Avocado toast has become a popular breakfast and brunch item in recent years. Many restaurants and cafes now offer their own take on this trendy dish. Dunkin Donuts added avocado toast to its menu in 2018, marking the chain’s first foray into all-day menu items beyond just donuts and coffee. But how healthy is Dunkin’s version of avocado toast compared to other options?
Nutrition Facts
Let’s start by looking at the basic nutrition facts for Dunkin’s avocado toast:
| Serving Size | 1 order (1 slice of bread + avocado spread) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 450 |
| Total Fat | 23g |
| Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 650mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 53g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g |
| Sugars | 3g |
| Protein | 9g |
At first glance, Dunkin’s avocado toast appears to be a fairly balanced meal. It provides a good amount of fiber, protein, and monounsaturated fats from the avocado. However, there are some nutritional aspects that could be improved.
High in Calories
The most glaring issue is the high calorie count. At 450 calories for a single slice of toast, this adds up quickly if you eat multiple pieces. For comparison, an average slice of whole wheat toast with mashed avocado is around 200-250 calories.
High in Carbs
The carbohydrate content is also very high at 53g per serving. This is over half of the recommended daily value. The bread Dunkin uses for avocado toast is thicker and heartier than regular sandwich bread, which increases the carb amount.
High in Sodium
There is also a considerable amount of sodium, at 650mg or 28% of the daily recommended limit. While avocados themselves are low in sodium, some of the seasonings and spreads added to Dunkin’s version can drive up the salt content.
Nutrient Poor
When looking beyond macros, Dunkin’s avocado toast lacks many of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals found in fresh avocado. The processing and preparation the avocado goes through depletes some of its intrinsic nutrient density. There are minimal vitamin C, potassium and other antioxidants.
Ingredients
To understand why Dunkin’s nutrition stats look the way they do, we need to dive into the ingredients list:
- Bread: enriched wheat flour, water, high fructose corn syrup, whey, soybean oil, yeast, salt, monoglycerides, calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium sulfate, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, calcium silicate, soy lecithin, citric acid, soy flour.
- Avocado spread: avocado, water, soybean oil, food starch modified, soy protein concentrate, contains less than 2% of: salt, mono and diglycerides, natural flavor, xanthan gum, guar gum, soy lecithin, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (as preservatives), lactic acid, sodium acid sulfite, citric acid, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E (alpha tocopherol).
- Sea salt
- Red pepper flakes
While the primary ingredients are bread and avocado, there are a lot of extras like modified food starch, mono and diglycerides, and gums added to the spread. This indicates that the avocados are heavily processed before being used as an ingredient.
The bread also contains high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient. This added sugar increases the carbohydrate content and calories without providing additional nutrition.
Less Fresh Avocado
Using avocado spread instead of fresh avocado slices means much of the beneficial fiber and nutrients have been lost. The creamy texture of the spread comes from adding thickeners and emulsifiers during manufacturing.
Artificial Ingredients
Many of the minor ingredients in the avocado spread like xanthan gum, soy protein concentrate, and natural flavors are highly processed additives derived from natural sources. But they lack the vitamin and mineral content of whole foods.
Portion Size
In addition to the nutritional drawbacks of the ingredients, the large size of Dunkin’s avocado toast pushes up the calorie and carb counts. Each order provides four full slices of thick bread paired with a generous spread of avocado.
Most other restaurants serve just one or two slices of more lightly-topped avocado toast. The average single portion is around 250-300 calories, closer to the amount in half of Dunkin’s order.
If you want to improve the nutritional value of Dunkin’s avocado toast, consider splitting an order or just eating half. This cuts the carbs, sodium, and calories in half while still letting you enjoy it.
Taste and Texture
Nutrition aside, how does Dunkin’s avocado toast stack up from a taste and texture perspective?
Bread
The bread has a consistency somewhere between sandwich bread and bagel due to its density and shape. It provides a sturdy base for the toppings and gives more substance than regular toast.
However, the texture errs on the side of dry and dense compared to a good artisanal loaf. It does not have as nice of a crust or interior crumb.
Avocado Spread
The avocado tastes fresh and creamy, with added richness from the oil content. But it is difficult to discern the avocado flavor from all the other additions used to make it spreadable.
The consistency is smooth like guacamole rather than chunky slices. This makes it easy to spread but removes the varied texture.
Toppings
The sprinkling of sea salt, red pepper, and everything bagel seasoning add nice pops of flavor and crunch. These toppings bring savory, spicy, and salty accents to balance the mild avocado.
However, the seasoning is rather heavy-handed. A lighter dash would allow more of the avocado flavor to shine through.
Price
Dunkin Donuts charges $2.99 per order for their avocado toast. Given the large size of the portion, this is a decent value compared to other chains like Starbucks that charge over $4.
However, since the nutritional content is not that impressive, you may be better off purchasing high-quality bread and fresh avocados to assemble your own avocado toast at home. This would likely be cheaper and healthier.
Customization Options
One advantage of Dunkin’s avocado toast is the variety of customization options available:
- Bread choices: white, wheat, or multigrain
- Toppings: everything bagel seasoning, smoked bacon bits, hot pepper flakes, sea salt, onion, roasted tomato
- Spreads: plain avocado or guacamole
Being able to swap out different breads and toppings makes it easy to switch things up and find your perfect combination. You can also order it as a sandwich on a croissant or English muffin.
However, you cannot substitute fresh avocado slices in place of the pre-made avocado spread. This limits the ability to improve the nutrition significantly.
Do-It-Yourself
If you want full control over the ingredients, it is best to order the bread alone and then build your own avocado toast with fresh fixings. This opens up many more possibilities for creating a flavorful and nutritious breakfast.
Healthier Alternatives
If you want a more wholesome avocado toast, consider assembling it yourself at home or trying one of these healthier alternatives:
Local Coffee Shop or Bakery
Many independent cafes offer freshly made avocado toast on artisanal breads with high-quality ingredients. The portion sizes and pricing are often better too.
Fast Casual Chains Like Sweetgreen
Chains like Sweetgreen, Dig Inn, or Freshii have avocado toasts made with nutrient-dense superfood breads, organic produce, and natural seasoning.
Grocery Store Prepared Foods Section
Grocery stores like Whole Foods often have grab-and-go avocado toast made in-store you can take home for an easy breakfast or snack. These have fewer preservatives than Dunkin’s version.
Make Your Own
For the healthiest and most cost effective option, assemble avocado toast at home. Use fresh sliced avocado, sprouted whole grain bread, and your own preferred toppings like tomato, arugula, onion, sprouts, or smoked salmon.
Is Dunkin’s Avocado Toast Healthy?
To summarize, here are some key considerations when evaluating the health profile of Dunkin Donuts’ avocado toast:
Pros
- Provides some beneficial fats from avocado
- Good source of fiber and protein
- Vegetarian and dairy-free
- Low cost compared to other chains
- Highly customizable
Cons
- Very high in calories, carbs and sodium
- Heavily processed avocado spread instead of fresh avocado
- Contains artificial thickeners, sugars and preservatives
- Lacks nutrients found in whole foods
- Large portion sizes
Overall, Dunkin Donuts’ avocado toast is not the most nutritious option, but could be a decent choice in moderation. Your best bet is to split an order, choose whole grain bread, and load up on veggie toppings to cut the carbs and boost nutrition.
Making your own avocado toast at home will pretty much always be healthier, but Dunkin’s version can make for an occasional convenient breakfast.
Conclusion
Dunkin Donuts’ take on the avocado toast trend is affordable and customizable, but not particularly healthy. The processed avocado spread and large portion sizes result in a high calorie, high carb meal.
While the avocado provides some benefit, you are better off assembling avocado toast yourself at home using fresh, wholesome ingredients. Look to local coffee shops and bakeries for healthier grab-and-go options made with less artificial additives.
Overall, Dunkin’s avocado toast makes an okay occasional indulgence, but it should not be a daily breakfast choice if you are concerned about nutrition.
