4 Alternatives For Avocado On Toast

So I LIKE avocado toast. But I don’t LOVE avocado toast. It’s one of those meals that, if it’s in front of me, I’ll happily eat – and now and again, I’ll get an urge to make it my new breakfast. That urge usually sustains itself for a few days until I start to drift away from it, in search of something new. 

Videos by Sporked

Why does it wane in my affections? I’m not sure; I love the combo of creaminess, slight acidity, and saltiness it brings to the table (once you’ve added lemon juice and flaky sea salt, obv). And I want that elsewhere…just without the avocado, sometimes. So, here are a few alternatives for when the avos start to lose their lustre. 

Pea Purée

The most obvious similarity between pea purée and smashed avocados is their visual appearance: Both of them have a jade-ish green hue and a nice smoothness. Opting for pea purée instead of avocados as a toast topper, though, will not just give you a boost of protein but also an earthier, nuttier, almost more fibrous flavor (fiber doesn’t really have a flavor, but you know what I mean). It’s a great choice for when you want something ever-so-slightly different without rocking the boat too much – and it’s also very capable of taking on additional flavors from heat and acid sources. A fabulous use of frozen peas: Just blend, add whatever you want in there, and go to town.

Pesto Hummus

Want something a bit more Mediterranean-inspired in the morning? Pesto hummus is the way to go. This is an obviously more savory option, but one that feels hearty and light at the same time, somehow. It’s also delightfully aromatic: You get garlic, cheese, and herbal aromas. Talk about waking up the senses first thing. 

Blended Cottage Cheese And Herbs

Cottage cheese’s texture can prevent it from being truly creamy for some (the curds! The dreaded curds!), but there’s an easy fix for that: Put it in a blender. A quick dance amongst the blades, and it’ll turn into a ricotta dupe that’s ready to take on flavors. 

If you want to keep things simple, you can smooth it onto your toast with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt – but mixing in chopped herbs will give it additional vibrancy, and some of the vegetal flavor that the avocado would otherwise bring (although in a different way, of course – but you want to capture that freshness). 

Baba Ghanoush

Left field, but bear with me. The flavor profiles of avocados and baba ghanoush are very different, but the roasted eggplant of the latter provides some of the former’s appealing squidge. The tahini, meanwhile, brings smoothness, and the lemon juice provides the acidity you’d get if you’re mixing your avos with a touch of citrus. 

Beyond these parallels, though, I think that baba ghanoush is wholly underrated on toast. It’s hearty, bright, warming, and layered — and if it works with crackers, why wouldn’t it work as a toast topper? I might be preaching to the choir here, in which case, forgive me. But I love it.