You'll love these soft and chewy Keto bagels! This easy low carb bagel recipe is made with Fathead dough, which means it's gluten free and grain free. Keto breakfast has never been more delicious.
Who else loves that moment when you bite into a freshly baked bagel that's still warm? I love that feeling when your teeth sink through the crunchy crust and then hit the soft and chewy inside.
Hold on, I hear you say. Bagels - all that wheat. They're a carb fest. They'll spike your insulin like crazy. And after this massive glucose surge your energy levels drop and you feel hungry again within a couple of hours.
Not if you make Keto bagels with Fathead dough!!
Fathead dough first appeared on a low carb blog called Cookys Creations as a pizza crust recipe. It called for a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, almond meal, and an egg. This low carb dough was then re-named "Fathead Dough" after the movie.
I think Fathead dough is an absolute godsend for anyone on the keto diet. Mozzarella produces beautiful keto bread and even pastries! Especially when fresh out of the oven, Fathead recipes are fluffy, soft and light. Plus, they have a delightfully crunchy crust.
Admittedly, they don't taste EXACTLY like their wheat counterparts. But they are excellent substitutes. I have grated mozzarella on repeat order from the supermarket!
Here are some delicious recipes I have made with fathead dough:
- Keto Garlic Bread
- Keto Cinnamon Rolls
- Low Carb Tortilla Chips
- Keto Pretzels
- Easy Low Carb Pizza
- Keto Croissants
How to make Keto bagels - step by step:
1.) Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave or over the stove in a non-stick pan.
Now you have options - you can either proceed mixing the other ingredients in by hand or you can transfer everything to a stand mixer or food processor. I did not want to end up washing my bowl AND my mixer, so I continued manually.
2.) You mix your almond flour, psyllium husk powder and baking powder in a separate bowl. Then you add it together with a beaten egg to the melted mozzarella. Fold with a spatula, then use your hands and knead until you have a smooth dough.
Tip: The dough is very sticky when it is hot and there is THAT moment when you think it's never going to come together. It is easier to handle once it cools down.
To prevent it sticking to your hands, you can oil them lightly. I use a light walnut oil for this.
If you're using a mixer/food processor, just throw everything together and mix away until your dough is smooth.
3.) Form a large ball and divide the dough into six segments.
4.) Roll each segment into a log (ca 110 cm long) and form bagel shapes by pinching the ends together. Make them tall and leave a decent-sized hole in the middle because they will spread a little.
Place the keto bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, sprinkle with bagel seasoning - for example poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or nigella seeds.
Bake for around 20 minutes at 180 Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit or until lightly browned.
Tip: Your dough should be room temperature when you shape it and put it in the oven. First of all, this makes it easier to handle and the bagels will retain their shape. If it is too warm it can result in your bagels flattening out in the oven.
If you are worried about the bagels flattening, you can also bake them in a donut pan.
5.) Wait until your bagels are slightly cooled, then enjoy with your favourite toppings!
Here are my top tips to make sure your Keto bagels are a success:
Sticky dough: Like I mentioned above, the dough is VERY sticky when the mozzarella is hot. That's why I fold the ingredients together with a spatula as much as possible. Only then I start kneading with my hands. OIL them lightly if necessary, with a neutral-tasting oil such as walnut oil.
Smooth dough: Make sure you knead your dough until it is very smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. If it gets too hard and difficult to work with, you can heat it up in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Almond flour: I used ground almonds for the bagels shown in the images. This is comparable to almond meal or coarser/regular almond flour in the US. If you don't have extra fine almond flour to hand, increase the amount stated in the recipe by 3-4 tbsp. This will also help retain the bagel shape and your bagels won't flatten out.
Keto bagels with coconut flour: If you can't or won't eat almond flour, you can substitute it with coconut flour. Simply replace the almond flour with ⅓ cup of coconut flour.
Fresh baking powder: Your dough did not rise? Maybe your baking powder is out of date! It should fizz when you put it in a glass of water.
The bagels firm as they cool down. They can be reheated in the microwave or lightly toasted.
You can store them in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Can you make dairy free low carb bagels?
Yes! Readers have replaced the mozzarella and the cream cheese with dairy free substitutes with great results. Try the “cream cheese spread” by Daiya or Kite Hill (available in the US and Canada). Daiya also produces a non dairy mozzarella shreds product. Note that I have not tried this yet myself.
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Bagels Recipe
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. 1 ¼ cup / 125 g when using ground almonds / almond meal
- 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 / 360 Fahrenheit
- Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave (1 ½ minutes on high) or 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 mozzarella. 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 ball and cut into 6 segments.
- Form each segment into a log, lay them down in a circle and pinch the ends together to make bagel shapes.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
- Bake for ca 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
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.
Jan
I find when using the Mozzarella in the liquid when i have put it in the microwave it goes a bit like chewing gum!!!! Should I use the solid Mozzarella instead ♀️???
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.
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.
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.