Avocado Toast with Roasted Tomatoes

Elevate your avocado toast game with this casual but super-gourmet open-faced sandwich! Featuring fresh sliced avocado, roasted cherry tomatoes, marinated red onions and drizzles of date syrup and tahini, this dish combines sweet and savory to be enjoyed literally any time of day.

Why I Love this Avocado Toast with Roasted Tomatoes

• Complex flavor profile - sweet, savory and salty
• Refreshing and comforting from both cold and warm ingredients
• Smooth and creamy with a slight crunch from the toasted bread
• Rich yet light
• Beautiful array of colors
• Healthy and nutritious
• Serve as breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack or even a light lunch!
• Vegan, refined sugar-free and gluten-free (if using GF toast)

Ingredients

I've always believed that for simple recipes such as this, the quality of the ingredients makes a huge difference. I'm talking ripe avocados, plump, juicy tomatoes and good quality bread!

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

The Essentials

• Avocados - A ripe avocado will be slightly firm and yield to gentle pressure (overripe ones are mushy and underripe ones are hard). Look for ones in grocery stores that are bumpy (rather than smooth) with a deep greenish black color.
• Tomatoes - I roast cherry tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Look for ones that are red, plump and firm. Freshly sliced raw heirloom tomatoes also work well if you want to skip the roasting, but the jammy, flavor-concentrated juiciness of roasted cherry tomatoes are highly recommended!
• Toast: The toast can make or break the dish! Choose any type of bread you wish. I enjoy it over gluten-free bread and I'll serve it on whole grain bread for my husband. Regardless of the type, the key is to toast it until crisp and golden brown.
• Flaky sea salt - A pinch of salt brings out all of the flavors and is an absolute must!

The Good Stuff (use any or all)

• Marinated onions - This takes 10 minutes but is so worth it! Simply toss thinly sliced red onions with olive oil, white distilled vinegar, date syrup and salt. The olive oil cuts down the sharpness of the onions and it is so flavorful.
• Microgreens - This nutritious addition provides a subtle leafy texture along with a beautiful aesthetic. Arugula would also work well here.
• Drizzle of date syrup - This has a sweet, complex flavor that drizzles really well. It looks like balsamic vinegar but adds sweetness rather than acidity.
• Drizzle of tahini - Creamy, nutty tahini provides a richness that complements this dish perfectly.
• Drizzle of olive oil - Good quality extra virgin olive oil adds a little buttery flavor.
• Hemp hearts - Sprinkle some hemp hearts for added texture and a nutritional boost.

How to Make this Tomato Avocado Toast Recipe

1. Roast the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pour olive oil to a small cast iron skillet or baking sheet. Add cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast for 10 minutes until the tomatoes start to wrinkle.

2. Marinate the onions (optional). While the tomatoes roast, thinly slice the red onion using a mandolin (level 1) and toss in a small bowl with olive oil, white distilled vinegar, date syrup and salt. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, tossing halfway.

3. Build the toast. Layer the sliced avocado, roasted tomatoes and marinated onions onto slices of toasted bread.

4. Garnish. Top with microgreens and thin drizzles of olive oil, date syrup and tahini. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and hemp hearts, if using.

5. Serve immediately. Enjoy while the roasted tomatoes are still warm for best results.

Recipe Tips

Keep it simple or dress it up. This dish can be as casual or gourmet as you wish. The simplest way is to add freshly sliced avocado and heirloom tomatoes to a slice of toast and top with a little salt. The super-gourmet option (highly recommended!) is to roast cherry tomatoes and add the onions, microgreens and all the fun drizzles. But feel free to end up anywhere in between!

Roast more tomatoes for meal prep. While roasting tomatoes for this recipe, add more to have on hand throughout the week. They work well with essentially any Italian dish, pastas, pasta salads and wraps. Take it a step further with this insanely delicious tomato confit!

Storage

Store leftover tomatoes and marinated onions separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

When ready to enjoy again, reheat the tomatoes in the microwave and serve with freshly sliced avocado, the refrigerated marinated onions and a new piece of toast.

Health Benefits of Avocado

Avocados offer healthy fats, dietary fiber, vitamins B6, C, E and K, folate, potassium and magnesium. According to the National Institutes of Health, avocado consumption is associated with improved overall diet quality, nutrient intake, and reduced risk of metabolic syndrome (source).

Avocados have also been associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases (source) when part of a balanced diet.

Health Benefits of Tomato

Tomatoes are high in potassium, vitamin C and fiber, while also containing iron, manganese and vitamins A and B6. In addition, there are many findings of evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer action of tomato bioactive compounds (source).

Which Type of Tomato is Best for Avocado Toast?

For the best avocado toast, cherry tomatoes are the clear-cut winner in my opinion. Cherry tomatoes are sweet, tangy and super juicy. They have a thinner skin too, making them easier and softer to bite into, especially when roasted.

Grape tomatoes are smaller than cherry tomatoes and have a thicker skin with a meaty texture. They are perfectly fine to substitute for cherry tomatoes in this recipe, but they aren't quite as sweet.

Roma tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes are options as well, but I would not roast them for this recipe. Instead, I would simply keep them raw and use slices of tomato.

More Easy Vegan Recipes Featuring Avocado

• Protein-Packed Avocado Toast
• 5-Minute Avocado Spread
• Chipotle Guacamole
• Grilled Stuffed Avocado with Quinoa and Mango
• 5-Minute Avocado Mango Smoothie