How to Make an Avocado Toast Board

Make your next get-together more exciting with an easy Avocado Toast Board! With just a few ingredients from the grocery store, you can let guests create their own avocado toast or bowl with toppings they love. How much fun is that?!

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Setting up an Avocado Toast Board doesn’t take much time and can make any get-together seem like more of an occasion. Start with a few ripe avocados, arrange toppings like crumbled cheese, crispy bacon, and smoked salmon. Thinly sliced veggies add flavor and crunch, and having them artfully arranged on a board makes it fun for everyone to grab their favorites.

For even more flavor, add a few condiments and seasonings. You can set out olive oil or hot sauce for drizzling, along with salt, pepper, and herbs like cilantro or basil. In just a few minutes, you’ll have a colorful avocado bar that lets everyone create their perfect breakfast or brunch!

Suggested toppings

What you include in your avocado toast bar is up to you and no ingredients should be off limits. Below is a quick glance at what I prefer to add, but you can just put out whatever you happen to have in your fridge.

The hard part for me is to remember that I'm not the only one who's going to be eating it, so I include things that I don't necessarily like (hello hummus. 🫤), but I know others do. Gosh, I'm such a good person.

Kid hack: Spreading creamy avocado on bread and then letting them find different ways to put stuff on top is a great way to get kids to eat vegetables & fruit on their own terms. Thank me later 😉

• Vegetables - I like the classics like thinly sliced radish, red onion, and cucumber, along with slightly thicker slices of tomato, but some blanched asparagus spears or snow peas would be amazing.
• Proteins - I like to include popular proteins, like smoked salmon and prosciutto, but I also like to incorporate some salty meats, like salami and bacon. Others like to include a hard-boiled eggs or poached eggs. When arranging things, I try to be mindful of anyone who might be vegetarian or vegan and minimize the proteins touching the vegetables. 
• Other spreads - Not everyone loves avocado, but I still want them to feel included, so I add cream cheese, hummus, and maybe some caramelized onions in small bowls on the board.
• Add texture - I always add some nuts, some seeds, maybe a crumbled cheese, or a salty caper to add textural and flavor contrasts.

What to use to serve your board?

You do not have to go out and purchase a special wooden cutting board to set up a toast board or charcuterie board. In my pictures I'm using a large cutting board I purchased over 20 years ago for slicing our turkey. I laid parchment paper on top to keep it tidy and when we're all done eating, I just have to lift the parchment paper off, crumple it up, and toss it in the trash.

If you don't have parchment paper, feel free to cover your cutting board and butcher paper or wax paper. Anything will do. Don't have a cutting board? Lay butcher paper or parchment paper down the center of your serving table and arrange your ingredients right on top.

All about your avocados

In planning your board, I recommend allowing ½ an avocado per person. That might not sound like a lot, but with toast and a wide variety of toppings it's more than enough to satisfy everyone's appetite.

Ripe, ready-to-eat avocados often have a dark green to black color, but since color can vary by variety, it’s best to use both firmness and color as a guide. To check if an avocado is ripe, gently press it with your thumb—it should yield slightly without feeling mushy.

Opening

Cut the avocado in half: Place the avocado on a cutting board, hold it steady, and slice it lengthwise around the pit using a sharp knife.

Twist and separate: Twist the two halves in opposite directions to separate them, exposing the pit in one half.

Remove the pit safely: Gently tap the pit with the heel of your knife blade so it sticks, then twist the knife to dislodge the pit. Carefully lift the pit out and discard.

Preparing

For an avocado toast bar, it’s nice to offer a couple of ways to serve the avocado so guests can choose what they like best. With more options you give everyone flexibility to build their avocado toast however they like.

Mashed: A classic avocado mash is essential. The mashed texture is perfect for spreading and mixes well with various toppings. Mix in lemon juice  or lime juice, to reduce browning, and add your favorite seasoning. Simple salt and black pepper are great, or you can make it into creamy guacamole.

Diced: Dice some avocado into small cubes, which works well for those who want to scoop or sprinkle it on salads or mix it with toppings for a wholesome breakfast veggie bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss with citrus juice or olive oil.

Sliced: Lay an avocado half face down on your cutting board and make thin slices. Gently fan the slices out and use a spatula to slide underneath and lay the whole thing in the center of your board so guests can easily grab slices for layering on toast or crackers.

Use a pastry brush to brush lemon or lime juice over the top of all of your slices to keep them from turning brown.

Setting up the board

1. I like to lay out my ingredients starting at the sliced avocado and moving outwards to the edge of the board, balancing ingredients on both sides for easy access.

2. Place other spreads in small dishes, along with toppings that may get lost on the board like pomegranate seeds, nuts, and capers

3. To avoid getting other ingredients wet, I like to set my sliced tomatoes on paper towel for about 10 minutes to absorb excess liquid before placing them on the board.

4. Have a variety of toasted breads set up on each side of the board, so that everyone can choose their favorite and avoid reaching over.

Best breads for avocado toast

I like to keep my breads separate from the toast board toppings to keep the bread from getting soggy and to make room for more stuff on the board. I came here for the stuff!

The choices of bread for your avocado toast are endless, but here are my favorite picks:

• Artisan Loaf - I love my no knead bread cut in thin slices and then toasted. Sourdough boules are also are great for avocado toast.
• Nutty whole grain bread - A hearty nutty bread pairs beautifully with creamy avocado, especially when topped with deli meats, cheeses, or smoked salmon.
• Seeded crackers - These add crunch and a bit of nuttiness.
• Mini bagels- A mini version of my homemade bagels holds up well to smoked salmon, deli meats, and tangy ingredients like pickled onions or mustard.
• Gluten free - Having a gluten free bread available makes this an inclusive board for everyone. Gluten free crackers are also great for anyone avoiding bread but also gives a lighter option as a base.

Key Takeaways

• Provide different types of bread: Include options like sourdough, whole grain, and gluten-free bread, plus crackers and mini bagels, so everyone can choose what they like.
• Prepare the avocado in a few ways: Offer mashed, sliced, and diced avocado so your guests can pick the texture they prefer.
• Set out a variety of toppings: Have a mix of toppings, like cheese, deli meats, smoked salmon, fresh veggies, and crunchy or salty extras like nuts, seeds, and capers. Have flaky sea salt and bagel seasoning available for guests to season as well.
• Arrange for easy access: Organize the ingredients so guests can easily move from one section to the next, and keep extra supplies nearby to refill as needed.
• Keep it fresh: To avoid food waste, only place a small amount of each topping on the board so that it is not overcrowded and everything is easy to get to. Have extras of each topping stored in the refrigerator for easy replenishing.

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