I started making this on days when I needed something genuinely filling but didn’t want to do much cooking, and it’s become a regular thing. The chickpeas are the move here — smashed with garlic and lemon, they add protein and substance that plain avocado toast just doesn’t have. The toaster oven crisps the bread in a way a regular pop-up toaster can’t match, because you can use thick slices and get browning on the surface, not just the edges.
You don’t need much equipment for this. A toaster oven baking sheet is handy if you want to do both slices flat at once without worrying about crumbs falling through the rack, though the rack works fine too. If you’re making this for more than two people, it scales up easily — just work in batches so the bread toasts properly instead of steaming.
Everything bagel seasoning is doing a lot of work in this recipe. The sesame, dried garlic, dried onion, and poppy seeds give you crunch and flavor all at once, which means you don’t need a lot of other stuff. I use about a teaspoon and a half per toast and then add more at the table because I like it heavy. If you don’t have any on hand, it’s worth picking up — a good everything bagel seasoning will last you months and you’ll find yourself using it on eggs, roasted vegetables, pretty much anything.
One thing I’ll say: don’t skimp on drying the chickpeas before you smash them. Wet chickpeas make a paste that kind of slides off the bread in an unpleasant way. A minute of patting them dry makes the whole thing come together better.
Toaster Oven Crispy Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Toast with Everything Bagel Seasoning
Thick-cut bread gets loaded with lemony smashed chickpeas, creamy avocado, and a heavy hand of everything bagel seasoning, then toasted in the toaster oven until the edges are genuinely crispy. It's a filling lunch or quick breakfast that takes about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
The Toast
Smashed Chickpeas
Toppings
Instructions
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Preheat your toaster oven to 400°F on the bake setting. While it heats up, drain and rinse your chickpeas really well and spread them on a clean kitchen towel. Pat them dry — this matters more than you'd think for getting any texture on them.
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In a bowl, combine the chickpeas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if you're using them. Use a fork or the back of a spoon to smash the chickpeas roughly. You want a chunky mash — not hummus, not whole chickpeas. Leave some texture in there.
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Brush both sides of your bread slices lightly with olive oil and place them directly on the toaster oven rack or on a small baking sheet. Toast at 400°F for 5-7 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the bread is deeply golden and crispy at the edges. Watch it after 5 minutes — sourdough can go from perfect to burnt faster than you expect.
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While the bread toasts, halve your avocado and scoop it into a small bowl. Mash it with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Keep it a bit chunky. This isn't guacamole.
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Pull the toast out of the toaster oven. Working quickly while it's still hot, spread the smashed chickpeas in an even layer on each slice, then spoon the mashed avocado on top. Scatter the everything bagel seasoning over both pieces, add the halved cherry tomatoes if you're using them, finish with a pinch of flaky salt, and eat immediately.
Notes
The bread really needs to be thick-cut. Thin stuff gets soggy under the chickpeas before you're even done building the toast. If your avocado is underripe, warm it cut-side up in the toaster oven at 300°F for about 5 minutes — not perfect, but it helps. Leftover smashed chickpeas keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and are great cold on their own. Don't assemble these ahead of time; build them right before eating.
Nutrition
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Written by
Emma is a home cook who loves coaxing big flavor out of a toaster oven — from crispy roasted vegetables to easy weeknight dinners and sweet treats. She develops and tests Toastera's recipes for small-appliance kitchens.
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