14 Ingredients To Enhance Avocado Toast

When does loaded avocado toast just become a sandwich? Thousands of open-faced sandwich recipes are masquerading around the internet as avocado toast. In reality, just because your toasted sandwich contains avocado, it doesn't make it avocado toast. That being said, avocado toast doesn't necessarily have to be limited to toast, avocado, salt, and pepper. In fact, there are endless ingredients you can use to enhance avocado toast without encroaching on sandwich territory. Narrow your focus to seasonings, garnishes, drizzles, and flavor enhancers.

As a plant-based chef and recipe designer I've been asked countless times what I eat for breakfast. My answers are extensive, but whenever I don't have the time or the bandwidth to whip up something fancy, avocado toast it is. Although that might sound repetitive, I have almost never made two avocado toast breakfasts that were identical. Because of the infinite possibilities, and the ability to mix and match, each morning can be a flavor adventure. Enjoy the flexibility of early morning culinary creativity with a sturdy base that just can't go wrong. Just be sure to pick a ripe avocado, and splurge on fresh, locally made sourdough for toasting. When a dish has limited ingredients, it pays to emphasize quality.

There are some ingredients that separate foodies from your everyday steak-and-potatoes folks, with a few that some people wouldn't know where to find or how to use. And that's fine, we're all at different stages in our culinary journey. If you're just getting your toes wet in the culinary world, consider incorporating more ingredients from around the world into your cooking. Sesame seeds, for instance, aren't very popular in the standard American diet but can be found in abundance in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. If you're still wondering what sesame seeds even are, think of those tiny white seeds sometimes found on sushi rolls, or used in orange chicken.

These seeds have a fairly neutral flavor, but their true colors shine when toasted. Sesame seeds are nutty, fragrant, and slightly sweet. They're well-known for their crunchy mouthfeel and are a great way to add texture to any dish. They're also versatile and can be added to both sweet and savory dishes. Sesame seeds will elevate your avocado toast by adding a crunchy texture that will mimic the crunch of the bread. The nutty flavor shines when coupled with the mild sweetness and fatty mouthfeel of avocado. It's the perfect addition to elevate but not overpower the dynamic duo of sourdough and avocado.

If you strictly use olive oil for greasing your pan or making salad dressing then you're missing out. A high-quality extra virgin olive oil can be used as a garnish on soups, dips, entrées, fruit, sandwiches, and even avocado toast. It's buttery, smooth, rich, grassy, and slightly peppery. However, like fine wine, the flavors vary depending on the growing process, the olives used, and how it's processed. The value is, like any food, in the eye of the beholder so while some may enjoy a sweeter finish, others might prefer a bitter undertone.

If you're new to the olive oil scene and are still wondering about the difference between extra virgin olive oil and regular olive oil, then don't worry about undertones and finishes. When it comes to avocado toast, just know that finishing olive oil should always be labeled as "extra virgin." It has a stronger aroma, a richer mouthfeel, and a subtle fruity flavor, while your basic olive oil is more neutral. Just a light drizzle will do the trick and should add to the already fatty richness of the avocado.

When it comes to using spices to enhance avocado toast, the options are endless. A little bit of garlic powder is a classic, a touch of turmeric can help the avocado glow, and a sprinkle of chili flakes will turn the heat up. A lesser-used spice, sumac, may just be the secret ingredient to give your avocado toast new life. For those who have never had the pleasure of tasting sumac, it is zesty, citrusy, lemony, and tangy. It's a little more floral than lemon but has a similar sweetness.

After mashing or thinly slicing your avocado, lightly dust it with the bright red dried berries. That's right, sumac doesn't come from the leaves or flowers, but from the fruit of the tree. This is why it has that fruity flavor and lemon-like zest. Because of its powerful flavor, just a dusting should do the trick. In addition to the wonderful tangy flavor of the spice alongside the mellow and sweet avocado, the two colors contrast beautifully to make an aesthetically pleasing dish.

It's almost a given that lemon juice, and maybe even zest, has been used as a flavor enhancer in your kitchen before. Heck, perhaps even in your drinking water. It pairs well with just about anything from seafood to fruit, vegetables to grains, and even white meats. Therefore, it's no surprise that lemon is an optimal flavor enhancer for avocado toast. So simple!

Not only can lemon help to enhance the flavor of avocado in a similar to salt, but it also adds to the complexity by punching your tastebuds with a certain pizzaz of tart and sweet flavor. While one of the reasons we choose sourdough is for the slightly sour flavor, avocado does a great job of mellowing it. However, bringing a little bit of lemon juice to the table can help mirror that tartness by creating an even more pleasing flavored bread while giving the subtle avocado a boost. Don't forget about the zest. You can get about one tablespoon of zest from each lemon, but you really only need a small sprinkle to help your breakfast shine. Use both juice and zest if you're feeling like an aromatic, punchy treat to kickstart your day.

It's no secret that salt is the ultimate and most common flavor enhancer out there. If you don't use salt regularly, then you're in the minority. Take your culinary expertise one step further and use a salty product to enhance your avocado toast, instead of just plain old salt (which we have nothing against), to give you the opportunity to add layers of flavor. This is just one reason to always keep capers in your pantry or refrigerator.

Capers are those tiny little picked and salted buds that you find in dishes like chicken piccata or paired with lemon and sprinkled on seafood. They can act as a garnish, be cooked into a sauce, or even be minced up and whipped into a dressing. Typically, they're abundantly salty and pack quite a punch in the flavor department. By adding capers to your avocado toast instead of salt, you're also adding notes of lemon, brine, and tartness with a subtle floral undertone. One thing to remember is that no salt is needed when capers come to town. Sprinkle them lightly, perhaps five to seven per slice. Their smack of umami will give your mellow and sweet avocado the dimension it's looking for.

While it's fun to pair vibrantly powerful toppings with soft and buttery avocado, it's also nice to tone it down and appreciate the avocado for all of its subtlety. Let's ponder an ingredient that's more on its level: pine nuts. Now, you might know this expensive nut (technically classified as a seed) for the famous role it plays in pesto. However, these tiny nuts can hold their own in almost any savory dish.

A key step that often goes overlooked is to always toast pine nuts to enhance them. As with any nut or seed, they do burn easily so keep a close watch. This allows their richness and flavor to thrive. They become extra nutty, buttery, and sweet, and their toasty fragrance will only add to the experience. Adding another mild, sweet, and rich element to an already decedent experience is top-tier. In addition, the seeds add some texture to the smooth topping, making it sophisticated in appearance. And yes, pine nuts are expensive, but just a light sprinkle should do the trick, although if you prefer a heaping pile they aren't going to overwhelm the rest of the flavors.

Chives are known for their aesthetic appeal. They can remain long and wispy, crisscrossed into an "X" off the center of the dish, or you can finely chop them into tiny "O's" that add texture to a dish when sprinkled lightly. Their flavor is that of a grassy cross between garlic and onion, with a subtle sweetness reminiscent of shallots. Looking like tiny delicate green onions, chives and scallions often get mixed up. The bright green coloring of chives makes them the perfect garnish for avocado toast as they still stand out against the mellow green fruit.

If you've ever experienced the wonder of chive butter, then you know just how well chives pair with fat. They enhance the flavor by giving it that intoxicating garlic flavor while adding a sophisticated aesthetic appeal. Because they can be chopped into such delicate pieces, they're easy to distribute evenly across the mashed avocado. It's a quick and simple hack for those who love garlic but don't have the time to cook it first thing in the morning.

Who doesn't like garlic? It's the cornerstone of almost any savory dish, and unless you're self-conscious about how your breath smells, you can never have too much of it. Roasted garlic, which is often cooked in its layered peel and doused in olive oil, becomes buttery smooth. Its bitterness is softened, but it still has that unforgettable aroma and depth of flavor. It does take a little more time to prepare, but you can follow a simple oven-roasted garlic recipe, and keep some pre-roasted garlic on hand for such an occasion.

Consider spreading a layer of roasted garlic right on the toasted bread before adding globs of mashed or thinly sliced avocado. Alternatively, lightly mash the roasted garlic cloves and spread them on top of the avocado. You could even leave them whole. For garlic lovers in a rush, try garlic powder, or rub a sliced open raw garlic clove right onto the toasted bread.

Herbs and spices are always a good idea when making avocado toast. But if you're in a rush and are looking for a simple yet delicious way to season your breakfast, look no further than everything bagel seasoning, sometimes called "everything but the bagel" seasoning. You guessed it, it's made up of the seasoning added to everything bagels. This includes dehydrated onion and garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and flaked sea salt. You can buy it premade, or make it yourself.

Sprinkle this mixture of seeds and dried aromatics as a simple way to enhance both the flavor and texture of avocado toast. The seeds add a satisfying crunch, and the flaked sea salt helps to enhance the flavor of the avocado. The intensity of the onion and garlic isn't for everyone, so if this includes you, consider making your own seasoning mix with a ratio that suits your palate.

It's time to crank up the heat. Some like to kickstart their day with intensity, spice, and pizzaz, and for those, the Sriracha shortage was a nightmare. Seriously, with the sriracha shortage and its chaotic prices, some people even resorted to theft, because they just couldn't live without it. While we don't condone theft, we do understand just how good this sauce is, but keep in mind that there are other brands that produce a similar sauce that can stand in if you can't get your hands on any.

Sriracha has a kick of hot chilis, of tang of vinegar, layers of flavor including garlic undertones, and of course salt and sugar for balance. It's an absolutely essential ingredient to have on hand to easily enhance your avocado toast. If spice isn't your thing, a small drizzle should do the trick. But for spice lovers everywhere, you know the drill: Load up your toast and allow the avocado to mellow the heat.

While onions are bordering on "sandwich ingredient" territory, we've made space in this list for golden onions, and here's why. This style of onion is meant to be added in moderation and to enhance the avocado toast, not overpower it with flavor and texture. Just a few slices of sweet onion, caramelized and cooked down in olive oil, seasoned with turmeric and salt can make all the difference.

This is a great use for turmeric because not only does it add an earthy and peppery flavor, but it will also dye the onions and oil bright yellow, which will then dye the avocado. We can assure you that your brunch guests have never seen or tasted avocado toast like this. It's unique, flavorful, and delicious, and the onions add a sweetness that brings out the subtle flavors of the avocado. Be sure to spoon any extra oil from the pan onto the avocado toast to add additional aesthetic appeal.

There are two directions you can take when choosing ingredients to enhance the flavor of avocado toast. The first is to include olive oil, butter, or roasted garlic to elevate the fatty mouthfeel and creamy texture of avocados. The second is to choose ingredients that will highlight the fresh, grassy, and fruity aspects of avocado, like lemon juice or fresh herbs. Now, there are many types of herbs that could bring your avocado toast to the next level, but dill is a fan favorite. Not only is it grassy and citrusy, but its texture is delicate and it looks beautiful fanned out over avocado.

Select large, fresh dill leaves and lay them flat across your mashed avocado. Each bite will incorporate a small amount of the leaf, leaving a fresh and lingering flavor on your tongue. Go one step further and serve the dill avocado toast with the wedge of lemon, so the trio can work together to create a subtle yet refreshing experience.

For those who enjoy intensity of flavor, look no further than balsamic reduction. Unlike classic balsamic vinegar, it's been reduced until the overwhelming vinegar flavor is mostly cooked off. Remaining is a sweet and sticky, but powerful full-bodied syrup that pairs well with both sweet and savory ingredients. It's reminiscent of dark cherries, dates, blackberries, and molasses, with a red wine sour punch.

You can purchase balsamic vinegar reduction or make your own balsamic glaze. Drizzle a light amount of balsamic glaze on your avocado toast, creating a soft zigzag pattern, letting it drip down the sides and spill onto the plate. It's intense, so start with a small amount like you would with a garnish, and add more as you please. Some balsamic vinegar and reductions come flavored, especially with fruits. Because avocado has subtle notes of fruity undertones, many of these flavored balsamic reductions taste quite nice on avocado toast. But when in doubt, stick to the original.

Now, kimchi isn't for everyone. It's spicy, tangy, sour, intense, and crunchy. It's often quite garlicky and is powerful enough to dominate the flavor of avocado, leaving it mostly as a vehicle to soften the blow of the kimchi. This makes them a perfect pair, however, as the less kimchi you add the more it becomes a flavor enhancer. A few spoonfuls will steal the show, but just a dusting creates the perfect balance.

A benefit of eating fermented foods is that it creates a balanced gut microbiome. Natural probiotics are created during the fermentation process and our bodies just love them. Enjoying a spoonful of refrigerated sauerkraut or kimchi can help your digestive system stay on track, which helps to keep the rest of your body happy. Buy pre-made kimchi, or try your hand at a classic homemade kimchi recipe. It'll add a pleasing crunch to avocado toast, together with a plethora of fantastic, intense flavors. Avocado and kimchi make an incredible pairing when done right because they create contrast when eaten together. Enjoy the complexity, and start your day off with a healthful and flavorful kick.