These Onion Bagels have a chewy interior and a crispy and golden exterior! This is an easy fool-proof recipe, packed with tips and tricks for the perfect homemade bagels! Naturally vegan.
There is nothing quite like biting into a warm homemade bagel smothered in cream cheese.
The chewy texture and crispy crust really do something to my brain, and I feel like I can eat 10 of them in a row.
Onion bagels are made with what is called "lean dough". Meaning, that unlike cinnamon rolls or homemade naan where you have some type of fat in the dough, bagels don't have any fat.
This results in chewy and dense, yet fluffy bagels with a golden brown crust. You can thank me later!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A true New York bagel! This recipe goes through all of the steps needed for making New York-style bagels- proofing the dough, boiling the onion bagels, then baking them.
- Easy to make and budget-friendly. I know this recipe sounds fancy, but it's SO easy to make, even if you're new to baking! It also uses pantry staples and no fancy ingredients are needed.
- Naturally vegan. No egg wash or egg yolks are needed! This recipe is naturally vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free.
Ingredients
- Bread flour: You'll need strong bread flour with at least 12% protein. This is what makes the bagels chewy.
- Active dry yeast: This is what makes the bagels rise and be soft and fluffy.
- Warm water: It's essential that your water is lukewarm (around 100-110ºF), and not hot. Hot water will kill the yeast the dough won't rise.
- Sugar: A little bit of sugar helps feed the yeast, which will activate it and help the dough rise faster.
- Onion powder: For adding a sweet and savory onion flavor. You can also use garlic powder for a stronger hint. OR skip to make plain bagels.
- Salt: For enhancing the flavors of the onion bagels.
- Toppings: I like to use everything bagel seasoning, but you can also use sesame seeds only.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make This Onion Bagels Recipe
Step 1: Make the dough
First, bloom the yeast. In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in lukewarm water. At the yeast and whisk until it dissolves as well. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy on top.
In the meant time, in a large mixing bowl, measure the flour and stir in the salt and onion powder.
When the yeast is ready, add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients. (If you don't want to mix the dough by hand, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook).
Using a fork, mix until the dough becomes sticky so that you can't continue with the fork anymore.
Sprinkle some flour onto a clean surface and transfer the dough. Knead for 5-6 minutes, or until it becomes smooth, elastic, and soft.
Step 2: Rise the dough
Grease a large bowl with some oil and transfer it there. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Set it aside in a warm place for at least 60 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. If it's a particularly cold day, put the bowl in the oven and turn on the light.
After rising, lightly punch down the dough to release air. Then, knead for 1-2 minutes, or until it forms a smooth ball again.
Step 3: Shape the bagels
Using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 balls.
Using your thumb, poke a hole in the middle of each ball. Then, use 2 fingers to widen the hole to about 1.5-2 inches. Cover with a towel and let the bagels rise for around 10 minutes, while you prepare the water bath.
Step 4: Water bath
Fill a large pot with water and honey or maple syrup (or barley malt syrup) and stir. Bring to a boil.
Drop the bagels into the water, as many as you can comfortably fit (I fit 3), and boil for 1 minute on each side. Then, take them out of the water and sprinkle them with your toppings.
Step 5: Bake
Bake onion bagels in a preheated oven to 425ºF (220ºC) for 20-22 minutes. or until golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack, then serve!
Expert Tips
- Test your yeast before starting. It's super important to make sure you're using fresh yeast. To test that, In a bowl, mix 1 teaspoon sugar with ½ cup lukewarm water until dissolved. Add two teaspoons of active dry yeast and mix that as well. Set it aside for 10 minutes. If the yeast is active and fresh, it should expand and become foamy and bubbly. If not, it's expired and you'll need new yeast.
- Use lukewarm water to activate the yeast. Cold water won't activate the yeast and hot water will kill it. Make sure your water is between 100-110ºF (38-43ºC).
- Use a digital scale. It's essential to be as accurate as possible with the measurement when making yeast dough. If you're using cups to measure the flour, it's easy to end up adding more than needed, which will result in dry and tough bagels.
- Give the dough enough time to rise. This is important to end up with fluffy onion bagels that have air pockets inside. If the dough has not risen properly, the end result will be flat.
FAQ
Yes, but I don't recommend it. The bagels won't be as chewy and may turn out flimsy.
A good alternative would be to use all-purpose flour, as well as 2 tablespoon vital wheat gluten to add more protein.
Yes, these bagels freeze very well. Just let them cool to room temperature, then freeze them in a zip-log bag or an airtight container for 3-4 months.
Yes! Boiling bagels is essential if you want them to have a crispy exterior. What boiling does is causes the starch on the exterior of the bread to gel, which then creates a crispy crust in the oven, while keeping the inside chewy.
Yes, you can make the dough up to 24 hours ahead of time. After you knead the dough, transfer it to a greased bowl and store it in the coldest part of your fridge. When you're ready to bake, let the dough come to room temperature for at least 1 hour, then shape.
Absolutely! This will cut down the rising time in about half. The only thing to keep in mind is that using instant yeast makes it very easy to over-proof the dough, which basically means that it has fermented more than necessary.
Bagel Topping Ideas
I like to think about these bagels as a vehicle for fun toppings. Here are some of my favorite thing to add to these onion bagels.
- Plain butter with sea salt
- Cream cheese
- Vegan sunflower cream cheese
- Homemade hummus
- White bean hummus
- Vegan chicken salad
- Egg salad
- Sliced cheese and ham
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Fried or poached egg
- Sliced avocado
- Mozzarella, pesto, and tomatoes
- Nutella with banana slices
- Nut butter and granola
Serving Suggestions
Paired with salads and soups like our risoni salad or dairy-free potato leek soup.
And if you have any leftover onion bagels that are dry, don't throw them away! Make this everything bagel Panzanella salad.
Storage
Let leftover onion bagels cool to room temperature then cover them tightly with plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container.
Store at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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📖 Recipe
Onion Bagels Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tsp (9 g) active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tbsp (19 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) warm water
- 3 ½ cups (440 g) bread flour plus more for sprinkling
- 1 ½ tsp (6 g) salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ¼ cup (60g) honey or maple syrup if vegan (or barley malt syrup)
Optional toppings
- everything bagel seasoning optional; or use a mix of sesame seeds and poppyseeds
Instructions
- First, bloom the yeast. In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in lukewarm water. At the yeast and whisk until it dissolves as well. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy on top.2 teaspoon (9 g) active dry yeast, 1 ½ tablespoon (19 g) granulated sugar, 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) warm water
- In the meant time, in a large mixing bowl, measure the flour and stir in the salt and onion powder. When the yeast is ready, add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients. (If you don't want to mix the dough by hand, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook).3 ½ cups (440 g) bread flour, 1 ½ teaspoon (6 g) salt, 1 tablespoon onion powder
- Using a fork, mix until the dough becomes sticky so that you can't continue with the fork anymore.
- Sprinkle some flour onto a clean surface and transfer the dough. Knead for 5-6 minutes, or until it becomes smooth, elastic, and soft.
- Grease a large bowl with some oil and transfer the dough. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Set it aside in a warm place for at least 60 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. If it's a particularly cold day, put the bowl in the oven and turn on the light.
- After rising, lightly punch down the dough to release air. Then, knead for 1-2 minutes, or until it forms a smooth ball again. Using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 balls.
- Using your thumb, poke a hole in the middle of each ball. Then, use 2 fingers to widen the hole to about 1.5-2 inches. Cover with a towel and let the bagels rise for around 10 minutes, while you prepare the water bath.
- Preheated oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Fill a large pot with water and honey or maple syrup (or barley malt syrup) and stir. Bring to a boil.¼ cup (60g) honey or maple syrup if vegan
- Drop the bagels into the water, as many as you can comfortably fit (I fit 3), and boil for 1 minute on each side. Then, take them out of the water and sprinkle them with your toppings.
- Bake onion bagels for 20-22 minutes. or until golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, then serve!
Notes
- Fridge: Let leftover bagels cool to room temperature then cover them tightly with plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Let them cool to room temperature, then freeze them in a zip-log bag or an airtight container for 3-4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Sophi says
Delicious!