DIY Avocado Toast Bar: The Ultimate Interactive Brunch

Impress your guests with a picture-perfect DIY avocado toast bar! Learn to host a delicious and delightfully interactive brunch with this guide to our favorite toppings, bread selection, and set-up.

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What You’ll Need for an Avocado Toast Bar

Here are the basic items you’ll need to get started.

• Avocados: If you’re shopping early for your avocados, pick firmer ones with a hint of green. If your brunch party is the next day, the avocados should be a little soft to the touch — always remove the stem and ensure the inside is green!
• Bread: Choose your favorite. Great options are sourdough, Italian bread, brioche, bagels, or challah. For a gluten-free option, I like to serve slices of roasted sweet potato or rice cakes.
• Toppings: See below for a complete list of colorful, diverse toppings. This is where you can get creative!
• Serving boards and bowls: I like to use wood trays to arrange the slices of toasted bread and a large platter or small bowls to display the toppings.
• Serving utensils: Tongs make picking up slices of toast easy, while small forks are great for placing in individual toppings bowls. You’ll also need a few butter knives for spreads like cream cheese or hummus.
• Plates: While you can use your own plates, these disposable, biodegradable bamboo plates are my go-to when hosting parties.
• Napkins: Linen napkins are an easy way to elevate your avocado toast bar — or use these fun avocado paper napkins to stay on theme!

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The Best Avocado Toast Toppings

Whatever toppings you decide on, make sure to keep color, texture, and flavor in mind. You want contrast!

• Hummus: Any type of hummus can be layered onto the bread before the avocado for extra flavor. I like to use beet hummus for a hint of sweetness and a vibrant contrast of color.
• Caramelized onions add a rich, sweet flavor. Toss the sliced onions in the skillet with olive oil while you prep the other toppings.
• Raw veggies: Shaved asparagus, thinly sliced radish, and carrot ribbons are a few of my favorite raw vegetables to use because they add crisp texture and a pop of color.
• Pickled veggies: For tangy flavor, add pickled onions, radishes, or carrots.
• Cream cheese or crumbled cheese: Feta or goat cheese make a nice cheesy topping. You can also spread a layer of cream cheese on the bread before adding the avocado.
• Eggs: Hard-boiled or fried eggs add extra protein but require a little more prep work.
• Coconut or mushroom bacon adds a nice contrast of umami flavor to the avocado toast.
• Meat or seafood: Prosciutto and smoked salmon are easy and delicious protein additions.
• Tomatoes: Avoid big juicy tomatoes like heirlooms. Instead, opt for tiny tomatoes like cherry, grape, or baby heirlooms.
• Fruit: It may seem like an odd choice, but halved blackberries or pomegranate arils are the perfect tart and tangy addition to avocado toast.
• Olive oil and balsamic glaze: A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil complements and enhances the avocado’s natural earthy, balanced flavor, while a balsamic glaze adds a tangy taste.
• Hot sauce: If you like your avocado toast with some heat, lay out a few different bottles of hot sauce. If you happen to have chili crisp on hand, this is my favorite way to add a kick to avocado toast!
• Spices: Flaky sea salt, red pepper flakes, Aleppo chili flakes, black pepper, za’atar, furikake, and everything bagel seasoning are all great options.
• Seeds: Hemp seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds add a hint of crunch.
• Herbs: Fresh basil or fresh mint are two of my favorites, but cilantro and parsley are great options, too.

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Mashed or Sliced Avocado

There is no right or wrong choice here. I like serving both options. Mashed avocado is the way to go if you don’t have the patience to cut perfect slices of avocado. Sliced avocado is for those more meticulous hostesses — you know who you are!

• Avocado mash: Slice each avocado in half and remove the pits. Squeeze the flesh of each avocado into the bowl and use a fork to mash it all together. I like to add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice and salt.
• Sliced avocado: Cut the avocados in half and carefully remove the pits. Use a sharp knife to cut lines vertically down each avocado half. Then, grab a spoon to scoop out the flesh and place the slices onto a plate.

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How to Keep Your Avocados Green

• Citrus: Spritz a little lemon or lime juice over the top of the avocado mash or slices to keep them fresh.
• Plastic wrap: Place plastic wrap on top of the avocado and gently press it down to remove any exposure to air. Then, remove it just before your guests arrive.

How Many Avocados to Buy for an Avocado Toast Bar

It’s best to overestimate, as there will always be an avocado or two that is brown and unsuitable for displaying on your bar. The brown avocados can be used in your mashed avocado — with a bit of lemon, they come back to life! A good rule of thumb is to grab two avocados per guest.

How to Pick the Right Avocados

There are two steps to finding a perfectly ripe avocado. First, gently press your fingers into the skin. You don’t want a solid and firm avocado, but you also don’t want a super squishy one. Opt for one that is just soft to the touch. Second, peel off the stem and look at the color. The interior should be a light, clean green without any browning.

The Best Bread for Avocado Toast

• Sourdough
• Italian bread
• Brioche
• Bagels
• Challah

SB Tip: You can also lay out a platter with roasted sweet potato slices instead of toast. This makes a tasty gluten-free option! Rice cakes are another substitute.

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Setting Up Your Avocado Toast Bar

Buffet serving is the easiest way to present your beautiful avocado toast bar.

1. Prep the toppings. Start with the cold or room-temperature items, then prepare anything cooked last. Place lids on top of anything that needs to stay warm. Arrange everything in small bowls.
2. Toast the bread. Work in batches, toasting all of your bread options.
3. Prep the avocado. Slice open your avocados and create mashed or sliced avocado. If you have time before your guests arrive, be sure to spritz a little citrus over top of the avocado and press plastic wrap into the bowls or over the plates.
4. Set up the bar. Start the buffet with plates, followed by the toast options. Then, serve the toppings, beginning with items that typically go on the first layer. Place finishing touches last, such as microgreens, herbs, seeds, spices, and sauces. At the end, place napkins.

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Prepping Your Ingredients

Gather a cutting board and sharp knife to begin prepping each topping.

1. Oils, sauces, and spices: Start by setting out your olive oil, balsamic glaze, and hot sauces. Set out small bowls of microgreens, herbs, seeds, and spices.
2. Plant-based bacon: You can make coconut bacon or mushroom bacon ahead of time. Place them in bowls.
3. Caramelized onions: Warm olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add thin slices of onion and let cook while you prep the rest of the toppings. Toward the end of cooking, add a little salt and pepper. Use red, yellow, or sweet onion.
4. Veggies and fruit: Thinly slice any raw veggies and place them in bowls. This includes your tomatoes. Slice any fruit at this time, too.
5. Cheese and hummus: If using crumbled cheese, cream cheese, or hummus, scoop them out of their containers into bowls with spoons or butter knives.
6. Pickled veggies: Add any pickled veggies to bowls.
7. Eggs: If using hard-boiled or fried eggs, prepare them and transfer them to a serving platter.
8. Meat and seafood: Arrange prosciutto or smoked salmon on an individual tray.
9. Utensils: Finally, make sure every topping has a serving utensil.

With endless topping possibilities, an avocado toast bar is the perfect way to impress your guests at your next brunch party!

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Cheers to a tasty brunch party!

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