This is the gluten free bagels recipe you have been waiting for! This recipe makes the perfect bagels!! Crisp on the outside and deliciously soft chewy on the inside! I made these gluten free sourdough bagels but you can use yeast or sourdough!
I used my popular gluten free sourdough starter recipe because yeast is so hard to find lately. If you love breakfast as much as we do, check out all of my gluten free breakfast recipes!
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I have been trying to get this gluten free bagels recipe right for weeks. Lots of tries, some fails, some so-so versions, and after many tries, finally I had success!
These bagels are perfect for anyone with food allergies! They are gluten free, dairy-free, and egg-free! You can choose which gluten free flour blend you use to further customize the ingredients used.
Most of my fails have been due to my following usual gluten free logic, specifically the consistency of the dough. Normally in gluten free baking, you want a wetter batter or dough. That is definitely NOT the case when making these gluten free sourdough bagels.
I learned the hard way that if you use a wetter batter, your bagels will fall apart when you boil them. You have to really make sure your dough is firm enough to hold together well.
These are by far the BEST gluten free bagels I have had. I hope you get a chance to make these for yourself.
If you love using sourdough starter instead of yeast because you can't find yeast in stores lately, you will also want to check out my easy gluten free sourdough bread recipe.
Is sourdough gluten free?
Sourdough is not gluten free unless it is made with gluten free flour or a gluten free flour blend.
This is bagel perfection! Are you ready to give this recipe a try? As I mentioned above, you will need sourdough starter for this to be a sourdough bagel recipe.
Can I make these with yeast instead?
You can easily make this homemade bagels recipe with yeast instead of sourdough starter. Add one packet of yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey to 1/2 cup of warm water. Allow the yeast to get bubbly then add it to your flour as specified in the recipe.
🥘 Ingredients:
- Sourdough starter or yeast
- Gluten free flour blend
- Salt
- Optional toppings like everything, sesame, and poppy seed
🔪 Instructions:
Add your sourdough starter (or bubbly yeast mixture), flour, water (filtered!) and salt to a large bowl and mix. This batter will have more water to rise. I add more flour after this big rise.
💭 Top tip:
Mix this up before you go to bed allow it to rise overnight. I place a clean towel over the bowl and set it out on the counter. If it is cooler weather, I make this around dinner time and let it rise longer.
This is what my batter looked like when I woke up the next morning. It was all bubbly!
Add the rest of the flour to your dough mixture and mix until the dough is somewhat stiff.
Important tip:
The amount of gluten free flour added may vary depending on which gluten free flour blend you use. The more starchy your gluten free flour blend, you will need to adjust your amount of water.
This recipe is made and tested with King Arthur Measure for Measure flour blend and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend. I have NOT had a chance to test other flour blends yet. I plan to test Nameste GF Blend (which is starchier than the ones I tested) next and will keep you posted.
You can make your bagel shapes one of two ways:
- Make a dough circle and poke your finger into the middle to push the dough away from the middle.
- You can roll your dough and then wrap into a circle and seal the edge where they meet.
I tried both methods and I felt the dough circle method was a little better. I think the rolling added some tightness to the batter so it held together really well. It also seemed to crack a little less.
Cover with plastic wrap gently and let your bagels rise for 1-2 hours.
Bring a pot of 4 cups water and 3 tablespoons maple syrup to boil. (If you are using a small pot.) I tried boiling several bagels at once but I found when I boiled a lot at once it cooled the water from its boil too much. Boiling each one at a time kept the water boiling the whole time.
Boil the bagel for 25 seconds on each side and remove with a slotted spoon onto a cookie baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure to drain all of the water off the bagel.
You can see some cracking. Gently use your finger to smooth out some of the cracking. You want to do this carefully as the outside is cooked and you don't want to mess with that outer sweet boiled layer too much. Some cracking is inevitable and is because of the rising dough.
Brush the bagels with a thin coating of egg white. If you want to keep this recipe egg-free, use melted butter. Add your favorite topping.
Bagel toppings:
- Sesame seeds
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Poppy seeds
- Coarse salt
- Shredded cheese
⏲️ Baking time:
Bake your bagels at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Baking time will depend on how large and how thick your bagel dough is. You will know your bagels are done baking when they are lightly golden on the outside.
Allow your bagels to cool. These bagels will have a nice crust on them, especially if you used the sourdough starter.
Give them a try topped with either this homemade Red Pepper Schmear or this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread.
These gluten free bagels are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or use them to make gluten free bagel pizzas!
How long will these keep fresh?
These bagels will keep for up to 3 days. I will be honest, they are best freshly baked. Once you put them in a container for storage, the slightly crisp crust gets a bit soft. You can crisp it up again in the toaster, but it isn't quite the same as fresh.
Can you freeze the bagels?
You can definitely freeze these gluten free sourdough bagels! To thaw, just let them sit out on the counter. Hint, you will want to freeze them pre-sliced so they are easier to cut.
📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Bagels
Gluten free bagels that can be made with sourdough starter or yeast.
Ingredients
First Rise
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter (see note for using yeast)
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend (See note)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups of filtered water
Making Bagels
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend
Instructions
- Add your gluten free sourdough starter, flour, water, and salt to a large bowl.
- Mix well.
- Cover with a towel and let sit out on the counter overnight to rise.
- In the morning, add the additional flour and mix the dough. You will need to use a little judgment to see how stiff your dough is. See the note below on gluten free flour blends.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape your bagels either by forming a circle and poking a finger in the middle or roll your dough into thick rows then merge the ends to form bagel shapes.
- Cover the bagels gently with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
- Allow the bagels to rise 1-2 hours (depending on how warm it is on your counter.)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bring 4 cups of water and 3 tablespoons maple syrup to boil in a small pot.
- Drop a bagel gently into the boiling water and cook 25 seconds on each side.
- Remove the bagel with a slotted spoon and allow water to drain.
- Place the bagels onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Brush each bagel with egg whites. Add optional toppings.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on bagel size and thickness.
- Bagels will be lightly golden brown when finished baking.
Notes
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain Xanthan Gum, add 1 teaspoon.
- If you are going to use yeast instead of sourdough starter. Add 1 packet of yeast and 1 teaspoon honey to 1/2 cup of warm water. Allow the mixture to get bubbly.
- Every gluten free flour blend behaves differently depending on the starch content. I used King Arthur Measure for Measure to make these bagels. If you use a starchy blend, you may need more liquid.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 135mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g
**If your gluten free flour blend doesn't include Xanthan Gum, please add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon! **Please note this nutrition information is calculated by a recipe plugin and is an estimate based on the ingredients used in this recipe.
Cathy macaulay
Hi Sandi, if using yeast do I have to leave overnight ? or can I just let rise until puffy before boiling.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Cathy, if you are using yeast, I would allow them to rise an hour or two so they are puffy before boiling. Thank you 🙂
Joy
Hi Sandi,
I made these bagels today and they are yummy! The crunchy-chewyness on the outside is perfect. I boiled them for 25 seconds on each side, added an egg white wash, then baked them for 20 mins. They were nicely golden brown on top. I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour and the inside of my bagels were a bit sticky when I cut them. I think the problem is the flour I used since I had this same issue when I made your GF sourdough bread.
Do you have any tips on how to transform these into cinnamon raisin bagels? 🙂
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked them! Did you use sourdough starter or yeast when you made them? I am not sure why they are sticky inside. If you used sourdough starter, many say they need to cool first and not cut into them hot. As for cinnamon raisin, swirl it into the batter before shaping and boiling them 🙂
Joy
Hi Sandi,
I used sourdough starter to make them. I also needed to double the additional flour the next morning because the batter was too wet to shape properly.
Thanks for the cinnamon raisin tip. I'll definitely try it soon!
Anne
I was curious if Cup for Cup is considered starchy? I was curious as I want to make the bagels...they sound delicious! Thanks
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Anne, it does have a higher starch content than other blends, but several have made a great sourdough starter with this flour blend. It should be fine to make bagels with.
Cathy
I can’t wait to try these. They look amazing. I miss the crisp crust on a bagel.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.