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 Expert 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.
Veronika
Hi Katrin, I would love to try this recipe but was wondering whether you could recommend a grated mozzarella brand in the UK. The ones I have looked at all contain potato starch. Or does that not matter? Many thanks!
Katrin
i've just been using the Sainsbury's or Ocado own brands. They do contain a bit of potato starch, but overall, it's negligible. It appears that in other countries you can get this harder type of mozzarella in a block, which you can grate yourself, but I have never seen it here in the UK.
Veronika
Brilliant, I’ll give it a go then! Thanks so much for your prompt reply and for all the yummy recipes!
Katrin
Let me know how you like them!
Georgiana Aron
Costco has the hard block of mozzarella! It’s really great!
Sandi
These have been a life saver and made following my daily keto plan so much easier. They toast up nicely for breakfast and lunch time sandwiches. LOVE them!!
Claire
Such lovely and light mini morsels of heaven to dunk into our alkaline 'carrot and ginger soup' for tea. Thought my bread days were over forever.
Thanks so much again Katrin! Every recipe is soooo goooood...
Claire xo
Katrin
Hi Claire, I see that you've tried quite a few recipes in a go... I love it! I'm glad you like the bagels. I remember when I first discovered Fathead dough... it was a bit of a revelation. I had made some sugar free jam and was eating it with yoghurt for breakfast, which was ok, but just a bit sad. Next day, I had a bagel with jam. Simply OMG!
Claire
All of your recipes (so far) are genius Katrin! So many other recipes seem to lack that magic x factor. Yes, I had a real baking day yesterday and I can't wait to try more of your recipes. It seems that this way of eating can now be deliciously abundant, rather than from a mindset of lack. Thank you again!
Claire xo
Katrin
I'm so happy I can inspire 😉 Be sure to let me know tweaks that work because it's always interesting - for myself and for other people trying the recipes!
Judy
I am allergic to cream cheese; any suggestions as to what I can substitute? Would mascarpone work? or would non-dairy cream cheese Kite Hill work?
Katrin
I haven't tried it myself... so I'm not sure. But I think the most important ingredients are the mozzarella and the almond flour. I'd probably go with the non-dairy cheese and make a test run with half the recipe!
Emma
Hi Katrin!
You are amazing?
Still in quarantine time...can a extra thick nonfat Greek yogurt be used instead of crea cheese?
Katrin Nürnberger
I think it should work with full fat greek yogurt, but I don't know how non-fat yoghurt reacts in baking. Does it get watery? It would be an experiment. That said, it's only a small amount so my best guess is that it's probably no problem 🙂
Susan
Hi! In reference to the cream cheese question, the answer is absolutely YES! I’ve used Daiya brand “cream cheese spread” in Canada & Kite Hill when in the US. Daiya also produces a non dairy mozzarella shreds product. I’ve used both of the above with perfect results. I’ve tried many keto bagel recipes and these substitutes work very well. Hope this helps!
Shouna Vue
What if I don’t use a good processor because I don’t have one?
Katrin
You don’t actually need to use a food processor for this recipe:) Simply make sure you mix the dough well
Louise
I am waiting for the bagels to cool before I sample them, they look fabulous. I did a few things including heating the cheeses for 30 secs at a time in the microwave. After each 30 secs I would stir the contents in the bowl using a spatula. I ended up using a total time of 80 secs. It really depends on the heat of your microwave. I used a food processor with a plastic blade to mix the ingredients. I didn't want to use a metal blade and I don't have a dough hook for this model. I have a mixmaster but that is too big for the amount of dough. The food processor did a great job of mixing the dough. I lightly oiled my hands to separate out the dough into six portions and make the bagel shape. And lastly, I used an egg white wash on the tops and sides of the bagel as I wanted to sprinkle everything bagel seeds on the dough but the seeds wouldn't stick, therefore I lightly applied with a pastry brush some egg whites that I have in a cartoon.
Katrin
Great idea to use an egg wash! It does make seed stick better and makes the tops nice and shiny 🙂
Erin Russell
Do you think I can add flavours- like spinach and feta?
Katrin
Yes, that should work! With the spinach, I'd wilt it first and make sure to squeeze as much liquid out as possible before using it.
Gina
Can I use the shredded part skim mozzarella?
Katrin
Yes, absolutely!
Evie
How many net carbs per bagel?
Katrin
Hi Evie, it's 3.4 net carbs per bagel. The nutrition panel shows total carbs and fibre, and you deduct the fibre from the total carbs to calculate the net carbs.
littleleftie
Hi! I am new to your site, but have been thoroughly enjoying it so far!!
In regards to vegan cheese (non-dairy) Daiya is actually a Canadian company based in Vancouver, BC. They make excellent products, which we buy for our allergic grandchildren.
As to the Fathead dough, perhaps I didn't melt the cheeses mixture well enough, because I found big globs of mozzarella that didn't melt...and consequently ended up with "lumps" of mozz in the actual bagel. Next time instead of the microwave, I think I'll try stove top melting....
Otherwise, they did taste fantastic! I added in some chopped up pepperoni, mushrooms, green and red bell peppers and a couple of teaspoons of pizza sauce....they were excellent pizza bagels!!!!!!!
Thanks and keep the great recipes coming. 🙂
Katrin
Oh, I love the idea of pizza bagels! And thank you for the tips regarding the vegan cheese. Interesting that your cheese did not melt evenly. Melting on the stove works fine, that's what I did pre-microwave. That way, you have the opportunity to melt really slowly and you can stir continuously to make sure you're getting no lumps.