Pesto Avocado Toast with Fresh Tomatoes

Say hello to the summer avocado toast of your dreams topped with vibrant pesto and sliced tomatoes! It’s avocado toast on a whole new level. Just 15 minutes and 10 ingredients required for this incredibly delicious breakfast or snack celebrating the best of summer. Let us show you how it’s done!

How to Make Pesto Avocado Toast

Friends, it might sound simple, but this avocado toast truly is next level deliciousness! It involves:

1. Your favorite bread
2. Smashed avocado
3. Basil pesto
4. Sliced tomato
5. And a pinch each of sea salt and red pepper flakes

First, let’s talk about the bread. We love a hearty, artisan sourdough, or for a gluten-free and vegan option, New Cascadia Farmhouse Sandwich Bread is the way to go. And we like toasting it twice for extra crispiness (anyone else?).

When it comes to scoring the perfect avocados, we recommend buying them when they’re nearly ripe and preferably at the peak of the season (spring and summer). They should be soft to the touch, but don’t squeeze too hard, or you’ll get brown spots near the skin.

We find it’s best to let avocados ripen at room temperature for a day or two and then transfer them to the fridge where they’ll stay fresh for another few days.

Next up: the pesto. Inspired by our Easy Vegan Pesto, this slightly modified, nut-free version keeps just the essentials but is somehow even better.

We tested putting the pesto both directly on the bread and on top of the avocado. Because it can make the bread soggy, we prefer having the layer of avocado between the bread and the pesto (avocado to the rescue)!

We finish it off with tomato for a fresh, tangy, natural sweetness that is pure magic with the richness of the avocado. A pinch of sea salt draws out even more flavor from the tomato. And a pinch of red pepper flakes adds a gentle heat that sends this avocado toast into “want to eat it every day” land. You really must give this one a try, friends!

We hope you LOVE this avocado toast! It’s:

Crunchy
Zesty
Herby
Creamy
Quick & easy
& SO perfect for summer!

Make the pesto at the beginning of the week to enjoy effortless and flavorful avocado toast all week long! It’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, or lunch alongside a fresh green salad and/or soup (Romesco Soup with Smashed Chickpeas or Creamy Asparagus and Pea Soup are our recommendations).

More Avocado Recipes

• Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad
• Creamy Avocado Banana Green Smoothie
• Panko Baked Avocado Tacos
• Easy Avocado Aioli (Oil-Free!)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Pesto Avocado Toast with Fresh Tomatoes

Summer on toast: Smashed avocado is topped with zesty vegan pesto and thinly sliced tomatoes. Just 15 minutes required for this plant-based meal or snack!

Author Minimalist Baker

Print SAVE SAVED

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 (Slice)

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Gluten-Free (optional), Vegan

Freezer Friendly 1 Month (pesto only)

Does it keep? Best when fresh

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

BASIL PESTO

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil (large stems and buds removed // ~3 ounce or 85 g package as recipe is written)
• 2-3 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp water (plus more as needed // or sub additional olive oil)

TOAST

• 1 slice bread of choice (vegan, gluten-free as needed // we like New Cascadia Farmhouse)
• 1/4 – 1/3 large avocado, sliced (ripe and green)
• 2 Tbsp basil pesto (ingredients listed above)
• 1-2 slices tomato (heirloom for best flavor // or baby cherry tomatoes)
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

• PESTO: To a food processor or small blender, add the basil, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and sea salt and blend/mix on high until a loose paste forms.
• Add olive oil a little at a time (streaming in while the machine is on if possible) and scrape down sides as needed. Then add water a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached — a loose, scoopable sauce that’s not too thin or watery.
• AVOCADO TOAST: Toast bread in a toaster or in the oven until golden brown. Top with sliced avocado and use a fork to smash. Then add 2 tablespoons pesto (per slice of bread) and spread it over the avocado with a fork or spoon. Add sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with a pinch each of sea salt and red pepper flakes. Enjoy right away!
• Pesto can be made in advance and used for avocado toast throughout the week. Store leftover pesto in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. After that, pour into an ice cube tray, freeze, and store up to 1 month or more. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight.

Video

Notes

*Recipe as written makes enough pesto for 3 slices of toast.
*Pesto slightly modified from our Easy Vegan Pesto.
*Inspired by Picnik in Austin, Texas.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with whole wheat bread and with 2 tablespoons pesto per slice.

Nutrition (1 of 1 servings)

Serving: 1 slice Calories: 221 Carbohydrates: 23 g Protein: 9.1 g Fat: 11.4 g Saturated Fat: 1.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8 g Monounsaturated Fat: 6.9 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 438 mg Potassium: 512 mg Fiber: 6.5 g Sugar: 2.6 g Vitamin A: 1419 IU Vitamin C: 13.2 mg Calcium: 112 mg Iron: 2.2 mg