This Elevated Avocado Toast with Egg Recipe Is the Perfect Way to Start Your Day
Avocado toast with egg is a simple classic, but you can quickly make it feel restaurant-worthy with this butter-basted technique.
If you love a runny egg yolk on avocado toast with a light, buttery flavor, this recipe is for you. It’s also just a fun recipe to make. Most avocado toast recipes treat the egg as an afterthought: a simple topping to the main event. This one treats the eggs as the star they deserve to be, with a handy trick for runnier, richer eggs that don’t require a messy flip.
The secret? Butter basting. Basting your eggs makes you feel like a real chef (and the results will taste like it, too). And if you really want to feel like a pro, make this for friends and family in a stainless steel pan. Let’s cover how exactly to achieve this.
Why Basting Beats Frying or Poaching
Basting involves spooning hot, foaming butter over the egg, which cooks the top gently while the bottom sets. This results in a custardy yolk and a tender white, which I personally prefer to the crispy edges of a fried egg or the complicated steps of a poached egg.
Plus, all of this happens without ever needing to flip your egg, which helps avoid a potential mess. The butter basting also gives you more control over the perfect cook on your yolk. Do you like your yolks runny, soft, or firm? You can have any one of those. If you want firmer yolks, all you need to do is to baste your eggs a little longer. Note that you will need to use a little more butter than usual to have enough liquid to baste the eggs, so don’t be shy!
Choosing Quality Ingredients
Ingredient quality matters here. Go for free-range eggs, and organic if budget allows. You’ll get yellower, more vibrant yolks (sometimes even bordering on orange) that are richer in nutrition — and they just taste better. Grab your favorite loaf of sourdough bread (or any bread!) from your local bakery and cut yourself a thick slice. Toast it in a pan with a grill press, if you have one, to achieve your favorite golden shade. This will create that crustiness and texture to sop up that broken egg yolk once it’s pierced.
Finally, I like to add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to my avocado mash to give it a bright, guac-like flavor. Finish your toast off with some salty feta cheese and microgreens, or feel free to get creative with whatever you like. This is a restaurant-worthy dish that makes for a delicious breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. Enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
Eggs
Avocado Toast
To Finish
Instructions
Avocado Toast Prep
- Halve and pit the avocado, then scoop into a bowl. Add lemon juice and a pinch of flaky salt. Mash to your preferred texture — chunky or smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Toast the sourdough until golden. Spread the avocado mash generously on the toast while it’s still warm. Set plates aside.
Stainless Steel Butter-Basted Eggs
- Place a stainless steel skillet over medium heat and let it preheat for at least 2 minutes with nothing in it — don’t rush this step, as it’s what makes the pan nonstick. To check readiness, do the water-drop test: a drop of water should bead into a single ball and glide around the pan. If it sizzles and evaporates instead, keep heating.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter. It will melt and foam; swirl the pan to coat evenly. Once the foam begins to subside, the pan is ready for eggs.
- Crack the eggs directly into the pan, one at a time. Let the whites begin to set and turn opaque. Don’t touch them or try to flip them during this time.
- Tilt the pan at a 30–45° angle so the butter pools at the lower edge of your pan. So what are basted eggs, exactly? This is where the technique comes in. Using a large spoon, baste, or continuously scoop the hot foaming butter over the whites and yolks — this cooks the tops with steam and heat, no flipping needed. So what are basted eggs? Baste for 1–2 minutes until the whites are fully set and the yolks are cooked to your liking. For a firmer yolk, remove from heat and cover with a lid for another minute.
- Sprinkle the eggs with flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Using a spatula, release the eggs from the pan — they should lift easily if the pan was properly preheated. Slide them onto the avocado toast.
- Top with feta, chives, or microgreens and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, over easy eggs are flipped and briefly cooked on both sides. Basting never flips the egg, so the yolk stays undisturbed and the white cooks more evenly.
Yes, it’s always an option to use a poached egg as a swap in this recipe. However, note that you’ll lose that gorgeous, buttery flavor that basting adds.
Stainless steel gives the best browning and control once you know the heat level. Nonstick is easier for beginners but won’t build the same fond or flavor.
