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
- 1/2 cup (60 g) coconut flour (60g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) xanthan gum
- 12 oz (340.2 g) pre-shredded mozzarella
- 2 large eggs
Optional Topping for Everything Bagels
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp poppyseed
- 1 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) coarse salt
- 1 tbsp 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.
Video
Notes
Storage information
Because fathead dough tends to lose elasticity as it cools, it’s best to store the bagels at room temperature. Place them in a covered container for up to 5 days. If you do refrigerate or freeze them, warm them gently in the oven or microwave to make them softer again.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Carolyn thanks
I just made these and they are amazing. We have bagels and smoked salmon every for Christmas morning, so I tried a Keto bagel last year. This recipe is much better. The dough was very easy to work with and they came out great. Thank you! Can’t wait for Christmas.
Hi Tami, thanks so much. I am delighted to have come up with a recipe you can use for your Christmas morning!
Carolyn,
Made these the day they were posted. Tasted great but mine didn’t look like the photo. Mine didn’t puff up. What went wrong? What does it mean to melt mozzarella “until almost liquid?” Perhaps that was it. Guessed at the cheese by using 1/4 Cup grated cheese for each ounce as I had some cubed in the freezer. Perhaps that was it. Would like to try again after your reply.
Brenda
Okay so your cheese was an issue. I specify the pre-grated kind because it has a touch of starch and that helps the bagels.
Carolyn I made these last night and hubby was so excited to try one with cream cheese and lox as that was one of his favorite things to eat pre keto. He didn’t even wait till they were cooled and loved every bite. We have tried other keto bagels but they taste like coconut flour only. These are a keeper and I see no need to freeze as they wont last that long. Thank you for all the work you do. I think these would be great to take on a plane trip as they are stable.
So glad to hear it, Annette!
Hi Carolyn! I absolutely LOVE your site, I have your two cookbooks and am awaiting your dessert one to arrive! ???? I am usually never disappointed with your recipes….they are always spot on!
So….sadly, I made these bagels and they did not really turn out for me. They certainly have a “chewiness” to them and taste good….but did not rise very well at all and are pretty small and flat looking. I used 12 ozs of Cracker Barrell, pre-shredded, part skim, Mozzarella cheese, 71 grams of Bob’s Red Mill Coconut flour, the Xanthan gum (no where near the BB date) and non-GMO, organic, aluminum-free Baking Powder (again, no where near the BB date)! Not sure what I did wrong!? What brand of cheese do you use? I melted the cheese and it was VERY soft, but definitely not liquid. When I added the coconut flour mixture & eggs it did not incorporate all that well. I continued to kneed it on parchment paper by hand and it held together, but seemed quite dry and was very difficult to roll and stay together….even though I tried warming up a couple of the pieces in the microwave! I WANT these to be as wonderful as yours look and as many reviews indicate! Could the cheese have not been melted enough? Does the brand make a difference? Thanks for any tips you can offer! ????
same issue here, it never really turned to “near” liquid – I did what you did, kneeded it by hand to try to get all the ingredients together, I too put into microwave about half way through because they wouldn’t roll out anymore – couldn’t get them to stretch to the “abt 8 in” so they were smaller and didn’t rise well. So my question is about how long does it “normally” take to get the cheese to the proper consistency? I was afraid to just keep going. They tasted very good, just not large enough to treat as a bagel, ate more like a “roll”. Thank you!
I can’t give you a “normal” amount of time in the microwave, since they all vary so much. But the cheese should be so melted that it’s almost pourable.
Hi Gail, I used simply the 360 brand from Whole Foods. It’s so very hard to pinpoint what went wrong here. I don’t know for sure if the brand of cheese makes a difference, because with my magic mozzarella dough, I’ve used any number of brands and it works in all of them. Obviously you can see from the comments that this has worked for about 90% of people, but a few are having the same difficulties you did.
The cheese needs to be so liquidy it’s almost pourable, if that helps any? I will try these a few more times so I can pinpoint issues but so far, they’ve worked for me every time too. One final question…what brand of xanthan gum? Oh also…what are the additional ingredients in the Cracker Barrel cheese? Maybe they add something to it that’s an issue…
How long do they last covered at room temperature?
Three or four days.
Best bagel yet! 20 minutes and they looked great. Tried one warm- and it had a great real bread texture.
So glad you liked it!
Like I say above, I loved this recipe! I wonder, though, if anyone else noticed a change in texture over time when saving them in the covered container on the counter? It seems like these are best the day of baking and soon after. I am thinking of making up a batch of dough and baking them fresh when desired. Has anyone tried that? Thanks!
I think that’s certainly worth a try. I would shape them and then refrigerate as the dough loses elasticity once it’s put in the fridge.
I made these today and they’re fantastic! Mine raised but then fell but they still tasted wonderful!!! In your instructions you say to melt the cheese in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it’s almost liquid. By the time I said “enough” the cheese was so hot I was afraid the eggs would cook when I added them, but it never got to the “almost liquid” stage. It reminded me of years ago when we’d pull taffy at a friend’s house. And it was just about as hot!!! I wonder what I’m doing wrong?
It’s probably the brand of cheese. What kind did you use? Regardless, it seems to have worked well!
My weekday morning breakfasts at work just got so much happier! I just made these and they are so good! The possibilties are endless! Super easy to make and super tasty with a great texture! Thanks again for another fantastic recipe!
Man, I’m bummed! These looked so promising and it looked like everything was going great, but by the time the tops browned and I went to take them out, they had lost their rise and fallen flat. They look like a bialy now. Don’t know what went wrong…my baking powder was not expired and I did everything as the recipe said, except I did half it to only make 4. Is the mozzarella supposed to be hot when added to the other ingredients? And should the egg be beaten before added? Those were the only two things I was unsure of. Otherwise, I don’t know why they lost their rise
Sorry, I really can’t tell what went wrong. The cheese is pretty hot, yes. The eggs get beaten as you work them in, although you can beat them beforehand if you like.
Hi Carolyn
I made these bagels this morning and I felt the dough was a bit dry and very hard to roll into shape….I live in Quebec and being winter I’m wondering if the air being drier is an issue? I made the pizza fathead dough with success the other day but that recipe called for butter melted with the cheese. Would this work for the bagels?
I also made the multi purpose bread recipe this morning and left it in the oven for 75 min but it fell a bit when it started to cool. I used the full 3/4c of water but was still able to shape the dough and lift it into the pan. I didn’t weigh the flours for either recipe, just scooped out of the bag the required amt. I did weigh the cheese though.
So looking forward to tasting them! I love your recipes and you are my go to now!! Thank you so much…and my family thanks you as well????
Sounds like maybe it had too much coconut flour. I guess dry air could affect that… maybe a bit less next time. Don’t use the other dough, they flatten too much.
Man, I’m bummed! These looked so promising and it looked like everything was going great, but by the time the tops browned and I went to take them out, they had lost their rise and fallen flat. They look like a bialy now. Don’t know what went wrong…my baking powder was not expired and I did everything as the recipe said. Is the mozzarella supposed to be hot when added to the other ingredients? And should the egg be beaten before added? Those were the only two things I was unsure of. Otherwise, I don’t know why they lost their rise
Not sure what went wrong either. The mozzarella is supposed to be hot when everything gets added.
After having a transplant and having my triglycerides get out of range my doctor advised me to go on some type of lower carb diet. Once I came across your site and tried several of your recipes not only did my triglycerides drop but so did the weight. I have a team of transplant doctors, a kidney doctor, and a crohns doctor and they were all thrilled with the results I have achieved with your recipes. The one thing I missed the most was the Bagels. I tried your recipe the day I seen it in my inbox and was so surprised. From the first bite I was hooked. Can’t wait to go back to the grocery to get the ingredients to make more. The first batch didn’t last long. These are just as good as anything that I have ever purchased off the shelf. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and all of the others that taste just as amazing.
Oh Debbie, I am so glad you like them AND I am so glad you’ve gotten your health under control. What a great diet this is!
It is an amazing diet. I haven’t felt this good in years. Thank you so much for perfecting these recipes for all of us.
Hi! I am looking for to make this recipe today and have the ingredients but the xanthan gum. Is it ansolutelt necessary or is there anything I can replace it with? Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!!
Just made these and turned out very well.Look fantastic! Used 22%Costco Shredded mozza. Weighed everything. Dough dried up a bit once cut i to 1/8 and difficult to roll as kinda fell apart so put each piece in microwace for 7-10 sec to warm and soften ip. In the end I gave up on bagel shapes and made hotdog type buns. Dtill good. Live the topping. Very bready! I think might work well in a cinnamon bun application!
I am new to keto baking and am still craving all things bread. I’ve made a few different variations of the fathead dough for different purposes, and even though I can taste a hint of coconut in this recipe (I’m very sensitive to it), this is my favorite recipe for any bread-like thing so far.
That said, on my first attempt at this recipe, the dough did spread, not rise. I used Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour and pre-shredded mozzarella from Costco, but the cheese doesn’t specifically say “part-skim” so I’m wondering if that’s the culprit. I know my baking powder is quality and recent. I’d love to try making these again, and will make sure it’s part-skim mozzerella next time. Do you think that’s the issue?
Thanks for a great recipe. I’m new to your blog but just bought your latest book and looking forward to trying many more recipes!
Could be the issue but also…did you weigh the coconut flour? It can make a difference.
I did not weigh the coconut flour, even though I weighed the mozzarella. I should have! I was careful not to pack it in, but next time I will weigh. Thank you!
Ack, I went back through the cupboard and discovered the baking powder I used expired in 10/17!! I had two open containers and didn’t realize one was past expiration. I am going to assume this is the culprit! We still enjoyed these, though! Thank you!
Oh that’s very likely to be it. Good to know!