Soft + Chewy Gluten Free Bagels
Easy homemade gluten free bagel recipe that is soft, chewy, and delicious! Make them any size for a yummy breakfast or snack. Vegan friendly with egg free and dairy free options!
This recipe is amazing for making perfect gluten free and fresh bagels at home! These bagels are soft and fluffy and packed full of flavor! They taste just like you remember.
Free from: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, corn, celery, and more
I love bagels for breakfast, especially on a lazy morning. These bagels are the perfect recipe with a fluffy inside, chewy outside, and topped with your favorite seasonings. Even my non-gluten-free family loves them!
Plus, these bagels are naturally egg free and made dairy free with one simple swap.
For more breakfast recipes to love, check out my gluten free and vegan double chocolate muffins, vegan chocolate chip muffins, or gluten free and vegan pancakes.
Updated 3/15/2022 with new information, new instructions
Ingredients
You don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to make these bagels! All of the ingredients can be picked up at your local grocery store. Here is what you need:
- Milk of choice
- Brown sugar
- Gluten free flours
- Yeast
- Greek Yogurt
- Baking powder + salt
- Molasses
- Toppings
- Xanthan gum – to be added only if your flour mix does not contain any
The best gluten free flour to use
After making dozens and dozens of bagels, I find that the secret for a perfect fluffy and chewy bagel is in the flour blend. What you want to do is combine a flour blend that does NOT contain potato starch with a flour blend that DOES contain potato starch.
The magic combo of potato-no-potato is what gives that real bagel chew. When you only use a gluten free flour blend that contains potato, it will always come out more dense and gummy.
When you only use a flour blend that does not have potato, it won’t have that right chew.
The magic is in the mix!
So. My recommendations for flours are:
Potato Free – My homemade gluten free flour blend, or Krusteaz Gluten Free Flour
With Potato – Pamela’s Artisan Blend, Better Batter, or King Arthur Measure for Measure
Allergy Substitutions
If avoiding dairy, use the milk of your choice and the greek yogurt of your choice. Rice milk and soy milk are perfect for a milk swap. I would recommend either soy or coconut yogurt but your favorite will work here no problem.
If avoiding sesame seeds, don’t add everything bagel seasoning to the top of these bagels! Use one of the many other delicious topping ideas below!
Instructions
For the full instructions with the ingredient measurements, please see the recipe card below!
Okay, so while this recipe isn’t complicated, there are a lot of steps and this might take you a good hour the first time you make them. However, you’ll be rewarded with delicious bagels which is time well spent if you ask me!
Start by taking your warm milk of choice (at about 100-110F), brown sugar, and yeast. Mix them well and set aside to allow the yeast to bloom.
If after 10 minutes your yeast mixture has not risen or gotten foamy, your yeast is either old or your milk was too hot. Try it again.
After blooming the yeast, add your yogurt of choice to the mix and give it a good stir.
Now in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment (not the dough hook!) combine your dry ingredients: both types of gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a quick stir to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and allow it to mix on low speed for 3 minutes or until a dough ball forms in the mixer.
Shaping the bagels
Prep a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper.
On a well floured surface, scoop out the bagel dough and divide it into equal pieces of your size of choice. This recipe makes either 8 normal sized bagels or about 15 mini bagels.
Roll each divided dough ball in your hands. Using your finger, gently poke a hole through the dough ball and shape it carefully into a bagel. Place this on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap .
Set this aside to allow the dough rise for one hour in a warm place in the house.
Baking the Bagels
Now it’s time for the bagels to get a bath! This is the secret step to give bagels their unique chew so you really can’t skip this step.
In a large pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of molasses to about 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Gently lower 2 bagels (depending on the size of your bagels and the pot you are using) into the water. Allow each bagel to cook for 45 seconds on each side.
Transfer the bagels using a slotted spoon to a parchment lined baking sheet and top with your toppings if desired.
As soon as possible, get the bagels into the preheated oven to begin baking. The longer the rest after their dunk in the water, the more they will deflate in the oven.
Let the bagels bake in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes depending on the size of your bagels. They are done when they are golden brown in color and reach an internal temperature of 190F.
Flavor Variations
This dough is perfect for transforming into your favorite bagel variety. Here are some ideas to get you started!
- Salted bagels – sprinkle with coarse sea salt before baking
- Everything bagels – sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning (either your own or the one from Trader Joe) before baking
- Blueberry – fold ½ cup frozen blueberries into the dough before rolling
- Cinnamon raisin – fold 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ cup raisins into the dough before shaping
- Chocolate chip – fold ½ cup mini chocolate chips into the dough before shaping
- Pizza bagels – mix in 1 teaspoon of tomato paste with 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings, top with your choice of cheese
Spreads and toppings
There are endless ways to customize your bagel for your mornings! Here are a few of my favorite combos and recommendations:
- Cream cheese – Can’t get much better than this classic combo! For a dairy free version, the Kite Hill’s chive cream cheese is awesome.
- Eggs and Bacon – for the classic bagel sandwich vibe.
- Sesame seeds or poppy seeds – Sprinkle these on top after boiling but before baking for a great flavor.
- Hummus – After toasting I love to spread hummus on top for the extra protein. I then like to top it with seasonal roasted veggies for the perfect lunch.
- Avocados
- Peanut butter or Sunflower seed butter – This is hands down my favorite combo! I love an everything bagel, toasted, with creamy sunflower seed butter. Full of protein and healthy carbs this is my favorite way to start the day!!
How to store
Countertop – These bagels will keep on the countertop in a bag or other container for up to 3 days before drying out.
Fridge – These bagels will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.
Freezer – To freeze these bagels after baking, pre-slice the bagels and wrap individually or place paper in between bagels. Store in a freezer safe airtight container for up to a month. Any longer than that and they begin to dry out, in my experience. Thaw bagels in the fridge overnight before toasting and enjoying.
Want more gluten free breakfast ideas? Check these recipes out!
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon
- Baking sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup milk of choice I used rice milk, unsweetened
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend make sure potato free, see notes
- 3 tbsp gluten free flour blend with potato see notes
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt of choice
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp molasses
- extra flour for rolling out
- toppings as desired
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine warm milk heated to between 100 and 110F with brown sugar and yeast. Allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
- After blooming, add yogurt to the yeast mixture and combine.
- In a large bowl of your stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the dry ingredients of gluten free flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed to combine.
- Now add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes or until a dough ball takes shape.
- On a well floured surface, turn out the dough and divide into equal portions. Shaping the dough in your hands, poke a finger through the middle of the ball and form the bagel shape. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Prepare a new baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large pot combine 6 cups of water with the molasses. Bring to a boil.
- Drop bagels into the boiling water with a slotted spoon and let cook for 45 seconds on each side. Remove the bagels from the water and onto the fresh baking sheet. Top with toppings as desired. As soon as possible, place bagels in the oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes for small bagels and up to 35 minutes for larger bagels. Bagels are done when golden brown in color and reach an internal temperature of 190F.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Can you use plain dairy free yogurt instead of Greek dairy free? There is only one brand that offers it in plain but it has soy, which I am allergic to.
I think that would work, however, I haven’t tested it with plain dairy free yogurt. It is not as thick or as tangy as Greek yogurt so I would suggest adding a little less plain yogurt and working it into the dough. It may end up needing the full amount or a few spoonfuls less of yogurt. I think it should work out, though!