14 Ways To Take Your Avocado Toast Up A Notch
If you've never heard of avocado toast, you might be living under a rock because it's been the talk of the town for quite a while now. The most basic version of the dish comprises precisely what you would guess: avocado and toast. Some folks prefer to mash their avocado into a puree-like consistency and evenly coat the toast. Other people slice the avocado and set it on top of the toast because the texture of the mash isn't the most appealing thing to them.
In any case, avocado can be pretty bland on its own, so it's always smart to doctor it up. You can get crafty by adding unique ingredients to the avocado spread, using unconventional bread types for the base, or topping it with excellent garnishes — no need to settle for the plain kind if you don't want to. We can guarantee that when you put these ideas into practice, your avocado toast will be praise-worthy. After all, Instagrammable food is nice, but it's even better when it tastes just as magnificent as it looks.
1. Experiment with different types of bread
Who says avocado toast needs to be on white or sourdough? There are endless types of bread out there, so it would be a crime not to try other kinds. First, if you enjoy savory avocado toast, make the snack with garlic bread instead of plain bread. The flavor of the garlic is pleasantly bold, so pair that with the buttery taste of the avocado, and it's out of this world. Other options include fresh slices of baguette or ciabatta, which have a chewier texture. Sauté the bread in a skillet to give it a crunchy top layer that's the perfect base for the soft avocado spread to reside on. In contrast, use multigrain or whole wheat bread to highlight the earthy tones in the avocado.
Or, to get creative, use naan bread or flatbread. Outerlands restaurant in San Francisco brought the idea for California avocado toast to life, and it's pretty genius. The dish consists of naan bread with avocado, Greek yogurt, cucumber, seeds, garlic oil, and more. To make your own version, warm the naan bread with garlic on the stovetop to give it some color before you layer on the components.
2. Top it with eggs
People commonly enjoy avocado toast for breakfast or brunch, so it only makes sense to top it off with an egg. It's a wise way to turn it from a snack to a meal because the eggs make it more filling. Use a poached egg so the yolk runs down onto the avocado when you pierce the fork into the egg. Any extra yolk that finds its way to the plate is perfect for dipping. Of course, there are endless ways to cook an egg, and any kind of egg pairs well with avocado toast, so it's just as tasty whether you prefer scrambled or over hard. There is also a simple egg hack that will change the way you make avocado toast, thanks to a video posted by a clever TikTok user, @zzzachariah.
The video shows how to use a cheese grater to grate a hard-boiled egg for your avocado toast. First, peel the hard-boiled egg and smear the smashed avocado on the toast. Next, grab your handy grater and grate the egg into thin shreds; allow the pieces to fall directly onto the toast. It creates a glorious, fluffy pile of egg bits which you then top with sriracha or any other condiment you like. This method takes seconds to accomplish, and it gives the food an eye-catching appearance (plus, you don't have to go through the motions of slicing the egg).
3. Garnish it with pickled vegetables
Pickled red onion is the ingredient that will change your avocado toast forever. And as a matter of fact, any type of pickled veggie instantly boosts the dish. Pickled onions have the perfect amount of tang to balance the creaminess of the avocado. That's not to mention they have a nice crunch to them. Use them as a garnish, but if you take them straight from a jar of vinegary liquid, shake off any excess liquid first. Otherwise, it makes the toast soggy. If you want to experiment with other types of veggies, there are numerous types of pickled vegetables you should have in your fridge.
For starters, pickled peppers, beets, and radishes are superb options. Roasted red peppers are soft in consistency and on the sweeter side of things, which is perfect for folks who don't necessarily enjoy the typical sour flavor of pickled products. Meanwhile, pickled beets fall in the middle of the spectrum because they are an enjoyable sugary and tart combination. Radishes also have an exceptional balance and a nice snap-like texture, which contrasts with the soft avocado. Ultimately, each type of pickled vegetable has pleasing qualities, so you can't go wrong.
4. Make avocado toast grilled cheese
A fusion of grilled cheese and avocado toast amps up your dish because the cheese makes it heartier. For the greatest outcome, assemble the avocado toast grilled cheese open-face style. Choose the bread you like and toast it in the toaster, oven, or skillet. If you use a skillet to get the job done, cook the bread with butter to make it extra crispy and rich. Place slices of cheese or shredded cheese atop the bread, then cover the pan to melt the cheese.
Alternatively, if you use the oven, smear on butter, garlic, and cheese before you toast them, which prevents the bread from drying out as it cooks. Transfer the cheesy toast slices to a plate and adorn them with avocados; whether you want to use fresh slices or make avocado mash is up to you. The mash adheres to the melted cheese better than the slices, but it's not a deal breaker either way.
5. Use seafood as a tasty topping
Turn your avocado toast into a delectable and satisfying meal with the addition of seafood. For example, create lobster avocado toast. Use lemon juice and sea salt in the avocado spread, which enhances the lobster meat's flavor. Chop the lobster meat into bite-sized portions and scatter it atop the toast with other garnishes such as jalapeños and fresh herbs. Or, how does spiced avocado toast with citrus-cured salmon sound? For best results, use boneless skinless salmon fillets. Marinate the fish overnight with seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and thyme), then rinse it and pat it dry. Assemble the avocado toast with the other elements, slice the salmon, and place it on top.
You can also use shrimp or sardines as an addition for the dish. Sardines are actually the unexpected canned topping you need to know about. Don't knock it before you try it — the salty sardines perfectly accompany the tame flavor of the avocado. In addition, their texture is meaty, giving the typically light meal more substance. And, of course, what is easier than taking something out of a can? It's convenient when you don't have time to marinate seafood for hours.
6. Give it a hint of sweetness
Have you ever thought of making sweet avocado toast? With this approach, you can give it a slight dash of sweetness or make it dessert-like as a whole. This idea works since avocado is relatively mild in flavor, so it's easy to use in both sweet and savory applications. If you don't want the sugary element to be overpowering, a good place to start is to drizzle honey over the top of the finished toast. This is the unexpected ingredient Kylie Jenner revealed on her Instagram account that she adds to her avocado toast (via Us Magazine), and she is undoubtedly onto something with this concept. Jenner includes red pepper flakes on the honey avocado toast, so the sweet and spicy undertones enrich the otherwise creamy avocado topping.
Of course, you can also mix honey or even agave with the avocado when you smash it, but the drizzle on top certainly elevates its appearance. Other sweet components that are an excellent match for avocado toast include shredded coconut, mango, strawberries, and blueberries. If you use fruit as a topping, just make sure you chop it into tiny pieces, so it isn't a challenge to eat when you bite into the toast. As far as the coconut goes, use sweetened toasted coconut for a nice crunch; it caramelizes up a bit when you cook it.
7. Grill the avocado before mashing it
Grill or smoke the avocado before you use it on your toast, and you'll be blown away by how much more profound its flavor is. The delicious benefit of smoking avocado is that it softens the flesh and makes it incredibly buttery. It takes up to 20 minutes to smoke the avocado when you set the smoker to 180 F. If you don't own a smoker, make warm avocado tartine using a standard grill or indoor grill pan. When you grill the avocado, its flavor turns smoky, but not as much as when you cook it in a smoker (shocker, right?).
Grill them on the BBQ; it only takes a few minutes. To do so, slice the avocados in half and keep the skin intact. However, you should remove the pit so you can place the avocado on the grill with the flesh down. Grill them for a few minutes until they become soft and partially charred. The same method applies with an indoor grill pan, except you brush them with oil first. The avocados are done after two to four minutes and should have gorgeous grill marks on them.
8. Garnish it with tomato products
It is no secret that avocados and tomatoes are a delightful match. After all, there is a reason why many people include diced tomatoes in their guacamole. So, when it comes time to build the perfect avocado toast, why not give tomatoes some room to shine? Chop fresh tomatoes or utilize cherry tomato halves as a topping. Additionally, salsa is a fresh and easy way to take avocado toast to the next level. It does an impressive job of livening up the dish with hints of tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, chiles, and more.
For the optimal outcome, make salsa from scratch so you can tweak its flavor to be as spicy or mild as you like. Or, opt for the most effortless way and use your favorite jarred salsa. Speaking of jarred products, there is another way to incorporate tomatoes into this dish: tomato jam. Use this sweet and savory condiment to jazz up avocado toast in the best way possible. Tomato jam is slightly sweet and earthy. It also has an acidic touch, which makes its flavor anything but dull. Put a dollop on top of the avocado for an effortless but delicious way to improve the dish.
9. Make the avocado mash extra creamy
If you want your avocado spread to be ultra-light and fluffy, add extra ingredients to it. For example, cottage cheese is the cheesy addition you should try on avocado toast. Although you can spread the cottage cheese on the toast first and then put avocado, another way to use it is to directly incorporate it into the avocado mash. Or, if you want high-protein avocado toast, use Greek yogurt. Mix 6 tablespoons of Greek yogurt in when you mash a single avocado. The yogurt has notes of tanginess which complements the subtle nutty flavor in avocados.
Another ingredient that makes extra creamy avocado toast is hummus. Since hummus has a similar consistency to mashed avocado, you can use as much or as little as you want, and it doesn't make the spread runny. You don't need to measure it; just incorporate the two together until the taste is satisfying. You can also mix in additional spices to make it that much better. Of course, when you combine the two, the green color becomes less vibrant, but we're willing to look past that because of its fantastic taste. As you can see, there are many creamy components to mix with your avocado to make it cloud-like; you don't have to stop at these suggestions. Cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise work too.
10. Give it some heat
A sure way to make your avocado toast more exciting is to include piquant ingredients in the dish, whether you include spicy condiments or peppers. For a unique variation of the snack, create jalapeño popper avocado toast. Place avocado spread, cream cheese, and scrambled eggs on the toast before you adorn it with fresh jalapeño slices. The jalapeño is fiery, but the velvety cream cheese evens it and creates the ultimate harmony.
Another option that has a nice kick to it is wasabi. According to "Bliss on Toast: 75 Simple Recipes" by Prue Leith (via USA Today), wasabi can be used to punch up avocado toast. Leith mixes wasabi paste with cream cheese before she adds it to the toast. Alternatively, mix the avocado with cream cheese and wasabi instead of using avocado slices. And lastly, the easiest way to make your avocado toast hotter is to drizzle a bit of hot sauce on it; this is the best route to take when you are in a rush since it doesn't require any special preparation.
11. Mash the avocado in a bowl first
A simple way to prevent your avocado toast from getting mushy is to smash it in a bowl before you place it on the bread. Some folks might place avocado pieces directly onto the bread and mash it; this is convenient because it prevents you from cleaning extra dirty dishes. It is much quicker, and to the average person, it's harmless. However, when you do this, it softens the bread you just spent time toasting. Not to mention, when you apply pressure with the spoon or fork, it digs into it.
Nobody wants soggy toast, so if you are the type who likes their avocado turned into a spread, the bowl method is the way to go. The time it takes to gather the bowl, make the spread, then transfer it to the toast is assuredly worth the outcome. And if you absolutely can't stand the thought of taking this extra step, slice the avocado thinly and lightly set it on the toast; just don't press it down hard and you'll be fine.
12. Sprinkle on nuts and seeds
Although creamy avocado toast is delicious, sometimes it needs a crunchy element to feel complete. This is where you should take advantage of the best nuts and seeds. Walnuts, pecans, and almonds are all stand-out choices if you don't know where to start. First, toast the nuts in the oven or stovetop until they turn golden brown. Then, crush them by hand or use a knife to chop them before you sprinkle them on the toast. Additionally, grocery stores often sell roasted and pre-chopped nuts, which makes things easier if you are on a tight schedule.
Regarding seeds, several options look and taste phenomenal in the dish. For example, pepitas and sunflowers seeds are tiny enough that they're ready to be used as a topping. Another scrumptious seed is pine nuts, and we can thank a well-known chef for this idea. Jamie Oliver had everyone turning their heads with his avocado toast ideas that he shared in a post on Instagram. While all of the creations he presented are show-stopping, one specific variation takes the cake. He assembled the avocado toast with sliced tomato, ricotta cheese, fresh herbs, and pine nuts. Of course, the avocado, tomatoes, and ricotta are all soft ingredients, so the texture of the pine nuts is the flawless finishing touch.
13. Try Amanda Freitag's 'avo-mame' toast recipe
If you enjoy the nuttiness of edamame, you'll understand why it's the star ingredient Amanda Freitag uses in her avocado toast spread. The green soybeans make the avocado mash a vivid green, which is brighter than if you use just plain avocado. Freitag made an Instagram post showing the process of how she makes it. If you want to give it a go, you need a food processor.
Place shelled edamame, oil, and salt in the processor and let it run until the edamame is broken into smaller pieces. Add one avocado, lime zest, juice, and spices to the appliance, then blend the mixture until it's relatively smooth. Spread it atop the toasted bread and place your favorite garnishes on top. Freitag uses cherry tomatoes, herbs, and more to make the dish colorful and refreshing. You can even scatter additional edamame on top of the toast if you wish.
14. Get artsy
Although avocado toast is a basic snack in its simplest form, that doesn't mean you can't go all out with it. There are plenty of ways to take its presentation to new heights. Specifically, you can create designs with avocado slices to make geometric patterns or shapes like hearts and flowers. For instance, one TikTok user, @londonbruncher, posted a video on how to make an avocado rose to embellish the toast. To try it out yourself, start with an avocado half (remove the seed and scoop the half out of the skin). Then, use a knife to create roughly 12 to 15 slices. Next, use your hands to mold the slices into a rose; gently bring the ends together and form a spiraling flower-like design.
If the rose isn't what you are going for, you can create a more straightforward yet appealing design. In a TikTok video posted by user @jakecohen, he shows how to do so. First, prepare and slice the avocado in the same manner as you would in the prior rose example. Then, simply pat down the slices and carefully spread them out. Next, cut it into one large rectangle. Finally, transfer the avocado to the toasted bread; it creates a fanned look, with the middle and outer parts of the slices contrasting each other with light and dark green hues. No matter how you turn the toast into art, it certainly draws more attention than toast with avocado spread on it.
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