The Buns Have It:
How to Make Sandwiches with Avocado Buns

What’s a burger bun alternative that looks as good as it tastes AND has your favorite fruit built into the sandwich’s structure? Avocado buns, baby. Not only will neighboring tailgaters watch in envy (green envy, of course) as you serve up your squad with the most beautiful burger imaginable, but avocado bun burgers have a whole host of nutritious pros.

 

Avocado buns are a great burger bun alternative for anyone living a gluten-free lifestyle. They can also help you cut down on simple carbohydrates and sugars in bread while adding nearly 20 vitamins and minerals to boot — plus, fresh avocados are a heart-healthy fruit! They provide naturally good fats and are cholesterol-, sugar-, and sodium-free. It’s a win-win-win!

 

Without further ado, we present avocado buns!

 

 

Um… not what we meant. Keep reading, please.

 

How to Make Avocado Buns

Avocado buns are simple to make and always camera-ready. Follow these quick steps, and you’re on your way to the sandwich hall of fame.

 

1. Pick the perfect avocado. The most important part of this process is selecting an avocado that is ripe but not too soft. The right avocado for the job will be large, dark-skinned, and give juuuuust a little bit when you squeeze it. You don’t want your avocado bun to be squishy and fall apart in your hands, but it’s also important that it’s ripe. Watch this video to learn how to check ripeness.

 

 

If you don’t want your avocados to get too ripe, or you want to try to preserve them just as they are before you whip up these burger buns, check out another how-to video for preserving your avocados and slowing down the ripening process.

 

2. Slice it in half. Slice your perfect avocado down the middle lengthwise. Carefully peel the skin away from each half and remove the pit. Cut a thin slice off the very bottom of one half, which will be the burger’s base, so it sits flat on the plate.

 

3. Sandwich, assemble! Start by adding your base fillings in the hole where the pit was (pro tip: this is a great place for storing extra sauce), then add your meat and other toppings. Add more sauce into the well of the top “bun” and set it on top of everything. For a “real” burger look, sprinkle the top avocado half with sesame seeds.

 

4. Eat up. Handheld avocado bun sandwiches work best when you hold them with a napkin or bit of parchment paper, but using no napkin means you get to lick your fingers at the end. That said, no one will judge if you want to keep your fingers clean by using a fork and knife.

 

We have some great recipe ideas for your avocado bun sandwich in the next part of this blog.

 

 

6 Avocado Bun Recipes

 

1. Traditional Burger

Place a beef (or portobello mushroom) patty and your choice of toppings between the avocado buns. Traditional toppings include American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup, and pickles or relish. And while we love tradition, why not shake things up beyond the bun?

 

• Spicy Burger: Blaze new burger trails with pepper jack cheese, fire-roasted jalapeños, and Sriracha mayo.
• Cowboy Burger: Mmm, nothing like an avocado bun burger with bacon strips, cheddar cheese, and a big ol’ fried onion ring.
• Steakhouse Burger: Avocado buns are elegant on their own, but we say go big or go home: Add caramelized onions, blue cheese crumbles, and arugula.

 

2. Meatball Sub

Squeeze a few meatballs (score extra points if you use creamy avocado meatballs) and some tomato sauce, along with parmesan or mozzarella, between your avocado buns. Napkins recommended — this could get messy!

 

3. Bacon ’n Egger

Avocado buns aren’t limited to lunch or dinner. A little bit of ketchup, some cheese, a couple of slices of bacon, and a fried or scrambled egg go great on an avocado bun for a breakfast sandwich beyond belief.

 

4. Southern-fried Chicken

Breaded, flattened, and fried chicken is delicious in an avocado bun when slathered with some spicy mayo or honey mustard sauce. Just add shredded lettuce, tomato, and sliced red onion.

 

5. BLT

Avocado buns be fancy, huh? Keep it simple with this classic, always-a-good-choice BLT. All you need is some salty bacon, crisp lettuce, and a juicy slice of tomato.

 

6. Chicago Roast Beef

Dealer’s choice between cold-cut or homemade roast beef, so long as you top it with hot giardiniera and au jus. This is another messy one — be sure to eat over a plate so no beef, broth, or buns go to waste!

 

When you’ve made your avocado bun burger, chicken sandwich, BLT, or whatever you decide, be sure to share a photo with us on Instagram. We’d love to see what you came up with!