This version combines mashed avocado with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of balsamic glaze and olive oil.
Topping Ideas
The options are truly endless when it comes to avocado toast toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Veggies: I love the combo of cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and sprouts for veggies, but the options are endless! Cherry tomatoes, raw onions, pickled onions, greens or radishes are all great options.
- Protein: I love adding a hard boiled egg to my toast, but a poached or fried egg would also be delicious. I also like adding bacon/turkey bacon, tempeh bacon or smoked salmon for a protein option.
- Nuts/seeds: For some crunch try adding seeds or nuts like pepitas, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds or walnuts.
- Seasonings: Feel free to get creative when it comes to the seasonings! My go-to’s are salt, pepper, everything but the bagel seasoning and crushed red pepper, but feel free to add paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder or any of your favorite seasonings.
- Herbs: I love adding fresh herbs to my toast like fresh dill, basil, cilantro or chives. It really helps to elevate the flavors!
- Hummus: Add a layer of hummus to your toast like with my avocado hummus toast. Try my beet hummus for a pop of color!
- Sauce: If you really want to take your avocado toast up a notch add a drizzle of my cilantro lime dressing, tahini sauce or hummus dressing.
How to Pick Ripe Avocados
My number one tip for making the best avocado toast is using avocados that are perfectly ripe. The first sign of ripeness is color. You want your avocado to be dark green, almost black in color. An avocado that is bright green is almost always unripe.
To check if your avocado is ripe enough, you want to press gently on the outside of it. You want avocados that are firm and smooth but give slightly when you press on the skin. If there is no give that means your avocados aren’t ripe enough and if there is too much give, the avocado might be overly ripe.
Here’s a more detailed guide on how to tell if an avocado is ripe.
Frequently Asked Questions
I always use sourdough bread for my avocado toast. Mainly because it has a chewy texture and crisp crust, which I find to be perfect for avocado toast, but also because my mother-in-law makes us a fresh loaf every week so we always have some on hand.
If you’re looking for another variety of bread I recommend using sturdy and crusty bread like whole grain, rye, country white or a French loaf. Whatever bread you’re using you want the slices to be at least 1/2 inch thick so it can support your toppings.
Yes! Especially if you’re using a fresh, whole grain bread. Avocados are incredibly nutritious! Not only are they chock full of healthy fats and fiber, but they also are a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!
You’ll find vitamins C, E, K, B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (panthothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), folate, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc and manganese in avocado.
Avocados are also high in heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated fat (oleic acid). Oleic acid is the same fatty acid found in olives and olive oil and is considered a very healthy fat. Diets high in oleic acid show increased insulin sensitivity, betty blood sugar management and lower cholesterol levels. (source)
If you need to speed up the ripening process you can place your avocado in a brown paper bag with a banana. Bananas produce ethylene gas, which helps fruit ripen. If you see brown spots or stringy sections, scoop those out and discard before mashing the rest for your toast.
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
Be sure to check out my full collection of healthy breakfast recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Avocado Toast (4 Ways)
Ingredients
Basic
- 1 slice sourdough bread, or your favorite bread
- ½ avocado
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- pepper and salt, to taste
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
- Crushed red pepper, optional
Everything + Egg
- 1 slice sourdough bread, or your favorite bread
- ½ avocado
- 1-2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
Smoked Salmon
- 1 slice sourdough bread, or your favorite bread
- ½ avocado
- 4 oz lox or smoked salmon
- 3-4 slices of red onion
- 2-3 slices of tomato
- Capers, to taste
- Cracked pepper and flaky sea salt
- Fresh dill
Caprese
- 1 slice sourdough bread, or your favorite bread
- ½ avocado
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 small mozzarella balls, halved
- Cracked pepper and flaked sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced basil
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- Drizzle of balsamic glaze
Instructions
Basic
- Toast sourdough bread.
- Mash avocado in a bowl with lemon juice, salt and pepper.ash
- Add mashed avocado on toasted bread. Drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle on flaked sea salt and crushed red pepper, if using.
Everything + Egg
- Toast sourdough bread.
- Add mashed avocado on toasted bread. Add hard boiled egg slices on top. Sprinkle with everything seasoning, sea salt and pepper.
Smoked Salmon
- Toast sourdough bread.
- Add mashed avocado on toasted bread. Top with smoked salmon slices, sliced tomato, red onion and capers. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle on fresh dill.
Caprese
- Toast sourdough bread.
- Add mashed avocado on toasted bread. Top with smoked salmon slices, sliced tomato, red onion and capers. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle on fresh dill.
- Add cherry tomatoes and mozzarella on top. Sprinkle on sea salt and pepper.
- Drizzle with oil and balsamic glaze. Top with basil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Easy and simple but creative. I’m not even a fan of avocado but I’m excited to try new breakfast ideas like this one!
YAY! I hope you love these and I can’t wait to hear which version you like best, enjoy!