An easy low carb bagels recipe with fathead dough which results in perfect keto bagels every time. Have bagels ready in minutes for your next breakfast or lunch. (Nut-free option.)
Do you miss having bagels as much as I do? I admit to being a former bread addict and bagels are a weakness of mine. Sesame bagels are a favorite, especially with bacon and scallion cream cheese like Bruegger’s Bagels makes. Mmmm. But sometimes, I enjoy my bagel toasted and slathered in butter and sugar-free jam; my favorites are strawberry, raspberry and blueberry.
A blogger friend, Maya from WholesomeYum, recently posted a recipe for bagels using the fathead pizza crust recipe. Imagine healthy low carb bagels made with almond flour and mozzarella cheese! As you probably know, we low carb bloggers use this simple mozzarella dough recipe for almost everything. It’s a forgiving recipe accepting tweaks of all kinds for both sweet and savory applications – like bagel dogs.
I’ve tested this low carb bagel recipe extensively the last several weeks and finally have the recipe and technique down. Don’t worry. The recipe is extremely easy. I test my recipes several times before sharing.
Low Carb Bagel Ingredients:
You only need five ingredients to make great low carb bagels but adding a sixth ingredient makes them even better. The simple ingredients are found in almost all low carb homes. The dough is made with mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, almond flour, baking soda (or baking powder) and an egg. Adding a little protein powder or oat fiber makes the bagels even more bread-like.
How to make Low Carb Bagels?
The method for making the bagel dough is very easy. I’ve experimented with three techniques and have a favorite. However, I will share all three with you since I want this recipe accessible for everyone.
Hand Method: Melt the cheeses together in the microwave (or on the stove). Add the egg and stir until combined. Add the almond flour and baking soda and stir to combine. Mix the dough thoroughly. It is very sticky, but easier to handle when it is cool and your hands are oiled. Lightly oil hands, divide the dough into even portions and roll into snakes and make a circle by pinching the ends together. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Stand Mixer Method: Melt the cheeses together in the microwave (or on the stove). Scrape the melted cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the egg and turn the mixer on low, then medium to mix to combine ingredients. Scrape the cheese off of the paddle (it will wrap around it). Add the almond flour and baking soda and mix on medium low – medium speed until the dough is nice and homogeneous looking. It will be super sticky, but less so if cool. Lightly oil hands, divide dough into even portions and Roll into snakes and make a circle by pinching the ends together. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Food Processor Method: This is my favorite method. Melt the cheeses together in the microwave (or on the stove). Scrape the melted cheese into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the egg and run on low until completely incorporated. Add the almond flour and baking soda and mix to form a nice dough. Scrape onto a piece of cling wrap and freeze until the oven is ready. Lightly oil hands, portion dough and roll into snakes and make a circle by pinching the ends together. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
See? Super easy! No need for special doughnut pans or equipment. You can enjoy healthy low carb bagels in minutes. I make a batch of low carb bagels on the weekend and enjoy them as a breakfast sandwich or with cold cuts for lunch. They make a great low carb and gluten-free bread alternative.
Nut-Free Low Carb Bagels Fathead Dough Recipe
Follow the recipe as written for low carb bagels but sub ground sunflower seeds for almond flour or 3/4 cup of ground golden flax seeds. The bagels made with sunflower seeds may turn green, but that is only cosmetic.
[NOTE:] I’ve had readers tell me that using Daiya dairy-free cheese and dairy-free cream cheese works in this recipe. Readers have also told me that they have had success with using a flax egg for an egg-free recipe. I have NOT personally tested these ingredients.
Each low carb bagel is 3 net carbs.
[This post and recipe contain affiliate links. Purchasing through a link may result in my earning a small commission at no additional expense to you.]
An easy low carb bagels recipe with fathead dough which results in perfect keto bagels every time. Have bagels ready in minutes for your next breakfast or lunch.
- 1 1/2 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour (nut-free options in post)
- 1 tsp baking soda (or 1 tbsp of baking powder)
- 1 tbsp oat fiber (or 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp whey protein powder or 1/4 cup more almond flour)*
Place the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Scrape the cheese into a food processor with the egg and process until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients and process until a dough forms. It is very sticky! Scrape onto a piece of cling film and place into the freezer.
Preheat oven to 400 F and place rack into the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
When oven is ready, remove the bagel dough from the freezer and divide into 6 equal pieces. Lightly oil hands and roll each portion into a snake and seal the ends together forming a ring. Place on the parchment paper and top with your favorite topping, pressing gently to adhere.
Bake for 12 minutes or until the outside has browned. They will still be soft, so let them cool before removing from the baking sheet. Once cool, store in a bag in the refrigerator. Warm slightly to enjoy or toast.
Makes 6 average sized bagels. Dividing the dough into 8 portions results in mini bagels and dividing into 4 results in gourmet sized bagels. (Don't have a food processor? Read the post for other methods.)
Keep bagels in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They keep for 7-10 days and also freeze well.
*The oat fiber option tastes the best, but use what you have.
**If your bagels flatten out while baking try adding 2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup more almond flour. Also try the baker's trick of preheating a pan in the bottom of the oven and tossing ice cubes into it when the bagels go into the oven. The steam will force the bagels to rise. Don't remove the bagels from the pan until they cool a bit.
Do NOT double the recipe if making in the food processor or it will crawl up under the blade. Mine was difficult to clean out completely.
Bacon Scallion Cream Cheese Spread for Bagels (Low Carb)
Low Carb Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam
Carol says
These looked so good I had to try them. I used the hand method, and made 6 portions. I also added the whey protein. When I took them out of the oven, they were nicely browned, but they didn’t rise at all. They are just circles, not bagel-like at all. I went back and read everything again and found I had added 2.5 ounces of cream cheese instead of 2 ounces. 1/2 an ounce of cream cheese wouldn’t have affected the recipe? What else could I have done to make them thick like yours instead of thin circles?
I am going to try this recipe again if I can figure out where I went wrong. P.S. I did use the baking soda.
Kim says
Hi Carol. I’m sorry your first attempt wasn’t as you expected. A couple of things are running through my mind. First, the baking soda may have been old? You can use 1 T of baking powder if you want. Yes, using more cream cheese would make the bagels spread more than rise. You can also add just a little more almond flour 1-2 tablespoons. I’ll tell you a little trick that I will write into the recipe notes. While preheating the oven, put a small sheet pan on the bottom of the oven or the bottom rack. When you put your bagels in the oven, put some ice cubes into the pre-heated pan. The steam will help them rise more. -Kim
Carol says
Thank you Kim. I will try again. Thank you for the tip. Mine were also kind of hard and dry. Maybe I made the ropes too long? They were about 1″ thick, and rather big, so maybe I need to make the circle smaller, and not roll them out so long.
Kim says
Hi Carol. If they were too dry, you may have over baked? Also, I am convinced that if you can get the dough mixed really well (I truly think the food processor or mixer – or even hand mixer) the results are even better. Even if the bagels are flat, they should still be good. Upon taking out of the refrigerator, they will be hard and “dry” because all of the fat is cold. I gently warm them in the microwave for 8-10 seconds before enjoying. I’m convinced that as you make the recipe more, you bagels will look more like bagels. I hope all of this helps. -Kim
Carol says
OK I tried again, and they did look better because I made them smaller, and they did rise more, but they are still kind of hard out of the oven. I don’t think I overbaked them, as I took 2 minutes off the time, but maybe my oven is off. Oh well, maybe I am just not a good baker. 😄 Thank you though!
Kim says
Well, they aren’t going to be like an actual bagel. This is low carb baking. Lol. I’m sorry the recipe isn’t what you expected. I’m glad they look nicer! Enjoy your day. -Kim
Julie says
These were wonderful! I baked in my bagel pan, coated pan with garlic-flavored non-stick olive oil spray. Pressed coarse salt on the tops (Love Salt Bagels!). Cooked on top shelf of my toaster oven for 12 minutes. Came out perfect. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Kim says
Oh, great! I love the idea about using the pan and garlic spray. Sounds wonderful! I call my toaster oven my “test oven” in the Summer. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Elaine Markley says
Kim, in the past I’ve used my food processor to make dough with cheese in it. Not melted. It came together so well and dough-like, I started wondering if the fathead dough could be made WITHOUT melting the cheese and just processing it really well. Have you ever tried to do it that way? I haven’t yet, myself.
Kim says
No, Elaine, I haven’t tried making the dough without melting. I seem to think the meaty stretch is important to the “dough” but again, I haven’t tried. Have a nice day. -Kim
Jennifer says
Any reason for using part-skim mozzarella instead of whole milk shredded mozzarella?
Kim says
Yes, Jennifer. For some reason it has more stretch. I’m thinking it’s due to a higher protein content and lower fat content? It just works a little better. But, it does work with full fat mozzarella. I hope this helps. -Kim
Bonnie says
The final product was bread-like enough to be tasty and satisfying, and amore varied platform than vegetables. Toasted well. I do wish for a crispy edge, but oh well…as far as the toppings, I added a little oil to my hands and lightly rubbed the tops, then added granulated garlic and sesame seeds. They stuck fairly well.
Thank you for your website! I am looking forward to more low carb recipes.
Kim says
Thank you, Bonnie. I’m glad you like the recipe. I wish they were crispy, too. Have a great week! -Kim
Sandy says
Made in food processor as per the recipe, later at bottom f notes it says not to use food processor! Wah wah wah.it will take practice for me to master this on!
Kim says
Actually Sandy, it says not to double the recipe and put it in the food processor. I will try to make that more clear. Enjoy your bagels. -Kim
Chris says
Thank you, thank you! These make wonderful hamburger buns. I was so tired of naked hamburgers because most LCHF buns are so flimsy they aren’t worth making a second time. These were sturdy and didn’t get soggy. I made 4 delicious, bread-like buns with this recipe, and can’t adequately express my gratitude. Sandwiches, here I come!
Kim says
Fantastic, Chris. I’ll be publishing a hamburger post next week because we have been using them for burgers and sandwiches, too! Thanks for taking the time to leave your gracious comment. Have a great weekend. -Kim
Paulette Smith says
All I can find in what I can afford is almond flour/meal is this ok to use
Kim says
I haven’t tried the recipe with almond meal. In my experience, it isn’t as finely ground as almond flour and doesn’t produce baked goods as fluffy as blanched almond flour. But, the cheese dough is very forgiving and someone reported to making good bagels with 3/4 cup ground golden flax then almond flour. You don’t need the oat fiber or protein powder for any of the fathead dough recipes, these additions either make it taste better or make the texture more bread-like. I would try the almond meal and see how it turns out. You might need a little more? Good luck! -Kim
Phyllis Curtis Ryan says
I have missed Bagels so much. They used to be my go to for breakfast. Can’t wait to try these.
Kim says
I missed them, too, Phyllis. They aren’t exactly like a real bagel, but are close enough. Enjoy your new breakfast go-to. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Ginny says
Can I substitute flax meal for the oat fiber?
Kim says
Hi Ginny, I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tried it. I’m not sure if you would need a little more or the same amount. Try it as a straight sub first and then tweak it if you need to. You can also just add more almond flour. Enjoy! -Kim
Petra says
Hi Kim, I would like to try these bagels. Could you tell me how much mozzarella I need – roughly, preferably in gram? The mozzarella we can buy in Germany is not shredded, so it is difficult to get the right portion.
Thank you so much….
Kim says
Sure Petra. It’s approximately 6 ounces or 170 grams. The pre-shredded part slim mozzarella has a little starch I it, so you may need to add a little more almond flour if your bagels come out a little flat. I hope this helps. Have a great week. -Kim
Adina says
It is amazing how you make things that are not actually bread, look exactly like bread. I cannot even imagine the taste, but I would love to try it, I think the recipe is very simple for a beginner in such things like I am. 🙂
Kim says
Thank you Adina! They taste mildly of cheese and are chewy out of the oven. After that, the exterior becomes softer. When warmed gently, they become almost bread-like. They are a great bread substitute for those on a low carb diet. Thanks so much. Now, to head on over to your blog where I will be wowed with gorgeous photos of beautiful dishes. be well, my friend. -Kim
Rachel says
These are delicious! We were so excited to see a bread-like recipe that was easy and tasted great! I don’t bake well, so this question may be a silly one but I figured I’d ask in the anonymity of the internet… The bottoms of mine tend to brown way too quickly which results in a burned flavor after toasting them the next day. I flipped them over halfway through which just resulted in two brown sides! Any idea why?
Kim says
Yes, Rachel, the bottoms do brown more than the tops. It’s because nuts burn easily and cheese browns easily. You could try toasting your bagel with butter in a frying pan or maybe using two silicone baking mats on the sheet pan. You could also try baking a rack higher and placing a sheet of foil over the tops to prevent too much browning. I hope this helps. -Kim
Rachel says
Good ideas! Sorry – I sent my second reply before seeing your response. I’ll try these ideas next time!
Kim says
Okay. -Kim
Rachel says
I should be more clear – the first time the bottom was very browned. The second time I flipped them halfway through . which resulted in both sides being less dark but still overcooked. I used the entire almond flour recipe if that matters. We still ate both batches with extreme delight… I’m just hoping to find a solution to lessen the browning!
Adrianne says
These are insane. Thank you!
Kim says
Glad you like them, Adrianne. Have a nice week. -Kim
Aileen says
Can coconut flour be used instead of almond flour? How much coconut flour is needed? Thank you
Kim says
Hi Aileen. I have not made the bagels with coconut flour yet. You would need less coconut flour than almond flour when subbing and the yield would be smaller, too. If you are allergic to or dislike almond flour, you may want to sub ground sunflower seeds for the almond flour, but your bagels will most likely turn green. Someone on Facebook said she used 3/4 cup of ground golden flax instead of the almond flour. I’m sorry I don’t have a more precise answer for you. You may have to play with the recipe. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Melissa says
These were so good! They make a great bacon and egg sandwich too!
Radhika says
Can I replace egg with chia egg?
Kim says
I’ve had someone replace the egg with a flax egg for the pizza crust, I haven’t heard about anyone trying it with the bagels yet. -Kim
Mariel says
Made these and they turned out great! I used the whey protein option. The dough is very sticky but as you point out, well oiled hands do the trick. I tried another recipe without the whey protein and they were okay but I think this is more bread like.
Kim says
So glad you liked this recipe Mariel. It’s been a game changer for us. I make rolls for my husband and bagels for me. We are loving it right now. Thanks for taking time for sharing your experience and leaving a comment. Have a wonderful evening. -Kim
janet says
i used to coil my bagels when shaping but now i make a ball and stick my tbumb through. makes an authentic shape.
Kim says
Thanks for sharing, Janet. -Kim
Matt says
These came out good! Finally I can have my cream cheese bagels again!
Kim says
Oh, great! I’m glad you liked the recipe. Have a wonderful week. -Kim
Sierra says
Would these benefit from an egg wash to help toppings adhere?
Kim says
Hi Sierra. Great question. Maybe a wash with egg white, but I experimented with whole egg washes about 6 times and it just absorbs back into the bagel. You do not get the shine. I don’t really remember if it helped the toppings stick, but I remember being unhappy with the result or at least having it turn out less than expected. I suggest washing them one at a time and then topping or like I said, the egg will absorb into the dough. -Kim