This easy Bruschetta Without Bread is the ultimate healthy appetizer! Made with vegetables instead of crostini or baguette, this easy keto bruschetta recipe is loaded with healthy fats thanks to avocado. It’s naturally gluten-free and low carb, and can easily be made paleo, whole30 friendly, or vegan.
This post was originally published on April 17th, 2021.
This easy summer appetizer is absolutely loaded with flavor. I love the taste of avocado and tomato together. It’s creamy, zingy, and refreshing!
Being gluten-free, and having a craving for some decent bruschetta, I figured rather than trying to make some kind of paleo/gluten-free crostini or grilled bread, simply slicing vegetables and roasting them would be the perfect vessel to carry this bruschetta with avocado from table to mouth.
Bruschetta often has raw garlic added to the tomato mixture which can sometimes be overpowering. I tossed the garlic into the oven to roast with the sliced vegetables and then removed them halfway through. Roasting garlic takes the edge off of the garlic flavor and brings out the natural sweetness. It. Is Delicious!
The fresh basil is probably the star of the show for me. It cuts through the other aromas delicately and is so refreshing. Feel free to add a few more leaves if you have extra on hand to really bring out the flavor of this bruschetta with avocado!
🗝️ Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tomatoes: For this recipe, I used cherry tomatoes. They are always my favorite from our local market because the flavor is incredible, however, Roma tomatoes or grape tomatoes work just as well. Use around 2 medium fresh tomatoes, or weigh them out for more accuracy if you have a scale.
- Avocado: We were lucky this week – these avocados are gorgeous! Avocado is a unique twist on the classic bruschetta recipe and provides us with extra healthy fats. It’s such a good addition to Bruschetta!
- Basil: Fresh basil, not dried. I’m not going to budge on this one – the basil needs to have that powerful flavor that can only come from the juicy green leaves.
- Cheese: This is completely optional. Cheese is a grate (ha!) addition for low-carb lovers, and also if you’re vegan you can add vegan parmesan, like this Violife Prosociano Wedge. Skip the cheese for paleo and Whole30 versions of this bruschetta recipe.
- Garlic: Rather than using raw garlic, I popped 2 cloves into the oven and roasted them along with the extra vegetables. They only needed about 20-25 minutes in the oven so keep an eye on them. You can remove them when you flip the other roasted vegetables.
- “Bread”: Of course not real French bread for me, but you can absolutely use traditional crostini or toasted bread if you like! My “bread” was in the form of 1 potato, 1 sweet potato, and 1 eggplant. I had extra vegetables leftover (not a bad thing) but I think you could easily do one less vegetable. For keto bruschetta, eggplant is an easy low-carb option but mushrooms are the lowest carb.
🥣 How to make avocado and tomato bruschetta without bread
1. Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F and slice the vegetables if using. DO NOT slice the mushrooms.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and ground black pepper to sliced eggplant, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and/or mushrooms. Mix to coat evenly and spread in one layer on a baking sheet, along with the garlic cloves.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, removing the garlic and mushrooms after 25 minutes. If cooking potatoes and eggplant, flip them when you remove the garlic and mushrooms.
4. Mix chopped tomatoes, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
5. When garlic is out of the oven, mince it, and mix it into the bruschetta topping.
6. When vegetable slices are finished cooking, top with bruschetta and serve.
7. Add basil to garnish if desired.
🫙 Storage instructions
Store any leftover bruschetta in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat it cold or reheat the slices/mushrooms in the oven for a few minutes. I don’t recommend using the microwave as the vegetables turn mushy.
🥑 How to make keto bruschetta
To make this into a keto bruschetta recipe, I recommend using portobello mushrooms as the “bread”. Mushroom bruschetta can be topped with extra avocado and cheese, and just a few tomato pieces. A splash of extra olive oil is great drizzled on top. For the carb count, this easy keto bruschetta recipe has a total of 5g net carbs for 2 portobello mushrooms with bruschetta topping, making it perfect for the keto diet.
🌱 Bruschetta recipe ideas for other dietary preferences
- Vegan: Substitute the grated parmesan for a vegan alternative, like this Violife Prosociano Wedge.
- Paleo/Whole30: Skip the cheese, or sprinkle some nutritional yeast.
- Low Carb: Use a low-carb vegetable like eggplant, daikon radish, or celeriac as the “bread” for your bruschetta.
🍅 What kind of tomatoes do you use for bruschetta?
Whether you’re at the store, farmer’s market, or picking from your garden, you want to make sure to use ripe tomatoes as they have the best flavor. A good tip is to take a little sniff of the tomato at the top where the green stalk meets the red fruit. When tomatoes are ready they smell extremely tomatoey and absolutely divine!
Another great option to try is sun-dried tomatoes. They are so sweet and juicy, perfect for unique bruschetta recipes with a twist.
🥖 What can you put bruschetta on besides bread?
- Mushrooms are a great keto option for mushroom bruschetta. Try a large mushroom, like Portobello.
- Eggplant is a delicious low-carb choice as well.
- Baked zucchini boats are another good keto option, although slightly less easy to hold with your hand.
- Both sweet potatoes and white potatoes are great bread substitutes. Not keto-friendly though!
- Beetroot is another excellent choice for beet bruschetta! The color is just gorgeous.
- Daikon radish is a great shape and holds up really well when it’s roasted in the oven. It’s almost potato-like even though it’s low-carb! Perfect for a keto bruschetta recipe.
🧀 What other toppings can you add to Bruschetta?
- Cheese: Cheese is a delicious way to add a bit of extra flavor to your bruschetta topping. Try sliced or grated mozzarella cheese, goat cheese (so tasty!), or even ricotta. I stuck to parmesan for my bruschetta because I wanted the sharp flavor.
- Herbs: Besides basil which is the obvious (and great) choice, some enjoy adding pesto as a spread on toasted bread (or vegetables in this case). Fresh mint is another great option. It’s very refreshing.
- Strawberries: To make it a little sweeter, try replacing a few of the tomatoes with strawberries. It lends itself to a little more balsamic vinaigrette as well!
😋 More low carb recipes you will love
- Vegan Jalapeno Poppers
- Pickled Beet Salad
- Easy Homemade Guacamole
- Hamd and Cheese Frittata
- Paleo Greek Stuffed Tomatoes (Gemista)
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📖 Recipe
Breadless Bruschetta Recipe
Ingredients
“Bread”
- 16 whole portobello mushrooms stalks removed OR 2 Eggplants, or 2 potatoes, or 2 sweet potatoes, or a mixture of each, sliced about 1/2 inch or 1 cm thick (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
Bruschetta topping:
- 250 g cherry tomatoes halved or quartered (about 15-20)
- 1 medium avocado diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 leaves fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
- Extra fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F and slice the vegetables if using. DO NOT slice the mushrooms.16 whole portobello mushrooms
- In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and ground black pepper to sliced eggplant, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and/or whole mushrooms.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Mix to coat evenly and spread in one layer on a baking sheet, along with the garlic cloves.2 garlic cloves
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, removing the garlic and mushrooms after 25 minutes. If cooking potatoes and eggplant, flip them when you remove the garlic and mushroom.
- Mix sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, parmesan, salt, and pepper.250 g cherry tomatoes, 1 medium avocado, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 8 leaves fresh basil, 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- When garlic is out of the oven, mince it, and mix it into the bruschetta topping.
- When vegetable slices and mushrooms are finished cooking, top with bruschetta and serve.
- Add fresh basil to garnish if desired.Extra fresh basil
Notes
- Vegetables: I used one of each vegetable mentioned, plus 2 portobello mushrooms, but really only needed 2 vegetables in total. Use mushrooms for keto or eggplant for a low-carb option. See post for more ideas.
- Vegan: Substitute the grated parmesan for a vegan alternative, like this Violife Prosociano Wedge.
- Paleo/Whole30: Skip the cheese.
I love sweet potato toast, this just makes sense!