Become an
Avocado Artist
like Boris Toledo Doorm

If you’re like most people, you probably have childhood memories of your parents telling you not to play with your food. But artist Boris Toledo Doorm either didn’t have a conventional parent or didn’t get the message because he plays with his food… a lot.

 

The Chilean artist is always treating the dinner table like a canvas. While Toledo Doorm does use traditional tools and techniques, such as pencils and paintbrushes, to create his artworks, he also likes to use what he has in his kitchen — literally — to make his creations. He’s used red wine to create this stunning Prince portrait, for example, and a potato to carve out an image of Pope Francis.

 

But what Toledo Doorm really loves to employ on his palette is everyone’s favorite green fruit: avocados. He takes the flesh of the fruit and creates avocado art of realistic renderings of famous people and pop culture characters. There’s Marilyn Monroe and Chuck Norris (complete with a cowboy hat), Mona Lisa and Yoda, Maleficent and Grumpy Cat.

 

And what does he do once he’s finished an artwork? He eats it, of course! Toledo Doorm loves getting all the avocado benefits, like good fats and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, by scraping up his creations and spooning them onto toast for an instant avo-toast delight!

 

Become an Avocado Artist

If this sounds fun, let Toledo Doorm’s avo-images inspire you to play with your own food to create more avocado art!

 

Step 1: Pick an art-ready avocado.
Avocados from Mexico make the perfect “paint” because they’re always good! You want to ensure your avocado is canvas-ready. How do you do that? A perfectly ripe avocado is not too green and not too hard. Look for avocados with dark, purple-ish black exteriors that are bumpy — like the skin of a crocodile. Go ahead and give it a simple squeeze test, and if it yields to gentle pressure, it’s ripe and ready to be turned into a masterpiece!

 

Step 1.5: If your avocado is before its prime, don’t panic.

There are many tricks and tips for ripening avocados, so if inspiration has struck, you don’t have to wait long to get on with your avocado artwork. Apples and bananas can help ready your avocado as they emit a specific type of plant pheromone that signals to other fruits that it’s time to ripen. Simply put your avocado in a paper bag with either a banana or an apple, and it will usually ripen within one to three days.

 

Step 2: Get the right tools.

To create edible art like Toledo Doorm, you really only need a fork, knife, and a toothpick. Forks help make patterns: hatch marks, swirls, and other textures. Meanwhile, a knife can help make deep cuts necessary to carve out specific shapes. The toothpick is where you can get into the fine details of your artwork, drawing freehand to bring intricate parts of your portrait to life.

 

These basic tools will get the job done, but it’s certainly not an exhaustive list. Experiment with other food-safe tools to get the patterns and looks you want. For example, a ruffled pie crust cutter could add a fun, wavy texture to your avocado art. The bristles of a pastry brush, too, could make an interesting, hairlike texture. A melon baller could make perfectly round scooping indentations, while herb scissors can make perfectly spaced grooves.

 

Step 3: Add tasty embellishments.
Toledo Doorm typically sticks with one edible item for each artwork, but there are limitless tasty and colorful additions that can take your creations to the next level. For example, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries infuse your artwork with a pop of color. Likewise, nuts provide an earthy crunch factor, perfect for a delicious natural landscape. Other smearables are fun to swirl into the mix, too. Try decadent strokes of peanut butter, almond butter, or hazelnut butter. Or up the ante with chocolate sauce or caramel ribbons!

 

Once you’ve finished your avocado art and had the chance to admire it, it’s time to eat!

 

Play With Your Food and Eat It, Too

Toledo Doorm scrapes his avocado art onto toasted bread, but you can take it a step further with avocado toast recipes from Avocados From Mexico. Need some ideas for avocado toast with all the avocado benefits? Go all out with pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and pistachio, or seek full-on flavor with this raspberry and blue cheese avocado toast recipe. Want to keep things simple? This avocado egg toast recipe is your next morning go-to.

 

To take your creation on the go, scrape your avocado art into a refreshing smoothie, like a green machine avocado smoothie bowl loaded with spinach, pineapple, banana, kiwi, and, of course, avocado! For an extra pep in your step, try the matcha-doing avocado smoothie, powered with creamy avocados and matcha green tea. Or keep with the classics by whipping up an avocado-strawberry smoothie made with only four ingredients: avocados, strawberries, milk, and a dash of sugar.

 

So, play with your food and show us your avocado art creations on social media!