Breakfast

Serving

Breakfast Kid-friendly Quick & easy

Avocado Toast with Poached Egg

Name: Avocado Toast with Poached Egg
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Breakfast
Ingredients: 2 thick slices sourdough bread; 1 large ripe avocado; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1 tablespoon white vinegar; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Crusty toasted sourdough piled with bright, lemony smashed avocado and topped with a soft poached egg that spills its golden yolk on first cut.

15 minutes

Serves 2

Breakfast

7 min prep

11 min cook

Contains common allergens

Egg Wheat

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Good to know

Crispy
Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
Bring a small pot of water to a gentle simmer and stir in the vinegar while you prep everything else.
2
Halve the avocado, scoop the flesh into a bowl, add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and mash with a fork to a chunky spread.
3
Toast the sourdough slices until deeply golden and crisp at the edges, then drizzle each with olive oil.
4
Crack each egg into a small cup and slip it into the simmering water; poach 3 minutes for a runny yolk, then lift out with a slotted spoon and blot on a paper towel.
5
Spread the smashed avocado thickly over the warm toast and set a poached egg on top of each.
6
Finish with flaky salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, then serve right away.

Avocado Toast with Poached Egg — plated and served — Serving moment. How Avocado Toast with Poached Egg looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

78/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 65

Weeknight-easy 96

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 56

Pantry-friendly 74

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

370

Calories

11 g

Protein

24 g

Carbs

28 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Avocado on toast has deep roots in Mexican and Australian cafe culture, but the version topped with a runny poached egg became a global breakfast and brunch icon in the 2010s. Its appeal is simple contrast: cool, fatty avocado against crisp toast, brightened with acid and crowned with a yolk that turns into sauce. It endures because it is fast, flexible, and quietly nutritious.

Listahan note

This version treats both elements with care, seasoning the avocado with acid and salt rather than leaving it plain, and walking through a reliable poach. It is built to come together in the time the toast browns.

Technique cues

Season the mashed avocado with lemon and salt right away, both to brighten it and to slow the browning.
Poach the egg in barely-simmering water with a splash of vinegar, and lower it in gently so the white wraps the yolk instead of feathering apart.
Toast the bread dark enough to stay crisp under the wet toppings, since pale toast turns soggy fast.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Get the poaching water heating while the bread toasts and the avocado is mashed, so all three finish together.
Make-ahead: Poach eggs ahead and hold them in cold water, then rewarm for 30 seconds in hot water just before plating.
Leftover move: Leftover seasoned avocado keeps a day pressed with plastic wrap and works as a dip or sandwich spread.
Cleanup rhythm: It is a near-zero-mess dish; rinse the poaching pot and the cutting board right away before avocado dries on.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

ripe avocado

creamy base

Purpose: A properly ripe avocado gives the cool, buttery richness the whole dish is built around.

Handling: Mash or slice and season immediately with acid and salt.

Adaptation: Mashed white beans or peas make a lighter green spread if avocados are unripe.

eggs

protein and sauce

Purpose: The runny poached yolk becomes a built-in sauce that ties the toast together.

Handling: Use the freshest eggs possible, since older whites spread; poach 3 minutes for a runny center.

Adaptation: A fried or soft-boiled egg works if poaching feels fussy.

crusty bread

the structural base

Purpose: A sturdy slice like sourdough holds up under wet toppings without collapsing.

Handling: Toast until deeply golden and crisp.

Adaptation: Gluten-free seeded bread or thick whole grain both work well.

lemon juice

brightener

Purpose: Acid cuts the richness of the avocado and egg and keeps the whole bite from feeling heavy.

Handling: Squeeze over the mashed avocado and adjust to taste.

Adaptation: Lime juice or a splash of vinegar works similarly.

red pepper flakes or flaky salt

finishing pop

Purpose: A final hit of heat and crunchy salt lifts a plain toast into something craveable.

Handling: Scatter over the assembled toast just before serving.

Adaptation: Everything-bagel seasoning or za'atar adds texture and flavor in one step.

Technique notes

Create a gentle whirlpool in the water before sliding the egg in to help the white gather around the yolk.
Lift the poached egg onto a paper towel for a few seconds to shed water so it does not flood the toast.
Build in order: toast, then avocado as a bed, then egg on top so the egg has something to sit in rather than slide off.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Use a sturdy gluten-free or seeded bread that holds up to wet toppings.
Vegan option: Skip the egg and top with a soft marinated tofu or chickpea smash for protein.
Higher-protein direction: Add two eggs or a layer of cottage cheese under the avocado to push the protein up.

Serve alongside

Mixed greens with lemon vinaigrette
Roasted cherry tomatoes
Cured smoked salmon
Fresh fruit salad
Flat white
Fresh-pressed green juice
Sparkling water with lemon

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Best assembled and eaten immediately, as toast softens and avocado browns. Store leftover seasoned avocado pressed with wrap for up to a day, and poached eggs in cold water in the fridge for up to two days, rewarming in hot water before use.

Equipment

Wide shallow pan or saucepan for poaching
Slotted spoon
Toaster or skillet
Fork or small masher for the avocado

Make this household-aware

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