Perhaps you’ve never thought of making your own bagels, but you should! They are surprisingly simple to make. With our recipe for Greek Yogurt Bagels, you get tender insides with that perfectly chewy outside — delicious homemade bagels for toasting and topping with cream cheese or any favorite toppings.
We’ve also included how to make these as gluten-free bagels that turn out just as yummy as when made with all-purpose wheat flour.
This post was created in partnership with Siggi’s.
Recipe Highlights
Our Greek Yogurt Bagels recipe is one you’ll want to bookmark for later. Here’s what makes this version of bagels better than a traditional bagel:
- Made from just a few everyday ingredients — no preservatives
- Includes yogurt for great texture and added health, including more protein and micronutrients like calcium and potassium
- Can be easily made gluten-free with one ingredient swap
- Top the bagels with any favorite seasonings to create different flavors, such as sesame seeds, sea salt, onion flakes, Parmesan or Asiago, and Everything Bagel seasoning
- Have warm homemade bagels in less than an hour, which includes cooling time
Ingredients To Make Greek Yogurt Bagels
This simple ingredient bagels recipe requires just a few pantry and refrigerator staples:
- Flour — use all-purpose or whole wheat flour; may sub a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, if you want to make gluten-free bagels
- Baking powder
- Flax meal — also known as ground flax seed
- Fine salt — you’ll need ½ tsp salt
- Plain full-fat Greek yogurt — we recommend Siggi’s plain 4% yogurt for the best texture, but you may also use Siggi’s 0% skyr, which is like non-fat greek yogurt, in a pinch
- Egg white — for brushing on top of the bagels; may also use water or milk
- Optional toppings — Everything Bagel Seasoning, poppyseeds, dried garlic, onion flakes, Parmesan or Asiago cheese, or sesame seeds
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How To Make Yogurt Bagels
It’s surprisingly easy to make your own bagels. Here are the basic steps:
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, flax meal, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the plain yogurt and water to the mixing bowl. The dough will be dry and crumbly.
- Knead the dough: With lightly floured hands and a floured surface, knead the dough until all of the flour is incorporated (about 15-20 turns). The bagel dough should be just slightly tacky but not so much that it sticks to your hands. If it does, add a tiny bit of flour and knead again.
- Roll the dough into ropes: Shape the bagel dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into a rope about 6 inches long and ¾-inch thick. Connect the two ends of the rope and pinch the ends together to form a bagel shape. Use wet fingers to seal the ends together and smooth any rough edge of the bagel.
- Top the bagels: Place the bagels on a lined, prepared baking sheet. Beat an egg white in a small bowl, then brush the tops of the bagels with beaten egg white and sprinkle with desired topping, such as sesame seeds or Everything Bagel seasoning.
- Bake the bagels: Bake for 18-20 minutes on the top rack until the bagels are lightly golden brown on the tops and bottoms. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the bagels to cool on the pan for 20 minutes.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, total fat and saturated fat, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Use Full-Fat Yogurt
You’ll want to use a thick, strained full-fat yogurt (like skyr or Greek yogurt). Our favorite is Siggi’s 4% plain skyr (whole milk yogurt). This type of yogurt is best for making bagels because it has a higher protein and fat content and less water than other types of yogurt, which is helpful for achieving the dry dough you want to make perfect bagels.
How To Store
Store the fully cooled bagels in an airtight container at room temperature if you’re planning to eat them soon.
Properly stored homemade bagels can be kept in your freezer for up to 3 months. For longer storage, first place the fully cooled bagels on a baking sheet, then freeze them until they’re solid before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag.
How long does an individual Greek yogurt bagel stay fresh? If you use a fully airtight container and wait to store your bagels until fully cooled, Greek yogurt bagels will be fresh for up to 4 days.
To reheat, simply thaw the frozen bagels at room temperature for about an hour before heating in a toaster.
How To Serve These Bagels
One of our favorite things about making homemade bagels is that you can make a lot of different flavors at once by topping them with different toppings.
To top the bagels before baking, brush the shaped dough with egg white, milk, or water, then sprinkle on your favorite bagel topping.
Some of our bagel toppings favorites are:
- Everything Bagel Seasoning (there are many brands, we like the Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning)
- Poppyseeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sea salt
- Parmesan or Asiago cheese
- Dried garlic
- Onion flakes
A warm toasted bagel sandwich, topped with avocado, bacon, tomato, and a fried egg is one of our favorite simple breakfast recipes. We also love to top them with cream cheese, fresh berries, and a drizzle of honey (a sweet option), or cream cheese, smoked salmon, and quick pickled red onions (a savory option).
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The Perfect Greek Yogurt Bagels
Make your own perfectly done bagels with this easy technique that relies on thick, strained yogurt to achieve tender and chewy bagels, just like you’d get from a bakery.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g) or gluten-free flour blend (296 g)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons flax meal (ground flaxseed)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup full-fat plain thick yogurt (we recommend Siggi’s 4% plain whole milk yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons water
- 1 egg white, beaten (for brushing on top before baking)*
- For Topping: Everything Bagel Seasoning, poppyseeds, dried garlic, onion flakes, or sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Position the top rack in the middle of the oven.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, flax meal, and salt. Use a whisk or fork to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the yogurt and water to the dry ingredients and stir. The dough will be dry and crumbly.**
- Turn the dough and any remaining flour in the bowl onto a clean work surface.
- With lightly floured hands, knead the dough until all of the flour is incorporated (about 15-20 turns). The dough should be just slightly tacky, but it should not stick to your hands. If it does, add a tiny bit of flour and knead again.
- Shape the dough into 8 equal-sized balls.
- Roll each ball into a rope about 6 inches long and ¾-inch thick.
- Connect the two ends of the rope and pinch the ends together to form a bagel shape. Use wet fingers to seal the ends together and smooth any rough edge of the bagel.
- Place the bagels on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the bagels with beaten egg white and sprinkle with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes on the top rack until bagels are lightly golden brown on the tops and bottoms.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bagels to cool on the pan for 20 minutes before eating or toasting.
- Store the fully cooled bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. May be frozen for up to 3 months for longer storage.***
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Notes
* Want to make these egg-free? Replace the egg wash with water or milk. You only need a little to get your toppings to stick. If you use water or milk, you’ll get a little more browning on top of the bagels.
** Avoid the urge to add extra yogurt or water to the bowl. The mixture will initially be very crumbly, but it will come together into a smooth ball with a little kneading.
*** For longer storage, place the fully cooled bagels on a baking sheet and freeze them until they’re solid before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag.
If you’re making gluten-free bagels, we recommend using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Blend in place of the all-purpose flour. You’ll get the best texture if you allow the gluten-free bagels to cool completely before enjoying them — overnight is best, or you can toast them after they have fully cooled if you don’t want to wait overnight.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 bagel
- Calories: 152
- Fat: 2 g
- (Sat Fat: 1 g)
- Sodium: 475 mg
- Carbohydrate: 25 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 1 g)
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 6 mg
Dietary
Frequently Asked Questions
These bagels have a tender inside and chewy outside, just like bakery and store-bought bagels that you love.
No, since these bagels contain flour, they are not considered keto-friendly.
Yes! We include instructions for how to make these bagels gluten-free by using our favorite gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
Our yogurt bagels contain 8 grams of protein each. Depending on the exact ingredients used, yogurt bagels will have varying amounts of protein — be sure to check the individual recipe or packaging for precise amounts.
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
This is a sponsored post. Although we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are – as always – 100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating high-quality recipes and content for you.
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Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use other brand of yogurt as i don’t have that brand in Singapore i never had greek yogurt bagels before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hi Ramya, you’ll want to use a yogurt that is thick, so any local brands you have that fit that type of texture should work great!
Any options for dairy free? Siggis plant based coconut? Thank you for all of your incredible wisdom and allergy friendly recipes.
Hi Vickiy, we haven’t tested this with a plant-based yogurt, but it will probably work. Yes, we would suggest trying the plant-based siggi’s coconut yogurt and then you’ll most likely need to add a little extra flour – enough to make the dough tacky but not too wet and sticky.
These were a major fail for me. I used very thick nonfat Greek yogurt and King Arthur 1:1 GF flour. They didn’t rise at all, and turned out like crumbly, dry, tasteless circular bricks. I live at 5200 feet. To be fair, I have tried many GF bagel recipes over the years, and have never had success, so clearly the problem is me! I’ll try again with full fat Greek yogurt and Bob’s Red Mill GF flour before giving up. Let me know if you have other tips!
Hi Kate! I’m sorry to hear these did not turn out for you using the King Arthur gluten-free flour. I live at 5600 feet which is where I tested over a dozen batches of these bagels so altitude should not have had much of an effect. Since yours were dry my guess is that the non-fat yogurt may have been the issue. Or it could have been the flour. I personally prefer Bob’s Red Mill because it acts very similar to all-purpose flour. I did test 3 batches with Bob’s Red Mill and siggi’s whole milk yogurt and got very good results. If your dough is dry and not tacky, then I’d suggest adding extra water 1 teaspoon at a time and continuing to knead until the dough feels tacky but does not stick to your hands.
Easy and delicious
Fantastic Gail! Thanks for the feedback and 5-star review!
This recipe calls for baking powder. However, on the Bob’s Red Mill site, they’re stating the 1:1 blend doesn’t require the use of it. I’m assuming it can be left out?
Hello! For our recipe testing we still used baking powder for GF and all-purpose flour, enjoy!
Thank you for confirming. It will be my first attempt at making bagels, and just wanted to ensure they turn out.