A couple of years ago I set out to find a quick, easy, and nutritious breakfast for Mollie and me. We had just gotten married, and Mollie's commute was an hour and a half each way, which meant we needed something fast that wasn't cereal.

At the time, avocado toast was making it's way around the internet, but I wasn't ready to jump on the train, and we'd been cutting out bread in an effort to remedy a multitude of heath problems. Our normal Trader Joe's haul usually included their frozen hash brown patties, and I told Mollie I wanted to use them to make my own interpretation of what I thought avocado toast should be.

The next morning, I threw a few hash browns in the air fryer, cooked 2 eggs over easy, mashed an avocado and threw it all together with some paprika on-top. The beauty of this dish is how simple and cost-effective it is, while still delivering on the flavor. Before the pandemic this was definitely a morning staple of ours and I'm sure the people waiting on the metro with Mollie were pretty jealous of her breakfast.

A knife and fork cutting into an egg on a hashbrown with avocado. The Hangry Economist.

Ingredients for this hash brown patty avocado toast.

In its most basic form, you only need 4 ingredients for this dish: avocado, hash brown, egg, and paprika. Mollie, as usual, prefers to elevate it, but it's perfectly tasty either way. In Mollie's version you add a little bit of lime and cilantro to the avocado mash and add hot sauce to your liking on top of the "toast."

Budget Meal Cost Breakdown

To make this recipe for the first time for four (double the recipe), it'll only cost you around $6.56, or about $1.64 per serving. The limes and cilantro are optional; without them, the cost drops to $5.20, or $1.30 per serving. And to top it off, you'll have leftover eggs and hash browns!

Cooking Tips

For cooking your eggs, I'll forever and always recommend adding a little bit of avocado oil to the pan. It has a neutral flavor and prevents the egg from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Any oil you have on hand will work, though.
If you're making over-easy eggs, I only like to cook the yolk side for about 20 seconds. That way the egg is still nice and runny once you break into it.
Mollie and I have tested hash brown patties from a couple of grocery stores, and our favorite brand is Trader Joe's. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you (I feel terribly sorry for you), Ore-Ida makes a perfectly good version that most grocery stores seem to carry.
I cook my hash brown patty in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, but if you don't have one, feel free to cook according to package instructions. How ever you do it, for best results, cook until it's nice and crispy.

Two hashbrowns topped with avocado and egg, with one egg cut open. The Hangry Economist.

Easy Hash Brown Patty Avocado "Toast"

Recipe by Michael

A grain-free, gluten-free, and delicious alternative to traditional avocado toast, topped with a runny egg. Fast, easy, portable, and guaranteed to keep you full for hours.

Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

5 from 8 votes

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

411

kcal

Total time

minutes

Cook Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark!

Ingredients

1 1 avocado
2 2 hash brown patties
1 tablespoon 1 avocado oil, or oil of your choice
2 2 eggs
¼ ¼ lime, juiced (optional)
1 tablespoon 1 cilantro, chopped (optional)
Pinch Pinch paprika
Pinch Pinch salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the hash brown patties according to package instructions or your preferred method. We cook them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until crispy.
Mash one avocado in a bowl and set aside. If you want to dress it up a bit, add lime juice and cilantro.
Once the hash browns are crispy, divide the mashed avocado and apply it generously to the top of each hash brown. Set aside.
Put a tablespoon of oil into a non-stick pan, turn stove to high and let the oil heat for 20 seconds.
Crack eggs directly into the hot pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Wait until the egg turns from clear to mostly white and firm, with a clear film on top of the yolk. Carefully flip the egg over and cook for another 20 seconds. Take the eggs out of the pan and lightly season with a dash of salt and pepper.
Place one egg on top of each hash brown.
Lightly sprinkle each hash brown with paprika or topping of your choice (hot sauce also works well).