Keto Bagels
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My keto bagels are chewy and dense in the middle, with a tender crust; they taste like the real thing! Made with just 5 ingredients, these have no yeast.
I’ve baked my fair share of low-carb breads over the years, but these almond flour bagels are the ones I come back to most. They’re soft, chewy, and have that classic bagel texture you’d never expect from a keto recipe. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I took my fathead dough base and did a few rounds of testing until I finally landed on the perfect combo that rivals the real thing: crisp on the outside, tender inside, and baked in just 15 minutes.
There are plenty of keto bagel recipes out there, but this one stands out because it actually feels like a real bagel- not just a hole in a roll. My picky partner, who grew up in Manhattan (a self-proclaimed bagel snob), actually requests these toasted with cream cheese- proof that going low carb doesn’t mean missing out on bagels.
Key Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients that go into low carb bagels. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Almond flour. Blanched almond flour or superfine almond flour, not almond meal. The former two will yield a light and tender crumb.
- Baking powder. Gives the bagels some rise and fluffiness.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese. Yes, you’re reading this correctly. Shredded mozzarella cheese acts as a binder (what gluten would do) and adds structure. There are many kinds of mozzarella, and I find low-moisture mozzarella to be best- it has the least liquid, which bakes up to be chewier and bread-like.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese, NOT reduced-fat varieties.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs. You can also add an extra egg yolk to be used as an egg wash.
Flavor Variations
While delicious on its own, here are flavor ideas to add on top. Personally, I love them with some almond butter, keto jam, or homemade Nutella on top!
- Asiago. Also known as cheese bagels! Fold through 1/4 cup of shredded cheese into the dough, and sprinkle the tops with parmesan cheese before baking.
- Poppy seed. Sprinkle the tops of the bagels with poppy seeds.
- Cinnamon Raisin. Add 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon into the dough, and fold through 2-3 tablespoons of raisins.
- Sesame. Simple and classic- Add toasted sesame seeds on top.
- Onion bagels. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and add onion powder and onion flakes to it. Top the bagels with coarse sea salt, onion flakes, and sesame seeds.
- Everything. Add everything but the bagel seasoning over the tops of the bagels.
How to make low-carb bagels
Step 1- Prepare the ingredients. Combine the almond flour and baking powder and set aside. Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese together, stirring until smooth.
Step 2- Process the dough. Let the cheese mixture cool slightly before transferring it to a food processor. Add 2 of the eggs and the dry ingredients, and pulse until a smooth, sticky dough remains.
Step 3- Shape into bagels. Lightly dust a flat surface with almond flour. With damp hands, divide the dough into 8 pieces, roll each into a rope, and join the ends to form bagel shapes. Arrange on a lined baking sheet, brush with whisked egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Step 4- Bake the bagels for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Allow the bagels to cool before slicing, toasting, and serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- If your stand mixer has a dough blade attachment, use that to pulse everything together for a more uniform dough. It’s much easier than mixing by hand.
- Do not microwave the cheeses all at once. You must do them in 20-second spurts. This ensures they don’t burn or overcook and are pliable enough to form the dough. No microwave? I find the double-boiler method to be the next best option, but be sure to keep mixing.
- The egg wash is optional, but it gives the bagels a golden crust and holds the toppings better. You can also try melted butter.
- Use a donut pan for uniform-sized bagels. Add the batter to a ziplock bag and pipe it in.
Frequently asked questions
If your melted cheese mixture is too warm, it will feel oily and sticky as you shape the dough. This is why I recommend cooling it slightly so it will be easy to shape.
If your bagels turned out dense, it’s because the dough was undermixed or the cheese was cooled too much. The beauty of this dough is that you can reheat it briefly and shape it again.
No, unfortunately not. There is no gluten in them, which would see the mixture dissolve once it hits the boiling water.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Perfect Keto Bagels
Video
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 large eggs divided
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the almond flour and baking powder and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, add the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Microwave them together in 30-second spurts, until mostly melted. Whisk them together until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into a food processor, along with two of the eggs and dry ingredients, and pulse until smooth.
- Lightly flour a kitchen surface with some almond flour. Transfer the dough onto it and divide it into eight equal portions. Roll out each piece of dough into a thin, sausage shape. Connect the sides to form bagels.
- Place the bagels onto the lined baking sheet. Whisk the third egg in a small bowl then brush it over the tops of each bagel, then sprinkle your toppings of choice. Bake the bagels for 12-15 minutes, until firm and golden on top.
- Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool completely, before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
More keto bread recipes
- Keto English muffin
- Keto bread
- Keto buns
- Keto rolls
- 90-second keto bread
- Coconut flour bread
- Keto banana bread
- Cloud bread
Originally updated July 2022
Delicious!!! I double the batch, mix it all together(all eggs mixed in), and top with Everything but the Bagel and bake in silicone donut/bagel pans. Makes 18
What can you do if you don’t have a food processor?
You can try using a mixing bowl
Putting the dough in the food processor really helped make the dough workable. Mine came out nice and smooth when I rolled them out. They baked up nice and puffy and the flavor was good. I tried 2 different kinds, cinammon/”sugar”(using monk fruit sweetener) and everything bagel seasoning. They were a little “cheesy”, but still good. I’m going to try Asiago cheese ones, bet those will be SPECTACULAR! Thanks for the recipe!
Loved these bagels. I’m a fan of bagels and really missed not eating them due to the high carbs. These are easy to make and take care of my bagel cravings. They’re chewy and I love them toasted in the air fryer. 😋
absolutely OBSESSED with these!! started adding some sugar free chocolate chips into the dough to make chocolate chip bagels, so delicious!
I love bagels, but they’re not in the menu these day…until now! I just made a batch and they came out great. For those concerned about how many bagels you can yield, watch the video and you’ll see how you can get 8 perfectly sized bagels per batch. I topped mine with Everything But The Bagel on most then onion flakes on the rest. I’m so happy with this and look forward to trying the pizza recipe next.
Think the food processor is necessary? Or could I just hand mix – or use a hand mixer to incorporate? Recipe looks great!
Hey Arman, what if we don’t have a food processor?
You could try mixing by hand, but I didn’t like the results.
You might try pumpkin seed flour. The bagels may be a bit green or gray in color but the flour is supposed to act just like almond flour.
We have a tree nut allergy in the household – is there a keto friendly almost flour substitute that doesn’t use tree nut?
You could try sunflower seed flour
Wow just made these and they turned out great!!! I used a whole bag of pre grated mozzarella instead of shredded and it seemed to work really well! Super yummy and surprisingly like a bagel! I was not expecting these to taste so good, and I put on plenty of sesame seeds! 🙂 thank you for the great recipe ( also I managed to make 8 bagels I could of made 10 if I had made a few of them slightly smaller! 🙂
So yummy! Don’t feel like I’m missing the traditional wheat bread with these babies in my freezer, using them for avo toast, burger buns as well as cut up for cheese platters. I have an old conventional oven so did them in the air fryer, success! They are fluffy and delish. Used the everything sprinkle but a copy I made as we don’t have that in Australia.
Greetings from Texas! You have FORVER changed my keto life!!! My husband is real skeptical on “breads” bc I still haven’t found a recipe that has been a winner but I made this to meal prep as bagel breakfast sandwiches for our camping trip and omgeee they were soooo freakin good! Thank you for this and blessing my keto cooking game!! I’m excited to try more recipes of yours!
Hello!! I just tried this recipe and love it. Note to self, do not use the spreadable cream cheese, it melts quicker than using the cream cheese brick. Also, curious, could the Lupin flour be substituted for the almond flour?
Can you substitute the cheese for lactose cheese ?
I haven’t tried but I don’t see not.