The best vegan bagels are fluffy and chewy, sweet and salty, and so much fun to make! Just 6 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Making homemade bagels takes a few steps, but each step is easy and the results are worth it! It’s the perfect weekend project, and the bagels freeze great so you can enjoy them throughout the week.
The other day I indulged my bagel cravings with my homemade vegan carrot lox recipe (found on page 25 of the Fuss-Free Vegan Cookbook). I didn’t have any bagels at home, and I didn’t want to go out to get some so I decided to make some from scratch. Good idea! These bagels turn out to be so perfectly delicious, they’re a million times better than store-bought bagels.
Making bagels is a really fun at-home project that you can do alone, with friends, or with your kids. This saves money because grocery store bagels can be quite expensive. The trick to making bagels is a little unique in that they have to be boiled before baking. This is what keeps the outside of the bagel chewy fluffy. I like to top my bagels with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning (which is a mixture of seeds, salt, onion, and garlic), or you can go plain.
Best Vegan Bagels are perfect with my homemade vegan cream cheese recipes (there are 3 different flavor options), or they make an amazing bread for my breakfast sandwich recipe! I like to toast bagels and spread them with a bit of dairy-free butter to serve with soups, like my go-to vegan soup, vegan cream of mushroom soup, smoky tofu and bean soup, or my hearty lentil stew.
You can use this bagel recipe to make avocado toast, make a bagel sandwich with tomatoes and cucumbers, or spread on some hummus. Yum! Trust me when I say, once you make a batch of these, you’ll always find more ways to enjoy them. My husband and I like to make a big batch on the weekend and enjoy serving it in different ways each day. I just can’t get enough!
How to make the best vegan bagels:
To make the dough:
Mix together the warm water, brown sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy. If it’s not foamy, your yeast is probably too old so you should buy new yeast and try again.
Add bread flour and salt and make a shaggy dough.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough will be too stiff for a mixer so you will need to knead it by hand to form a smooth tight ball.
Lightly grease a large bowl and add the flour. Turn the dough in the bowl and coat it evenly in the oil. Cover with a clean dish towel.
Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size. With just the light on, the oven is a great place for dough to rise.
To shape and cook the bagels:
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down and divide it into 10 equal pieces for regular-sized bagels. (For extra-large bagels, divide dough into 8 pieces). Take each piece of dough and form it into a ball, then use your fingers to make a hole in the center of the dough ball and stretch it to form a bagel shape. Spread bagels on prepared baking sheets.
Now the bagels need to be boiled. Add 8 cups water and ¼ cup brown sugar to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add bagels a few at a time (don’t crowd the pot), and boil for 1 minute. Use a slotted spatula to flip the bagels and cook for another minute. Remove the bagels from the water and return them to the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bagels.
Once cooked, brush the tops of the bagels with aquafaba and then sprinkle the bagels with sesame, poppy seed, or whatever bagel seasoning.
Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. They will be more tender when they are still warm and chewy as they cool. Store cooled bagels in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or you can freeze them for up to 4 – 6 months.
These vegan bagels are:
- Fluffy and chewy
- Mildly sweet and salty
- Have fun!
What to put in homemade bagels:
Plain Vegan Cream Cheese
Fruity vegan cream cheese (strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, or other flavors)
Herb and garlic cream cheese
Jackfruit salad
Vegan Egg Salad
The Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it and don’t forget to tag @itdoesnttastelike chicken on Instagram.
Hungry!
Sam Turnbull.
The best vegan bagels
The best vegan bagels are fluffy and chewy, sweet and salty, and so much fun to make! Just 6 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Making homemade bagels takes a few steps, but each step is easy and the results are worth it! It’s the perfect weekend project, and the bagels freeze great so you can enjoy them throughout the week.
Serving: 10 Bagels (or 8 extra-large)
Calories: 231kcal
material
For the bagel dough:
- 1 ½ the cup hot water (think bath water temperature)
- 1 table spoon brown sugar (or barley malt syrup, see note)
- 2 ¾ teaspoon instant shout
- 4 the cup bread flour (see notes to make your own)
- 2 teaspoon salt
For the bagel topping:
- 2 – 3 table spoon Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning
- 2 – 3 table spoon aquafaba (Liquid in a can of chickpeas)
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instructions
To shape and cook the bagels:
Comment
Bread Dough Recipe: If you don’t have bread flour, you can easily make your own. Measure out 4 cups of all-purpose flour, then remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and replace it with 2 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten.
Aquafaba: Liquid from a can of chickpeas. This helps the seeds stick to the bagel. If you don’t have any, you can substitute with plant-based milk.
nutrition
Worship: 1 Bagels with Sesame Seeds (recipe makes 10 bagels) | Calories: 231kcal | Sugars: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 481mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg