Avocado Egg Toast (Easy 10-Minute Recipe)

This avocado egg toast is crisp bread, lemon-and-salt mashed avocado and a fried egg with set whites and a soft yolk, all on one plate in 10 minutes. A few small details, like how ripe the avocado is and how dark you toast the bread, decide whether the plate is great or soggy.

Why You'll Love This Avocado Egg Toast

You need one pan, one bowl and a toaster, and the whole plate is done in about 10 minutes.

Each layer has a job. The toast gives crunch and holds everything up. The avocado is the creamy base, and the lemon and salt keep it from tasting flat. The egg adds richness, and a soft yolk turns into a sauce for the toast as soon as you cut in.

Ingredients

For the toast and avocado

• 2 thick slices (about 50 g / 1¾ oz each) sourdough or whole-grain bread, about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick
• 1 large ripe Hass avocado (about 200 g / 7 oz)
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 g (¼ tsp) fine salt

For the eggs

• 2 large eggs
• 5 ml (1 tsp) olive oil or 5 g (1 tsp) butter
• 0.5 g (a pinch) fine salt
• 0.5 g (¼ tsp) freshly ground black pepper

For the toppings

• 10 g (about ½ cup, loosely packed) microgreens
• 1 g (½ tsp) red pepper flakes, optional
• 5 ml (1 tsp) extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 lemon wedges, for serving

How to Make Avocado Egg Toast

1. Toast the bread until deep golden. Toast both slices on a medium-high setting for 2 to 4 minutes, until they are dark golden and feel firm and dry when you tap them. Pale, soft toast turns limp under the avocado. As soon as the slices pop, stand them upright against a mug so steam escapes instead of softening the bottom.
2. Mash the avocado with lemon and salt. While the bread toasts, halve the avocado, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon of salt, then mash with a fork for about 20 seconds, until creamy with a few small chunks left. Taste a bit on a corner of toast. It should taste slightly too salty and bright on its own, since the egg will mellow it.
3. Heat the pan. Set a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and warm it for about 1 minute, until it shimmers and a drop of water sizzles. If the pan is too cool, the whites spread thin. If it is too hot, the bottom browns and turns rubbery before the top sets.
4. Start the eggs. Crack the eggs into the pan one at a time, a few inches apart, and season with the pinch of salt and the black pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, until the edges turn opaque white and the whites look cloudy rather than clear.
5. Cover and finish the whites. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are fully set, with no clear or wobbly parts near the yolk. The yolk should still jiggle slightly. For a firm yolk, cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, until it no longer moves when you shake the pan.
6. Assemble the toast. Spread the mashed avocado on the warm toast, right out to the edges so every bite has some. Slide a spatula under each egg and lay it on top.
7. Finish and serve right away. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, scatter on the microgreens and drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side and eat while the toast is still crisp.

Tips for Crisp Avocado Egg Toast

• Pick a ripe avocado. Press it gently in your palm. It should give slightly without feeling mushy. Flick off the small stem cap: green underneath means ripe, and brown means overripe. A hard avocado stays crumbly and bland.
• Toast it darker than you think. Dark, dry toast keeps its crunch under a layer of avocado for several minutes.
• Mash the avocado with the lemon and salt together. Lemon juice slows browning and brightens the flavor, and salt dissolves into the avocado instead of sitting on top as crunchy grains.
• Get set whites with a soft yolk. Start on medium heat, then cover the pan and drop to low. The trapped steam sets the white around the yolk without drying out the underside.
• Cook the egg for safety. Eggs are safest cooked until both whites and yolks are firm. People who are pregnant, older adults, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system should cook the yolk firm, which is USDA advice (see the USDA egg safety guidance).

Variations

Vegan

Skip the egg and top the avocado with thin slices of firm tofu, pan-fried in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden and sprinkled with salt.

Spicy

Stir 1 g (½ tsp) of red pepper flakes or a spoonful of hot sauce into the mashed avocado, or drizzle chili oil over the egg.

Feta or tomato

Crumble 30 g (1 oz) of feta over the avocado, or scatter on a handful of halved cherry tomatoes. Blot the tomatoes on a paper towel first so the toast stays crisp.

Smoked salmon

Layer about 60 g (2 oz) of smoked salmon over the avocado before the egg goes on, and skip the extra pinch of salt on the egg.

What to Serve with Avocado Egg Toast

Fresh fruit, a bowl of yogurt, or a small salad of cherry tomatoes and cucumber keep the plate light.

For a bigger brunch table, add a stack of fluffy berry pancakes for anyone who wants something sweet.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Avocado egg toast is best made and eaten right away, because the toast loses its crunch within minutes under the avocado.

Mashed avocado is best used fresh. If you want to save it, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no air touches it, add a squeeze of lemon, refrigerate it and use it within 1 day. If it smells sour or looks slimy, throw it out.

Cooked egg is best eaten right away, so toast, mash and fry fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pick a ripe avocado for avocado egg toast?

Press it gently in your palm. A ripe avocado gives slightly without feeling mushy, and the small stem cap lifts off to show green underneath. Brown means overripe. A hard avocado needs a day or two on the counter.

How do I keep avocado toast from getting soggy?

Toast the bread until it is dark golden and dry, stand it upright for a few seconds so steam escapes, and add the avocado and egg right before serving. Pat juicy toppings like tomatoes dry first.

How do I cook the egg with set whites and a soft yolk, and is it safe?

Fry the egg over medium heat for 1 minute, then cover it and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are fully set and the yolk still jiggles. Eggs are safest cooked until both whites and yolks are firm. People who are pregnant, older adults, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system should cook the yolk firm, which is USDA advice.

Can I make avocado egg toast ahead of time?

It is best made fresh, because the toast softens within minutes and cooked egg is best eaten right away. Mashed avocado is best used fresh. To save it, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface with a squeeze of lemon, refrigerate it and use it within 1 day.

Can I poach the egg instead of frying it?

Yes. Slide the egg into barely simmering water and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are fully set, then blot it on a towel before it goes on the toast. The same safety advice applies: cook the yolk firm for anyone who is pregnant, an older adult, a young child or has a weakened immune system.

Toast the bread first, and everything else will be ready when it pops up.