Best Tomato Toast
Tomato toast is the ultimate summer meal – light, fresh, and the best way to highlight summer produce! Basic tomato toast gets a few upgrades to make it incredibly flavorful – crunchy toast, savory garlic aioli, juicy tomatoes, and all the finishing touches. We make this daily while the tomatoes are perfect, and I bet you will too!
Let me tell you how the BEST tomato toast came about…
I read about tomato toast in Bon Appétit (back in 2018!!!) and make a version as soon as possible. Fall in love with it after the first bite. Make again and again until tomatoes are done for the season.
Then I shared it with you and I’ve heard from so many of you that you also adore this recipe! It’s…
🍅 Peak summer vibes: One bite and you’ll find yourself using all of your perfect summer tomatoes for this recipe. It’s a delicious way to enjoy in-season tomatoes.
🧂 Big flavor fast: Just a few ingredients = major taste. Creamy, salty, fresh, sweet, bright…it’s all there!
🍞 Crispy & juicy: Crunchy toast meets fresh tomato for a contrast that’s hard to beat.
🥗 Customizable: Add cheese, herbs, or spices to make it your own.
🌿 Wholesome: This toast is nourishing without being heavy
🧡 Great anytime: Works for breakfast, lunch, snacks or even a light summer dinner. Pair with some sweet corn or a fresh green salad.
You’ll also want to try my other toasts: ricotta, hummus, and avocado.
Look forward to making this all year! –Cynthia
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples for this summer toast: mayonnaise, garlic, lemon, chives, artisan bread, tomatoes, flaky salt, black pepper, and drizzling olive oil.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: Don’t skip the finishing touches – a drizzling olive oil, flaky salt, and freshly cracked pepper. They add so much!
- Cooking methods: Toast is easy in the toaster, but if you want to make it next-level, try spreading it with a touch of butter or mayo and cooking it on a griddle or cast iron skillet.
- Shortcuts: If you can’t make the garlic aioli, simply rub a cut garlic clove over toasted bread and give it a schmear of mayo. It’s almost as good and works in a pinch.
- Feeding kids without pressure: I would recommend serving the components separate and let everyone make their own tomatoes on toast. Babies and toddlers could have small strips of toast with cut up tomatoes. This is a messy toast, which can be frustrating for kids, so you could also make more of a pan con tomate, which is made by rubbing tomato on the bread so it is infused with flavor, but doesn’t have slices. It’s delicious and would be easier for small kids to eat!
- Additions: Add fresh herbs or microgreens for a touch of fresh, green flavor.
Make It Even Better…
- Use perfectly ripe tomatoes. They are the star of this recipe so you want them to be high quality, perfectly ripe, and super juicy and flavorful.
- Cut tomatoes with a serrated knife so you don’t bruise or smash them. They are fragile so be gentle with them.
- Cut tomatoes RIGHT before serving so they don’t lose all of their juices.
- Use a high-quality bread. This recipe is so delicious because it uses high-quality ingredients – bread included! Sourdough is delicious, but you can really use any artisan bread loaf, just procure the best you can.
Summer Tomato Toast Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Toast
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The BEST tomato toast recipe! Ready in just 10 min, the basic tomato toast gets a few simple upgrades. One bite and you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lemon
- small bunch of chives
- 8 slices artisan bread like sourdough
- 2 large heirloom or slicing tomatoes
- flaky salt
- black pepper
- drizzling olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients:
Place mayonnaise in a small bowl.
Use a microplane zester to grate garlic into mayo bowl.
Zest and juice lemon (you’ll need half) and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to mayo bowl. Set aside zest.
Wash and thinly slice the chives.
Slice bread.
- Slice tomatoes and lightly toast bread. You want the slightest hint of crunch.
- Layer mayo mixture on bread, and top with sliced tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, flaky salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a sprinkle of lemon zest, and a sprinkle of chives.
Notes
- Wait to slice tomatoes until right before eating so that you retain as much of the juice as you can!
- Storage: Best enjoyed fresh. If needed, prep components separately and assemble right before eating.
- Ingredient notes: Look for perfectly ripe and flavorful tomatoes like beefsteak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or slicing tomatoes. The size doesn’t matter so much as you just need to cover the toast – with one slice or many slices! Use your favorite mayonnaise (Kewpie mayonnaise is my fave!).
- Prep ahead: The garlic mayo can be made up to a day in advance, but everything else should be done right before serving.
- Special tools: Microplane grater, drizzling olive oil, and flaky sea salt.
- Serve with: Scrambled eggs, leafy greens, or a side of cottage cheese or hard boiled eggs for protein.
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Was this inspired by Bon Appetit’s THE Tomato Toast of Summer of 2018? It looks almost the same!
Oh I missed the part where you mentioned Bon Appetit!
I was just going back to check! 🙂 I thought I mentioned it. YES, definitely yes. Have you had it?
Loved this one!! Super easy and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jordan
Look forward to making this all year!
This tomato toast recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of fresh ingredients and how easy it is to make. Can’t wait to try it out with my summer tomatoes! 🍅✨