Chewy keto bagels do exist and they are delicious! This easy nut-free recipe takes only 5 ingredients and 40 minutes of your time. And with only 2.9g net carbs, they are perfect for a healthy keto breakfast.
I couldn’t be more thrilled with these keto bagels and I think you will be too. They have the perfect chewiness of the conventional kind, with a mere fraction of the carbs.
It took me quite a few attempts to get this recipe right, I will admit. I had to play around to get the perfect combination of cheese and keto flour. But once I did, I knew I had something pretty remarkable on my hands.
They remind me of traditional Montreal style bagels…smaller and denser than the New York kind, but full of flavor and delightfully chewy. They toast really well, and with a schmear of cream cheese, you can truly enjoy bagels again.
And just like my keto biscuits, they make great breakfast sandwiches too!
Why you need to try this recipe
This keto bagel recipe is a little different from others you may have seen. For one thing, it’s made with coconut flour rather than almond flour, which means it’s completely nut-free.
I have experimented quite a bit with fathead dough, which is typically made of cheese, almond flour, and eggs. Because almond flour has a high oil content, it causes a great deal of spreading during baking. This can mean that most keto bagels end up flat and shapeless.
I find that coconut flour provides much more structure and holds up better. It also makes the bagels chewier, like the real thing. And they don’t taste like coconut at all!
One reader says: “Chewy, rich, great texture, delicious! This dough was easier to work with than any other fat head dough I’ve tried.”
Ingredients you need
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- Coconut flour: I created this recipe using coconut flour because I really think it gives them the ideal texture. Do not substitute with almond flour as the bagels will flatten and spread too much. For best results, weigh the flour out by grams.
- Baking powder: Make sure your baking powder is not old or else your bagels will not rise and will be a bit flat.
- Xanthan gum: There really is no substitution for this as it gives the bagels structure. Remember, a bag of xanthan gum will last for several years. You can find it in the gluten-free aisle of most grocery stores, or you can purchase it online.
- Shredded mozzarella: Fathead dough is tricky, and some shredded mozzarella works better than others. I have had good luck with all sorts of brands like Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe’s Organic, and Sargento. But for some reason, I have not had much success with Organic Valley.
- Eggs: Use large eggs for this keto bagel recipe. Extra large or jumbo eggs will make the dough too soft.
- Butter: Brush the top of the bagels with melted butter. It adds great flavor, browns the bagels and gives the toppings something to adhere to.
- Everything bagel toppings: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried minced onion and coarse salt make these taste like classic bagels. You can also purchase everything bagel seasoning that is premixed.
Step by step directions
1. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking powder and xanthan gum. Make sure to break up any clumps in the coconut flour.
2. Melt the cheese: In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the cheese on high in 30 second increments until well melted and almost liquid. The exact time this takes varies with the power of your microwave. For me, it takes about three 30-second zaps.
3. Add the flour mixture and eggs: Place the flour mixture over the melted cheese, then add the eggs. The flour will help protect the eggs from the heat of the cheese. Knead in the bowl using a rubber spatula.
4. Turn out the dough: Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and continue to knead the dough until cohesive. Cut the dough in half and cut each half into 4 equal portions so that you have 8 equal pieces of dough.
5. Roll into logs: Roll each portion out on the mat to about 8 inches long. Then pinch the ends of the log together to form a circle.
6. Add the seasoning: In a shallow dish, stir together the sesame seeds, poppyseed, dried onion and salt. Brush the top of each bagel with melted butter and dip firmly into the everything seasoning. You can also just sprinkle the seasoning on top.
7. Bake until golden: Bake the bagels at 350ºF until they have risen and are golden brown.
Expert Tips and FAQ
Fathead dough is tricky, because so much depends on the right combination of shredded cheese and keto flour. So I have a few extra tips to help you get these keto bagels right. Be sure to watch the video in the recipe card for even more tips and tricks!
If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt the cheese in a pan over very low heat on the stovetop. Remove the pan from heat before adding anything else and stir very quickly once you add the egg. Don’t let the pan get too hot or it will curdle the egg.
If the bagels spread too much or turn out a bit flat, it usually means you didn’t have enough coconut flour to give them structure. I strongly recommend weighing the coconut flour for accuracy.
The brand of shredded cheese can also be an issue, so it can take a bit of experimentation. Look under the ingredients section for the brands that have worked best for me.
Store bagels in a resealable container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They tend to get quite firm when refrigerated, although you can warm them up gently to make them softer again.
This keto bagel recipe has 5.5g of carbs and 2.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.9g net carbs per bagel.
This keto dough is made with mozzarella cheese, eggs, coconut flour, xanthum gum and baking powder. It produces a chewy and delicious bagel that tastes similar to regular bagels. And they toast well, too!
More fathead dough recipes to try
Fathead dough is a game-changer for keto recipes, as it is so similar to real pizza dough. Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:
- We use it to make keto pizza crust frequently. The kids love cheese and pepperoni, but my husband and I really like to make Jalapeno Popper Pizza.
- You can also use it to make fabulous keto cinnamon rolls! The dough is elastic enough to roll up nicely with a cinnamon filling.
- I modified the dough to make this fun Keto Everything Bagel Bread. It’s fun to serve at parties or just make some to snack on at home.
- Craving calzone? Fathead dough is perfect for that. I filled my Keto Calzone with a creamy mixture of spinach, artichokes, and cheese.
Related recipes
Keto Bagel Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour (60g)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 12 oz pre-shredded mozzarella
- 2 large eggs
Optional Topping for Everything Bagels
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppyseed
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner. Lightly dust with coconut flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the cheese on high in 30 second increments until well melted and almost liquid. Stir in the flour mixture and the eggs and knead in the bowl using a rubber spatula.
- Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet and continue to knead together until cohesive. Cut the dough in half and cut each half into 4 equal portions so that you have 8 equal pieces of dough.
- Roll each portion out into a log about 8 inches long. Pinch the ends of the log together.
- In a shallow dish, stir together the sesame seeds, poppyseed, dried onion, and salt. Brush the top of each bagel with melted butter and dip firmly into the everything seasoning. Set back on the silicone mat.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the bagels have risen and are golden brown.
MsGF says
I am very allergic to pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains an antibiotic (natamycin) mixed in with the cellulose. So I can’t eat it unless I’d like to go to the hospital, and no one wants to go there. In Canada where I live it is on the label, in the USA it is not, but it’s in there. It’s approved by the FDA. In fact it’s in many items sold in the USA, in Canada it’s only in pre-shredded cheese. Do you have any suggestions for me? I would like to make this recipe but will need to shred my own, low moisture mozzarella. In the video you clearly call for the pre-shredded kind. Should I use less cheese (maybe 11 oz) or add something to my shredded cheese? I appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thank you.
Carolyn says
This is made with block cheddar, not pre-shredded. I said I used the Cabot Seriously Sharp. Use 12 ounces, since that’s exactly what I used.
Na says
This recipe didn’t work at all. I followed everything. They didn’t roll. They kept falling apart. I am disappointed :/
My kids and I were doing this together. They are in the oven right now, they did rise, but just not a good bagel form.
Carolyn says
Not really sure what to say since most people have great success. I suspect you had too much flour in there OR used a cheese that didn’t melt well. If you give me more info, I may be able to help.
John says
These always come out perfect every time! what a great 🎀Christmas🎄 bagel for for bagels and lox! In a rush? Shortcut Alert!👍 use frozen shredded mozzarella and a cold egg and just put everything into a food processor, combine fully just like you would a pie crust! boom!
Anthony says
Can the xantham gum be substituted with glucomannan? If yes, what amount would be used?
Roseanna White says
So yummy! I just made these this morning and had to make a conscious effort to limit myself to one. Okay…two halves. 😉 I’m a sweet bagel fan, so I mixed it up and tried two varieties on your base–orange cranberry (using your recipe for sugar-free craisins and then some orange extract) and French toast (using cinnamon and maple extract). Both turned out GREAT!!! I dipped the French toast ones in some cinnamon “sugar” and the combo was perfect! Thought I’d share in case there were any other sweet-bagel-fans out there!
(I simply divided the dough in half and then kneaded in my flavorings.)
Christine Luft says
Is this 12 oz of mozzarella volumetrically or by weight? 12 oz volumetrically is 6oz by weight. You’ve got grams for the coconut flour but ounces for the cheese, so I’m not sure whether this is weight or volume in the recipe.
Carolyn says
Hi Christine. Ounces are a measurement of weight (unless we are talking about liquid ounces). So there is no such thing as volumetric ounces when referring to dry ingredients like cheese. When a measurement is given in ounces, it’s weight, with the exception of fluid ounces.
Shanea says
Ok, so I read this recipe this evening and was honestly a little skeptical because I’ve tried making a breadstick recipe with coconut flour before and they were nasty, but I decided to try these. I decided to do half the recipe, in case I didn’t care for them, so as I weigh my Mozzarella I’m 2 ounces short, so I added 2 ounces of pepper jack to make up the difference. I didn’t put any topping on them, or even the butter because I honestly didn’t expect to like them, but these are actually really good, I keep slipping into the kitchen and taking little bites of one of them because I can’t believe how good it is, the texture is awesome, so chewy. Thank you for such a good recipe, I want to make your green chilie dip and make these to eat with it!!!
Carolyn says
So glad you enjoyed them!
Amber-Rose says
Hi, Do you know what the effect of adding jar jalapeño slices (minced) to the dough will be? Wondering if the extra moisture will be a bad thing ????
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say but I think it should be good. I wouldn’t do a whole jar, though.
Rabellaka says
For us poor metric users, what is 12 oz of cheese? Is that measured by weight or volume?
Taffy Todd says
Delicious ????made these for the first time and they did not disappoint!
Patty Anderson says
Hi Carolyn,
I have tried a lot of your keto-friendly recipes, and I have to say, they are all delicious! I can’t wait to try this Bagel recipe! I love bagels, and I’m so excited to try it out!
Love all your videos, so full of good information!