Avocado Toast (Plus Tips & Variations)
Avocado toast is a delicious and simple breakfast, snack or light meal! Learn how to make the BEST avocado toast with this recipe, plus fun variations.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
We’re going back to basics this summer, so let’s talk about avocado toast! Creamy avocado spread onto well-toasted bread is one of my favorite quick meals. Actually, it’s one of my favorite meals in general. It’s so delicious, I’d call it one of life’s simplest pleasures.
As usual, I have strong opinions on what makes the best avocado toast. So today, I thought I’d share my basic recipe, with my best tips and favorite variations.
If you are a stranger to avocado toast, you’ve been missing out and we must remedy this situation immediately.
If you’re well-familiar with the joy of avocado toast, I hope you find some helpful tips and some fun new ways to change up your toast. Onward!
How to Make the Best Avocado Toast
1) Pick great avocados
You want ripe but not over-ripe Hass avocados. Look for avocados that yield a bit to a gentle squeeze, but avoid using avocados that are mushy or stringy on the inside. If you run into any bruised or brown bits when you cut them open, scoop those out and discard before mashing the rest.
2) Buy good bread and toast it well
I think sturdy, thick-sliced, whole grain bread make the best avocado toast. Golden, well-toasted bread offers a sturdy base and a crisp, shattering contrast against the creamy avocado.
3) Mash your avocado separately
Mashed avocado is more creamy and luxurious than sliced avocado (think guacamole vs. plain avocado). But don’t mash it on the toast! You risk poking holes in your toast or smashing it. Cut your avocados in half, remove the pit, scoop the flesh into a bowl or onto the side of your plate, and mash it up with a fork.
Mashing a lot of avocados at once? Use a potato masher or pastry cutter instead of a measly little fork.
4) Don’t forget the salt
You’ll want to mix in at least a pinch of salt per avocado half. Bonus points? Finish your avocado toast with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Avocado Toast Bonus Tips
Here are a few easy ways to take your avocado toast up a notch. Pick one or a few!
- Add garlic: Lightly rub a peeled raw garlic clove over the top of your toast before adding the avocado, or mix a tiny pinch of garlic powder into the avocado.
- Add fresh leafy herbs or your favorite herbed sauce: Chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill or parsley are all good with avocado. So is a drizzle of pesto, zhoug sauce (spicy cilantro sauce), or chimichurri.
- Put an egg on it: I love to top my avocado toast with a fried egg for extra protein (example here). You can do a poached egg or scrambled egg if you prefer.
- More extras: Quick-pickled onions or radishes or jalapeños, your favorite hot sauce, or a sprinkle of sliced cherry tomatoes.
Avocado Toast Variations
Here are my official favorite avocado toast variations, shown from top to bottom.
Everything Bagel Avocado Toast
Add a generous sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning to your avocado toast. Make your own with my everything bagel blend recipe, or buy it at Trader Joe’s or Amazon (affiliate link). These seasonings tend to be salty, so be careful not to oversalt your avocado.
Loaded Avocado Toast
Mix chopped fresh radish, green onion, jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed) and toasted sunflower seeds. Sprinkle generously on your toast.
Tomato-Basil Avocado Toast with Balsamic Drizzle
If you have great tomatoes on hand, this is delicious. Top your avocado toast with sliced tomato, add a light drizzle of high-quality thick balsamic vinegar or designated balsamic glaze, and some torn fresh basil leaves.
Cafe Gitane-Style Avocado Toast
This NYC café supposedly started the avocado toast trend. Spread a thick layer of mashed avocado over your toast, spread it so it’s smooth and mounded, then drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes and flaky salt.
How do you like your avocado toast? Let me know in the comments, please! I really want to know. ♥
If you find yourself with extra avocados (lucky you), try my guacamole, avocado dip, avocado salad or any of these recipes.
Watch How to Make Avocado Toast
Avocado Toast
Avocado toast is creamy, crisp and so satisfying. It’s a delicious and simple breakfast, snack or light meal! It’s best consumed immediately, since the avocado browns over time. Recipe as written yields 1 slice of basic avocado toast; multiply as necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 slice of bread (I like thick-sliced whole-grain bread best)
- ½ ripe avocado
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: Any of the extra toppings suggested in this post
Instructions
- Toast your slice of bread until golden and firm.
- Remove the pit from your avocado. Use a big spoon to scoop out the flesh. Put it in a bowl and mash it up with a fork until it’s as smooth as you like it. Mix in a pinch of salt (about ⅛ teaspoon) and add more to taste, if desired.
- Spread avocado on top of your toast. Enjoy as-is or top with any extras offered in this post (I highly recommend a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt, if you have it).
Notes
Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free bread. My assistant Megan recommends Canyon Bakehouse 7-Grain Bread, which she buys at Natural Grocers.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Ha! And here I thought I was alone in this fast snack/breakfast/lunch/dinner, perfect for when time is tight and the avocados all ripen at once and demand to be eaten. I often top with salsa, cilantro, salt and lime juice–a kind of deconstructed guacamole.
Beautiful! These toasts are so perfect Kate. Who doesn’t like food like this? everyday eats! yum.
I love all these toppings on top of the avocado. You are right, when avocado is involved, you can’t go wrong. I love toasts with homemade guacomole and some sort of melted cheese on top of the toast. Some bell peppers or tomatoes or mushrooms, what have you! I wish I lived right next door to you so I can snack on these toasts.
lol same Kathy ahahahahahahaha
As my dad would say, that is HECK YEAH Toast! Ditto on the sandwich thing. 2x the veg, 1/2 the bread… I’m all about it. Plus, tartine is just fun to say.
I love the assortment of toppings you added… avocado is always perfect but a touch of another flavor and texture can make something really special!
Such a classic and awesome treat! Love it!
I have never tried avacodo toast but I’ve got some calling my name ! What a great idea. Thanks for enlightening those of us who didn’t know :)
Man, there has been so much avocado toast going around the blogosphere in the past week! I think my favorite combination is with radishes and crunchy sea salt, but the greens version runs a close second. Why not cram in all the fresh veg right? :)
Right! The more fresh veg, the better!
LOVE this post – soooo inspiring.
I have never tried avocado on toast, and I don’t know why! This looks incredibly perfect for breakfast.
Mhmm…! I’d give a lot for a sea salt + sunflower seeds one right now! I have some leftover asparagus sitting around actually, might give that a try, too.
Your photos are stunning as usual, but I really really love the first one. At the first glance it looks like the toast is floating in space… ^^
Thank you, Peanut! I was running out of light when I took those photos so I’m surprised they turned out well. Glad you like that first one, it might be one of my favorites.
that’s exactly what I am making right now for dinner -avocado tartine and some oven fries :) the absolute best dinner I can imagine these days.
I love avocado toast. It’s my go-to lunch at least a couple of times a week when I’m short on time. I’ll have to try adding some thinly sliced radish next time!
My hubby sings that song every time I make toast, which is often. Love this!
Glad you recognized the reference! I get it stuck in my head every time I hear it. It’s terribly obnoxious, isn’t it?!
Terribly obnoxious, yes! I’m afraid I will be stuck with it all day!
Although the yelling before 9:00 am can be rather amusing. :D
That top photo is worthy of a cookbook cover. GORGEOUS. And yay for avocado on toast, especially mashed avocado. Swoon.
YUM! I love the idea of creamy avocado smeared across some delicious toast! I will have to try this one asap! The first photo is just beautiful, wish my computer screen was a scratch and taste :)
Oh please try it soon! You’ve been missing out.
I don’t know what I’m waiting for – but I foresee a grocery store stop for avocados on my way home from work tonight!
Avocado Toast always hits the spot! Perfect food!
I love a wonderful grainy, hearty wheat bread, toasted w/ a little cottage cheese and avocado for breakfast. YUM! Thanks for the additional ideas for toppings!! (and there really is NO better smell in the morning than bread toasting!)
Vegemite + Avocado = Breakfast orgasm
I’ve only tried Vegemite once and I couldn’t stomach it! Maybe I’d like it more if it were topped with avocado.
I love avocado on toast! It’s natural creaminess makes for a wonderful spread. I do love organic butter thickly slathered on toast too heh, but for days when i want to feel a little more virtuous, avocado is brilliant. i use it to make mayonnaise like dips too. brilliant!
I foundet your site and now I love it.
The pictures are amazing and I love the way you write the texts:)
I wanna try some of your recipes very soon!
Greets, zuckerwandlerin
I like mine super-simple. Just avocado and a good, flaky sea salt. I want it. Now.
Yummy it looks like summer
My bread came out with a similar shape! I wonder why that is. They were looking pretty good at first and then started widening instead of rising up…things got worse when I tried to slash them–they deflated! But boy-oh-boy, it still tasted good! I had some with butter but will be having some with avocado later. I have done the avocado on toast thing for quite some time. A little drizzle of apple cider vinagraitte and flaked salt can be very good with the avocado on bread from time to time to change things up. Mashed avocado on thin crisp crackers are also a favorite treat for this gal :)
Oh my how I love Avocados and this is something I already make but reminds me how much I love it and never really thought of adding the goodies. Next time I will :)
I don’t know if there’s something in the water, or if we’re just totally in sync these days. I can’t stop eating avocado on toast, and I can’t get over the gorgeousness that is your lead photo. It’s amazing to me how the simplest things can be the most delicious…Next time, I will definitely be adding lime to mine..x
It is amazing how delicious simple things can be. I want to find more of these simple things!
Those look delicious! What a great way to hook various people (and their cravings) for a great appetizer! Can’t wait to try this out.
that first photo is gorgeous!! this looks so yummy :)
I love avocado toast and that first image is BEAUTIFUL!
I love avocado in everything…hm….would avocado work in a bread dough instead of butter? Guess I have to try that soon haha.
I don’t know about bread, but I’ve seen some interesting cakes with avocado in place of butter. Joy the Baker has one!
My coworker told me I have to dry avocado on sourdough with lime and cilantro. She said it changed her life. I’m apt to believe her. There are few better pairings than avocado, cilantro and lime. Yum.
I’m totally with you on this one. Avocado + toast is *exceptional*! I love mashing avo with miso and tahini, spreading it on toasted sourdough and sprinkling with sea salt flakes.
Mmmmmm ….
This used to be my favorite thing to eat before I went raw! So darn good…
I’m so glad you posted this. Simple is so often best; I think we all need that reminder from time to time.
I couldn’t agree more, Kelsey, and I think I’ll make a point to post more super simple recipes in the future!
I absolutely love avocado toast! Don’t feel bad, I let mine rise for 24 hours (1st rise) and 2 hours (2nd rise) and it was maybe 4″ high. I turned it into croutons! lol
I love avocado toast, too. A few days ago I had one with avocado, a sprinkle of salt and lemon and some of the fennel confit I made last week. Delicious!
I love the Vulcan fire salt from the Spice House on top of my avocado. Adds amazing heat. Oh yeah, a sprinkling of alfalfa sprouts or even some bits of kale…heavenly.
I haven’t tried avocado toast and I have no idea why. I’ve had avocado spread on sandwiches and love that so why not toast? Now I can’t let the week go by without trying it. Funny that you said the radish version is best – that’s the one that particularly caught my eye. It seems a nice riff on the classic radish/butter/salt combo…
Gorgeous tartines!
Lately I’ve been almost addicted to avocado on toast, love that combination. Try it with a poached egg some time: it’s delicious!
I am all over avocado on toast! So all over it that I never think of it as a recipe, but it totally is. MMM.
I love that first shot! Why haven’t I thought to make something this scrumptious and simple before?
Avocado toast is perfect with just a sprinkle of Lawry’s seasoned salt.
My absolute favorite food since I was a child.
Avacado toast with chèvre, radishes, raab and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast..
Yummo I love avocado, what beautiful looking toasts!! I love a smear of miso under my avocado on toast, but they are all winning combinations right?!
You are a girl after my own heart! Avocado on toast is one of my favourite breakfasts, and at least once a week I’ll take an avocado sandwich into work for my lunch. I like to mix it with a little lemon, chopped chilli, black pepper and coriander, and I also love it sprinkled with a few poppy seeds for crunch. Delicious :-)
oh man, I love avocado spread on toast. This is a total step up and I’m definitely going to give it a try!
I’m craving avocado in a big way now — I love these simple ideas!
Thanks for this, and please publish more simple recipes! I had never heard of avocado toast, and I’m gonna go make some right now. A whole new wooooooorld….. ;)
Love avocado toast & this post! I have an avocado waiting just for this purpose, it just doesn’t know it yet. :) Sometimes I layer mashed avocado, hummus, and marinara sauce with sea salt and pepper. Gahhhh.
Oh my, what a combination! I’ll have to try your avocado/hummus/marinara sauce concoction soon.