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Breakfast · Global

Avocado Toast

Crunchy golden toast, lemony smashed avocado and silky slices on top.

Hands-on
15 min
Total
15 min
Makes
4 toasts
Serves
4

Heat the grill (broiler) while you mash the avocado, so the preheat overlaps prep. Toasting takes 1-2 minutes per side. About 15 minutes in all; add about 5 minutes if you fry eggs. Some recipes list 40 minutes for this version, but the steps themselves add up to about 15.

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • quick
  • brunch
  • no-cook-topping

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Avocado Toast
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: small bowl, whisk and fork · fine grater (for the zest) · cutting board and knife · baking sheet lined with foil (or a toaster) · small nonstick skillet and spatula (only for the eggs) · oven mitts

Contains: wheat

Method

  1. Rinse

    Rinse the 2 avocados and the lemon under running water and pat them dry. You don't eat the skin, but the knife carries whatever is on it into the flesh.

  2. Lemony mash

    In a small bowl, whisk the 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Chop one avocado, add it and mash it into the dressing with a fork. Thinly slice the other avocado.

    Otto tried this firstOtto holds the avocado in his palm and stabs at the pit with the knife. That's how hands get cut. Halve it on the board, then lift the pit out with a spoon.

  3. Toast the bread

    Set an oven rack 10 cm (4 in) below the grill (broiler) and heat it. Lay the 4 bread slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side. A toaster works too.

    Ready when: Deep golden on both sides and firm enough to hold the topping without bending. Watch it closely: under the grill it goes from golden to burnt in seconds.

  4. Optional: fry the eggs

    If you want eggs, lightly spray a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray, set it over medium heat and fry 1 egg per toast. Flip each egg once the white has set and cook the other side too.

    Ready when: Both the white and the yolk are firm, with no runny yolk. That's the food-safety cue for eggs that aren't going into a baked dish.

  5. Build and serve

    Spread the mash over the toasts and fan the avocado slices on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the 1/4 tsp pepper flakes if using. Add an egg to each toast if you made them and serve straight away.

    Ready when: Serve while the toast is still warm and crisp.

Swaps

  • Instead of crusty bread: sourdough, rye, whole-wheat, multigrain or country bread, an English muffin or half a bagel Thicker bread may need a little more avocado to balance it.
  • Instead of the sliced avocado on top: 2 slices of ripe tomato per toast Season the tomato with a little salt and pepper.
  • Instead of the lemony dressing: rub the hot toast with a cut garlic clove, brush lightly with olive oil and season; mash the avocado with just salt and pepper A simpler, garlicky version.

If something goes wrong

  • Mash is lumpy and hard to spread Why: The avocado isn't ripe yet. Green, firm avocados aren't creamy.
    Pick avocados with dark, almost black skin. If yours are firm, leave them at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
  • Soggy toast Why: The bread wasn't toasted enough to hold the topping.
    Toast until deep golden and crisp on both sides, and assemble just before eating.

Good to know

  • Mashing the avocado straight into the lemon dressing seasons it all the way through.
  • Want a topping? Add cooked bacon slices or a firm fried egg.
  • Toast it to deep golden but not dark: too much char overpowers the avocado.

Safety

  • Halve and pit avocados on a cutting board, never in your hand. Kids can mash and spread; an adult should do the cutting.
  • The grill (broiler) and the baking sheet get very hot. Use oven mitts, and stay at the oven: bread can catch fire under a grill if forgotten.
  • If you add eggs, cook them until both the yolk and the white are firm, and wash your hands after handling raw eggs. The egg version contains egg.
  • Check bread labels for milk, egg, soy or sesame.