Avocado Toast

Avocado Toast
George Etheredge for The New York Times
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(1,621)
Comments
Read comments

It may seem silly to give a recipe for avocado toast, but there is an art to it, as with most things that are both simple and perfect. Here, you want to make sure of a few things: that the bread you use is sturdy and has some taste; that there's enough salt and citrus to bring out the avocado's flavor; and that you use a good olive oil to bring it all together. These garnishes, from the Australian café Two Hands in Manhattan, are tasty but unnecessary. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: The Art of the Australian Breakfast

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe
  • Print Options


Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

    For the Avocado Toast

    • 2large slices crusty, chewy sourdough bread, preferably whole wheat
    • 1ripe avocado, halved, pit removed
    • Extra-virgin olive oil
    • Flaky salt and coarsely ground black pepper
    • Half a lemon or lime

    Optional Garnishes

    • Poached or fried eggs
    • Thinly sliced pickled or fresh red chiles, such as Fresno or cherry
    • Thinly sliced pickled red onions
    • Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sesame seeds, or both
    • Herbs, such as basil, cilantro, mint or baby arugula
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toast the bread to your liking. Meanwhile, use a wide spoon to remove the avocado halves from the peel, keeping them in large pieces.

  2. Step 2

    Drizzle the hot toast lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Let cool slightly, then place one avocado half on each slice of toast. Use the back of a fork to roughly mash the avocado into the bread, keeping it as chunky as possible.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle with a little more salt, and pepper if desired. Squeeze the citrus over the top and add any garnishes. Cut each piece of toast in half if they're large and serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,621 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Some others have sort of mentioned it, but I feel like this needs further explanation. If you plan a few days ahead of time, buy the avocados that feel like rocks, you'll get perfect avocados. With some patience, leaving such avocados on the counter will yield perfectly ripe avocados within a few days, without the dreaded thumb prints every doofus in the grocery store seems to leave on them.. Idk why people try and grope the avocados like they're Trump himself, but ugh...

This is why I can't afford a house.

i find it easier to smash it in a bowl first, then spread it on the bread.

Try it topped with Everything Bagel seasoning! Absolutely superb!

I appreciate this recipe's appearance in the Cooking section of the NYT! I'd never had avocado toast before so this gave me the opportunity to try it at home where I had total control over the ingredients and didn't have to pay restaurant prices for an item I wasn't sure I'd like! And I wasn't aware of the basic steps much less the art of producing avocado toast. So, thank you, Ms. Moskin!

I add crumbled hard-boiled egg, “everything but the bagel seasoning,” and then top it off with a very thinly sliced-sliced radish for zing and crunch. Delicious!

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from Giles Russell, Two Hands, New York

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.