The Best Vegan Bagels

Posted by admin on May 08, 2023

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.

Fluffy New York-Style Bagels w/ Vegan Carrot Lox {vegan, oil-free} sweetsimplevegan.com #bagels #newyorkbagels #oilfree #vegan #veganlox

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

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.

AMAZING Vegan Carrot Lox! {oil-free} sweetsimplevegan.com

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

I don’t have bread flour. Can I make these vegan bagels with all-purpose flour?

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.

Can I make these vegan bagels gluten-free?

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!

What does the water bath step do?

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!