The Best Vegan Bagels are fluffy and chewy, sweet and salty, and super fun to make! Just 6 simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. Making homemade bagels takes a few steps, but every step is simple and the results are so worth it! This is the perfect weekend project, and the bagels freeze wonderfully so you can enjoy them all week long.
The other day I woke up craving bagels with my homemade vegan carrot lox recipe (which is on page 25 in Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook). I didn't have any bagels in the house, and I didn't feel like going out to get any so I decided to make some from scratch. GOOD IDEA! These bagels turned out so perfectly delicious, they are a million times better than any store-bought bagel.
Making bagels is a really fun stay-at-home project that you can do alone, with friends, or with your kids. It also saves money as grocery store bagels can be quite expensive. The technique of making bagels is a little unique in that they must be boiled before they are baked. This is what makes the outside of the bagel chewier while keeping the inside 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 keel them plain.
The 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 also like to toast the bagels and spread them with a bit of dairy-free butter to serve with soups, such as My Go-To Vegan Soup, Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup, Smoky Tofu & Bean Soup, or my Hearty Lentil Stew.
You can also use this bagel recipe to make avocado toast, make a bagel sandwich with tomato and cucumber, or spread on some hummus. Yum! Trust me when I say, once you make a batch of these, you will always find more ways to enjoy them. My husband and I like to make a big batch on the weekends and enjoy them every day served in various ways. I just can't get enough!
How to make The Best Vegan Bagels:
To make the dough:
Mix the warm water, brown sugar, and instant yeast together in a large bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy. If it isn't foamy, your yeast is likely too old so you should purchase new yeast and try again.
Add the bread flour and salt and mix to make a shaggy dough.
Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough will be too tough for a mixer so you will have to knead it by hand to make a smooth tight ball.
Lightly grease a large bowl and add the dough. Turn the dough in the bowl to evenly coat it in oil. Cover with a clean dish towel.
Let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled in size. The oven with just the light turned on is a great place to rise dough.
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 divided it into 10 equal pieces for normal-sized bagels. (For extra-large bagels divide the dough into 8 pieces). Take each piece of dough and form it into a ball, then poke a hole through the center of the ball dough using your fingers and stretch to make a bagel shape. Spread the bagels out on the prepared baking sheets.
Now the bagels need to be boiled. Add 8 cups of water and ¼ cup of brown sugar to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add a few bagels at a time (do not crowd the pot), and boil for 1 minute. Use a slotted spatula to flip the bagels over and boil for another minute. Remove the bagels from the water and return them to the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
Once boiled, brush the tops of the bagels with aquafaba and then sprinkle the bagels with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning.
Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan. They will be more tender when they are still warm and will get chewier 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 & chewy
- Lightly sweet & salty
- Fun to make!
What to put on homemade bagels:
Plain Vegan Cream Cheese
Fruity Vegan Cream Cheese (strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, or other flavors)
Herb & 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 @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
The Best Vegan Bagels
Servings: bagels (or 8 extra-large ones)
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Ingredients
For the bagel dough:
- 1 ½ cups warm water, (think bath water temperature)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, (or barley malt syrup, see notes)
- 2 ¾ teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 cups bread flour, (see notes to make your own)
- 2 teaspoons salt
For boiling the bagels:
- 8 cups water, (2 liters)
- ¼ cup brown sugar, (or barley malt syrup, see notes)
For topping the bagels:
- 2 - 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning
- 2 - 3 tablespoons aquafaba, (the liquid in a can of chickpeas)
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Mix the warm water, brown sugar, and instant yeast together in a large bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy. If it isn't foamy, your yeast is likely too old so you should purchase new yeast and try again.
- Add the bread flour and salt and mix to make a shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough will be too tough for a mixer so you will have to knead it by hand to make a smooth tight ball.
- Lightly grease a large bowl and add the dough. Turn the dough in the bowl to evenly coat it in oil. Cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled in size. The oven with just the light turned on is a great place to rise dough.
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 divided it into 10 equal pieces for normal-sized bagels. (For extra-large bagels divide the dough into 8 pieces). Take each piece of dough and form it into a ball, then poke a hole through the center of the ball dough using your fingers and stretch to make a bagel shape. Spread the bagels out on the prepared baking sheets.
- Now the bagels need to be boiled. Add 8 cups of water and ¼ cup of brown sugar to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add a few bagels at a time (do not crowd the pot), and boil for 1 minute. Use a slotted spatula to flip the bagels over and boil for another minute. Remove the bagels from the water and return them to the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
- Once boiled, brush the tops of the bagels with aquafaba and then sprinkle the bagels with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning.
- Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan. They will be more tender when they are still warm and will get chewier as they cool. Store cooled bagels in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or you can freeze them freeze them for up to 4 - 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition
More vegan recipes you might enjoy:
BritB says
How can I do a SOURDOUGH verson?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
That would be a pretty different recipe, as sourdough uses natural fermentation instead of instant yeast, which changes the process and timing quite a bit. However, you can try replacing the yeast with 1 cup of active sourdough starter, reducing the water to 1 cup, and letting the dough rise for 4–8 hours until doubled. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written. Let me know how it goes!
Sarah says
My 8 yo daughter says "better than store bought bagels!" I believe she said "these are the best bagels I have ever had in my life", and she is an expert! Thanks for such a fun, easy to follow recipe.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Haha! I love that! Thank you so much Sarah and thank your daughter too 🙂
Amy Smith-Faczan says
I LOVE these bagels! They come delicious every time! I added small dried blueberries and kneaded them in and they turned out wonderful.
I also noted that you have really watch them at about 18-20 minutes if making smaller bagels so they don't get too brown.
My teenage boys can't get enough of these!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww yay!! I'm so thrilled you love them so much Amy!! Thank you for your review 🙂
Wayne says
Hi Friends, these look amazing! Has anyone attempted adding to the dough things like sun-dried tomatoes, raisin & cinnamon?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi friend! Yes you can! After the dough has been kneaded and before the first rise, gently knead in your chosen add-ins (such as chopped sun-dried tomatoes or raisins) until they are evenly distributed.
Dag Vanderkuip says
Good morning.
I was wondering, have u ever left them overnight in the fridge before boiling and baking them?
Thanks
Teresa says
I did this last night and they were wonderful. Just make sure they are wrapped so air cannot get to them. Next time I do this I will try wrapping the ball of dough rather then separating and shaping first. Let them sit on the counter to get to room temperature before proceeding.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Great tip Teresa! 🙂
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yes, you can chill bagel dough in the fridge overnight before boiling and baking. After the initial rise, shape the bagels, place them on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!
Empress says
Good morning , writing from Brooklyn , NY I wondered if anyone has frozen and reheated and if so what was the outcome
Empress says
Good morning , writing from Brooklyn , NY I wondered if anyone has frozen and reheated and if so what was the outcome
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yes, they freeze really well! You can store in the freezer 4-6 months. Just thaw in the fridge or pop in the toaster when you're ready to eat!
Vicki says
I made these today! They are absolutely delicious and pretty easy. I definitely need to get better at shaping them though.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic!
Angel D. says
I made them today for the first time. absolutely delicious! super easy - don't know why we waited so long to try them. Sam, another amazing recipe - thank you!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Great! We're so glad you enjoyed!
Christiane says
I made those yesterday. So good! I also used your recipe for Everything Bagel Seasoning. I love it!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're so glad you liked them!
Helen Williams says
I made these for the family yesterday. I can't believe how simple they were to make. and how absolutely scrumdiddlyumptious they were. Give them ago you won't be disappointed
Sam Turnbull says
Aww amazing! So happy you loved them 🙂
Rachael says
Is it possible to make these gluten-free? I LOVE them, but my mom can’t eat gluten.
I knead in chopped fresh herbs like rosemary and sage before letting the dough rise and then season with coarse salt - so good!!
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried that! Gluten-free baking is not my expertise. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out. 🙂
Amanda says
I had no idea it was so easy to make my own bagels. It was kind of fun too. Wanted to give this a try since the increased price of my usual store bought ones has become crazy. Made them using brown sugar instead of barley malt syrup, and now that I know how delicious they are, I ordered some syrup online. They are so beautiful, delicious, and better for me. Definitely going to be a staple recipe for me. Next, I'll be trying your cream cheese recipe. Thank you so much for this.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
That's fantastic, Amanda! Thanks for your comment.
Karen says
OK, Sam, here's a challenge for you: PUMPERNICKEL bagels! We just adore them, but they're hard to find around here, so I'd love to be able to make them. Happy New Year!
Sam Turnbull says
Ohhh yum!!! I'll keep that in mind!
Agathe says
Hi!
It's my first time commenting, these bagels were just THAT good! I'm from Quebec and live in rural France, so bagel cravings are literally impossible to cure... Until now! So easy and perfect. It made them twice in two days, and have to refrain myself so that we eat the bread we have in the house!
I tried turning them into German bretzel (Laugengebäck to be precise, I didn't bother with the bretzel shape) by replacing the sugary water for boiling with 1L water and 1/4 cup baking soda, and just boiling them 30 sec on each side... My German boyfriend told me we don't need to go to Germany anymore!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww yay!! SO thrilled you loved them Agathe!!! THank you for your comment 🙂
Mary says
Can these be made with fresh ground soft white wheat flour? Plus do you have to add the vital gluten to all purpose flour?
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Mary! You need bread flour. Or you can use the recipe in the notes to make your own bread flour (all-purpose plus vital wheat gluten). Hope that helps!
Linda Phillipp says
Could you make this printable without pictures? It is 5 pages long with the pictures.
Your recipes are fantastic. Whenever I try a new recipe my husband asks if it's yours, because he knows it will be good!
Victoria says
Hi Linda!
After reading your comment I tried to see if I could get the recipe to print without pictures. When I clicked on the "Print Recipe" link above a new tab opened in my browser. At the top of that tab were pre-checked (or pre-ticked, depending on your part of the world) boxes for "Recipe Image" and "Instruction Images". If you click on those checks/ticks it will turn them off. This brought the number of printed pages down to only two. I hope this helps you. Happy Holidays!
From a longtime IDTLC/Sam subscriber,
Victoria
An American now living in the UK
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Hi Linda! Yes, Linda is right. You can uncheck the tabs in the print window to turn off the images.
Ali says
These look great - and much faster than other bagel recipes. Could I make it with part WW flour to add more fibre? Also I’ve always found homemade bagels get very tough the next day, even when stored in a zip loc bag. Any tips to avoid this?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Ali, I think you could make it with half whole wheat flour and it should work ok, althought the bagels might be a bit dense. Store the bagels at room temp in a sealable bag and they should stay fresh on day two. Do not store them in the fridge as that can make them tough. If they are still tough, try tossing one in the microwave for 15 - 30 seconds to soften them up again. 🙂