Truly chewy keto bagels – you want them and I’ve got them! These bagels are low carb, nut-free, and take only 5 ingredients to make. Easy and delicious, they will take your healthy breakfast to a whole new level.
Okay, let’s talk about keto bagel recipes. Everyone seems to have one these days, and everyone seems to claim that theirs is the best. In case you haven’t noticed, I do not like to do what everyone else is doing. So despite many requests from readers, I really resisted coming up with my own keto bagels. But I finally caved, and here it is.
The reality is that these days, a lot of bloggers are simply doing whatever everyone else is doing. They are searching out the most popular ideas and recreating them in the hopes that theirs will be popular too.
If you’ve been thinking that a lot of keto food blogs are looking exactly the same lately, that’s because they are. The desire to get noticed and get ahead has killed originality and it makes me very sad.
Once upon a time, when I first started this website, bloggers were being unique and putting wonderful twists on old classics. Now so many of them just want to make whatever they think will do well in search results. Which means that they all essentially do the same recipes, trying to compete with one another. I find it very disheartening.
I have vowed not to succumb to this little game and to stay true to my creative spirit. So you may be wondering why I am now publishing a keto bagel recipe when there are so many of them. I will only do this when I think I have something unique to offer on a subject. Or when multiple readers put in a request for a particular recipe. And in this case, both rules apply.
Fathead Dough Bagels
For ages now, readers have been asking if they could make bagels from my Magic Mozzarella Dough. I’ve said yes, but with reservations. I love that version of the famous fathead dough and it’s ideal for things like keto cinnamon rolls and keto pizza.
But it does have a tendency to spread and flatten when baking and I wanted nice round domed bagels. Not bagel thins! And from what I hear, this is an issue with many other keto bagels as well.
Fathead dough has a lot of oil in it from the cheese and the cream cheese. If you’re adding almond flour to that, then you are adding even MORE oils. So it makes perfect sense that all of these fats melt together during baking and cause the dough to spread significantly.
You can always add more almond flour or something else but that just adds more carbs. And that’s not really the point now, is it?
Keto Bagels with Coconut Flour
But a few weeks ago, I was playing around with the recipe for keto gnocchi. I simply couldn’t get the plain cheese and egg version to hold together, no matter what I did, so I added some coconut flour. And then, when it still stuck to the pan and fell apart, I decided to pick up the bits and bake them instead. And they puffed and became beautifully golden brown and I realized I was onto something. It struck me that this dough would make really great low carb bagels.
For many folks, this recipe will be a hit because it’s entirely nut-free. I still had to play around with it some to get it to work. For one thing, I made them a bit on the small side the first time, divvying up the dough into 10 bagels. It’s better to make 8 slightly larger bagels, and they still only have 5.5g total carbs per serving. Yippee! That’s definitely doable for most keto dieters. I also needed more baking powder to get a better rise out of them.
I was really delighted with these. They taste like bagels, they have that real bagel chewiness, and they are quite easy to make. They reminded 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 too, and with a schmear of cream cheese, you can truly enjoy bagels again.
Tips for Making Keto Bagels
- Coconut flour can vary sometimes so it’s best to try to use what I used, which is Bob’s Red Mill.
- These bagels are best baked on a silicone mat, to help protect the bottoms from getting too brown.
- Bake the bagels in the middle of the oven for more even heat distribution.
- Use good baking powder that isn’t past its prime, so that they will rise properly.
- Bake until golden brown on the tops. Try not to take them out to early so that they don’t shrink.
So there you have it. My keto bagel recipe among a zillion other keto bagel recipes. But I think mine has worth and so I shared it with you.
But I promise you, my friends…I will never lose my originality.
Keto Fathead Bagels
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (56g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 12 oz pre-shredded part skim mozzarella
- 2 large eggs
Optional Topping for Everything Bagels
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp poppyseed
- 1 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner. 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.
Michelle Hoffman says
I’m curious what role the mozzarella cheese plays in the recipe? Is it essential? Can I replace with goat cheddar cheese? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Stretchiness and chewiness. I highly doubt the goat cheddar will give you the same texture but you’re welcome to try!
Laurie M. says
Carolyn, I have been following your blog from the start and I appreciate your efforts immensely! Every person I know that decides to try keto is given the recommendation to use your recipes. This bagel recipe is terrific and I’m incredibly grateful. Before I started my keto journey I made the chewiest, most delicious NY style bagels and I miss them. This is the closest a low carb version could get to the real deal and so much easier to make! Thank you!!! Seriously. Thank YOU!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Brigitte says
Hi Carolyn
I tried to make these a second time this morning and had the same problem as the first time, which was having the dough too dry to shape properly, so I just made bread sticks instead ……which my family is enjoying because they are still delicious! The dough wanted to break apart and I had to keep pressing it together.
I used Bobs red mill coconut flour as suggested, the same mozzarella as I used for your fathead pizza dough with great success, and I used a scale to measure the cheese.
Do you have any idea what I’m doing wrong? I wondered if adding butter to the cheese when I melt it would make it more pliable?
I would appreciate any suggestions! I have made many of your recipes and this is the only one I seem to have trouble with and I’m determined to get it right!
Thank you!
Brigitte says
I just read in an earlier post that we should weigh the coconut flour as well…will try that next time!
Carolyn says
As you can see from the comments, this works out usually for people. Adding butter would make it greasy. I think you need less flour.
Gina says
Just delicious, thank you!
Susan says
Has anyone tried putting a pan of hot water in the oven while baking them, to steam them to get a chewy constituency like they do real bagels, looking for a chewy bagel
Carolyn says
This is a chewy bagel already.
Nancy says
These were awesome! Been having cravings for an everything bagel for a while now. Today was the day! Turned out great!
Karen says
I made the bagels and they turned out great but can you use almond flour instead? I know they have to be different proportions but whst would that be? I have to say the texture was beautiful. I just dont like the coconut flavor as much.
Carolyn says
No… they will flatten too much. The oil in the almond flour makes them too soft for bagels.
Mike says
Came out awsome but changed a few things and took a short cut. Used a metal donut pan. Added 2 tablespoons of flax meal to the 1/2 cup coconut flour. Only used 1/4 tsp of xanthem. And added one extra egg, so 3 total. Added all dough ingredients to a food processor to blend, then put in microwave for 90 seconds before rolling and portioning. I also put everything seasoning in bottom of each donut holder as well as on top. Yummmmmm!
Tammi says
Just finished my first batch and I couldn’t be more delighted. They turned out perfect, look just like the picture. I wasn’t sure how I would like the coconut flour with the savory everything bagel seasoning, but they are delicious. I had 2 fresh out of the oven with a little whipped cream cheese, outstanding!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Dorothy Connor says
Do you think Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour can be substituted for their coconut one for those of us who hate coconute?
Nancy says
My first attempt to make these. Failure. Dough too dry to roll into logs. Crumbly. Thinking too much flour or didn’t get cheese melted enough. UGH!!
Carolyn says
Definitely sounds like too much coconut flour… did you weigh it? Also, the brand of cheese can be an issue sometimes.
Carol Logan says
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!! Made these bagels today, ( having one with a cuppa Tea as we speak) … followed the recipe completely, BREAK OUT THE LOX AND CREAM CHEESE!!!! Puffed up. Golden brown, TASTES LIKE HEAVEN!!
Have been on this low carb journey for some time now. TRIED too many low carb bagel recipes to count! These taste wonderful, possibly not the thick chewy texture of boiled baked bagels. BUT damn girl….. going to try making them into a flatter type roll. Using that for a burger roll.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INGENIOUS RECIPES!! LOVE YOUR COOK BOOKS.( EXPECT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!) BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOURS THIS THANKSGIVING SEASON.
Carolyn says
So glad you feel that way!
Kim says
I love these bagels I make them all the time so easy to make. I put them into my donut pan and they puff up more than on a cookie sheet.
Thank you for your awesome recipes!
Margaret says
Hi Csrolyn! I love you’re keto recipes. Mine flattened out looking more like a big blob of cheese. I used fresh baking powder, bobs coconut flour measured, part skin mozerella measured on a scale. I did half the recipe. Maybe that was the problem?
Carolyn says
Did you weight the coconut flour or just do it by volume?
Jen Jackson says
I have tried to make this recipe several times with all the correct ingredients and every time they didn’t turn out right. The dough was crumbly and dry, but today I was determined to make them work! I bought a food scale and was stunned at how off my measurements were all the other times!!! This time the dough turned out amazing! Super soft and pliable. They’re in the oven now and I’m sure they will be amazing! If you want your bagels to turn out, don’t trust your measuring skills….get a scale!!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!!
Carolyn says
Well I am SO glad you were able to figure it out and make it work.