If you’re trying to add more protein to your breakfast and love traditional bagels, this Protein Bagels Recipe will be your new best friend! They’re seriously easy to make with no rising needed and just 5 common ingredients! You can even make a double batch and freeze them for easy breakfasts any time!
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High Protein Bagels Recipe
These cottage cheese bagels are one of my all-time favorite breakfast swaps! They still have that tender chewiness you know and love, but the extra protein will help them keep you full and energized for longer.
Plus, each batch of makes 8 bagels, which is perfect for meal prepping!
Featured Comment
Hands down the best protein bagel recipe I’ve tried. We’ve made these 5 times now and everyone in the family loves them… even my toddlers! – Marissa
If you’re a fan of this recipe, you’ll also want to check out these Almond Flour Bagels, and this Cottage Cheese Flatbread and Protein Pita Bread!
Why We Love These Healthy Protein Bagels
- 5 ingredient bagels: These homemade bagels require just five ingredients, making them extremely convenient. You may even have all the ingredients you need to make them on hand!
- No rising necessary: Thanks to a little baking powder, these high-protein bagels are ready really quickly. They don’t need to rise, like traditional yeasted bagels, so you can make the dough and bake them right away.
- Healthier alternative: Traditional bagels are absolutely delicious, but they tend to be super-sized and rich in carbohydrates. This can spike your blood sugar and you may feel hungry shortly. These bagels with protein are more portion-controlled and have 11 grams of protein, which can delay how quickly your body processes those carbs and can help prevent a large blood sugar spike.
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: This is the base for these homemade protein bagels. I often like to use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour instead for extra fiber!
- Baking powder: The baking powder will lift the bagels to give them that puffy texture. Make sure to use fresh baking powder for the best results.
- Cottage cheese: I prefer to use 1% cottage cheese. You can also use plain nonfat Greek yogurt like this 3 ingredient dough, but it will have a slightly tangier flavor.
- Sea salt: Salt enhances flavors and makes these bagels pop!
- Egg: Whisk the egg together to create an egg wash. This will add a nice golden brown color like traditional bagels.
Optional Toppings
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Poppy seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Onion flakes
- Cinnamon and raisins
- Dried cranberries and walnuts
- Mini chocolate chips
Healthy Protein Bagels Recipe – Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Fold in cottage cheese and mix with a spatula until combined, then combine with your hands until a ball of dough forms. Knead it about 20 times or until the dough comes together. The dough should not be sticky but not dry either. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Form Dough into Bagels
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle some flour on a large cutting board or counter and transfer the dough to the surface. Form a long log and cut into 8 even pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it into the shape of a rope, then form into a circle, pinching the ends together to form a bagel shape. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with remaining dough. Brush the bagels with the egg wash and sprinkle them with your favorite toppings.
Step 3: Bake Bagels
- Bake on a middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, puffy and no longer doughy when you press your finger into the center hole. Remove from the oven and allow the bagels to cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with your favorite toppings.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Tips for the Best Protein Bagels:
- If your dough feels too sticky, add a bit more flour until you can handle it without sticking to your fingers. If it feels too dry, add a bit more cottage cheese.
- The bagels expand while baking so be sure to make the dough circles big enough to prevent the dough from rising over the holes in the center.
- You can customize these bagels with any toppings or add-ins. They taste great savory or sweet!
Recipe FAQs
The average bagel has about 10g of protein, which is a good start. However, that’s usually matched with around 50g of carbohydrates per bagel. I prefer to make homemade bagels with cottage cheese to increase the protein content, reducing the effect of carbohydrates on your blood sugar.
There are several ways to add protein to a bagel, depending on if you’re making the bagels from scratch or just topping regular bagels from the store. If you’re trying to doctor store-bought bagels, try adding nut butter or cream cheese as the topping or make a sandwich with eggs, bacon, and cheese for lots of filling protein and fats.
If you’re making the dough yourself, you can use cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt to hydrate the dough or experiment by adding some unflavored whey protein powder.
Yes! Although this 5 ingredient bagel recipe calls for cottage cheese, you can easily replace it with non-fat Greek yogurt. You may need to add slightly more flour to compensate for the adjustment in texture, but this is a great way to make a quick dough that you can use for bagels, pizzas, and much more.
Storage Guidelines
Store leftover bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can also refrigerate them, but they may begin to dry out.
You can also freeze the leftover bagels and pack them in a freezer-safe bag for several months. Just thaw in the fridge before toasting like normal.
Optional Bagel Toppings
There are so many ways to make this easy bagel recipe your own! Some of these can be sprinkled on top, but other ingredients can be mixed into the dough to add flavor into every bite.
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Poppy seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Onion flakes
- Cinnamon and raisins
- Dried cranberries and walnuts
- Mini chocolate chips
What to Eat with Protein Bagels
Consider this high-protein bagel recipe to be a go-to healthy breakfast option to replace regular bagels. They can also be used as the base for sandwiches or a healthy midday snack.
- Make a breakfast sandwich with eggs, bacon, pesto, and cheese
- Top with cream cheese or a homemade cream cheese schmear and fresh berries
- Serve with a yogurt and fruit parfait
- Brush with peanut butter and strawberry chia jam
- Enjoy with your favorite breakfast frittata, cottage cheese egg bake, creamy scrambled eggs, or mini egg bites
- Top with chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts or cottage cheese egg salad
Recipe Variations
- Greek yogurt bagels: If you don’t have cottage cheese on hand or aren’t a fan of it, you can easily substitute plain Greek yogurt instead.
- Use self-rising flour: Instead of mixing regular all-purpose flour with baking powder, you can also use self-rising flour. It has all the leavening agents you need already mixed in!
- Try whole wheat flour: For extra fiber, try whole wheat flour. You will likely need to add extra liquid to keep the bagel dough from becoming too dry, so adjust as needed.
More Similar Recipes
- Pesto Egg Breakfast Sandwich
- Banana Protein Pancakes
- Banana Protein Muffins
- High Protein French Toast
- Cottage Cheese Protein Pudding
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High Protein Bagels with Cottage Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups 1% cottage cheese
- 1/8th teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until well-combined.
- Fold in cottage cheese and mix with spatula until combined, then combine with your hands until a ball of dough forms. Knead it about 20 times or until the dough comes together. The dough should not be sticky but not dry either. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle some flour on a large cutting board or counter and transfer the dough to the surface. Form a long log and cut into 8 even pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it into the shape of a rope, then form into a circle, pinching the ends together to form a bagel shape. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with remaining dough.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Lightly brush the surface of the bagels with the egg and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes or them leave plain.
- Bake on a middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, puffy and no longer doughy when you press your finger into the center hole. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest for 15 minutes (don't skip this step). Slice and enjoy protein bagels with your favorite toppings.
Notes
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- If your dough feels too sticky, add a bit more flour until you can handle it without sticking to your fingers. If it feels too dry, add a bit more cottage cheese.
- The bagels expand while baking so be sure to make the dough circles big enough to prevent the dough from rising over the holes in the center.
- You can customize these bagels with any toppings or add-ins. They taste great savory or sweet!
- Try these optional toppings:
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Poppy seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Onion flakes
- Cinnamon and raisins
Hi. would this work with bobs red mill gluten free flour 1:1 ?
I haven’t personally tried it with the gluten free 1:1 flour, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work! If you try it out, please keep me posted on the outcome :)
Can you substitute almond flour?
So sorry for the delay! I haven’t tried almond flour in this recipe, so I’m not sure how it would work out. If you wanted an almond flour based bagel recipe, you could try this one instead!