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Avocado toast with a fried egg is an easy meal you can customize with your favorite garnishes. Learn how to fry an egg for avocado toast (4 ways) by following this step-by-step tutorial and video.
Why You’ll Love This Avocado Toast With Egg
- Basic cooking skills. Knowing how to fry an egg is a must-have kitchen skill, and it’s very easy to learn. If you’ve never fried an egg before, I’ll walk you through how to cook an egg that’s sunny-side-up, over-easy, over-medium, and over-hard.
- Quick. Frying is one of the quickest ways to cook eggs. In a matter of minutes with simple ingredients, you’ll have the perfect topping for your avocado toast ready for serving. I even include some tasty topping ideas for avocado egg toast.
- Satisfying. The combination of eggs and avocado on crunchy toast equals a satisfying meal that’s ideal for a quick lunch or simple supper. (Or breakfast!)
Watch the Video
Let’s get cracking! This quick video shows you how to fry an egg four different ways, and how to serve it over avocado toast.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a short list of what you’ll need to make this avocado toast with egg, along with my notes. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.
- Egg – Fried to your liking using one of the methods below. I cook my eggs in butter, but you can use olive oil if you prefer.
- Bread – The best bread for avocado toast is a crusty loaf, cut into thick slices.
- Avocado – You’ll need one-half of an avocado. Ripe avocados are darker in color and soft (but not mushy) to the touch. Press it gently and if it yields a little, it’s ripe.
- Salt and Pepper – Your basic seasonings. You can also amp up the flavor of your avocado toast with more seasonings, like chili flakes. See the section later on for ideas.
- Garnishes – Finish off your avocado toast with your favorite toppings, such as Everything Bagel seasoning or red pepper flakes. I’ve shared some of my preferred ideas below.
How to Fry an Egg (4 Ways)
Let’s walk through the steps for frying an egg that’s cooked to your liking every time, whether that’s sunny-side-up, over-easy, over-medium, or over-hard. Check out the video above for a visual step-by-step, and scroll down to the recipe card for printable instructions.
How to Make an Egg Sunny Side Up
A “sunny-side-up” egg is fried without flipping until the egg white is set and the yolk is still a sunny, liquid gold. This is the perfect way to cook an egg if you love runny yolks. The steps for frying a sunny-side-up egg are very simple:
- Prep the egg. Crack an egg into a bowl. Set this aside for now.
- Melt the butter. Next, add butter to a warm pan and let it melt. Swirl the butter around so that the pan is well coated.
- Add the egg. Add the egg, tilting the pan slightly so that it pools on one side. This trick avoids a thin coating of egg white, which is more likely to overcook. After 15 seconds, lower the pan again.
- Jiggle the pan. Let the egg cook for another 15 seconds or so, and give the pan a light wiggle. The egg should come loose from the pan without sticking.
- Season and cook. Season the egg with salt and pepper to taste, and let the egg finish cooking. For a sunny-side-up egg, this usually takes about 2-3 minutes. Don’t flip it! When the egg white is firm, but the yolk is still runny, your egg is ready to serve.
How to Make an Egg Over Easy
There’s more than one way to fry an egg! If you prefer your eggs a little more “done”, you can give them a flip at the end, to fry the whites on both sides. This is called “over-easy”. Here’s how to cook over-easy eggs:
- Prepare the egg and pan. Crack the egg into a bowl and melt the butter in the pan following the same directions as above.
- Add the egg. Add the egg, again following the same method of tilting the pan to pool the egg, and then giving it a jiggle. Season the egg to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook. Continue to cook the egg over low heat for 1 minute, then flip. Let it cook for 30 seconds on the other side. Afterward, flip the egg back to the original side before serving. Over-easy eggs are done when the whites are set, and the yolks are still runny.
How to Make an Egg Over Medium
Over-medium eggs fall somewhere between over-hard and over-easy. Follow the same instructions as you would when cooking an over-easy egg. The difference for an over-medium egg is, after the first flip, cook the egg for 1 minute (instead of 30 seconds). Over-medium eggs are set with jammy yolks.
How to Make an Egg Over Hard
Over-hard eggs are fried on both sides until the whole egg (whites and yolks) is completely set. Again, follow the directions for preparing and adding the eggs to the pan, the same as you would for an over-easy egg. This time, after the first flip, let the egg cook for 1 ½ minutes.
When you flip the egg back to its original side, fry it for another 30 seconds to get the egg fully cooked. Over-hard eggs are done when the whites are firm, and the yolks are cooked through (similar to a hard-boiled egg).
How Many Minutes Do You Fry an Egg?
The exact cooking times depend on how done you like your eggs. Aim for about 3 minutes for sunny-side-up and over-medium eggs, 1 ½-2 minutes for over-easy, and 3 ½-4 minutes for over-hard. See the differences between cooking times in the photos below.
How to Make Avocado Toast With Egg
Once your egg is fried how you like it, it’s time to serve it over a bed of avocado toast in just a few quick steps. Refer to the video for details, and check out the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Toast the bread. Slice your bread and toast it until it’s golden on both sides.
- Mash the avocado. Mash up one-half of a ripe avocado. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Assemble. Spread the avocado over your toast and top it with a fried egg. Enjoy your avocado toast as is, or garnish with your choice of toppings. See below for ideas.
Tips for Success
Keep these tips in mind when preparing fried eggs for avocado toast, or any other recipe:
- Butter vs. oil. Whether you fry eggs in butter or oil is up to you. Butter adds richness and flavor. However, if you’d prefer to cook your eggs in oil instead of butter, choose an extra virgin olive oil that’s good for frying.
- Runny whites. If the egg white runs over the skillet, this could be a sign that the pan isn’t hot enough. Lifting the edge of the pan to pool the egg on one side helps keep things contained. Another reason for runny egg whites is unfresh eggs. Always use the freshest ones you can find!
- Don’t flip too early. The egg is ready to flip when the egg white around the yolk is white and firm, usually after about a minute in the pan. Check that the egg isn’t sticking to the pan by giving it a gentle jiggle.
- Burned at the edges. If you notice that the bottom and edges of your egg white are browning too fast, it likely means that the pan is too hot. Eggs cook quickly as it is, so make sure to cook over low heat. To save an egg that’s burning at the edges, flip it to cook the other side, and make it over-easy or over-hard.
- Broken yolks. Be careful when flipping your eggs to avoid broken yolks. Also, make sure that you don’t flip your egg too early (see above), as the yolk is more likely to break.
- Test the doneness of the yolks. Use the tip of a spatula to gently poke the yolks. Sunny-side-up and over-easy eggs will have liquid yolks, while over-medium yolks will be jammy (set, but with some give). Over-hard yolks will be completely set throughout.
Toppings and Serving Suggestions
Get creative when it comes to garnishes for the mashed avo and egg! Whether I’m having this easy avocado toast for brunch or lunch, these are some of my favorite topping combos.
- Tomato, mozzarella, balsamic, and basil. If you have ripe, in-season tomatoes, slice them thinly and add a single layer of avocado slices on top of the avocado and small fresh mozzarella slices. Top with the egg. Add a drizzle of high-quality balsamic vinegar and a small amount of finely chopped fresh basil leaves.
- Olive oil and red pepper flakes. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over the mashed avocado. Top with the egg. Sprinkle with some crushed red pepper flakes and flakey sea salt. You can also add some heat with a drizzle of salsa macha (black magic oil).
- Black cumin OR everything bagel seasoning. Drizzle 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil over the mashed avocado. Top with the egg. Sprinkle with some ground black cumin seed or with a small amount of everything bagel seasoning.
- Za’atar and Labneh. Add some labneh on top of the mashed avocado. Top with the egg. Sprinkle with some za’atar. Add a drizzle of zhoug sauce for spice.
More Ways to Use Fried Eggs
In addition to avocado toast, I like adding fried eggs as a topping over Mexican-style dishes like chilaquiles, huaraches, and Mexican rice. They’re also great to add to sandwiches, or you can use them as a filling for a croque monsieur.
More Egg Recipes
Simple Avocado Toast With Egg
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Avocado Toast
- 1 egg, cooked to your desired doneness, see below
- 1 thick slice of crusty bread
- ½ a ripe avocado
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
How to Make an Egg Sunny Side Up
- Prep the egg. Crack an egg into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter. Heat a small 8-inch pan over low heat. Add the butter and melt, moving the butter around the pan with a spatula to make sure it is evenly coated.
- Add the egg. When the butter starts foaming, add the egg to the pan, then quickly lift the edge of the pan so that the egg pools a bit on one side. This will prevent a thin coating of egg white from forming and overcooking. After about 15 seconds, lower the handle.
- Jiggle the pan. Wait another 10-15 seconds, then jiggle the pan to make sure the egg is not sticking.
- Season to taste. I usually do a pinch of kosher salt and 2 grinds of fresh black pepper.
- Cook. Continue cooking the egg for another 2-3 minutes, until the egg white is firm but the yolk is still sunny. Sunny side-up eggs are not flipped.
- Serve.
How to Make an Egg Over Easy
- Prep the egg. Crack an egg into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter. Heat a small 8-inch pan over low heat. Add the butter and melt, moving the butter around the pan with a spatula to make sure it is evenly coated.
- Add the egg. When the butter starts foaming, add the egg to the pan, then quickly lift the edge of the pan so that the egg pools a bit on one side. This will prevent a thin coating of egg white from forming and overcooking. After about 15 seconds, lower the handle.
- Jiggle the pan. Wait another 10-15 seconds, then jiggle the pan to make sure the egg is not sticking.
- Season to taste. I usually do a pinch of kosher salt and 2 grinds of fresh black pepper.
- Cook. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute.
- Flip. When the egg is fully set, flip the egg over with a spatula. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Flip the egg back to its original side and serve. The egg is done over easy when the egg white is set but the yolk is still fully runny.
How to Make an Egg Over Medium
- Follow the same process as above. However, after the egg is flipped the first time cook it for 1 minute instead of 30 seconds. The egg is done when the whites are firm and yolks are jammy.
How to Make an Egg Over Hard
- Follow the same process as above. However, after the egg is flipped the first time cook it for 1 minute 30 seconds. When the egg is flipped back to its original side, cook another 30 seconds. The egg is done when the whites are firm and the yolks is fully cooked with a crumbly texture similar to a hard boiled egg.
Avocado Toast
- Toast the bread. Toast a thick, crusty slice of bread until golden. Set aside.
- Mash the avocado. In a medium bowl, mash 1/2 of a ripe avocado. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to taste.
- Assemble. Spread the mashed avocado over your toast. Top with a fried egg and your toppings of choice.