Let me show you how to make soft and chewy Keto bagels with just 6 ingredients! This easy low carb bagel recipe with Fathead dough contains only 3.4g net carbs per bagel. It is ready in 30 minutes.
Who else loves that moment when you bite into a warm, freshly baked bagel?
These Keto bagels taste very similar to traditional bagels. But, they are made with purely keto-friendly ingredients.
My favorite way to eat these almond flour bagels for breakfast is toasted and spread with butter and jam. They are smaller than regular bagels. But they are just as filling because of the nutrient-dense, high-fat ingredients.
Kelly: "These are delicious! A must-try, you won’t regret it!"
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What is Fathead Dough?
In case you are new to the keto diet, Fathead dough is an ingenious low carb dough made with shredded mozzarella and almond flour. I have made keto garlic bread with it, keto croissants and the best keto cinnamon rolls!
It is going to blow your mind because it tastes so similar to wheat dough recipes - fluffy, soft and light.
Ingredients
Let me run you through the six ingredients we need for a keto bagel recipe:
- Almond Flour: You need extra-fine almond flour. If you prefer to use ground almonds (or the coarser, regular almond flour), increase the amount as stated in the recipe card.
- Mozzarella - I used pre-shredded mozzarella. This is the slightly yellow, shredded kind you would top a pizza with. Some people find that the part-skim shredded mozzarella works better than the full-fat version. Personally, I don't see any difference between the two. It's also possible to buy a mozzarella block and shred it at home. Note: the soft, white mozzarella balls we use in salads are NOT suitable for this recipe.
- Egg - Room temperature and beaten.
- Cream Cheese - Must be full-fat. Makes the sough smooth.
- Psyllium Husk Powder - This is my secret ingredient. Psyllium makes keto bread extra fluffy, including these bagels. If you don't have psyllium husk powder, use two additional tablespoons of almond flour instead.
- Baking powder - Helps the bagels rise. Check that it is fresh. You can test this by putting some into a glass of water. It should fizz.
Instructions
Let me show you how to make keto bagels with fathead dough. Here are the basic steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method, ingredient amounts and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave or in a non-stick pan over low heat. Stir until combined with a fork or spatula.
STEP 2
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
STEP 3
Add the dry ingredients and the beaten egg to the mozzarella mixture.
STEP 4
First, combine the ingredients with a spatula. Then knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and uniform.
STEP 5
Form a large ball and cut it into 6 segments.
STEP 6
Roll each segment into a log, lay them down in a circle and pinch the ends together to make bagel shapes.
STEP 7
Place the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
STEP 8
Bake the bagels in a preheated oven on the middle shelf until golden.
Katrin's Tips
#1 The melted mozzarella is very sticky when it is hot. Just continue mixing it with a spatula and it will come together with the other ingredients to form a smooth dough.
#2 The dough should be at room temperature when you shape it. This makes it easier to handle and the bagels will retain their shape. If it is too warm it becomes soft and the bagels flatten out in the oven.
#3 To prevent the bagel dough from sticking to your hands, oil them lightly with a light live oil or walnut oil.
#4 Make the bagels tall and leave a decent-sized hole in the middle because they will spread a little during baking.
The bagels firm up as they cool down. They can be reheated in the microwave or lightly toasted.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use a stand mixer, handheld electric mixer or a food processor to make fathead bagel dough. The only reason why I continued by hand was because I did not want to end up washing my bowl AND my mixer.
When fathead dough cools down, it becomes hard and difficult to work with. All you need to do is pop it back into the microwave to warm it up again.
They don't exactly taste like traditional bagels but come quite close - especially when they are gently warmed. They have the same chewy texture and crunchy crust. Almond flour bagels taste more like regular bagels than coconut flour bagels.
The cheeses in the dough are already salty. There is no need to add additional salt.
Some psyllium brands turn purple when baked. This does not affect the taste. I have used the Green Origins and Just Natural brands without issues. The NOW brand is also supposed to be fine.
Variations
Dairy-Free: Readers have replaced the mozzarella and the cream cheese with dairy-free substitutes and report great results. Try the “cream cheese spread” by Daiya or Kite Hill. Daiya also produces a non-dairy mozzarella shreds product. Note that I have not tried this yet myself.
Keto bagels with coconut flour: Replace the almond flour with ⅓ cup or 40 grams of coconut flour.
Nut free: Another nut-free option is to substitute the almond flour with a 50/50 blend of sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour.
Toppings: Instead of sesame seeds or poppy seeds, sprinkle over Everything Bagel Seasoning, dried onions or nigella seeds.
Sweet bagel: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of allulose to the bagel dough.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some ways we like to serve keto bagels. They work for breakfast, but also make a delicious lunch:
- Simple - Toasted and spread with butter
- Sweet - add sugar free nutella or sugar free strawberry jam
- Classic Scandi - smoked salmon, cream cheese, black pepper, fresh dill and lemon juice
- Lunch - Top with scrambled eggs, avocado and bacon rashers, keto tuna salad, keto chicken salad or keto egg salad. Enjoy with a crunchy green salad.
Storage
Low carb bagels stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
They also freeze well for up to 3 months. I pre-slice them and toast them straight from the freezer. Or, just take one out and defrost overnight.
More Keto Bread Recipes
I love baking keto bread and rolls. Here are some of the recipes we have on regular rotation:
- Keto Buns Recipe30 Minutes
- Almond Flour Biscuits20 Minutes
- Almond Flour Keto Bread Recipe50 Minutes
- Keto Irish Soda Bread1 Hours
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Bagels
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup / 175g shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour extra fine. Increase to 1 ¼ cup / 125g when using ground almonds.
- 1 egg large, beaten
- 4 tbsp / 50g cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- poppy / sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave (60-90 seconds). Or, melt on the stovetop over low heat in a non-stick pan.
- In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients - almond flour, psyllium husk powder and baking powder.
- Add dry ingredients plus the beaten egg to the melted mozzarella mixture. Combine with a spatula, then knead with your hands until you have a smooth dough. Alternatively, mix in a stand mixer or food processor.
- Form a large dough ball and cut it into 6 segments.
- Form each segment into a log (11 centimetres long). Lay them down in a circle and pinch the ends together to make bagel shapes.
- Place the bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
First published in January 2019. Republished with new tips and recipe steps in 2024.
Faith Tyler
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make.
Thanks so much!
Saveed so much money and made them into buns, instead of bagles.
Shared with my family that are interested in less processed foods.
This will be a staple in my kitchen!
Gigi
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! I used your gluten free Victoria sponge recipe for a birthday cake for a child who had been unable to enjoy cake as she did not like the GF products on the market. With a few tweaks per her preference, it was a big hit and now kept on hand for her.
Sharon
Took a few goes to get them right but think I have it now. Lovely for breakfast or lunch with cheese and salad.
Candace Hodson
These taste absolutely delicious! But mine turned out almost purple, I assume from the physulum husk powder. I wonder why. Also, can I flatten these before baking so I can use them for sandwiches? It certainly tastes like bread!
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, the purple colour can happen with some psyllium brands. It does not affect the taste though. And you can absolutely flatten these or make any other shape you like.
Karen
I read elsewhere that Xanthan gum helps give the bagel a chewy texture, does the psyllium husk do the same thing? Anxious to try this weekend, Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger
Psyllium husk is very absorbent and helps to make bread fluffy. Xanthan gum gives a stronger crumb structure and is often used in recipes that don't contain gluten. We don't need it here because of the mozzarella.
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, You have to use the pre-shredded mozzarella, which is dry, yellow and comes in a bag. You cannot use the white mozzarella ball that comes in a liquid. That one is only suitable for salads.
Aileen
Can I use Xanthan Gum or Guar gum instead of psyllium husk?
Katrin Nürnberger
No, that would not work I'm afraid.
Aly
What type of super fine almond flour do you use? Any brand that could be found in the UK.
Katrin Nürnberger
You can currently get Bob's Red Mill Super-fine almond flour on Amazon UK. But, it is much cheaper to just use ground almonds and increase to the amount given in the recipe card.
Elisia
What else can you use if you don't have physulum husk powder?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could use ground flax instead. You may need a little more though as it's a coarser grind.
Corinna
Thanks for the receipe. It's so crunchy and yum.
Lindsay J.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Breakfast is the hardest meal of the day for me on a low carb diet, I'm usually half asleep and don't want to actually cook something. I can bake these bagels ahead of time and just warm them up in the microwave. Quick and easy, just the way I like my breakfast. They don't taste EXACTLY like wheat bagels, but they're tasty and bagel-ish enough to satisfy a bread craving. Great either savory or sweet. There's a slight cheesy flavor, but I love cheese and fruit so sugar free jam goes well on them.
For other readers living at high altitude, I used 1/2 tsp. baking powder and they came out great. I live at 6450 ft (10380 km) above sea level. If you live significantly lower or higher, you'll probably have to tweak the amount of baking powder further. The higher you go the less you need.