Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last five years, you’ve probably heard more about avocado toast than you care to admit. Avocado toast went from an obscure menu item to a brunch staple across the country in record time.
At this point, you can pretty much be sure there’s someone typing the words “best avocado toast near me” into their search bar any time, day or night. But if you’re behind the curve, don’t despair.
We’re going to teach you everything you need to know about avocado, toast, and how to combine the two.
The Basic Avocado Toast Recipe
There are a lot of strong opinions about avocado toast — people either love it, hate it, or love to hate it. And there’s some disagreement about what should and shouldn’t be on avocado toast. But no one argues about the two basic ingredients: toast and avocado.
Let’s start this off with a simple recipe and then move on to how you can modify that recipe to suit your tastes.
You’ll only need three things, and the last is optional:
Toast your bread until it’s firm. Avocado is creamy but has a rich consistency, so you’ll need a substantive base to spread it evenly.
Cut your avocado in half along the pit. If you only want to make one piece of avocado toast, you’ll need only half the avocado, so leave the pit in the half you’re not using. Scoop out half of the avocado from its shell and put it in a bowl. Use a fork to mash it up until it’s as smooth or as chunky as you want it.
Stir a pinch of salt into the avocado and use a butter knife to spread it on the toasted bread. You can sprinkle it with a bit more salt for a pop of flavor or exclude the salt completely if you like the flavor of plain avocado.
That’s all there is to it, so if you’re wondering how to eat an avocado, this is as good a method as any. But that’s the simplest way to do it, and where you go from here is totally up to you.
What Does Avocado Taste Like? Whatever You Want
Avocado has a relatively neutral flavor, which is what makes it so great as a spread. You can add a huge variety of flavors to avocado toast, and it will magically taste as if it all belongs together.
Here are just some ideas of what you can do to personalize your toast.
Add Garlic to Your Toast
There are a few ways you can incorporate garlic into avocado toast. The simplest is to take a peeled garlic clove and rub it on your toasted bread before spreading the avocado. The bread’s toasted nooks and crannies will pick up the perfect amount of garlic to highlight the taste without it being overbearing.
You can also add some garlic powder to the avocado when you mash it. If you use this method, a little garlic powder goes a long way, and you should let it sit for a few minutes to rehydrate the powder once it’s mixed in.
Almonds and Olive Oil
If you want to really elevate your toast to another level, sprinkle some crushed almonds on top after spreading the avocado. Drizzle your favorite flavored olive oil on top and enjoy an absolutely decadent experience in both texture and flavor.
If you’re anxiously wondering what does an avocado taste like, this serving method is perfect because you’ll still sense the avocado, but many other flavors will mellow it out a bit.
Bacon and Goat Cheese
The options are practically endless, but here’s another one that will bowl over guests and easily become your favorite way for how to eat an avocado. Crumble some goat cheese and crispy bacon bits together and sprinkle them liberally on your avocado toast.
That’s plenty to give it a refined flavor profile, but if you want to take it one step further, give it a thin drizzle of honey. The sweetness will offset the salty bacon and cheese, and it pairs perfectly with the rich avocado.
Drop an Egg on Your Toast
This is a popular presentation that will turn your avocado toast into a complete breakfast. Simply top the avocado toast with an egg fried over-easy. You can also replace it with a soft-boiled or poached egg if you prefer but remember that the rich yolk is what you’re looking for. Hard-boiled eggs are not ideal.
Is Avocado Toast Healthy? It Depends
Although avocado toast has a reputation as being a very health-conscious food, it’s not necessarily so. As with most foods, the question of is avocado toast healthy or not hinges on how you present it.
Since there are only two key ingredients in avocado toast, you have to make sure they’re the best you can get.
Most people prefer Hass avocados for avocado toast due to their high-fat content, making them creamier than some other varieties. You want to buy an avocado that pits when you press it gently, but not one that’s squishy. If you can’t find a perfect one, buy one that’s not quite ripe and leave it in a cool, dry place to ripen, checking it every day.
The Right Bread Makes All The Difference
If you use Wonder bread to make your avocado toast, it’s not going to be all that healthy. Ideally, you should use a dense, whole-grain bread that has enough body to support the avocado when you spread it and enough character not to get completely overshadowed by the avocado.
How to Eat An Avocado — Mash First, Spread Second
Some people like to put the avocado on the toast and mash it directly onto the bread. While this may save you 30 seconds of prep time, you’ll end up with bread that’s torn to shreds and avocado that’s not mashed right — not worth it!
What Does an Avocado Taste Like? Usually Salty
If you’re not experienced around avocados, don’t skip the salt. It’s true that avocados don’t have the most powerful flavor, but they have a distinct character that it’s better to introduce to your palate with something familiar, like salt.
Plus, some flaky sea salt on top of your avocado toast will set it off beautifully in ways you won’t believe.
Avocado Toast, The Most Complex Simple Brunch Item
Here’s the rub:
If you want to try avocado toast the way it’s meant to be eaten, accept no substitutes. Reserve a table at Root and Bone right now and join us for lunch to try The Avocado Toast. A thick grilled slice of sourdough serves as the foundation for our toast. Topped with fresh smashed avocado, crumbled cheese, radish, benne seeds, and lemon zest, it’s an explosion of flavor.
Want to try it topped with an organic egg? We’ve got you covered. How about some house bacon? No problem. It’s exactly what an avocado toast was always meant to be.
Did you love any of the recommendations we made here for avocado toast? Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below!
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