Photo: Stocksy/Carli Teteris
Smooth, creamy, and just way too delicious to resist, avocado toast is one of those enduring food trends you’ll have to rip from our cold, dead hands. At this point, this popular dish has become a mainstay on most brunch menus and a common breakfast staple that’s frequently played on repeat. But have you ever heard of avocado *bread* before? Unlike avocado toast that calls for a generous schmear of the green fruit slathered on top, this new avo-starring item actually uses avocados inside of the bread batter.
Although this may seem like just another buzzy social media-fueled food fixation, the truth is this recipe has been around for decades and likely well before the avocado toast took its claim to fame. According to a recent popular video by TikTok user @bdylanhollis, avocado bread has actually been around since at least the time of bell-bottom jeans and disco jams–’73, to be exact. So, is this one of those cases of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it?” I had to find out.
@bdylanhollis Avocado IN the bread? #baking #vintage #cooking #avocado ♬ original sound – B. Dylan Hollis
Why I tried it and my initial thoughts on this sleeper hit
My love for avocados runs deep, and living in California for the last several years has propelled my taste for them into a full-blown obsession. When I saw this avo-bread recipe swirling around the internet, I knew I had to try it myself. I’ll admit: I was skeptical at first about potentially wasting a pricy, perfectly-ripe avocado on an experiment, but fortunately, I was not disappointed. A cross between velvety pound cake and sweet-savory zucchini bread, this avocado recipe was tasty and filled with potassium and fiber that kept me feeling energized and (TBH) joyful all morning long.
So, how exactly do you make avocado bread?
When it comes to making avocado bread, the method to the madness is actually quite simple. It turns out it’s not much different than making your standard quick bread, aka a bread made with a leavening agent (such as baking powder or baking soda) that permits immediate baking of the dough or batter mixture. B. Dylan Hollis explains in his TikTok video that you first need two very ripe medium avocados and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, which he creams together using a wooden spoon until smooth. But no pressure to make it completely silky: A few small avocado clumps here and there is NBD.
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Hollis explains that instead of using butter to cream the sugar, this recipe uses the natural fats in the avocado to add moisture and richness to the batter. To bind the ingredients, he adds three eggs to the bowl and beats them thoroughly. For the dry ingredients, Hollis combines two cups of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. Then, he gently incorporates the wet and dry elements by folding them together using the spoon (yay, no kneading necessary). Once everything is well-mixed and resembles a bowl of guacamole (his words, not mine), he scoops the batter into a loaf pan. Then bakes it in the oven at 350°F for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
A few thoughts—and modifications—on the recipe
His reaction to the final product was sheer joy, and I couldn’t agree more. I was so pleasantly surprised at how easy, tasty, and vibrantly green this avocado bread turned out. The bread on its own is super moist and not overly sweet at all, making it perfect for snacking on throughout the day. However, there were a few simple modifications I would recommend when trying this for yourself.
For starters, I’d advise greasing the pan or lining it with parchment paper to keep the edges from sticking. Next, I added a small pinch of kosher salt to help balance the flavors when measuring out the dry ingredients. Lastly, I topped a slice of the bread with one of my favorite dairy-free kinds of butter, Miyoko’s European Style Cultured Vegan Butter, which helped add a little extra flavor. You can also go for some strawberry jam for a sweeter rendition. Or pair it with a steamy cup of avocado seed tea for a truly zero-waste recipe. Swoon.
The key to making this recipe successful was the quality of the avocados, obviously
When making avocado bread, I quickly learned that the most imperative step was making sure to use super ripe avocados. You want to make sure that they’re *right* at that sweet spot between perfectly ripe and almost too ripe, or else you won’t be able to achieve a smooth and creamy batter. Since this recipe doesn’t call for any butter or oil, the fats from the avocado are pretty much its only saving grace. If the fruit is too ripe, you won’t be able to successfully cream the sugar and incorporate the dry ingredients correctly.
If you can’t seem to get your hands on any soft, ready-to-use avocados at the store, Chef Betsy Wiegand of Great White previously shared with Well+Good her best tricks for quickly ripening an avocado when in a pinch, here. Plus, she shared tips on the most effective ways to keep avocados fresher for longer.
The five-ingredient avocado bread recipe you need to try
Yields 8 servings
Ingredients
2 very ripe medium avocados
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
Kosher salt, to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream together the avocados and sugar using a wooden spoon until smooth. If a few small clumps are left, don’t worry about it. Add the eggs and beat everything together thoroughly.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and a generous pinch of salt. Next, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a spoon or silicone spatula.
3. Once everything is well-mixed and fully incorporated, scoop the batter into a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
So, you mean avocados not only taste amazing, they’re great for you too? Watch to learn more:
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