Avocado Toast: Calories, Benefits, Downsides, and Recipe (2024)

Avocado toast is ubiquitous on breakfast menus these days. From small cafes and upscale restaurants to fast-food chains, you’re almost guaranteed to find some form of this meal on the menu.

Whether you order it while dining out or make your own, avocado toast is the perfect canvas for a variety of sweet and savory toppings.

But some people question if eating avocado (a high fat food that is also calorie dense) or eating toast (a carbohydrate-rich food) can be part of a health-promoting, well-rounded dietary pattern.

This article explores the nutritional value and possible health benefits of avocado toast, and it offers guidance on how to make your own for optimal nutrition.

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Avocado toast, in its simplest form, is bread toasted and topped with either mashed or sliced avocado. But many people will add toppings like eggs, fruits, vegetables, seasonings, and more.

It’s become a popular breakfast and brunch item, enjoyed both at home and at restaurants.

As public nutrition messaging has begun to embrace dietary fat in recent years — especially fat derived from plant-based sources like avocado — avocado toast has become a favorite among health and fitness enthusiasts.

The calories and other nutrition facts will vary depending on how you make your avocado toast.

Nutrition facts for avocado toast made on a 1-ounce slice of whole wheat bread with half of a medium avocado (50 grams) are (1, 2):

• Calories: 195
• Fat: 11 grams
• Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
• Sodium: 150 mg
• Carbs: 20 grams
• Fiber: 8 grams
• Sugar: 1 gram
• Protein: 5 grams
• Potassium: 425 mg

If you order avocado toast at a restaurant, make it with different bread, use more or less avocado, or add toppings, the actual nutritional composition will vary.

For example, the nutrition facts for one piece of avocado and roasted tomato toast from popular coffee chain Dunkin’ are (3):

• Calories: 260
• Fat: 10 grams
• Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
• Sodium: 630 mg
• Carbs: 37 grams
• Fiber: 7 grams
• Sugar: 4 grams
• Protein: 7 grams
• Potassium: 626 mg

Avocado toast at Dunkin’ is made with avocado mixed with lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper, and it’s served on sourdough toast with roasted tomatoes.

Adding to or adapting the recipe will change the nutrient value of your toast. For example, toppings like eggs, smoked salmon, and hemp seeds would boost the protein and healthy fat content.

Fruits and vegetables can add fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to make your avocado toast an even more nutritious breakfast or snack.

Avocado toast can be part of a weight loss plan.

Eating avocados has been linked with lower body weight, lower body mass index (BMI), and a smaller waist circumference (4, 5).

Some small studies have shown that consuming an avocado every day may lead to weight loss. It’s important to note, though, that much of the research in this area is funded by the Hass Avocado Board, so there’s potential for bias in these reports (6, 7).

Remember that weight loss isn’t caused or stymied by specific foods, but replacing certain foods with others — like using avocado on your toast instead of pork bacon, which is high in saturated fat, for example — may help support that goal.

Avocados are a good source of monounsaturated fats and fiber, two nutrients that have been noted for their roles in aiding weight loss (8, 9).

In addition, diets high in monounsaturated fat, such as the Mediterranean diet, are linked to lower body weight (10).

A review of several studies suggests that fat, especially poly- and monounsaturated fats, can increase feelings of fullness as well as reduce the release of hunger hormones in the body, which may contribute to weight loss (11).

If weight loss is your goal, you may want to choose whole grain bread and consider adding a protein source like an egg to your toast. It’ll help keep you full.

In addition to being delicious, avocado toast offers many health benefits.

Avocado toast offers monounsaturated fats

A half-cup of avocado provides 11 grams of monounsaturated fats. This type of fat has been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and lower levels of inflammation (12, 13, 14).

Monounsaturated fats may also improve blood sugar management and other health outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes (15, 16).

Avocado toast is an excellent source of fiber

People often think of avocado only as a good source of fat, but a 1/2 cup of the fruit also provides 8 grams of fiber, which is about 30% of the Reference Daily Intake (1).

When paired with whole grain bread, the fiber count increases even more.

Fiber slows digestion, helping you feel full longer. It’s also linked to numerous positive health outcomes, as it plays an important role in gut health and can promote healthy digestion [17, 18].

Avocado toast provides vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

Avocado is an excellent source of B vitamins, folate, vitamin K, and vitamin E. It’s also a good source of magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C (1).

It contains a variety of phytonutrients, including tocopherols, carotenoids, phenolics, and phytosterols. These antioxidants are linked to heart health, eye health, and skin health (19).

Whole grain bread also contains B vitamins and may contain minerals like zinc, iron, and magnesium (2).

While avocado toast offers many potential health benefits, it may not be the best choice for everyone.

First, avocado toast lacks a significant source of protein, which is an important part of a balanced meal. But that’s easily rectified by topping it with an egg, smoked salmon, tempeh “bacon,” or beans.

In addition, some avocado toasts can easily go from nutritious to more indulgent with toppings like pork bacon or a lot of cheese, which would add saturated fat. Excess saturated fat is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease (20).

It’s also important to consider the type of bread you use and how much of it you eat per serving. White bread, which is a type of refined carbohydrate, is linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease when eaten in excess (21).

Lastly, there are some concerns about the environmental impacts of eating a lot of avocados, mostly related to transporting them around the world from California and Mexico.

A basic avocado toast is pretty simple. Just toast your bread and top it with either mashed or sliced avocado and a pinch of sea salt.

However, there are so many interesting and tasty ways to level up your avocado toast. Here are a few ideas for toppings:

• egg any style (hard boiled and sliced, scrambled, poached, or fried), sliced tomato, and everything bagel seasoning
• smoked salmon with sliced cucumbers and chives or dill
• sliced strawberries and a drizzle of balsamic glaze
• sliced radishes and arugula with fresh ground pepper
• tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella
• black beans, salsa, and shredded Monterey jack cheese
• crumbled goat cheese and fresh, sliced figs
• red onion, chopped jalapeño, and corn
• hemp seeds or sunflower seeds with a squeeze of lime

Don’t be afraid to get creative and mix and match toppings for a sweet or savory meal.

Avocado toast is a filling breakfast or snack that offers many potential health benefits. The nutritional value will vary depending on how you make it or where you order it.

Avocados provide healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which contribute to overall health and a reduced risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Avocados may also aid in weight management.

When paired with whole grain toast, you’ll eat even more fiber, vitamins, and minerals, getting even more health benefits.

Avocado toast is delicious on its own, but it can be even tastier with your favorite toppings. Top with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds for an extra nutrition boost.