Warm avocado halves filled with an oven-baked egg, with a lemony avocado sauce served on the side.
Fresh from the oven, the avocado flesh is tender and warm, the egg stays runny or sets depending on the cooking time, and a pinch of salt brings it all together. Allow about 20 minutes, including 5 minutes of prep and roughly 15 minutes of baking at 200 °C, placing this dish among meals ready in 20 minutes or less. Allow half an avocado and one egg per person, for a serving of around 200 calories that is naturally low in carbohydrates. This recipe is one of my keto breakfasts.
What is baked avocado and egg?
“ Baked avocado and egg ” is a simple preparation: an avocado is halved lengthwise, pitted, then slightly hollowed out to enlarge the central cavity. Each half is filled with an egg, a pinch of salt, black pepper and, depending on the variation, a topping of your choice.
The avocado acts as both a container and a creamy base, with the egg cooking in its center. The scooped-out flesh is then used to make a lemony sauce served on the side.
A dish best served straight from the oven
Ideally, serve the dish as soon as it comes out of the oven. The sauce, kept separately in a small bowl, contrasts with the warmth of the avocado and coats each bite at the last moment.
Vary the toppings to suit your mood: cherry tomatoes and salami, Serrano ham and red chili, samphire and spring onion, or bacon and green asparagus tips. Each can be tucked beneath the egg or scattered over it before baking, depending on the recipe.
The main ingredients
The avocado serves as both a container and a creamy base; it should be ripe but firm enough to hollow out without collapsing. The egg cooks in the center: the white should be fully set, while the yolk can stay runny, like a soft-boiled egg, or become firmer with a few extra minutes.
Go easy on the salt, especially when using salami, Serrano ham, bacon or samphire, which are already salty. Black pepper adds depth and can replace the chili for a milder version. As for the toppings, cherry tomatoes add juiciness and a hint of acidity, salami brings a salty note, chili flakes add heat, Serrano ham tucked beneath the egg flavors the cavity, samphire adds crunch and a briny note, spring onion brings freshness, bacon adds smokiness and green asparagus provides bite.
The sauce starts with the reserved flesh, mashed with a little lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil: the lemon adds freshness and slows browning, though it doesn’t prevent it entirely. For a nightshade-free version, leave out the cherry tomatoes, red chili and chili flakes, then replace them with diced pumpkin or small cauliflower florets, using black pepper to keep the flavor lively.
Cooking and serving tips
Bake at 200 °C. Halve the avocado, remove the pit, then scoop out some flesh with a spoon without piercing the skin, which helps prevent overflow when adding the egg. To keep the halves upright, nestle them against each other or against the edge of the baking dish; if they still roll, cut a thin slice off the rounded underside to create a stable base. Crack an egg into each cavity, tucking the Serrano ham underneath before baking and scattering the other toppings over the egg before seasoning.
Allow about a quarter of an hour, or a little longer depending on your oven and how firm you like your eggs. The best guide is the white, which should be set: a gentle shake of the dish will show whether it still wobbles. The yolk can stay runny, with a soft texture similar to an onsen tamago, or become firmer. While it bakes, mash the reserved flesh with the lemon juice and oil, then bring the sauce together with plain unsweetened yogurt, either dairy or plant-based, or with Japanese mayonnaise. Let it rest briefly before serving, as the avocado and filling will be very hot; refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container, keeping the sauce separate, and reheat until piping hot throughout. Vulnerable people should opt for a fully cooked egg.
For more low-carb ideas, browse all my keto recipes.
Baked Avocado with Egg
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 2 eggs
- a pinch salt Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt
- a pinch black pepper
Tomato and salami variation
- 3 cherry tomatoes or snacking tomatoes
- 2 slices salami
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
Serrano ham variation
- 1 slice Serrano ham
- 0.5 red chili pepper chili or Spanish pepper
Vegetarian variation with samphire
- small handful samphire
- Half a spring onion
- 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes
Smoked pork belly and asparagus variation
- 2 slices smoked bacon
- 2 green asparagus tips
Sauce or dip
- avocado flesh scooped out when hollowing
- lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- yogurt, dairy or plant-based or mayonnaise
- a pinch salt Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt
- a pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit. Using a spoon, scoop out the edges around the pit cavity to make it a little deeper and wider. Set the scooped-out flesh aside.1 avocado
- Crack an egg into the cavity. (If using a large slice of Serrano ham, place it underneath first). Tip: keep the avocado halves steady by resting them gently against each other or against the edge of the baking dish. Sometimes, though, certain avocados simply refuse to stay in place. In that case, cut a small slice off the bottom. This won’t cause much trouble later, but keep it in mind when scooping them out to eat (don’t hold them directly in your hand; place a plate underneath).2 eggs, 1 slice Serrano ham
- Add your favorite toppings. Finish with salt and pepper to taste, and perhaps a few chili flakes. This dish really does need a little salt and, to my taste, a little heat too.a pinch salt, a pinch black pepper, 3 cherry tomatoes or snacking tomatoes, 2 slices salami, 1 teaspoon chili flakes, 0.5 red chili pepper, small handful samphire, Half a spring onion, 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes, 2 slices smoked bacon, 2 green asparagus tips
- Bake for about a quarter of an hour, often just a little longer. This depends somewhat on your oven and how firm you like the yolk. Ideally, the white should be fully set. Gently move the dish back and forth to see whether the white still jiggles.
- Make a little sauce or dip with the reserved flesh. Add a few pieces of tomato, some spring onion, samphire, or whatever else you have at home. Thin with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Finish with a little mayonnaise or yogurt (plant-based if preferred).avocado, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, yogurt, dairy or plant-based, a pinch salt, a pinch black pepper
- Let the avocados cool briefly. Serve the sauce in a small bowl on the side. Then simply scoop them out with a spoon to eat. You can also eat them straight out of your hand.
