Avocado toast meets garlic bread in this party-perfect loaded avocado garlic bread. Top garlic bread with avocado and your favorite toppings and slice for a fun appetizer, snack, or light meal.
Sometimes you get hit with an idea and just have to go with it. We love garlic bread (does anyone not like garlic bread?) and I regularly enjoy avocado toast, so once I thought about combining them, it had to happen. I lean very savory with my avocado toast toppings and spices and usually include garlic in some form, so this loaded avocado garlic bread is the same thing, just different – right?
Except for the size of the bread…never have I ever indulged on half a loaf of Italian bread for my avocado toast cravings before. Thank goodness. 😂
I like to use equal parts olive oil and butter when it comes to making garlic bread, but really you can prepare the garlic bread loaf however you prefer. The ten minutes or so it takes to toast in the oven is when I prep the rest of the ingredients, including mashing two ripe avocados in a bowl and slicing and dicing the toppings.
Speaking of toppings – there are a lot of them featured on this particular avocado garlic bread because once I got started thinking of flavor combinations…well, I couldn’t stop. You can definitely choose one and use it for the entire loaf, or mix and match your faves like I did. There is a lot of leeway here with ingredients and quantities, but know that each of the three sections of this bread were crowd favorites. Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and fresh herbs definitely steer this garlic bread toward Italian flavors, but the unexpected addition of avocado brightens everything up in a satisfying way.
Recipe notes:
- You can buy balsamic glaze, however it’s cheaper and super easy to make at home. I added about one-quarter cup of balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and brought it to a boil. Then I reduced the heat to low and let it simmer until it reduced and thickened to a glaze consistency. You may have a little extra glaze leftover, but it’s wonderful to use on sandwiches, over chicken, etc.
- Mix and match the toppings to fit your preferences!
- 8 oz Italian bread
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 ripe avocados
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Sliced prosciutto
- Fresh mozzarella pearls
- Sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and roughly chopped
- Pine nuts
- Fresh rosemary, chopped
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
- Balsamic glaze (see note)
- Heat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Slice the loaf of Italian bread in half, and place one half cut-side up on the baking sheet.
- Add butter, olive oil, and minced garlic to a small bowl and microwave in 20-second increments until melted and smooth, stirring after each increment.
- Brush garlic mixture over the top of the bread, and bake for 10 minutes or so, until the edges have crisped.
- Add avocado to a bowl and mash it with the tines of a fork. Spread it over the top of the garlic bread loaf. Season with salt, pepper, and/or crushed red pepper flakes, to your liking.
- Add your desired toppings, slice, and serve.
P.S. Avocado, prosciutto, and balsamic glaze pair wonderfully in this prosciutto-wrapped avocado crostini recipe, too!
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