If you've never made bagels before, I hope this Homemade Whole Wheat Bagel Recipe gives you the confidence you need to give them a try. If I can do it, so can you!
Have you ever made your own homemade bagels? If so, kudos to you! The thought of making homemade bagels never even crossed my mind until recently...as in a month ago.I thought the way bagels got their hard, glossy shell was from a really intensive process that normal human beings couldn't replicate. How wrong was I?! Bagels are not hard to make at all and this whole wheat bagel recipe with step-by-step instructions will help you believe that. I make these whole wheat bagels almost weekly now and we love to smear them with my homemade Nutella, classic hummus, or buffalo chickpea salad. If I can do it, you can do it!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- Going through the steps of this whole wheat bagel recipe will make you feel like a professional bread baker. Seriously, it's so rewarding to make homemade bagels!
- Like most bread recipes, the list of ingredients is minimal and you probably have most of the ingredients needed for these homemade bagels already.
- The possibilities are endless when it comes to making bagels. Switch up the dough mix-ins and toppings for a new bagel flavor every week!
- These homemade whole wheat bagels are delicious plain, toasted, smeared with your favorite spread or used as the bread for bagel sandwiches. They are so helpful to have on hand.
- Whole wheat bagels freeze beautifully. I love to make a double batch at the start of the week and freeze them pre-sliced so we can enjoy homemade bagels for days!
Ingredients
- Warm Water - To know your water is at the right temperature, you should be able to place a finger into it without it being too hot. Think bath water! I usually just add some boiling water to tap water until it's warm.
- Active Dry Yeast - I've never made this recipe with instant yeast. Active dry yeast is always my favorite yeast when making this whole wheat bagel recipe!
- Whole Wheat Flour - Obviously, you need whole wheat flour when you're making whole wheat bagels. I personally love Bob's Red Mill's whole wheat flour, but any brand should work.
- Maple Syrup - Maple syrup is my go-to liquid sweetener when making this whole wheat bagel recipe. If you aren't vegan, however, honey should do the trick.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels - Add some cinnamon and raisins to your dough.
- Everything Bagels - Top your bagels off with onion and garlic granules and seeds after they've boiled.
- Chocolate Chip Bagels - Add dairy-free chocolate chips to your whole wheat bagel dough!
- Onion Bagels - Add some finely minced onion or onion granules to your dough and top them off with more onion after boiling.
- Poppy Seed Bagels - Once your bagels have boiled, sprinkle on some poppy seeds.
- Sesame Bagels - Top your boiled bagels with white and black sesame seeds for some crunch!
- Rosemary Salt - Add fresh, minced rosemary to your dough and top your bagels off with flakey sea salt after boiling.
- Blueberry Bagels - Mix dried blueberries into your bagel dough.
How to Make Whole Wheat Bagels
Step 1: Pour the yeast mixture into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Mix on low until most of the loose flour has formed into a dough and it looks somewhat shredded.
Step 3: Mix on medium for 8-9 minutes until you get a smooth, stiff, elastic dough. Remove the dough from the mixer, form it into a ball and place it in a bowl coated with oil. Cover it with a damp towel and set it in a warm place to rise for about 20 minutes.
Step 4: Once the dough has risen, cut it into 12 equal pieces.
Step 6: Pinch the center of each ball of dough to form a hole, gently stretching the hole bigger to form a ring.
Step 7: Boil the bagels 3-4 at a time for 30 seconds on each side. Remove them with a fine-mesh strainer and place on a wire rack to let some of the water drip off.
Step 8: While the bagels are still wet from boiling, press your desired topping onto the top of the bagels.
Step 9: Bake the bagels at 425°F / 220°C for 15 minutes. Then rotate the baking sheets and bake the bagels for about 8-10 more minutes until golden brown on top. Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool for at least 20 minutes to allow the inside to finish cooking.
Expert Tips
- I used to roll small amounts of bagel dough into a snake and then try to reattach the ends to make a circle. Don't do this! Simple poke a hole in the center of a ball of dough to create the iconic bagel shape. Your bagels will hold together so much better and you won't end up with a seam.
- Be sure to press your bagel toppings onto the boiled bagels well. Otherwise all your toppings will fall off.
Best Bagel Toppings
Bagels can be enjoyed just how you would enjoy toast. The toppings and combinations are endless! I'll list out some of my favorite toppings and/or ways to enjoy bagels below:
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Chocolate hazelnut spread and banana
- Hummus and beans
- Guacamole/avocado bagel
- Vegan egg and cheese
- Cream cheese
- Cinnamon Maple Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
- Marinara sauce and cheese, melted
- Savory Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
Recipe FAQs
Oftentimes, store-bought whole wheat bagels also contain white flour or a combination of different flours and are completely whole grain. These homemade whole wheat bagels are made entirely from whole wheat flour!
Yay for fiber, whole grains and protein!
One of the best part about bagels is that they can come in so many different flavors and you can create an entirely different flavor of bagel just by switching up the toppings. Some bagel topping ideas are
1. Grated garlic and onion
2. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and salt (for an everything bagel)
3. Cinnamon and sugar (for a sweet bagel)
4. Rosemary and salt (this is our favorite combo that we get from a local farmers market)
5. Cheese and black pepper
6. Olives
7. Sun-dried tomatoes and Italian herbs
Fresh, homemade bagels can get stale pretty quickly. For this reason, I almost always freeze my homemade bagels. Let your homemade bagels cool, then slice them and put them in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag. That way they'll be pre-sliced when you're ready to take them out of the freezer.
How you reheat your bagel will depend on how you stored it. If the bagel has been in the fridge, simply toast the bagel, using the bagel button if your toaster has one If you're pulling a bagel from the freezer, allow it to thaw so you can pull the halves apart. Then select the frozen setting on your toaster and toast the bagel.
There are so many different spreads you can enjoy on bagels. Some of the post popular or cream cheese, flavored cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, avocado, smoked salmon and egg. You can also use bagels as the bread for your favorite sandwich!
More Whole Wheat Bread Recipes!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water*
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- Optional: sesame seeds, poppy seeds or sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Place the warm water and yeast in a bowl and allow the yeast to dissolve completely. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, syrup, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Pour in the yeast mixture, making sure all of the yeast gets into the mixing bowl.
- Mix on low until there isn't much loose flour left and a dough looks shredded (about 2 minutes).
- Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until you get a smooth, stiff, elastic dough (about 8-9 minutes). If the dough starts separating into 2 sections or gets stuck on the hook, stop the machine and push the dough down to the bottom of the bowl.
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl coated with oil. Turn the dough in the bowl so that it gets coated with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set it in a warm place for it to rise. This will take about 20 minutes. You'll know it's ready when it gets slightly larger and the dough slowly springs back when you press it with your finger. It won't double in size! - Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Fill up a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium low so that the water is at a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid until your ready to boil the bagels.
- Get out 3 baking sheets. Line 2 with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for baking the bagels and place a wire cooling rack over top of the third. This rack will allow the bagels to drip off excess water after they have been boiled.
- Turn the dough onto a dry surface and divide it evenly into 12 equal pieces, rolling each piece slightly to form a ball. Keep the dough you're not working with covered with a damp towel so that it doesn't get too dry. Pinch the center of each ball of dough to form a hole, gently stretching the hole bigger to form a ring.
- Once you have finished forming all of your bagels you are going to boil them 3-4 at a time. Do this by placing 3-4 bagels into the simmering water and let them cook on each side for about 30 seconds. They will sink to the bottom of the pot at first and slowly begin to rise over the course of the minute. Don't forget to flip them over after 30 seconds! Remove the bagels with a fine-mesh strainer. Place the boiled bagels onto the wire drying rack and press your desire topping onto the top of the bagels while they are still wet. Continue this process until all of the bagels have been boiled and garnished with optional toppings.
- Place the bagels onto the parchment lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart and bake for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pans and continue baking the bagels until they are golden brown on top, about 8-10 more minutes.
- Remove the bagels from the oven and let them cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes so that the inside can finish cooking.
- Store in a zip-lock bag for about a week or slice and freeze!*
Lorraine says
Our first ever go at making bagels and very happy! Wanted a wholemeal, vegan recipe and glad we opted for this recipe. Tweaks we made: followed recipe, though only did 1tbsp of agave (rather than 2) and didn't use blender, but made like bread instead by kneading ourselves. My bagel-loving son is super happy, and will definitely be making these again!
Faith VanderMolen says
That's so great to hear Lorraine! I'm glad the tweaks worked out for you and that you've been enjoying the final product. Thanks so much for sharing!
GG says
Hi! Super excited to try this recipe. However, I do not have a stand mixer. How long would I need to knead the dough if I'm doing it with my hands?
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi! I'd say you should knead the dough for about 8-9 minutes just like if using a stand mixer. Potentially longer since a mixer is probably stronger than hand kneading. Hope they work out for you!
Atara says
GREAT recipe made it twice this past week my boyfriend LOVED them. I made them with spelt flour and 3 tablespoons of honey (instead of the sugar and maple syrup) and they came out delicious
Faith VanderMolen says
That's so great to hear! Sounds like your week was full of amazing, homemade bagels! Thanks so much for commenting!
Lee says
These were delicious! Great texture and flavour, will definitely be making them again! I added the maple syrup to the water and yeast mixture to get a bit of extra bloom and they turned out beautifully. It was my first time making bagels, and I was a bit intimidated by the boiling before baking, but these came together really easily and the directions were really simple and easy to follow. Next time I'm going to experiment with some other flours, wish me luck! thanks for posting!
Faith VanderMolen says
So glad you enjoyed these Lee! Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Enjoy the final result!
Lisa says
I LOVE This recipe. I have used your recipe to make the whole wheat bagels which were great and I made them with Spelt flour tonight which were Awesome!! Great Recipe and I love how quick it is. Thanks for sharing!
Faith VanderMolen says
I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying this recipe Lisa! Thanks so much for commenting!
SANDRA MORRISSEY says
Did you use all spelt flour?
Faith VanderMolen says
All whole wheat flour!
Amanda Admiraal says
My first time making bagels...I had them in the oven for 15 min and they turned black ?
Faith VanderMolen says
So sorry to hear that Amanda!
Anne says
Hello, just wondering - I realize yeast needs sugar to help with the rise, but would the maple syrup alone be sufficient for this? Is the 4tsp of sugar really necessary?
Thank you!
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Anne! Thanks for your comment. I believe that the maple syrup would be enough, but I haven't tried it personally for myself. If you try it out, please keep us posted!
L says
I tried it with just the maple syrup — it worked fine, though I’ve only tried it that way so I’m not sure how the final product differs!
Faith VanderMolen says
Great to know! Thanks so much for sharing!
Barbara says
Did you use the 4tsp of sugar or the maple syrup with the yeast?
Faith VanderMolen says
In this recipe I did just the water and the yeast and add both kinds of sweetener later. This is a super old recipe though and as I read back through it, I'd do a lot of things differently now that I'm a more seasoned baker/cook! I'd now probably add the maple syrup to the water and yeast mixture. This is one post/recipe I hope to retest and update soon!
Kristen Chen says
I second that idea! =) Would love do see your updated thoughts all together.
Christina says
Hi Anne. I just Googled this and it says that yeast does not need sugar to grow. This information was from the kingarthurbaking.com website. I don't know about you, but I try to keep the food I eat as low sugar as possible. I wouldn't add the maple syrup or honey either. I might use Monk fruit to lighten the flavor without the use of sugar. Bread of any kind should be bread.
Faith VanderMolen says
Thanks for sharing Christina!
Carol says
Thank you! This recipe is very easy to follow. And fun, too! Oh let's not forget about how delicious these bagels are. Yum yum
Faith VanderMolen says
So glad to hear that Carol! I'm excited to make a batch this week! It's been too long and you reminded me how much I love them:)
Kitchendiva says
I guess my oven gets too hot. They burnt. ! Next time I.will.flip them like one of the commentators said..
Faith VanderMolen says
So sorry to hear yours burnt! I hope you're able to try again with success!
Lettsi says
Could I replace the maple syrup for honey?
Faith VanderMolen says
Thanks should work! Let us know how it goes!
Shayla hope says
So shocked, an so yummy!???? Thank you lot’s!
Faith says
So glad they worked out for you! Thanks for sharing Shayla!
Shayla hope says
No problem I am so glad I found your recipe I can’t seem to keep them around for a day!???????????? the whole family loves them, absolute perfect go to recipe!
Faith says
Such great news!
Meyer says
Great bagel. Rather than making strips to shape the bagel , I made then into balls and then simply molded them to have a hole in the center. As a non vegan I brushed egg yolk over both sides. I turned them over half way through the baking process.They browned beautifully. Thanks for a simple and effective recipe
Faith says
That's definitely an easier way to make the bagel shape! I do that now, but obviously didn't know that trick when I wrote this post. Thanks for sharing! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Ashley Johnson says
I am sooo glad I found this recipe! They turned out perfect! I tried adding a little dark Rye flour so did 1/2 c. Rye, 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour to make up for the denseness of the rye, and 3 c. whole wheat. Tastes like I'm at a famous bagel shop 🙂
Faith says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that Ashley! And the addition of Rye flour sounds amazing. Thanks for letting me know!
Kathleen says
I just finished this using my bread machine. I took the dough out before the baking started. It mixed and rose perfectly. I just shaped them into bagels, let them rest for just a few minutes before boiling then baked and .. Perfection. Thank you for a fool- proof recipe!
Faith says
I'm so glad this recipe worked out for you Kathleen, and that you were able to use your bread maker! Thanks so much for sharing!
Tim says
Looking forward to trying this out. With very little experience, this may be a foolish question but if I were to add blueberries or chocolate chips, where in the process would that happen?
Faith says
Hi Tim! I hope the bagels work out for you. If you’re adding in blueberries or chocolate chips, I would add them in between steps 3 and 4 and have them knead into the dough. Enjoy!
Maria says
I added a bit of cinnamon sugar and about 1/2 cup of raisins to the last few minutes of kneading and they turned out super delicious! My family members and I raved about them. Thanks for the delicious recipe. Will be making again.
Faith says
Ah brilliant idea Maria! Cinnamon raisin bagels are my favorite! So glad your family enjoyed them as well. Thanks for sharing!
Cc says
Is a bread mixer required? I'd like to try the recipe but i do not own one.
Faith says
You should be able to make them without a mixer. You can use this recipe for reference! http://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2009/10/new-york-style-bagel-recipe/
Anonymous says
Amazing recipe. I have very little cooking/baking experience so the simplicity of this recipe is also a bonus. The bagels tasted amazing although they are a bit small so I would divide the dough into 8-10 rather than twelve. Will definitely be using this recipe again
Faith says
I'm so glad this recipe worked out for you! You can definitely make them bigger too. I hope the bigger ones work out for you. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Annie says
Just made these here in Johannesburg, South Africa. We don't have bagel shops here, and I miss getting them back home in North Carolina. They turned out great! I like that they're smaller than store bought bagels; they make great snacking or pre-workout size! I added a bit of baking soda to the boiling water for that pretzel flavor, it helps with the chewiness as well. Thanks!
Faith says
That's awesome Annie! I really want to make these again soon. So glad they worked for you and thanks for sharing about the baking soda!
Cheyenne says
I was sceptical of this recipe because they don't have any white flour and only rise for 20 minutes but I tried it anyway because your pictures look so good. I made half plain and half dried blueberry and cinnamon. They turned out pretty well and I'm satisfied with my first try at bagels! Next time I might sub in some white bread flour because they were a touch dense for my taste though.
Faith says
Glad you tried them out and that they worked out for you Cheyenne! Yeah, I bet those changes would make them a lot lighter. Thanks for sharing and I hope your next batch is even better!
Erin says
These look amazing! I'm from upstate New York and am now living in Texas and have had such a hard time finding bagels that compare to my beloved Brueggers bagels. I'm definitely going to give these a try! And thanks for the step by step photos in your recipes, I love that!
Faith says
Thanks Erin! I lived in NYC for a year and my husband lived in Texas for 3 years so we have some connections:) I hope these work out for you! Thanks for saying hi:)
suzanne says
I love homemade bagels...have been making them for awhile but always like to try a new recipe - esp as it is hard to find vegan recipes for them. Thanks for the inspiration !
Faith says
That's amazing you've been making bagels at home for a while now! Impressive! I'm glad you found my recipe. Let me know if you try it and what you think!
Leigha @ The Yooper Girl says
These look great! A few weeks ago I made homemade bagels for the first time - can't believe I waited so long! I made banana wheat bagels. They were SO good topped with sunbutter!
Faith says
Thanks Leigha! Wow. Banana wheat bagels?!? I hope you post the recipe:)