Today I'm bringing you a bagel recipe that's about to change your breakfast game forever. If there's one thing I've learned on my gluten-free journey, it's that great bread is possible. It's not only possible but also absolutely critical to enjoying our meals—and our lives—without feeling like we're missing out.
As a born and raised New Yorker, chewy, crusty authentic New York-style bagels have always been very important to me. Now I bring them to you, gluten free!
Bagels and I go way back. From the local bagel store of my childhood in New York, to the bigger, puffier bagels at the famed spots like Ess-a-Bagel and H&H Bagels when I lived in New York City, bagels have always been more than just bread to me. They're a connection to my past, a comfort food, a versatile snack or meal—and a baking challenge I was more than ready to tackle.
After many trials and a few too many ‘interesting' outcomes, I can confidently say I've cracked the code on baking gluten-free bagels that are not only as good as their gluten-filled counterparts but may even be better.
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Why you'll love this recipe
First off, the texture is simply unmatched. These bagels are crisp on the outside, satisfyingly chewy on the inside, just like real, boiled bagels are meant to be.
It’s not just about the texture. It’s also about the bready, yeasty taste that’s perfect whether you toast them or not. The process of making these bagels is genuinely enjoyable and almost therapeutic, with each stage of preparation becoming a part of the joy in creating something delicious from scratch.
And who doesn't love a recipe that's forgiving, right? You don't need to be a professional baker to pull off these bagels. It's all about simple ingredients and techniques.
Plus, the versatility these bagels bring to your kitchen is unique. You can enjoy them plain, toasted with a bit of cream cheese, or use them as the foundation for the perfect sandwich.
A New York gluten free bagel, of a kind
When I first started developing recipes for bagels, I was inclined to make a true New York bagel: one that has a relatively tight crumb, and is intensely chewy.
That's the kind of bagel I grew up in NY eating from the local bagel store in town. The kind where teens worked after school. The kind that is required at a proper gluten free breakfast or brunch.
When I lived in New York City, I ate at places like Ess-a-Bagel and H&H Bagels. They had bigger, puffier bagels.
They were still chewy, but they also had a much more airy crumb. To me, they tasted fluffy. But they're not truly fluffy. These gluten free plain bagels are like those bagels of my young adulthood.
They're not the roll with a hole that you get from somewhere like Dunkin Donuts (bless their hearts). No one aspires to that sort of bagel, not even Dunkin Donuts.
Same goes for all the packaged gluten free bagels you can buy—at least all the ones I've tried. They are bagel-shaped bread.
These bagels are amazing fresh out of the oven. Pile a chunky chicken salad on one, and try to conceal your pleasure before you even take a single bite.
They're also awesome toasted. First, why would anyone do that with a true fresh bagel?
But if you're planning to toast your bagel, you may as well make a big batch, let them cool completely, slice them through the middle, and freeze them. Defrost at room temperature, and toast to perfection.
How to make gluten free bagels
Making these gluten-free bagels is truly an enjoyable process, and while it might look a bit lengthy, it's not overly complex. Let’s break it down.
We begin by combining our gluten-free ingredients to create a soft, workable dough. There's no need for high-end, hard-to-find ingredients, just regular pantry-style gluten-free ingredients are all it takes.
Once the ingredients are combined, we beat them in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until the dough takes on a whipped appearance. Then, we chill it for a bit, which makes it easier to shape later and gives the yeast a chance to develop some flavor.
Speaking of shaping, that's our next step. We portion out our dough into individual pieces and start forming our bagels. But there's no complicated rolling and joining here. We just shape the dough into a round and then make a hole in the middle.
Once our bagels have been shaped, we give them some time to rise. They puff up to about 1.5 times their original size, creating a nice, light texture. They won’t double in size, so don’t let them overproof waiting for them to get even bigger.
Then comes the part that gives our bagels their authentic taste and texture – boiling them in a molasses bath! This step restricts the oven rise a bit and ensures that chewy, classic bagel texture we're after.
After a quick boil, the bagels are brushed with egg wash to give them a lovely golden color in the oven. Then, into the oven they go until they've reached a beautiful golden brown and the aroma fills your kitchen.
So, you see, while there are a few stages in the process, each one is straightforward and adds to the final result: chewy, tasty, authentic gluten-free bagels!
How to shape gluten free bagels the easy way
Bagels are sometimes shaped by rolling out a cylinder of dough, about 1 1/2-inches thick and then joining the ends together to create a round. That is not the way I shape or recommend shaping bagels.
If you shape your bagel like that, the edges may separate during boiling or even during baking. Plus, a bagel tastes no different if it's shaped that way. Maybe it's just for showing off? We do not need that.
I prefer to shape my bagels the easy way. Create a round of your portioned piece of dough as you would any other round of dough.
A smooth round piece of bread dough is shaped by cupping your hand around the dough, with the pinky edge of your hand resting on the surface and your hand in a C shape (or a backwards C if you're right handed like I am). Move your hand around in a circle, maintaining contact with the surface on the side of your hand at all times.
Then, poke a floured finger into the center and rotate the dough around that finger in concentric circles. If you're a visual learner and are sighted, watch the how-to video. You'll get the hang of it.
Why these gluten free bagels must be boiled and then baked
After the shaped pieces of dough rise just enough (you only want it to rise to be about 1 1/2 times its original size), you're going to boil them in a molasses bath. That's just 6 cups water with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses brought to a rolling boil.
If you have a cakey bread dough, no amount of boiling is going to give you a chewy dough. But if you have the right recipe with the proper balance of regular pantry-style gluten free ingredients like this recipe, boiling your shaped and risen bagels will keep them from rising too much in the oven and make them chewy.
When the bagels' oven rise is just a bit restricted, you are rewarded with a chewy bagel. Be sure not to let them rise too much once they're shaped, or your bagel dough will soak up water like a sponge and disintegrate during boiling.
Substitutions for gluten free bagel ingredients
I'd be careful with changing any of the ingredients here. This recipe works because of the right ingredients in the right quantities. But, if you do want to try, here are my best guesses. But no promises!
Gluten free dairy free bagels
The dairy in this recipe comes from butter and milk powder. The milk powder you use can be nonfat dry milk or whole milk powder. Whole milk powder makes a slightly richer result.
To replace the milk powder with a dairy-free alternative, coconut milk powder should work. I like Native Forest brand, but there are many others available now, including Anthony's brand.
In place of butter, vegan butter should work. I like Miyoko's Kitchen or Melt brand vegan butters best.
Gluten free egg free bagels
If you can’t have egg whites, you can try replacing the egg white with an equal amount, by weight, of aquafaba, which is the brine from a can of chickpeas. Try beating the aquafaba until foamy with a whisk before adding it to the dough.
In place of the egg wash on the outside of the bagels, try using melted butter or cream!
Do you have to use extra tapioca starch/flour, even if your all purpose GF blend contains it?
Yes! You must use tapioca starch as a separate ingredient.
All proper all purpose gluten free flour blends have tapioca starch in the blend. Here you need a touch more.
There is no other starch that I can recommend as a perfect substitute for tapioca starch/flour. It provides structure, stretch and a smoothness to the dough that I've really come to rely upon in many bread recipes.
Easy Gluten Free Bagels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (385 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click through for full info on appropriate blends)
- 2 ¾ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ½ cup (72 g) tapioca starch/flour plus more for sprinkling
- ¼ cup (40 g) milk powder
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) instant yeast (See Recipe Notes)
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (25 g) egg white at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ⅜ cups (11 ounces) warm water (about 95°F)
- Molasses bath 6 cups water + 1 teaspoon kosher salt + 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- Egg wash 1 egg + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, beaten
Instructions
To make the bagel dough.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, milk powder, instant yeast, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg white, butter, and warm water, and mix to combine well.
- Place the bowl in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed. The dough will clump at first.
- Once it begins to smooth out, increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough takes on a whipped appearance.
- Transfer the dough to a container with a lid, cover, and chill for about 30 minutes (and up to 2 days) to make the dough easier to work with.
Shape the bagels.
- When you’re ready to shape the bagels, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it lightly with cooking oil spray, and set it aside.
- Sprinkle a surface lightly with tapioca starch, and turn out the chilled dough onto it. Sprinkle again lightly with more tapioca starch, and turn the dough over a few times to smooth the surface.
- Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough in half, then each half into 4 equal pieces to make 8 pieces total.
- Working with one piece at a time, sprinkling very lightly with additional tapioca starch to prevent sticking, press the dough into a roughly shaped round, pinching together any cracks.
- Shape the dough into a round by placing it flat on the shaping surface and moving a cupped hand around in a circular motion to coax it into a round. Sprinkle the top liberally with more tapioca starch and poke a floured finger into the center.
- Move that finger in a circular motion to create a hole about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Place the shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Let the bagels rise.
- Cover the baking sheet with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until the bagels are about 150% of their original size.
- Rising could take as little as about 40 minutes, or it could take much longer. It depends upon the environment in your kitchen. If you see the surface of the bagels begin to become very uneven, with craters forming, stop proofing immediately.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Boil the risen raw bagels.
- As the bagels are nearing the end of their rise, place the ingredients for the molasses bath in a heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
- Place as many of the bagels in the bath as you can fit without crowding them at all, and boil for about 45 seconds total, turning the dough over for even boiling.
- Remove the bagels from the bath with a slotted spoon or strainer, and return them to the baking sheet. Brush the bagels generously with the egg wash.
Bake the bagels.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Rotate the baking sheet in the oven and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over and a thermometer inserted into a bagel reads 180°F.
- For a thicker crust, increase the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for another 7 or 8 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the bagels to cool until they’re no longer too hot to handle before serving.
Notes
If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast in a larger quantity. The conversion is to multiply the weight of the instant yeast (here, 9 grams) by 125% (9 grams x 1.25 = 11.25 grams; just use a tiny bit more than 11 grams). All purpose gluten free flour
Please follow the link in the recipe for a full discussion of the all purpose gluten free flour blends will and will not work in my recipes. This is particularly important in bread recipes. I always get a lot of comments and emails from readers who have used a gluten free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur Flour, or Namaste, complaining that the recipe doesn’t work as written. You cannot use these blends in my recipes and expect consistent, if any good, results. Nutrition information. Nutrition information is an estimate only from online calculators, provided as a courtesy, and should not be relied on under any circumstances. In this particular case, it excludes any effect of the molasses bath and egg wash.
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Barb says
Hi Nicole
I’m anxious to try your recipe. Several extended members of my family require GF food and I am hosting Thanksgiving Brunch. I try to do what I can to support them by trying new recipes to give them options. I just made some hockey pucks with Namaste flour and a different recipe, so looking forward to trying yours. My grand daughter is also dairy free, so was hoping to just eliminate the milk powder or substitute the 1/4 cup with something else. Suggestions? Also, can corn starch be substituted for the tapioca starch? Thanks for any help you can give
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Barb, That’s very kind of you to make some gluten free food to make your guests feel welcome and at home. I’m sure they appreciate it! Unfortunately, you found out the hard way that Namaste flour is not a well-balanced blend that can be relied on. It’s a shame because it’s well priced and readily available. I will have to direct you to my all purpose gluten free flour blends page, which is linked in this recipe and in all recipes that call for an all purpose gf flour, for the blends that I recommend. You definitely can’t eliminate the milk powder, but you should be able to replace it. For information on that, please see the text of the post under the heading “Gluten free dairy free bagels.” And no, I’m afraid you’ll also need to use tapioca starch specifically, in addition to the all purpose gluten free flour blend, which will already contain some tapioca starch in it. This recipe calls for more tapioca starch as a separate ingredient. It is relatively easy to find online, though. I order mine from nuts dot com, but you can find it pretty easily on amazon, too. Instead of trying a shaped yeast bread recipe with an all purpose GF flour blend like this one, which is kind of jumping into the deep end quickly, maybe you’d like to try my Paleo bagels which are made with superfine blanced almond flour and tapioca starch. You’ll still have to order some ingredients, but they are a little less involved and are naturally already dairy free. Just a suggestion, though!
christine says
Hi . I just tried to make the bagels and they came out sticky after being in the fridge for over 30 minutes. I added a little tapioca flour , but it still was way to sticky. Couldn’t do anything with it
t. When you put the dough in the mixer, how long to you mix it, and does it stick together when it comes out of the bowL?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Christine, did you use one of my recommended flour blends, and measure by weight. Also, did you add the additional tapioca starch as an ingredient? Make any ingredient substitutions? I also recommend that you watch the how-to video for help on what the dough should look like, but it should be mixed with the paddle attachment until it takes on a whipped appearance, usually about 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t be afraid to add more tapioca starch to shape it, but use a light touch like you see me do in the video so not all the flour gets incorporated into the dough. Otherwise, there won’t be enough moisture for the dough to rise. I hope that helps!
christine says
i use the ardent Mills flour blend in canada,will measure by grams this time, did add the tapioca flour watched the video and it seems that i did it the same with the paddle. I’ll try it again. thanks
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid it’s most likely your flour blend, Christine as it isn’t one of my recommended blends. I don’t have any experience with that particular blend in Canada, but I’d highly recommend that you buy the component flours to build my mock Better Batter blend and just make a big batch and bake from that all the time. I developed those mock blends for readers outside the U.S. like you.
Barb says
Nicole, I didn’t see a video available in your post. Did I miss it? I’m sure that will be extremely helpful to me.
Nicole Hunn says
If you aren’t seeing the how-to video, it’s probably because you’re using an ad blocker. The videos on my site are hosted by my advertising network, and can only be seen if you enable advertisements to load.
Peggy Robertson says
Nicole I just wanted to let you know I now make 3 dozen of these every other week! They have become a staple of our meal planning! My teenage son and my husband who cannot eat gluten LOVE them. I use them for breakfast sandwiches as well as lunch sandwiches. Absolutely delicious :)
Nicole Hunn says
They’re the real deal, Peggy! I’m so glad your GF son and husband love them, too. A teenage boy needs his bagels!
Nikki says
Going to try and make these today so excited!! The milk powder what type do we use nonfat or reg. Can we use whole liquid milk instead?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Nikki, I’m afraid you do have to use the milk powder, but you can use either full fat milk powder for a richer result, or nonfat dry milk powder.
Peggy Robertson says
Hi Nicole! I made these today and they turned out PERFECT. Thank you so much for this recipe! Our store does not sell any tapioca starch, so I used Chebe pizza crust mix (which is essentially tapioca starch with spices). As a result, the bagels kind of have a yummy “onion bagel” flavor that my son loved and I’m wondering how I might increase that taste/flavor? . Any thoughts? Could I simply add onion powder? I just don’t want to mess up this perfect bagel. Thanks so much.
Peggy
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Peggy, that was an interesting workaround! I can’t believe they sell that as a mix and get away with it. Yes, you can definitely add some onion powder if you like that flavor. Dried spices tend to be quite potent, so I’d go slowly. So glad you loved the bagels.
Brita Bruemmer says
It’s true, King Arthur flour doesn’t work. I just proved it 😢
But if I send away for Nicole’s flour, I’ll be spending about $8 in flour alone for 8 bagels. Not exactly “on a shoestring.”
Oh well, I love some of your other recipes (especially your pie crust!), I guess I just won’t be making bagels 🥯
Kim says
I use Vitacost brand GF flour and have had great results!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m really glad to hear that, Kim. I haven’t tried that one, but the ingredients (white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour) are pretty simple and it could be a good blend. I might have to try it to see if I can recommend it going forward. A lot of it would depend on how finely ground the rice flour is.
Jennifer Miller says
It has been a long time since I had a bagel. I made these and they are delicious!! Thank you for researching and coming up with all these recipes! Your the best!
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Jennifer! So glad you enjoyed the bagels.
Mary Wilson says
Totally excited about making these bagels and want everything perfect. What brand powdered milk are you using? I noticed that you said whole powdered milk is slightly richer than low fat. Thank you for your reply
Nicole Hunn says
I usually buy Judee’s Pure Whole Milk powder on Amazon, Mary.
Charlotte says
The bagels are amazing. Thank you. Do you think I could add cinnamon and raisins and still turn out fine?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Charlotte, I think it’s worth a shot! I haven’t tried doing just that so I can’t completely promise results, but it should work fine. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Stu Borken says
I tried your GF challah and the texture of the dough made me crazy to work with it. The ropes kept wanting to break. I will try these bagels of yours. I think these will work out just fine. I will follow ALL your suggestions and not improvise. I just bought fresh cream cheese and lox.
Deanna says
Would I be able to substitute potato starch for the tapioca starch? And if so would it be a 1:1 ratio?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid potato starch is not an appropriate substitute for tapioca starch. Tapioca starch is a truly unique ingredient that provides lots of stretchy qualities and I can’t promise results without it.
Meredith says
Everything went well until I put them in the water – then I got a pile of mush. I appreciate my flour blend may have been a little different but I made wheat bagels yesterday that came out perfectly so I was expecting a result from this.
Nicole Hunn says
The flour blend is the reason that this recipe didn’t turn out for you, Meredith. I’m afraid it matters more than any other choice you’ll make. I try to be as specific as possible in the recipe and post for that reason.
Emmett P says
Very much appreciate the specificity. Sadly, it’s really hard to get even the raw ingredients to make the mock Better Batter or Better than Cup4Cup blend in Canada :( I just experimented with pricing out the Cup4Cup and for two bags it’d be $48CAD with $84CAD for shipping. Better Batter is similar. The superfine white/brown rice flours would be about $90CAD for both, so it seems like this is gonna be impossible. If, however, you have any recommendations on sourcing ingredients in Canada, I’d love to hear them!
I did want to thank you for being super super clear about how important the flour blend is though. I really understood that it was likely to not work with the blend I tried, even though it was as close as I could get here. I was sad when they fell apart in the molasses bath, but you were so so clear about how important the flour blend is that I never believed I’d get perfect results.
I will say, although these turned into bagel… bites? The flavour and texture were to die for. So good I am considering just making bagel “nuggets” since the rings won’t hold together. Absolutely delicious.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Emmett, I’m so sorry that it’s really not possible for you to get the proper ingredients. I really do wish that one of the most available blends was something I could recommend. Whatever blend you used, if they were falling apart in the water bath, you might want to try adding less liquid and/or letting them rise less before boiling them. Maybe try a quarter batch if you’re willing to try again? If not, I really understand and thank you for your comment.
Steve says
Totally delicious and perfect texture. I’m struggling though with the shape – mine consistently end up no more than about 1/2 an inch high – can’t work out what i’m doing wrong!
Nicole Hunn says
There are a few possibilities, Steve, so let’s discuss as many as I can think of! I see that you’re in the U.K. If you’re using Dove’s gluten free flour, I find it to be quite starchy and really not a great overall balanced blend, so that may be the issue and could lead to a dough that’s too dry and doesn’t rise fully. If you’re using one of my recommended flour blends, and measuring by weight, not volume, not making any ingredient substitutions, try measuring your water by weight (water is the only liquid for which 1 fluid ounce = 1 weighted ounce, which is why I expressed the conversion in the recipe as 11 ounces, not 11 fluid ounces, since measuring by weight is so much more accurate and possible with water). You may also be lowering the hydration ratio of the bagels by incorporating too much flour into them during shaping, so watch the how-to video and pay close attention to that. Then I’d check to make sure your instant yeast is fresh, or if you’re using active dry yeast that is probably your issue as you need to hydrate it first with some of the water, and use 25% more by weight (see the recipe notes). Finally, it may just be that you’re just not letting the shaped dough rise long enough. Overproofing is a consequence of too much rise, not too long a rise, and rising times vary very significantly from environment to environment.
Lois says
Tasty bagels! We used powdered coconut milk to be dairy free.
I didn’t see storage info so I submit this – any not eaten today will be sliced, bagged, and frozen.
Nicole Hunn says
Happy to know that powdered coconut milk worked well, Lois! Thanks for sharing that.
Vivian Schupmann says
FINALLY! This is a bagel recipe that is worth the time and effort. These bagels are amazingly good and easy to make. I followed your recipe (no substitutions) precisely–weighing the ingredients, using Better Batter flour, and following your instructions to a T. The results were perfect. While my bagels did not rise 150% after several hours of waiting, they rose a bit more in the oven and the size and texture were just like your photo above. Thanks for this recipe.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad, Vivian! Being so precise in baking can be cumbersome, but that is the only way I know to be assured of results that make any effort worthwhile. And you’ve got bagels back! Thank you so much for sharing your experience.