Avocado Toast
Crispy toast spread with creamy, ripe avocado, brightened with lemon juice and finished with flaky salt and cracked pepper. It's simple enough to throw together in minutes but tastes considered and intentional.
Instructions
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Toast the bread slices until golden and crisp on both sides. You want real crunch — soft toast won't hold up to the avocado.
- 2
While the toast cools slightly, cut the avocado in half lengthwise, work around the pit, and remove it. Scoop the flesh into a small bowl.
- 3
Mash the avocado with a fork until it's creamy but still has small chunks — not a smooth paste. Drizzle in lemon juice immediately (this prevents browning) and stir to combine.
- 4
Spread the mashed avocado generously onto both toast slices. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with flaky salt and cracked black pepper. A pinch of red pepper flakes or a scatter of fresh herbs works too.
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Eat immediately while the toast is still warm and crisp. Avocado oxidizes fast once exposed to air, so don't let it sit.
Nutrition per serving
Chef's Notes
Pick an avocado that yields slightly to gentle pressure — ripe but not soft enough to fall apart. If it's rock hard, it won't mash smoothly; if it's mushy, it'll taste flat and oxidized.
Toast the bread until it's got real crunch. Soft toast with avocado is a textureless mess. You want the crispness to contrast against the creamy avocado.
Assemble right before eating. Avocado oxidizes fast once it's exposed to air — you'll see browning within minutes. Lemon juice slows it down but doesn't stop it.
About This Dish
Avocado toast emerged in Australia and became a brunch staple there in the 1990s, with sourdough toast topped with smashed avocado and lemon juice. It hit America around 2010 and became a cultural phenomenon — mocked as millennial excess, celebrated as a simple, nutritious breakfast. The appeal is elemental: ripe fruit, good bread, salt, acid. No fuss, no overthinking.