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These Vegan Bagels are the absolute best! They’ve got the perfect crust on the outside, are soft and chewy on the inside and are made with just 3 ingredients. It’s guaranteed to be your new go-to easy vegan bagel recipe.
Chris grew up on the East Coast and couldn’t find vegan bagels that lived up to New York-style bagels on the West Coast. I wanted him to be able to get that taste of back home that he was longing for, so I scoured the internet and found one from Sophisticated Gourmet that inspired this recipe. They’re so fluffy, authentic tasting, and so much better than store-bought! And, if you love this recipe, you must try our Everything Pretzel Bagels next!
Are bagels vegan?
Similar to Sandwich Bread, traditional bagel dough is typically vegan because they are usually made with very simple ingredients like water, yeast, salt, and sugar. With that being said, not all bagels are vegan-friendly. Sometimes store-bought or restaurant bagels can be brushed with an egg wash for color or can include animal-based ingredients in the dough such as dough conditioner. Master this homemade recipe and skip the local grocery store bagels once and for all.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Active dry yeast: Note that this recipe calls for active dry yeast, not instant yeast. Although these products look very similar, they are not used equally. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water and activated before added to dry ingredients. Instant yeast on the other hand does not need to be activated and can be added directly in with the dry ingredients.
- Sugar: In order to activate the yeast, you’ll need to add a small amount of sugar to water. Don’t worry – this won’t make the bagel dough sweet. Instead, the yeast feeds on this sugar and eventually causes the dough to rise. For the most neutral flavor, we recommend granulated white sugar. Opt for organic to ensure your homemade bagel recipe is fully vegan.
- Bread flour: Bread flour is preferred over all-purpose flour when making homemade bagels because it has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. This allows the bagels to develop a strong gluten formation which leads to a chewy texture.
Optional Vegan Toppings
We love making these bagels with Everything Bagel Seasoning, but here are a few more popular vegan bagel topping ideas:
- Poppy seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Cinnamon sugar
- Dried minced onion
Equipment Needed
- Small and large mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
- Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon
- Pastry brush
How to Make Homemade Vegan Bagels
Make the Dough
- Activate the yeast. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and 1/2 a cup of warm water. In a separate small bowl, add the yeast. Pour the sugar water over the yeast and gently mix to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes to activate.
- Form the smooth dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sea salt. Once activated, make a well in the middle of the flour and add in the yeast mixture along with the remaining warm water. Mix well until a smooth dough forms. Add additional water or flour as needed.
- Knead the dough. Flour a clean countertop or large cutting board, then turn the dough out on to the surface. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. Wet the inside of a clean, large mixing bowl, place the bagel dough ball inside, and turn to coat until the outside is moist. Cover with a damp dish towel and set it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. Once risen, punch the dough down and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape the bagels. Roll each dough ball into a ball, then coat your pointer finger in flour and press into the center of the dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the dough balls into rings that are 1/3 the diameter of the bagel, then place the bagel on the prepared baking sheet.
Boil and Bake
- Boil the bagels. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, use a slotted spoon to lower as many bagels that fit comfortably into the water. Boil for 2 minutes, flip, then boil for another 2 minutes.
- Brush with seasonings. Once all of the bagels have been boiled, transfer them back to the prepared baking sheet and brush each bagel with almond milk and a sprinkle of seasonings. Alternatively you can omit the seasonings and make plain bagels.
- Bake. Bake the vegan bagels for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool them on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and slathering with your favorite bagel toppings!
Serving Suggestions
Vegan bagels are of course perfect for breakfast, but they can also be used to make a delicious bagel sandwich, personal pizza crust, Everything Bagel Stuffing or turn them into Bagel Croutons.
One of our FAVORITE ways to enjoy homemade vegan bagels is by topping them with vegan cream cheese, homemade vegan carrot lox, capers, fresh dill, and thinly sliced red onion. It tastes exactly like traditional salmon lox, but is of course vegan friendly! If lox isn’t your taste, here are a few more ways we like to use these easy vegan bagels:
- Plain with Vegan Cream Cheese or vegan butter.
- Spread with Cinnamon Butter and topped with fresh figs.
- Topped with Creamy Lentil Hummus, Oil-Free Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, or the Best Classic Hummus.
- Spread on your favorite nut butters like peanut butter or sunflower seed butter and Easy Chia Seed Jam or strawberry jelly.
Storage Instructions
Homemade bagels can be stored and frozen for longterm storage. If you’re planning on eating these bagels within a few days, they can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Otherwise, freeze the leftover vegan bagels.
To freeze, let the bagels cool completely to room temperature, then transfer them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe airtight container. Once frozen, these bagels will keep for about 3 months.
To reheat, allow the bagels to defrost, if frozen, then slice and reheat in the toaster, toaster oven, or air fryer until warm and toasty.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, these bagels can be made with classic all-purpose flour. They won’t have that classic New York-style chewy bagel texture, but they will still be delicious vegan bagels! Bread flour is typically heavier than all-purpose flour because of the higher protein content, so we’d recommend starting with 400g of all-purpose flour and increasing from there as needed.
Unfortunately, we haven’t tested these bagels using gluten-free flour. We have had readers comment that it works, but we have not personally tested it and cannot guarantee it. Instead, check out our Vegan and Gluten-Free recipes and find a recipe suitable for you!
Boiling the bagels in water helps create the distinctive chewy texture and crust New York bagels are known for. The brief boiling process also helps give the bagels a shiny appearance and kick starts the cooking process.
More Homemade Vegan Bread Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Easy Gluten-Free Flatbread – make your own flatbread from scratch with just 5 ingredients.
- Fluffy Vegan Egg Bread – it’s made with just 7 simple ingredients and one the whole family will love.
- 4-Ingredient No Knead Bread – the easiest, most delicious boule of freshly baked bread.
- Vegan Pandesal – these Filipino sweet bread rolls are the perfect snack or side for any sweet or savory meal.
- Homemade 100% Whole Wheat Bread – learn how easy it is to make sliced sandwich bread from scratch with wholesome ingredients.
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss it, we love seeing your photos!
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The Best Vegan Bagels Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8
Description
These Vegan Bagels are the absolute best! They’ve got the perfect crust on the outside, are soft and chewy on the inside and are made with just 3 ingredients. It’s guaranteed to be your new go-to easy vegan bagel recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 ½ cups (500g) bread flour + more for kneading
- 1 ½ tsp salt
Top with (optional):
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- Everything bagel seasoning
Stuff with:
- Vegan carrot lox
- Homemade cream cheese or store-bought (we like Kite Hill Chive Cream Cheese)
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Fresh dill
- Capers
Instructions
- Mix the sugar and 1/2 cup of warm water together, and then pour over the yeast. Gently mix it together, and then allow it to sit for 15 minutes to activate.
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, then add in the yeast and sugar mixture along with 3/4 cup of the remaining warm water. Mix well until a smooth dough forms. If it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining 1/4 cup warm water at a time as needed. If it is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time as needed.
- Flour a countertop or large cutting board, and knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Wet the inside of a clean large non-metal bowl with water, place the dough inside, and turn to coat until the outside is moist. Cover with a damp dish towel and set it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. Once risen, punch down the dough and set it aside for 10 minutes.
- Cover a baking sheet with silicon baking mat or parchment paper and set aside. Remove the dough from the bowl, and divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball– an example is on this page). Repeat with all of the dough.
- Coat your finger in flour, then press into the center of ball to form a ring. Stretch the dough balls into a rings about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel, then place onto the baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 425ºF, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Get your seasonings and almond milk ready as you will need that next.
- Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to medium, and use a slotted spoon to lower as many bagels that fit comfortably into the water (we did 3). Once they to float to the top (a couple seconds), boil for 2 minutes, flip, then boil for another 2 minutes.
- Once all the bagels have boiled, transfer them to your lined baking sheet. Brush the dough with almond milk, and sprinkle with your seasoning.
- Bake the bagels 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Store in an air tight container for 4-5 days.
Notes
Original recipe by Sophisticated Gourmet.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 40 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast, Baked Goods
- Cuisine: Vegan
Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that I earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
Somehow when I click on five stars, it doesn’t let me, but…long overdue review, but these bagels are the best. Just like NYC and easy to make. No bread flour so used APF and 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten. I’m regularly asked to make these for the household and now make two batches at a time to last a couple weeks. Thanks for such an excellent recipe!
Hmmm…mine got stuck to the parchment paper. Was I supposed to spray it with nonstick spray? A real shame too because they were chewy and crisp.
So sorry to hear about that. Not sure why it stuck! We’ve made these so many times and haven’t had that issue. 🙁
Would love to try this recipe but can I use wholewheat flour
Whole wheat flour should work, but it may be denser than all-purpose flour. You can also cut the all-purpose flour by half with whole wheat so it will still be light and fluffy. Hope this helps 🙂
Made these for the fist time today! So easy and so delicious, this will be regular addition in our home, so much better than store bought! Thank you!
Have you tried these with whole wheat flour? Or almond flour? Just wondering about alternatives! Thank you!
You can substitute up to 50% of the flour with whole wheat flour. Wouldn’t recommend using almond flour, though!
I just made these bagels and they are delicious! Wow, they definitely reminds me of the bagels I had in NYC. Great recipe as usual!
Has anyone tried this with regular all-purpose flour, or is bread flour necessary?
All purpose will work!
Great recipe! Easy to follow but mine didnt fluff up much 🙁 They taste good though! Any suggestions or tips to making them fluff? Maybe I kneaded too much?
Thanks!
Hey! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, sorry to hear they didn’t fluff up as you wanted them to. A few things to try would be to let them rise in a warmer area or try a different yeast. Sometimes they don’t activate properly, which would cause the un-fluffiness.
Hope this helps 🙂
Just made these yesterday – wow! Delicious!! They’re soft and chewy on the inside and nicely crispy (when toasted) on the outside. Do you have a recipe or recommendations for making these with whole wheat flour (or 50/50)?
Glad you enjoyed them! If you want to use whole wheat flour, I would swap with up to 50% of the all-purpose flour!
Do you know if I can substitute the sugar for coconut sugar?
Thank you
We’ve never tested it, but it should work 🙂
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I’ve never made bagels at home before, but since we’re all under quarantine here, I thought I’d give it a go. They were so fun to make (I never knew bagels were boiled prior to baking!), and I’m so pleased with how they came out. They taste just like bagels I would buy at the store, but with a much simpler ingredient list. Can’t wait to try flavor variations of this recipe in the future!
Hello!! Looking to try this as my country is in lockdown and the supermarket is a bit scary right now. Can these be frozen like store-bought?
Yes, they can be frozen. Stay safe and enjoy 🙂
I love baking and cooking, however I’m very inexperienced with breads and bagels. First time ever making bagels and I used this recipe and they turned out AMAZING!! Thank you so much for this recipe, I will definitely recommend it to family and friends!!
Can I use soy milk instead of almond milk?
Yes!
I made these last week, and they turned out great. I, too, forgot the sugar in the water bath, but didn’t miss it. Today, I might try to make mini bagels…. the other ones were fantastic, but as large as you’d get at a premium bagel store, and we ended up eating half at a time.
Hello Jasmine and Chris, your recipes look great!
But.. do you know that at the same time there are ads on your side of WMF, a knife cutting into a big piece of meat! Not so nice for a Vegan www!
Thanks, will try out the great bagel recipe!
An
We were not aware, thanks for letting us know! We don’t have control over those things but we can let our ad provider know to try and get rid of those!
Made these today with gluten free flour and they turned out awesome! I think I’ll be making these on a weekly basis now.
I’ve made bagels with your recipe twice now. First was everything bagel and they turned out great. Second time was cinnamon raisin (half cup raisins and 3-4 tsp cinnamon during step 2.)
I’ll be making these every week. They are SO good.
Thank you so much for the recipe. Coming from the east coast I missed having good bagels. Here in California it’s hard to come by. I’m so happy I never have to buy overpriced bagels from the store again. 🙂
Ahhh, that makes us so happy to hear 🙂 Actually, that was the reason we also made this recipe! after Chris moved to California from New Jersey, he was in need of some good bagels and apparently the store-bought ones weren’t cutting it haha. We will be sure to try the raisin ones!
I’m definitely going to make these once I get bread flour. Thank you! Do you have a recipe for almond cream cheese? (I love Kite Hill, but eventually I want to be able to make everything from scratch.)
Hi Katy! We don’t, but we have one for cashew cream cheese here: https://sweetsimplevegan.com/2018/08/cultured-cashew-cream-cheese/
Hi! I don’t understand step 1 – the wording is confusing to me. Is it 1/2 cup or 1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup of warm water? Scanning the recipe doesn’t help me because I can’t get it to add up. Recipe mentions mentions 1 ¼ cups / 300ml warm water (you may need ¼ cup /60ml more but directions do not add up to that with step 3 adding 1/3 (90ml). Feeling crazy like I’m missing something, please help. 🙂
Great eye, recipe has been updated!
LITERALLY THE BEST. BAGELS.EVER. NOT EVEN JOKING!!!
THANK YOU! 🙂
What timing you have, I have been wanting a good bagel for weeks now! Spring time = bagel cravings?? Idk 😀 But I seriously have 3 recipes bookmarked right now and just haven’t gotten around to trying them. I wish so much that my stomach could handle gluten right now I’d be making these today because they look so fluffy and so simple ingredient wise! Pinning this for topping ideas, because you have so many ideas here. Yum!
Haha soul sista!! You NEED these in your life. I am bummed gluten hurts your tummy :/ But hopefully you will be able to make some bagels, maybe gluten-free ones!
If I use all purpose, how much would I need?