This easy homemade bagel recipe is made from scratch with just five (5) ingredients – flour, Greek yogurt, egg white, baking powder and salt! No yeast, no boiling, no fancy mixer. Bake them in the oven or in the air fryer!
Easy Bagel Recipe
I’m totally obsessed with these bagels!! This bagel recipe is so easy to whip up for breakfast in the oven or air fryer, which are all the rave in the Weight Watchers community. They are high in protein thanks to the yogurt, and taste so good, warm right out of the oven.
My husband Tommy considers himself a bagel connoisseur, he’s the pickiest bagel person I know and travels to every bagel shop around NYC just to find the perfect bagel, so I wasn’t sure if he would love them, but he LOVED them and was happy to help me test them out. They are a tad soft in the center, but we both agreed we liked them like that. Our favorite is smothered in everything bagel seasoning!
I tested them out with wheat and gluten-free flour, and they both worked although the gluten-free version took longer to bake and didn’t rise as much as the wheat version. I tested this both in my oven and Air Fryer (affil link). The results came out great in both, but the gluten-free version was best in the air fryer. They were browned and took half the time.
These bagels are perfect to whip up for breakfast, you can make the dough ahead and refrigerate, then roll them up and pop them in the oven while you get ready for your day! The dough should be at room temp before baking, so if you plan to do this, give it an hour to rest before baking.
Tips To Make The Perfect Bagel:
- Use a silpat or parchment paper sprayed with oil to prevent them from sticking to the baking sheet. To hold the parchment to the baking sheet, spray a little oil on the corners.
- The bagels expand when they bake so you’ll want to make sure they have plenty of room so they don’t stick together.
- Greek yogurt instead of plain is a must, if there’s any liquid in the yogurt be sure to drain it. I tested with Fage and Stonyfield Greek, both worked great.
- If your dough is sticky add more flour or use less yogurt.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe to make more. You can also half or quarter it to make less.
- To make them with self rising flour omit the salt and baking powder.
- Bake on the top rack so the bottoms don’t get too browned.
- EGG FREE Tip: The egg wash gives the bagels a nice shine and also helps the topping stick, but if you have egg allergies leave it out, you can brush them with water to help the toppings stick.
Bagel Toppings
- Sesame seeds
- Poppy seeds
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Minced Dried Garlic
- Minced Dried Onion
Tips for gluten-free bagels:
I tested the gluten free bagels a few times in the oven and air fryer, both worked but the air fryer worked better, giving the bagels a golden crisp crust, here’s what worked:
- I used Bob’s Redmill Gluten- Free 1 to 1 flour (affil link)
- I whipped one egg white until frothy and added that with the yogurt, totally optional
- Once I formed the bagels I dipped my finger in water and smoothed it out.
- I increased the oven to 400F and let them bake 20 minutes, then I let them cool before cutting open.
- In the air fryer I baked 325F 12 min turning halfway. Let cool before cutting.
Tips for dairy-free bagels:
I tested this dairy-free a few different ways with success.
- You can use a thick dairy-free Greek yogurt, Kite Hill (blue label) was the brand I found and tested. This yogurt is not 0 Freestyle Points.
- I swapped the yogurt for equal parts silken tofu and also had great success. This is a good 0 point alternative.
- I was able to make them dairy-free, gluten free using both methods and Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour, increasing the bake time for GF 10 minutes.
How To Store and Freeze Bagels:
- You can wrap leftover bagels in plastic and reheat the next day without refrigerating, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To freeze, slice open and wrap individually with foil or plastic wrap. To reheat pop them back into the oven, toaster or air fryer until warm.
- You can make the dough ahead and keep it wrapped tight with plastic for up to 3 days refrigerated. If you’re cooking for 1, simply take 1/4 of the dough out an hour ahead and bake it in the morning. The dough should be room temperature before baking.
More Recipes using the Easy Greek Yogurt Dough
Easy Bagel Recipe
Equipment
- Air Fryer (I own and love this one from GoWise!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour, whole wheat or gluten-free mix*, (5 oz in weight)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder, make sure it's not expired or it won't rise
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, use less if using table salt
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, not regular yogurt, it will be too sticky (Stonyfield)
- 1 egg white or whole egg, beaten
- optional toppings: , everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes**
Instructions
Oven Method:
- Preheat oven to 375F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
- Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
- Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels. (or you can make a ball and poke a hole in the center then stretch it slightly)
- Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Air Fryer Method:
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
- Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 20 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
- Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels.
- Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice.
- Preheat the air fryer 280F degrees. Transfer in batches without overcrowding and bake 15 to 16 minutes, or until golden. No need to turn. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
