Vegan Balsamic Mushroom Avocado Toast Recipe

Start your day with this high-protein, mouth-watering balsamic mushroom avocado toast. This simple vegan and gluten-free toast recipe is perfect for a quick breakfast or snack. Whether you're vegan or not, enjoy a nourishing variation of the classic food blog favorite, packed with healthy fats and fierce flavor. 

How to Build the Perfect Avocado Toast

Can I start by saying avocado toast is hands-down my favorite breakfast or lunch option? The variety of nutrient-dense ingredients and creative ways to mix and match flavors is endless, and it is extremely filling.

There are 3 key components to building the perfect avocado toast: the avocado, the toast, and the fixings.  

The Avocado

Select and purchase avocados that are almost ripe. That is - they feel like a Nerf football; firm but with a slight give. To this day, I have yet to find another metaphor to describe an almost ripe avocado as appropriate as a Nerf football. 

Avocados are praised for their high amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (MUFAs and PUFAs) but contain high amounts of other minerals and vitamins as well. 

One-half of an avocado contains significant levels of potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamins C and E (1). 

The Toast

There are amazing high-protein bread options available in grocery stores lately both gluten-free and sprouted wheat. Seed and nut-based breads are delicious and keep for a long time in the freezer or fridge. 

If you’re looking for a low-carb option, try avocado toast on rice cakes, half a vegan English muffin, or a low-carb bagel. 

The Fixings

This is pretty self-explanatory, but feel free to get creative with your toast toppings.

Common toppings include seeds (such as pumpkin, chia, flax, and hemp); sliced raw vegetables (cucumber, carrot, radish); fresh herbs (parsley, mint, dill); hot sauce; tofu; hummus; tahini; and fresh greens (kale, arugula, sprouts, carrot tops, spinach). 

Some of my favorites: 

• Mushrooms and tempeh
• White beans, kale, and olives
• Lentils, Sauerkraut, and Sunflower Seeds 

How to Prepare Vegan Balsamic Mushroom Avocado Toast 

Prep time: 5 min 

Cook time: 10 min 

Servings: 1 

Ingredients

• 2 slices millet-chia GF bread (or 1 slice sprouted wheat bread) 
• ⅓ avocado 
• 1 pinch of sea salt 
• 1 lime 
• ½ cup sliced shiitake mushrooms or 1/2 cup Trifecta a la cart portobello 
• 2 ounces tempeh
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 4 tablespoons water 

Tools 

• Knife and cutting board 
• Saute pan and tongs
• Small bowl 
• Oven or toaster oven 

Step One: Get Toasty

Toast the bread in a toaster, or preheat the oven to 400 degrees and toast the bread for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisped. 

In a small bowl, mash avocado with lime juice and a pinch of sea salt. You can choose to add some fresh herbs or dried spices such as red pepper flakes and garlic powder if you’d like! 

Step Two: Saute it up

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute and add chopped mushrooms and tempeh. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add half of the water to help loosen the “fond” or brown bits starting to stick to the pan. 

Learning to saute without adding oil is simple and an easy way to reduce your fat intake. 

To saute without the use of oil use water and low-sodium vegetable broth or homemade vegetable stock to deglaze the pan and prevent food from sticking until it is cooked. 

After 3 more minutes, add the balsamic, coconut aminos, and lemon juice. Saute until the tempeh and mushrooms are glazed and cooked, then remove from the heat. 

Step Three: Plate it

To plate your fancy vegan toast, top the toasted bread with the seasoned avocado,  then pile on the balsamic glazed mushrooms and tempeh. Sprinkle over hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds for extra crunch if desired. 

Meal Prep Tips

If you’re adding avocado toast to your weekly meal prep, remember you can cross-utilize the ingredients. Prep extra sauteed mushrooms and tempeh to add to vegan breakfast tacos or smashed avocado to go on a hearty vegan sandwich. 

Lose weight and improve your health with a 100% plant-based diet. Learn how with this free meal prep toolkit for vegan diets. A step-by-step guide that includes meal planning templates, approved food lists, and expert tips to get you results faster.