• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Well Vegan
  • Recipes
  • Our Cookbook
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Frugal Vegan Cookbook
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipe

    Homemade Bagels

    Jan 17, 2012 · by Katie Koteen · Modified: Dec 13, 2020

    Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review
    Homemade Bagels

    It’s no secret that I tend to be on the frugal side. Perhaps that’s an understatement—I can be down right cheap, especially when it comes to things I think I can make myself. I also tend to be a little particular and enjoy having things just so.

    This holiday my husband tapped into both of these neurosis and got me a great book, “Make the Bread, Buy the Butter.” The author, Jennifer Reese, assesses, based on both effort and cost what we should buy and what is best to make. And while much of the content is related to things I do not consume (cured meats, eggs, cheese), it’s nonetheless interesting and has given me great ideas about how best to veganize some of the old standbys.

    It’s also great to know that when in doubt, I can make my own bagels and we did! Yesterday afternoon I enlisted the help of my littlest baker and we got to work. It really was no trouble at all, and they are in fact the best bagels you’ll ever lay down a tofutti schmear on.

    Reese uses a recipe from Bernard Clayton’s “The New Complete Book of Breads.” We went the extra mile and used the high gluten flour (I just happened to have some in the cupboard), but skipped the malted barely syrup.

    Now that I know how good they are, I’ll spring for the barley syrup next time. All in they take about two hours, but that includes a lot of dough rising time. Next time you’re hankering for a real bagel, give this recipe a try.

    Homemade Bagels
    Homemade Bagels
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Homemade Bagels

    Homemade Bagels

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
    • Author: Katie Koteen
    • Total Time: 2 hours
    • Yield: 10 1x
    • Category: breakfast
    • Method: stovetop
    • Cuisine: american
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    From “Make the Bread, Buy the Butter.” by Jennifer Reese


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 ½ cups high-gluten flour or all-purpose flour
    • 4 ½ tsp. instant yeast
    • 3 tbsp. cane sugar
    • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
    • 1 ½ cups warm water (not too warm, water above 130 degrees will kill your yeast)
    • Neutral vegetable oil for greasing
    • 2 tbsp. barely malt syrup or dark brown sugar
    • Coarse cornmeal, for sprinkling
    • Optional toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.

    Instructions

    1. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the water and beat hard with the paddle attachment for a few minutes, switching to the dough hook once it all comes together. This is also when you might add a bit more flour if the dough is too wet, but just a bit at a time until you have a stiff dough. Knead for 5 minutes.
    2. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean, damp towel to rise about one hour. Dough will have doubled in size.
    3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bring a large pot of water to boil. While water is heating, lightly oil one baking sheet and sprinkle another generously with cornmeal.
    4. Deflate the dough and divide it into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into the neatest ball you can and then stick your thumb through the middle to coax it into a bagel shape. Let bagels rest on the greased baking sheet for 10 minutes.
    5. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the brown sugar or barley syrup. Drop the bagels into the water, three at a time. Let them simmer for a minute and flip them over to simmer for another minute. Remove with a slotted spoon back to the greased baking sheet to dry a bit. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
    6. Move all the boiled bagels to the cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet. The bottoms of my bagels were pretty wet still when I did this and too much cornmeal stuck. I recommend flipping them over when putting them down so the drier side sits in the cornmeal. If you want to add any toppings, this is the time to sprinkle away.
    7. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Store for up to a week or tuck away in the freezer for longer storage.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Jon

      July 21, 2020 at 10:37 am

      Have you ever frozen these? How do they keep?

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        July 21, 2020 at 3:39 pm

        Yes! They're great. I slice before freezing, then usually toast straight from frozen.

        Reply
    2. Joshua

      July 23, 2018 at 8:46 am

      I can’t believe how good these turned out. There were a few times when I wasn’t very confident. As I was sitting at my table, eating the perfection that was these bagels it occurred to me that I completely forgot to add the brown sugar to the boiling water. What does that step do? I’d say anyone who doesn’t have it on hand, go ahead and make these anyway because they were awesome!

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        July 23, 2018 at 9:48 am

        Hey Joshua! Happy to hear it worked out, regardless of the brown sugar! If you do use, it promotes browning of the bagel and adds to the flavor. Nothing better than a homemade bagel 🙂

        Reply
    3. Cedar

      February 06, 2018 at 3:37 pm

      Hey just letting you know how it went, I used vegan provolone and left it in there for an extra 4 minutes. I was tempted to leave it in there for longer but didn't want it to burn. The recipe was delicious!!

      Reply
    4. Cedar

      February 05, 2018 at 8:48 am

      Can’t wait to try the recipe! Just wondering if I could try putting sliced vegan cheese on the top of the bagels before baking? Never tried that before and was just wondering if the cheese doesn’t burn or something...

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        February 05, 2018 at 8:56 am

        Ohhh, that's such a great idea! I would pull them out, just 2-3 minutes before they're done, add the cheese and pop them back in for just a couple minutes. Keep an eye on them! And let us know how it goes 🙂

        Reply
    5. Tanayem

      February 11, 2017 at 7:21 am

      Hii. I was wondering, is it neccessary to use the cornmeal?Because thats the only ingredient i don't have and it'd be more convenient if i didn't have to run to the store and buy some ahaha. Also can i just add regular brown sugar or maple syrup instead of the syrup or dark brown sugar? Thanks in advance! 😀

      Reply
      • Well Vegan

        February 11, 2017 at 10:23 am

        Hi Tanayem! I've never tried it without cornmeal, but my best guess is that it would work just fine! It mostly keeps the bagels from sticking to the surface after they're cooked. And I think you can get away with regular brown sugar 🙂 Good luck and let us know how it goes!

        Reply
    6. Tanayem

      February 11, 2017 at 7:20 am

      Hii. I was wondering, is it neccessary to use the cornmeal?Because thats the only ingredient i don't have and it'd be more convenient if i didn't have to run to the store and buy some ahaha.

      Reply
    7. Emma

      December 02, 2016 at 4:48 pm

      Hi, this sounds really good. Before I make it I was wondering what temp to bake the bagels at?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Well Vegan

        December 09, 2016 at 9:07 am

        Hi Emma! You'll want to bake them at 400 F. Good luck 🙂

        Reply
    8. Betty Holzwarth

      February 26, 2016 at 1:29 pm

      Where I live there is absolutely NO stores that have Vegan bagels........so I have to make my own! They all have milk and eggs! Stupid really because these cruel items are completely unnecessary and a waste of time and money to use them!

      Reply
    9. Sonam

      August 30, 2015 at 9:55 pm

      What purpose does the cornmeal serve?

      Reply
      • Well Vegan

        August 31, 2015 at 12:24 am

        @Sonam - It adds a little texture and keeps the bagels from sticking to the pan. Hope your bagel making is successful!

        Reply
    10. Corinna

      June 20, 2014 at 8:44 am

      Hello from Singapore
      Made the bagels today and I must say they turned out stunning. Making German pretzels I'm used to the wetness and I do it a bit different like you, anyway great recipe..don't want to be cocky but they really better then the ones above 🙂
      Thank you so much for sharing

      Reply
    11. Lindsay

      June 20, 2014 at 3:09 am

      Hey! 🙂 could I make this gluten free? Thanks

      Reply
    12. Becky

      April 06, 2014 at 6:00 pm

      Cindy,
      I was wondering the same thing, but it HAS to be a better buy than the store. I usually see a 6 pack of bagels on sale for $2.00 where I live and this recipe uses basic things that I always have in my kitchen...a container of yeast, flour, salt, sugar, and oil are all cheap when you look at the little amount you use for the yield. Plus this recipe makes 10 bagels. I ALMOST calculated it out, but realized how lazy I was and convinced myself I was saving tons of money instead haha!

      Well Vegan - Thanks for the recipe! I am trying it as we speak! Well, the dough is rising. I'm sure they will be delicious.

      Reply
      • Well Vegan

        April 07, 2014 at 9:48 pm

        @Becky - I'm sure they'll be amazing! Thanks for the breakdown. At the bagel shop I frequent, they're about $1 each. This is super cheap by comparison, especially since you usually have most of the supplies on-hand. These are so freaking good, now I have to make some.

        Reply
    13. Cindy

      February 03, 2014 at 12:06 am

      Just curious if anyone has done the math what the cost breakdown/comparison is for this recipe.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Our Cookbooks

    cookbook

    IndieBound / Powells / Amazon

    cookbook

    IndieBound / Barnes and Noble / Powells / Amazon

    About Well Vegan

    katie and kate

    Katie and Kate are two vegans maintaining a cross-country friendship swapping recipes and writing cookbooks. About Us...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS

    Our Favorite Recipes

    couscous salad with kale, sweet potato and pomegranate

    Couscous Salad with Kale, Sweet Potato and Pomegranate

    vegan mac and cheese

    Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

    roasted delicata squash pasta

    Roasted Delicata Squash Pasta with Kale

    chocolate chip cookies

    The New York Times’ Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

    stuffed acorn squash

    Vegan Sausage & Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

    Herbed Butternut Squash Wellington

    More Recipes

    Footer


    Recipes

    • All Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Budget Recipes
    • Desserts Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Easy Recipes
    • Vegan + GF Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Recipe Roundups

    More

    • About
    • The Frugal Vegan Cookbook
    • Vegan Starter Guide
    • Vegan Batch Cooking Guide
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 Well Vegan · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Affiliate terms · Legal