These homemade bagels are crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside and surprisingly easy to make! With step-by-step instructions and flavor variations like everything, poppyseed and cheddar jalapeño, this is the only bagel recipe you’ll ever need.
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A go-to carb. We’ve all got one (or some). For me, it has been and always will be the good ol’ trusty bagel.
My earliest childhood food memory dates back to when I was 5 years old, and happens to involve a very particular bagel sandwich. It was an egg bagel loaded up with sliced turkey and cheddar and slathered with my condiment-o-choice, mayonnaise. I can still taste it.
Fast-forward a couple of decades (and six years of living in New York City), and my love for bagels has only grown. It’s hard to resist a warm-from-the-oven, perfectly chewy bagel with endless topping and filling options. But do you want to know the major spoiler?
Homemade bagels are actually one of the absolute easiest and most fool-proof carbs you can make.
Why You’ll Love This Bagel Recipe
This bagel recipe checks all the boxes: crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, and perfect for toasting and slathering with cream cheese (or making an epic sandwich!).
One of the defining characteristics of bagels is that signature chewy texture—and the not-so-secret ingredient that makes it happen? Bread flour.
But another key ingredient sets this recipe apart from the rest: honey. Traditional New York-style bagels take a dip in a baking soda bath, but after lots of testing, I’ve found that adding honey (like Montreal-style bagels) makes all the difference. It gives them a beautiful golden crust and just a touch of sweetness, a.k.a. perfection in every bite!
Check out the ingredient list below. It’s a very short list of easily available items, many of which you likely already have in your pantry.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, you’re essentially 50% of the way to the finish line. And that is a finish line draped in perfectly chewy bagels dressed up and feelin’ fancy with all of your favorite toppings.
- Bread flour: The higher protein content of bread flour helps develop that signature dense and chewy texture. If you’re in a pinch, you can use all-purpose flour, but keep in mind that your bagels will turn out lighter and airier.
- Kosher salt: Adds flavor and strengthens the dough.
- Warm water: Activates the yeast and brings the dough together. If your water is too cold or too hot, it won’t activate the yeast so aim for a temperature of about 110°F.
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast and helps with fermentation.
- Active dry yeast: Needs to be proofed in warm water with a little sugar to activate. This ensures your bagels rise properly.
- Honey: Added to the boiling water to give the crust a subtle sweetness and that perfect golden finish.
- Egg wash (egg + water or milk): For that signature golden exterior and to help toppings stick.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Make the Dough
Bagel dough is a lean dough, meaning it has no butter or oil (similar to pizza dough or focaccia), and comes together easily.
I use my stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment to prepare the dough, but you can also do it by hand. Knead until it comes together into a smooth and cohesive ball.
Grease a large bowl with oil, then place the dough inside, turning it once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, dark spot for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Once proofed, lightly flour your work surface, turn the dough out, and punch it down to release excess air. Now you’re ready to divide the dough and shape it into bagels!
Shape the Bagels
Shaping bagels is actually really easy and doesn’t require doing anything fancy. After you divide the dough into 8 portions, roll each piece into a ball and poke a hole through the center then, gently stretch the dough to widen the hole. That’s it!
Pro Tip: The hole will shrink as the bagels rise and bake, so make it slightly bigger than you think it should be!
Boil the Bagels
Boiling the dough before baking gives bagels their signature dense, chewy centers and prevents them from puffing up too much in the oven. It’s the most important step because it’s what makes a bagel a bagel and not just a round piece of bread!
- Bring the water to a boil. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Stir in the honey.
- Boil in batches. Add 2 to 3 bagels at a time and cook for 1 minute per side. Don’t overcrowd the pot!
- Maintain a steady simmer. After each batch, let the water return to a simmer before adding more.
Pro Tip: Boil for exactly 1 minute per side. Too long = too dense; too short = not chewy enough.
Add Toppings and Bake
Don’t skip the egg wash. It helps crisp up the exterior and gives it a glossy, golden finish. Bake the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them cool slightly before serving.
Bagel Flavor Guide
Making bagels at home means endless flavor possibilities! Here are a few favorites to try:
- Everything bagels: The family favorite around our house. Sprinkle on your go-to everything bagel seasoning or mix your own with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion and salt.
- Plain: Classic, simple, and perfect for any topping or spread.
- Sesame seed: After brushing with egg wash, sprinkle generously with sesame seeds or press the bagels lightly into the topping for extra coverage.
- Poppy seed: Just like sesame, brush with egg wash first, then sprinkle or press into poppy seeds.
- Cheddar jalapeño: A close second place for the non-toddlers in our home is the perfectly cheesy and slightly spicy cheddar-jalapeño bagel. Top each baked bagel with a few slices of jalapeño then lay a cheese slice on top. Broil the bagel for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Cinnamon raisin: Fold ½ cup raisins and 1 tsp cinnamon into the dough before shaping.
- Salt bagels: Brush with egg wash, then top or dunk in coarse sea salt. These are on the saltier side, so feel free to adjust to taste!
- Garlic: After brushing with egg wash, sprinkle with granulated garlic or minced dried garlic for a bold, savory bite.
- Pretzel bagels: Follow my recipe for easy soft pretzel bagels.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store your homemade bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply toast them straight from the freezer or warm them in a 350°F oven for 5–10 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Nothing beats a freshly baked bagel warm, fresh from the oven! Keep it classic with a thick schmear of cream cheese (check out my post on flavored cream cheeses for inspiration), or try one of these ideas:
- Slather with homemade butter and jam.
- Make a breakfast sandwich with eggs, bacon and cheese.
- Pile high with lox, capers and red onion for a deli-style bagel.
- Top with avocado and a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning.
- Stuffed with turkey, cheddar and mayo—just like my childhood favorite!
- Slather your favorite DIY cream cheese, then pile on sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Make pizza bagels by adding marinara sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings, then broil until bubbly.
Are you ready to give this homemade bagel recipe a go? Gather your ingredients, preheat your oven and let me know how they turn out in the comments below!
Ingredients
For the bagels:
- 4 cups bread flour, plus more for shaping dough
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (approximately 110°F)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (one 3/4-oz. packet) active dry yeast
- Vegetable oil, for greasing bowl
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 large egg beaten with 2 Tablespoons water or milk
For the toppings:
- 1 Tablespoon everything seasoning (See Notes)
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced into thin rounds
Instructions
Make the bagels:
- In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the warm water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved then add the yeast and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes or until it is foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour and salt. With the mixer on LOW speed, pour in the yeast mixture then allow the stand mixer to knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it comes together into a cohesive ball.
- Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil then add the dough to the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a warm, dark location for 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Lightly flour your work surface then turn the dough out and punch it down.
- Divide the dough into 8 portions then flatten each piece into a 4-to- 5-inch disk. Using your thumb, poke a whole through the center of each disk to form the bagels, stretching them slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large stockpot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil then stir in the honey. Arrange the bagel toppings in small bowls (“everything” seasoning, poppy seeds or sesame seeds; See Notes for jalapeño-cheddar).
- Boil the bagels, two or three at a time, for 1 minute and then gently flip them over once and boil them an additional 1 minute.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the boiling water and arrange them on the baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the bagels with egg wash then press them into your preferred toppings.
- Bake the bagels for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
Kelly’s Notes
- The toppings listed are enough to make two everything bagels, two poppy seed bagels, two sesame bagels and two jalapeño-cheddar bagels.
- To make the jalapeño-cheddar bagel, top each baked bagel with a few slices of jalapeño then lay a cheese slice on top. Broil the bagel for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Freezing: After baking and cooling, the bagels can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap them securely in plastic wrap and store them in sealable plastic bags in the freezer.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
These bagels are so yummy. I made half plain and half with everything topping.
Very easy to make.
YUM! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Theresa!
Lovely, lovely bagels.
I just found that even though the inside was fluffy, the outside was very sharp – very crispy. How can i reduce this crispiness?
Hi Maddy! Make sure you’re rotating the pan in the oven to avoid hot spots.
I made the bagels, I must have did something wrong, everything was fine, till the oven, came out fine, But after cooling the got flat, &small, I’m a good baker, so what did I do,
Hi Joan! When bagels are over-proofed, or if you leave them in the boiling water for longer than you have to, they just go flat immediately after you take them out of the water.
I made these on a plea from my kids. I was hesitant because yeast is intimidating. They loved it. Found it easy to follow.
Love reading this, Nancy! Thrilled you all enjoyed the recipe!
These bagels turned out awesome!!
Yay! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Kelley!
I noticed that after you shape the bagels you don’t let them rise before boiling. How do the bagels rise?
Yes, the dough still rises for 90 minutes before shaping (see the note in the instructions)!
These turned out AMAZING for me, so easy to make and so delicious! I had very little confidence in my homemade bread skills after a horribly failed loaf of bread but gave it one last go with these and they turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the bagels recipe, Liz!
Made your bagels today. Turned out absolutely delicious, but a bit misshapen on my first try. Made them just a little too thin. Next time thicker.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Barry! Practice makes perfect :)
I made these today on a whim because I had all the ingredients and I had been promising my daughter I would try them out. I was hesitant to try. No need. These were easy and delicious. For a few (for said daughter) I finely chopped jalapeños and cheddar and worked it into the dough. Those ones came out even better! Next time I will work the dough a bit before boiling. Thank you so much!! Can’t wait to make more.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Catherine!
What are your thoughts on using AP flour instead of bread flour?
Hi Ari! Bread flour gives the bagels their dense and chewy texture but all-purpose flour can be used in a pinch. Just note that the bagels won’t be nearly as chewy!
Can you use something other than honey in the water is it essential. I just dont have any.
You can skip it!
Will this work without a mixer?
Yes, you can mix it by hand! :)
These look great. I remember years ago buying bagels with cheddar cheese mixed in with the dough. Afraid if I just added it to the dough I might mess up your recipe and they’d not come out right. Any idea how I’d make those?
Hi! That would definitely work. Just add finely grated cheddar to the dough.
I’ve been keeping this recipe on my ‘to-make’ list since you first posted it and I finally got around to making it today. As with all dough recipes, I was very hesitant and nervous because I was sure I would mess it up, so I only made half a batch (with sesame seeds) just to test it out. My five kids gobbled up the bagels in no time, saying, “These are SO good!” so I guess that’s an indication of success! I need to go out and buy some bread flour now so I can make these again so my husband can taste them…if the kids don’t get to them first! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Love hearing this, Mona! I am so thrilled you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
I don’t see the honey used in the instructions.
Hi Diana! The honey is listed in the 7th paragraph following the instruction to preheat the oven, “In a large stockpot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil then stir in the honey.” :)
Wonderful presentation ! Thank you so very much !
Hi Kelly!
The bagels look so good! Thank you for sharing. I don’t have a dough hook. Could I I mix / knead these by hand, or would it ruin the texture? Thanks again!
Hi Naomi! I’ve never tried making this recipe without a stand mixer, but I think you could do it by hand. It should work out without any issues (although the texture might be slightly different), you’ll just want to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated. Looking forward to hearing your results!
Hi Kelly,
Most bagel recipes usually contain Barley Malt syrup, these do not. How do these compare? Are they chewy? I’m from NY where the bagels have a chewy interior and nicely browned exterior. Great spread recipes!
Hi Mike! These are so chewy and the perfect bagel texture. And I totally hear ya’ on the barley malt syrup front. You can actually use that in place of the honey (an equal amount), if you prefer it. The honey is just a more readily available (and identifiable!) ingredient for most :)
Hi Kelly – There is no yeast in the bagel ingredient list
Hi Kathleen! The yeast is listed right after the sugar :) It’s 2 1/4 teaspoons (or one 3/4-oz. packet).