High Protein Bagels
These high protein bagels are vegan and an easy and healthy breakfast option made with 2 main ingredients that provide 12 grams of high quality plant based protein per bagel.
This post is sponsored by One Degree Organics, but all opinions are my own.
If you are in need of a make ahead breakfast option that is healthier and higher in protein, have you considered bagels? I know many wouldnāt think of bagels in a scenario like this, but these bagels use 2 ingredients that help hit these nutrition marks. No yeast is needed and no rising required. Just form the dough, boil for a few minutes and bake. Itās really that simple.
Why You’ll Love These Spelt Bagels
- Easy to make. No yeast or rising time required. Just a handful of high quality ingredients are needed to make these bagels.
- High in protein and fiber. Thanks to the combination of sprouted spelt flour and tofu used to make the dough, these bagels provide up to 12 grams of high quality protein.
- Great to prep ahead. Make a batch and store to have them ready when you need them. Perfect to prep ahead for an easy grab and go breakfast option when youāre in a rush.
- Wholesome ingredients. Not only are these bagels yummy, but they prioritize good quality ingredients like Sprouted Spelt Flour from One Degree Organics that you can even trace back to the farmer that grew it.
Knowing Your Ingredients
When youāre using a simple list of ingredients, I find it even more important to choose high quality ingredients when you can. So knowing how and where your ingredients are grown, becomes a focal point in my choices. Luckily, brands like One Degree Organics make it easier to do this. In fact, their name honors their dedication to transparency and making sure you can trace every ingredient back to the sustainable farmers and producers that make them.
For example, I know that the sprouted spelt flour I used for these high protein bagels came from Crestview Organic Farms. Itās a farm owned by Dwayne Woolhouse and his family and they have continuously shown dedication to respecting their land and resources by using sustainable farming practices. But it goes beyond that, they remain innovative and resourceful by maintaining older equipment and planting trees on their land to help reduce soil erosion. I love knowing that choosing ingredients like this supports farmers like Dwayne to continue giving back to the lands that help feed us. Bonus points that it also helps me enjoy some bagels for breakfast too.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Spelt Flour: To add good quality whole grains to the dough, I used One Degree Organics Sprouted Spelt Flour. While whole grain flours naturally add more nutrition to a recipe, sprouted grains provide the added advantage of more absorbable nutrients like protein and iron.
- Tofu: Use silken tofu for the best consistency and taste. You can swap out for some unsweetened plant based yogurts, just note that the moisture may be slightly different, so you may need to adjust the amount of flour used as mentioned below.
- Baking Powder: This is doing the work for our yeast. Adding the baking powder helps to give us a makeshift self rising flour that will help our bagels double in size as they cook.
- Baking Soda: Helps provide the browning and gelling effect to our bagels when they are boiled.
- Brown Sugar: Mixed into the dough and also used in the water to balance the flavors of the whole grains.
- Toppings: You can leave your bagels plain or play around with a bunch of different topping ideas like everything seasoning or just plain sesame seeds.
How to Make High Protein Bagels
Add 2 quarts of water to a large pot along with your baking soda and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and prepare your dough.
To a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the tofu and start to mix everything together with a spatula. Once a rough dough forms, start mixing the dough together with clean hands. Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and knead the dough until it is nice and smooth.
Cut the dough evenly into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a round, smooth dough ball. Lightly flatten the dough and poke a hole through the center with your finger. Carefully pull the hole and use your hands to form the classic bagel shape. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
Place each bagel into the pot of boiling water. The bagels will sink at first, but should rise to the top after a few seconds of cooking. Cook the dough for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove the dough from the water and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush your bagel with plant based milk or a little oil. If adding toppings, sprinkle or dip the brushed side of the bagel in any toppings of your choice. Place the bagels on the baking tray and bake in the oven until golden and firm.
Expert Tips
- Knead your dough until it is smooth. Kneading the dough helps to activate the gluten in the flour to give the dough more structure when it cooks. Making sure the dough is smooth will also help to prevent your dough from cracking when it is boiling and baking.
- Add baking soda and brown sugar to your boiling water. This will impact the color, taste and texture of your bagels. Boiling the dough helps gelatinize the outside of your bagel, so when it bakes you get a chewier outside texture that also browns better. The brown sugar also helps to further flavor your bagel and acts as a substitute to malt that is generally used in commercial bagel preparation. That malt gives those bagels a more classic bagel flavor.
- Make a big enough hole in your bagel dough. Your dough will puff up when it starts to cook. If the bagel hole is too small, it will close up when it cooks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Boiling your bagels helps to initiate the cooking process by gelatinizing the outside of the dough. Doing this initial step impacts the way the dough cooks once it is baked, giving it more of that shinier pretzel like outside that is commonly seen with commercial bagels. Adding the baking soda and brown sugar further impacts the look and feel of your bagels. You get a richer and darker browning on the outside of your bagel along with the more classic malted flavor associated with the bagels. For more on this bagel science, highly recommend this article.
Commercial bagels naturally contain a smaller amount of protein, so you need to add protein-rich foods to make them higher in protein. The benefit of combining the sprouted spelt flour along with tofu in this recipe is that you end up with a more protein and fiber rich dough. Having more protein and fiber in a meal helps to better manage blood sugars and keep you feeling more satisfied after a meal.
Yes. Swap the tofu for your favorite thick plain unsweetened plant based yogurt. Since the moisture of yogurt can vary, you may need to add more flour if the dough is too wet or more yogurt if the dough is too dry.
Once completely cooled, store your bagels in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For long term use, cut the bagels in half and store in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Cutting the bagels in half before freezing will make it easier to toast up later without having to wait for a whole bagel to thaw. .
How to Serve
Once they are safe to handle, cut your bagel and spread with your favorite toppings. For something savory, you can make your own vegan cream ācheeseā spread and top it on an everything bagel with capers and pickled onions. I also love turning these into breakfast sandwiches using my favorite scramble and some avocado as well.
To make it sweet, use a plain or sesame topped bagel and spread with some peanut butter and your favorite jam or any of your favorite sliced fruit like bananas. You can also turn these sweet ideas into a sandwich and toast them up stuffed with a few chocolate chips if you want a super special treat.
More High Protein Breakfast Ideas
- Savory Vegan Breakfast Jars
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- Breakfast Polenta Bowls with Smoky Air Fryer Tempeh
- Vegan Breakfast Burritos
High Protein Bagels
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 31 minutes
- Total Time: 46 minutes
- Yield: 4 bagels 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These high protein bagels are vegan and an easy and healthy breakfast option made with 2 main ingredients that provide 12 grams of high quality plant based protein per bagel.
Ingredients
Water Bath
- 2 quarts of water
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Bagels
- 2 cups (283g) One Degree Organics Spelt Flour
- 1 cup (245g) silken tofu
- 2 1/2 tsp (10g) baking powder
- 2 tsp (8g) brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp (3g) kosher salt
- 1 tbsp plant based milk or 2 tsp avocado oil
- Everything Seasoning or Sesame Seeds for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Make the water bath by combing 2 quarts of water to a large pot along with the baking soda and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and prepare your dough.
- To a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the tofu and start to mix everything together with a spatula. Once a rough dough forms, start mixing the dough together with clean hands. Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and knead the dough until it is nice and smooth.
- Cut the dough evenly into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a round, smooth dough ball. Lightly flatten the dough and poke a hole through the center with your finger. Carefully pull the hole and use your hands to form the classic bagel shape. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
- Place each bagel into the pot of boiling water. The bagels will sink at first, but should rise to the top after a few seconds of cooking. Cook the dough for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove the dough from the water and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush your bagel with plant based milk or a little oil. If adding toppings, sprinkle or dip the brushed side of the bagel in any toppings of your choice. Place the bagels on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Allow the bagels to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before enjoying.
Notes
Knead your dough until it is smooth. Kneading the dough helps to activate the gluten in the flour to give the dough more structure when it cooks. Making sure the dough is smooth will also help to prevent your dough from cracking when it is boiling and baking.
Add baking soda and brown sugar to your boiling water. This will impact the color, taste and texture of your bagels. Boiling the dough helps gelatinize the outside of your bagel, so when it bakes you get a chewier outside texture that also browns better. The brown sugar also helps to further flavor your bagel and acts as a substitute to malt that is generally used in commercial bagel preparation. That malt gives those bagels a more classic bagel flavor.
Make a big enough hole in your bagel dough. Your dough will puff up when it starts to cook. If the bagel hole is too small, it will close up when it cooks.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, donāt forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
ā Catherine
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!
So delicious and super easy to make! Will absolutely be adding this to my breakfast rotation š
I’m so grateful! Thank you so much for making the bagels. So glad you enjoyed them. Made my day to hear! š
Easy to make. Delicious fresh (canāt speak to day oldā¦.who has day old bagels anyways). Most of all, my husband, a bagel lover, said āmake these again!ā. He doesnāt know yet, they are so easy, he will be making them! Thank you for the recipe!
Haha agreed! Bagels are gone like the day they are made. So glad you guys enjoyed them. The best thing to hear!
These are top notch- perfect on their own or as the base to a sandwich. Super simple to make, taste fantastic, and itās nice that the bagel itself is satiating (vs just the toppings).
So fast and easy and tasty! They came together in 10 minutes then just popped em in the oven with everything but the bagel seasoning. Next time Iāll be sure to put them on parchment paper cause but even with the bottoms sacrificed to the pan these were 10/10!
Mine also stuck to the parchment! Might lightly grease the parchment or use a dusting of cornmeal.
These were terrific, and so easy! Any suggestions for what to do with the silken tofu left over from the recipe??