These simple Weight Watchers gluten free bagels are made with just 5 simple ingredients and have only 3 SmartPoints each. Even if you're not on (or even interested in) WW, you're going to love how easy this dough is—and how it tastes!
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What makes this recipe for WW gluten free bagels so special
These bagels have become Internet famous because they're diet friendly, for sure. But the real reasons you'll fall in love with them are the ease and the taste!
The perfect tang of Greek-style plain yogurt takes the place of an aged yeast bread dough and makes them super tender inside. They may not be classic New York-style dense and chewy bagels, but they're in a class by themselves!
What is the 2-ingredient WW dough?
These Weight Watchers-style gluten free bagels are based upon the “2-ingredient Weight Watchers bagels” and pizza recipes that apparently took over Instagram at some point.
Since I'm not active on Instagram at all (and mostly enjoy the photos of puppies and kittens and the occasional lifestyle bloggers whose life I simply cannot relate to but am fascinated by), I didn't hear about these right away.
When they're referred to as 2-ingredient bagels, it's based on the ingredients' being self-rising flour + fat-free Greek-style yogurt. If you're in the U.K. (hello! ??), you most likely do have a self-rising gluten free flour blend in your arsenal, like Dove's brand. If you do have that, try using it in place of the flour blend, baking powder, and salt below.
What's with the Weight Watchers Recipes?
Each of these miniature bagels has about 2 1/2 SmartPoints (without the toppings), which I figure you have to round up to 3 SmartPoints but you can have 2 of them for 5. It's like they're on a two-fer sale! I care about things like that now a bit, and I thought you might, too. Here's why…
When I first wrote my cookbook, Gluten Free Classic Snacks, I was intrigued by copycatting some Weight Watchers-style foods like their brownies. They were so good, but they weren't available as gluten free, so I made them gluten free.
I have 3 children and although I've always been disgustingly naturally thin, I was never really quite the same after the third child—12 years ago. I've always hated it, but sort of chalked it up to early middle age and went on my way.
I also have 2 daughters, who are both rather naturally thin themselves, but I wasn't raised with a healthy attitude toward food or weight or anything else really for that matter. I was terrified of my girls inheriting my somewhat distorted way of thinking, so I never complain about my body or my weight in front of them.
When a dear friend mentioned that she was on Weight Watchers for similar reasons to me (early middle aged, struggling to feel as good in her body as she always had), I thought I'd give it a try for a month. I literally haven't mentioned a word of it my daughters, though. They never read the blog (too boring, I'm sure), so I figure I'm good.
Anyway, it turns out that I really really like it. I feel like I had half-heartedly tried every other “diet” (Paleo! keto! low carb!) over the last 12 years and nothing made a dent. Weight Watchers is not perfect, but I like the loose rules. They do most of the thinking for me. I like that. And it worked. I like that too!
Weight Watchers gluten free bagels: Ingredients and substitutions
There are so few ingredients in this recipe that substitutions mostly come down to the flour blend used and the yogurt. The egg white and egg wash are really optional. Here are my tips:
What gluten free flour blend to use in this recipe
I have only tried this recipe using Better Batter (the same as my mock Better Batter) and my Better Than Cup4Cup all purpose gluten free flour recipes. I'm planning to try variations on this dough made with Paleo flours, but I'm not there quite yet! I will be sure to keep you posted.
As always, I recommend you only use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends, either commercially available or homemade according to my DIY recipes. If you use a gritty rice flour blend or an unbalanced blend, the recipe just won't likely turn out. All gluten free flour blends are not created equal.
Gluten free dairy free Weight Watchers bagels
I am happy to report that I have made this recipe successfully with dairy-free plain coconut milk yogurt. So Delicious makes a really great one, and I find it at my local natural foods store.
Since the dairy-free variety was not a Greek-style yogurt, I found that I had to use 1 1/4 cups (175 g) of the all purpose gluten free flour blend, and did not add the egg white. The bagels browned a bit less (a function of the dairy-free yogurt, I believe), and the dough was a bit harder to handle (a function of the extra moisture).
But the taste and overall texture were great. In addition, since the dairy-free plain yogurt was not fat-free, you'd have to recalculate the SmartPoints value.
If you can only use a plain yogurt of any kind that isn't Greek-style, you can either add 1/4 cup (35 g) more all purpose gluten free flour or strain the yogurt until it's thick enough to be Greek-style. Then, measure out 1 cup (245 grams) of the thicker yogurt and 1 cup (140 grams) of the flour blend.
Gluten free 2 ingredient bagels
Weight Watchers Gluten Free Bagels | GF 2 Ingredient Dough
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I recommend Better Batter (or my mock blend) or Better Than Cup4Cup—both recipes in the link), plus about 1 tablespoon more (9 g) for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (245 g) nonfat Greek-style plain yogurt chilled
- 1 (25 g) egg white chilled
- Egg wash 1 egg + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, beaten (optional)
- Toppings optional like sesame seeds, poppy seeds or Everything But the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the yogurt, and mix until combined.
- Depending on the moisture content in your yogurt, the dough may still not hold together fully. If necessary to bring the dough together, add the egg white (or a bit more yogurt) by the teaspoonful.
- Mix to combine until the dough holds together well.
- Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead it with clean hands until it’s a bit smoother. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions (each a bit more than 2 ounces in weight).
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll each into a ball between your cupped palms and/or by rolling on the lightly floured surface. Add a bit more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Even when shaped, the dough will seem somewhat uneven.
- Press each round of dough into a disk about 1/2-inch tall and, with a floured forefinger, create a hole in the center and rotate the dough to increase the size to about 1-inch. Reshape the dough around the hole if necessary.
- Place the shaped pieces of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush generously with the optional egg wash and top with the optional toppings.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during baking, until the bagels are puffed and golden brown all over, about 22 minutes.
- Allow to cool briefly on the baking sheet before slicing and serving.
- Leftovers can be sliced and stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days (to maintain moisture, add a moistened paper towel to the bag) or sealed in a freezer-safe container for longer storage.
Notes
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!
Jean says
Mine are in the oven now and smell great! I added the baking powder with the salt, but that step seems to be missing from the directions (or I need new glasses ☺). Can’t wait to try one! They were super quick and easy to pull together without waking the household. Thank you Nicole! Looking forward to my Sunday morning coffee and a BAGEL!!
Nicole Hunn says
Oh my gosh, Jean, I’m afraid I didn’t include when to add the baking powder in the directions! You are of course right, that it goes in with the salt. I’ve edited the recipe now. As many times as I review my work, something like that always seems to sneak through every now and again. Thank you for catching it. And I’ll think of you this Sunday morning, enjoying your alone time with coffee and a bagel—and maybe the newspaper? ;)
Shirlea Roman says
Looked at the recipe and was initially skeptical. Will this really work? But went to work. Pleasantly surprised at how easily it went together. Being lazy and not wanting to make a mess, instead of kneading on a floured board, I used a muffin-size scoop and scooped them onto a sheet of wax paper. Must have been a good size as I got exactly 6. Then using latex gloves and a little flour, I kneaded each blob in my hands, formed it, made the hole and put it onto the parchment paper lined pan. Into the oven. I didn’t use an egg wash or toppings..just naked. They rose nicely, looking a little bumpily but ever so cute and came out great. I did find that with just a little margarine, they had a great texture but the tanginess of the yogurt came through in flavor. Do think adding a tablespoon of sugar would counteract this and still work?
Nicole Hunn says
The tanginess of the yogurt is what makes these bagels have depth of flavor, Shirlea, so I’m afraid I haven’t given any thought to what might camouflage that! Maybe you’d like to try my Paleo bagels instead? Just use the search function.
Julie says
Only problem is that they’re so good it’s hard to eat just one. Thank you!!
Nicole Hunn says
I know, Julie! They’re low in points, but they aren’t zero so they do require some moderation. :)
Betty says
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Love the blog. If I use Lactose Free Yoghurt, would I need to change the amount I use and flour or can it be like for like?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Betty,
If you’re using Greek-style lactose free yogurt, nothing else changes. If you’re using regular lactose-free yogurt, please follow the instructions for making the bagels dairy free under the “ingredients and substitutions” heading!
Leslie says
I am in love! And they aren’t even out of the oven yet! I mixed in 1/4 tsp cinnamon sugar with each one and added another 1/2 tsp on top for my little gf guy who loves cinnamon sugar. Looking forward to surprising him in the morning with this treat! Thank you for another great recipe! ?
Nicole Hunn says
That sounds awesome, Leslie! I’ll have to try that. I’m planning to try a variation on this recipe for pizza crust soon, and I’ll be sure to let everyone know once I’ve nailed it!
Molly K. says
Made these lovely creations this evening here in the USA. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour mix which has xanthan gum already mixed in. The flavor was absolutely delicious, and I added a sprinkle of sesame seeds that were tucked away in my pantry. My only problem was the moisture…. perhaps I added a tad too much greek yogurt along with the egg white. A little practice with ratios, and I can see this recipe becoming a regular “go-to” for quick breakfasts!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Molly, I’m so glad you liked the recipe! I generally really don’t care for Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour blends at all, as they tend to be gritty and don’t tend to mix very well. But if you can find a way to use it successfully, then don’t let me stop you! ?
Claire says
I made these with full fat Greek yoghurt and they were tasty and very easy but came out doughy. I’ll definitely be making these again (a lot) but do you have any suggestions to avoid the under baked inside but mostly perfect exterior?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Claire, I wonder if the richness from the fat made them more moist and in need of a longer baking time. Whenever baked goods come out baked on the outside but unbaked inside, it’s usually due to a too-hot oven. Try using a freestanding oven thermometer as most ovens are improperly calibrated—and run hot. My own oven runs hot by at least 25°F.
Julie says
Thanks for including some Weight Watchers friendly recipes on the blog!
Nicole Hunn says
My pleasure, Julie! More to come. :)
Emily M. del Mundo says
Is it possible to substitute the egg? I’d make this for a family member but she’s allergic to eggs.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Emily, Please see the ingredients and substitutions section for information. Your answer is there!
TinaB says
Can you substitute plain yogurt for plain Greek yogurt?
Nicole Hunn says
If you’d like to use non-Greek yogurt, Tina, I really recommend that you strain the yogurt until it’s thicker. The bagels are much easier to handle and you’re less likely to add too much flour to shape them.
TinaB says
Would plain yogurt (non Greek) work for this?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Tina, if you’d like to use non-Greek yogurt, I really recommend that you strain the yogurt until it’s thicker. The bagels are much easier to handle and you’re less likely to add too much flour to shape them.
Marianna says
Thank you for all the hard work you put in to all the recipes . Praise God I can eat gluten and gluten free. My question is; can I make the bagels with Wholemeal flour? Thanks for your answer Nicole.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Marianna,
You definitely can, but I’m afraid I’m definitely not the one to teach you how. Follow the link at the bottom of the recipe for the one it was adapted from.