Are you a bagel lover? If so, you’ll want to try this scrumptious twist on this breakfast staple! These cottage cheese bagels have the perfect texture and require just four ingredients to make ‘em. Plus, they are packed with 11 grams of protein each!
Whether you want to slather yours in cream cheese or butter, or use them as a base for a breakfast sandwich – I think you’ll be hooked on this easy and healthy breakfast recipe.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need – just 4! – along with notes on each:
- Cottage cheese – I like 4% milkfat cottage cheese for this recipe, as I think the extra fat adds a little richness to the dough. But you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Self-rising flour – This flour already has salt and baking powder mixed in. Do not try to substitute all-purpose flour alone; it will not work. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can use 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder + ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Everything bagel seasoning – I find mine at ALDI, but I know Trader Joes and other grocery stores have their own version too. If you don’t have this on hand, feel free to skip it and just make plain bagels.
- Egg – You’ll use one egg in the dough, and then the other egg will be whisked with a little water for an egg wash. Once the dough is formed into bagels, you’ll brush the egg wash on and top with the seasoning before baking. The egg wash has two roles: helping the seasoning to stick and also promoting a browning on top that gives the bagels their nice golden color.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips. This recipe is super easy!
Start by adding the cottage cheese and egg to a blender cup (or small food processor bowl). You’ll need a small blender cup as there aren’t enough ingredients to blend in a normal size blender (the mixture won’t reach the blades). You could also use an immersion blender in a bowl if that’s easier.
Blend for about 30 seconds, until the cottage cheese and egg mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour that into a large bowl.
Add the self-rising flour and mix until it’s combined.
Lightly flour your hands, and knead the dough a few times in the bowl, getting all the ingredients to come together into one large ball of dough.
Break that ball of dough into four sections.
Roll each into a ball and poke your thumb through the center, then gently stretch it into a bagel shape.
Place those on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Then brush with the egg wash and top with the seasoning.
Bake ‘em for about 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden on top and cooked through.
Now just let them cool on the pan, then slice and top with whatever your heart desires!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Cottage cheese plays a crucial role in this bagel dough, providing moisture and a subtle tanginess. You can use plain Greek yogurt as a substitute but you may need to play around with the amount of self-rising flour that you use to achieve the right consistency.
No, it doesn’t have a strong taste. Even if you’re not a fan of cottage cheese, you might be surprised how much you enjoy these bagels!
These are best eaten freshly made. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 1 day. If you make extras and want to store longer than that, slice them and then freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can toast them directly from frozen (note it may require longer toasting times).
Nutrition Benefits
Don’t get me wrong, I love a big ‘ol bagel from a deli. But as a dietitian, I also find joy in discovering ways to add a little more nutrition to some classic dishes, and mix those recipes into my routine too. These bagels are one example.
I like ‘em for three main reasons:
- Provides protein – One bagel provides 11 grams of protein, giving you a great start to your breakfast. If you make a breakfast sandwich with it, you’ll pack in even more! Protein is essential for muscle repair and recovery for active folks. It also helps you stay full longer after you eat!
- Contains calcium – This mineral is key for bone health. Using cottage cheese in the bagel dough helps boost the calcium content, so that one bagel provides 13% of your daily needs.
- Provides iron – One bagel has 10% of your daily iron needs, key for supplying oxygen to muscles during exercise and proper energy levels.
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
If you’re looking for more healthy breakfast recipes, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Avocado toast with smoked salmon
- Pumpkin breakfast bars
- Cottage cheese egg muffins (great way to use up more cottage cheese after you’ve made these bagels)
- Mushroom and egg meal prep breakfast sandwiches
- Black and blue breakfast burger
- Butternut squash breakfast casserole
I hope you enjoy these cottage cheese bagels! Even my hubby – who hates cottage cheese – loved these (similar results were found for my cottage cheese cookie dough recipe). If you get a chance to try them, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Cottage Cheese Bagels
Ingredients
For the bagel dough:
- 1 cup cottage cheese (recommend 4% milkfat for this recipe)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp self-rising flour (plus extra for flouring hands)
For the topping:
- 1 large egg, whisked in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tsp everything bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cottage cheese and egg to a blender cup or small food processor bowl. Blend for 30 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the self-rising flour to the mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Use lightly floured hands to knead the dough a few times in the bowl, fully incorporating all the ingredients. (The dough should be slightly tacky but shouldn't be overly sticky. If it is, add another tablespoon of flour)
- Break the dough into four equal sections. Roll each portion into a ball, then use your thumb to poke a hole in the center. Stretch it out a bit until it forms a bagel shape.
- Place each onto the baking sheet. Brush with the egg wash then sprinkle on the everything bagel seasoning.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until bagels are golden and cooked through. Let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy topped with cream cheese or butter, or use for breakfast sandwiches.
Notes
- Do not substitute self-rising flour for all-purpose flour unless using the following modifications: Use 1 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour + 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder + ¼ teaspoon salt.
- I’ve found the amount of flour needed for this dough can vary based on the brand of cottage cheese used. In most cases, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon is the perfect amount. However, if the dough is very sticky, just add another tablespoon at a time until it reaches a tacky but not covering-your-hands-sticky texture.
Nutrition
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Definitely one recipe I will be trying!!
You’ll like them – make it and then do bacon, egg & cheese on top 🙂
Why can’t the flour be substituted with the baking powder and salt? (Your notes say not to?)
Hi Kim! The notes say not to substitute all purpose flour for self-rising flour, *unless* you’re adding the baking powder and salt along with the all purpose flour. This is because self-rising flour already has those ingredients added. If you use all purpose flour without adding the baking powder and salt, the bagels won’t have the same taste and they won’t rise in the oven. Hope that helps! 🙂
Loved it but was wondering if you could use gluten free flour or almond flour in this I’m trying to lower the carbs.
Hi Amanda! Almond flour or coconut flour would not work for this recipe, so I wouldn’t recommend trying those. A gluten free flour blend (that’s designed as an all purpose sub) may work but you’d need to add baking powder and salt (as self-rising flour already has those added) — though I can’t say for sure without trying. Keep in mind that gluten-free blends tend to have a similar amount of carbs to all-purpose flour. They also lack gluten (obviously, haha) which is what gives bagels and breads their deliciously chewy texture. If you’re looking for a low carb bagel, you may be better off looking for a recipe that is specifically designed for that. I hope that helps! 🙂
Amazing!!! Thx for sharing they are delicious!!
Yay, so glad to hear that! 🙂
Can I make these in the air fryer?
Hi! I’ve never tried making them in the air fryer so I can’t speak to whether that would work, but if you give it a try, feel free to report back and let me know how it goes.
I made my first batch this past weekend and they were so delish. Mine did turn out on the flatter side. Do you think I didn’t add enough flour possibly?
Hi Lindsay! Glad you enjoyed them. Did you use self-rising flour? If you used all-purpose, that is a reason for them turning out flat (since all-purpose doesn’t have a rising agent in it). Otherwise if you used self-rising flour, I’d play around with maybe adding a smidge more and see if that helps them turn out a bit fluffier.
Great recipe. I’ve modified to cheese bagels and cinnamon raisin. Both were good but Everything Bagel still best.
For some reason they didn’t stay risen when we made them in Tennessee as opposed to Alberta Canada.
Glad you’ve enjoyed them Rob! That’s fascinating about the difference in location – I wonder if the humidity in the air affected the ability to stay risen?
I couldn’t get the dough to not be extremely sticky. I added more flour as specified and it was still so sticky I couldn’t work with it. I ended up adding about a half a cup more flour and still was sticking to my hands. Any suggestions?
That’s so strange! The dough will be tacky, but shouldn’t be overly sticky — when I make it and flour my hands to work with it, a little might stick but it’s workable to shape into a bagel. (It will still be slightly tacky; it’s not going to be like traditional bread dough that can be on the smoother side). The only thing I can think of is maybe the egg or cottage cheese had more moisture than normal? Or maybe the topping ingredients mistakenly got added to the initial mixture? Those are my initial thoughts. Otherwise I’m not sure how adding a full half cup of flour would still result in such sticky dough, I wish I could be more help! But maybe try popping ’em in the oven regardless and see how they come out? 🙂
Same. I just do the best I can and they still come out ok. Only used the one egg and I’ve made them twice now and both times extremely sticky dough but I don’t want to use too much flour so ruin them either.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Jamie! One thing I thought of (that may be helpful for others reading) is that I’m wondering if the moisture content of the cottage cheese varies based on the percent milkfat being used. I always use 4% for this recipe, so perhaps that could be something to troubleshoot if it’s coming out super duper sticky with a lower % option? I also have a video making the bagels that shows the texture (albeit quickly, haha) working it with floured hands, so you can see it’s a bit sticky but workable – https://www.instagram.com/p/CturMo1NaLu/ . Anyway, hoping that may help but glad they’ve still come out OK regardless for you. 🙂
I used King Arthur ap flour and added the baking powder. These turned out absolutely fantastic! Little sticky but I just kept adding flour as the direction says. Very easy recipe to follow and so many ways to get creative with ingredients!
So glad you enjoyed them! And I agree, you can get creative with toppings / types of bagels.
Have you tried using whole wheat flour?
Hi there! I haven’t for this recipe, but you should be able to use it as long as you make sure to also add salt and baking powder, as noted in the comments. They might just be slightly denser with the whole wheat flour.