If glutinous, New York-style bagels have become a “thing” of your past, then I’m here to make them a part of your future. Say hello to The Best Ever Paleo Everything Bagels – a fluffy, New York-style bagel that is not only gluten-free, but also grain-free, refined sugar-free, and yes, Paleo-friendly. It’s time to welcome bagels back into your life, and this recipe is the perfect way to do it!
Friends, I am SO excited to present you with the BEST paleo bagels ever. Back when I was living in New York during my undergrad years, I LIVED off of New York bagels. There wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t go over to my local bodega and grab a fluffy, yeasty, everything bagel, smother it with scallion cream cheese, and head out to class. Looking back, it may be one of my favorite memories from my college years. Isn’t it so funny how so many of our core memories revolve around food?
However, these days, you’ll seldom find me with a typical bagel in-hand. Not because I’m opposed to eating them every now-and-then (I’m not!) but because they aren’t the most nutrient-dense breakfast around. Plus, I don’t know about you, but all of the gluten from the bagels tends to make my tummy unhappy. So, while I enjoy them as a treat, they’re not the breakfast for me, anymore.
So, I set out on a mission to make a healthier, better-for-you, gluten-free bagel. And after MANY days of trial-and-error: I did it. This recipe ended up being adapted from my friends @paleoglutenfreeeats, and it may just be the best gluten-free bagel recipe ever. There, I said it. 😉
Plus, while this recipe is for an “Everything” bagel, you can truly customize the toppings to your liking. I love doing sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon sugar, or even just eating them plain. Feel free to get funky and creative with the toppings – the world is your oyster!
Can This Recipe be Made Vegan?
Unfortunately, in order to make these bagels, you DO need to use the eggs. This is not a recipe where you can substitute the eggs for flax seeds – it just won’t turn out the same. Just follow the directions (and the video below), and you’ll get a perfect result, every time. Guaranteed.
How to Make the Perfect Paleo Bagels Every Single Time
In order to make sure you make perfect bagels every single time, watch the video, and then watch it again. The video shows you, step by step, how to make these, so that you achieve a perfect result. For instance, if you find that your dough is wet/sticky, after following the instructions and doesn’t look like the video, add in a few more tablespoons of cassava flour. Don’t be upset, just roll with it! Why could a discrepancy happen? Who knows. This is a more complex recipe with a lot more moving parts than my other recipes. What I am trying to tell you, is to simply trust the process, and don’t worry about messing it up. I promise, if you follow the directions, you won’t mess it up.
And, if you can’t seem to get the perfect bagel shape, WHO CARES? Make them again! Like all things in life, it takes a little practice and repetition!
What You Need to Make the Best Deli-Style Paleo Bagels
To make these perfect bagels, you need just SEVEN simple ingredients. It truly does not get any easier than that! So let’s get started.
- Cassava flour: the secret sauce to this recipe is the cassava flour. Cassava flour comes from a plant, making it the perfect paleo (and AIP) flour. It also produces a texture that is just like a New York deli-style bagel. Don’t believe me? Try it!
- Arrowroot flour: You can interchange arrowroot flour with tapioca flour or corn starch. I tend to avoid corn starch because corn happens to be the most GMO crop in the U.S., but hey, if that’s all you’ve got, use it.
- Eggs: You need to use 4 eggs in this recipe, and please, for the love of God, don’t try to substitute it for flax eggs.
- Olive oil: The original recipe calls for the use of palm shortening. So if that’s what you’ve got on hand, use it. I tend to avoid palm oil mostly for ethical reasons, but there is some palm oil that is sustainably sourced, so just pay attention to that. Or, do as I say and use olive oil. The olive oil provides a subtle taste so that these bagels don’t taste like you are eating a ball of dough.
- Maple syrup: I love using maple syrup in this recipe because it’s not as overpowering in flavor as honey. But feel free to use honey if that’s all you’ve got.
- Baking powder: The baking powder is what is going to make these babies rise, so don’t skip it.
- Everything But The Bagel Seasoning (or poppyseed or sesame seeds or dried onion): I am obsessed with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, but damn, I made these bagels using poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and even dried onion. All I can say, is DAMN. So good. Use your imagination and enjoy!
How to Make the Perfect Paleo Bagels, Every Time
Start by preheating your oven to 350 F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Then, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Next, in a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients, except for your toppings (the EBTB seasoning, seeds, etc.) Then, blend/process until a dough forms, then transfer it to a bowl and use your hands to make a ball. If it’s super sticky, add a little more cassava flour. Then, break the dough apart into 4 equal parts.
One the water is boiling, make a bagel shape with each ball of dough, and gently drop it into the water. Once the bagels float to the top of the water (about one minute), gently lift it out and transfer it to the baking sheet. Next, whisk an extra egg, and use a brush to brush the top of each bagel, generously.
Sprinkle each bagel with your topping of choice and bake for 23-25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! And, since I practically live on Instagram, tag me in your creations so I can see them and repost on my IG stories. Enjoy! xx
Ingredients
- 1 cup cassava flour (I used Ottos Cassava Flour)
- 1 cup arrowroot flour
- 4 medium eggs (+ 1 extra for an optional egg wash)
- ¼ cup olive oil (or palm shortening)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (sub for a nut milk for a keto option
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch sea salt
- Trader Joes Everything But the Bagel Seasoning (or poppyseeds or sesame seeds or dried onion)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water.
- In a blender or food processor, add all of the dough ingredients except for the EBTB seasoning.
- Once combined, transfer the dough from blender to a medium bowl, and use your hands to form a ball.
- Then separate the dough into four equal parts.
- Once the water is boiling, form four bagels and gently drop them in the water. Note: the shape of the bagels doesn't need to be perfect – relax!
- Once each one bagel floats to the top (about one minute), carefully transfer it to the baking sheet.
- Whisk the extra egg, then use a brush to brush each bagel with the egg wash. The egg wash is optional, but it makes the bagels get lightly crunchy and browned on top.
- Add the EBTB seasoning (or seasonings of choice).
- Bake 23-25 minutes. ENJOY!!!!!!
Recipe In Action
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What others are saying
I’m impressed! My 8yo who has been turning up his nose at all gluten free substitutes gobbled up this bagel. Thank you so much! <3
YAY! I LOVE to hear that, Debbie! Thank you so much for making this recipe, and for leaving the kindest review!
I forgot to add – my dough was too sticky so I added a bit of chickpea flour to it to help it not stick to my hands. I had used a little more cassava and a little less arrowroot than the recipe called for, just because i didn’t quite have enough arrowroot to make a full cup. This might be why it was sticky. The chickpea flour added in (less than 1/4 cup for the whole batch) worked in great and the flavor was YUMMY.
I’m so glad you found a solution that worked for you, Debbie! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hello,
First of all, I love this recipe! It’s so good to have bagels again! I like to put various seeds on top, or mix some cinnamon and raisins into the dough (yum!). I was wondering if it would be possible to make them ahead and freeze them? I make cassava flour yeasted bread, and I slice it and freeze it. I just toast it in the oven to defrost, and it’s just like fresh-baked. Do you think I could do a similar thing with these bagels, if I cut them (fully cooked) in half and freeze them? Thank you!
Hi Brianna! Thank you so much for making this recipe, and for leaving such a kind review. It warms my heart to hear how much you love this recipe! You can absolutely freeze these bagels and defrost them, yes 🙂
Hi!! I was wondering if there was a way I could use a donut pan to make these?
Hi Shea! Unfortunately these don’t turn out the same with a donut pan.
I made these, and the dough was amazing to work with. The bagels looked phenomenal. Then, when I cut into them, the insides were completely raw! I even left them in the oven for nearly 40 minutes because I could tell it wasn’t cooking through. I finally thought they were done, but then nothing. What am I doing wrong??! I welcome your tips- the recipe seemed divine until the cutting!
Oh no! Did you follow the video, Logan? Perhaps you need to try a slightly higher oven temp – every oven is different!
I love, love, love these bagels!!!! They are phenomenal!!! But I’m curious, do you know how many calories in one (1) bagel?
Woohoo! I am thrilled you love this recipe, Noemi! Unfortunately I do not provide nutritional information for my recipes, and you can read more about why, here: https://kalejunkie.com/why-i-decided-not-to-include-nutrition-information-on-my-blog/
Thanks for the recipe! The arrowroot tends to create some gummy-ness — how do you manage this?
Thank you!
Hi! If you’re concerned about the gumminess you can always use corn starch instead!
Unfortunately these did not work at all. Wasted 8 eggs and almost an entire bag of cassava flour trying to make these twice – does the brand of cassava flour make a difference? The look nothing like the video (I watched it several times) I want to love these any help would be appreciated
The dough is dense and crumbles when I try to mold the bagels. Made the shapes work the first time but they are so so dense and heavy.
I’ve made these twice. Both times the dough was too sticky to shape and I had to add more cassava flour. I only have large eggs so cut down to 3 eggs the second time. I live in a humid climate and suspect that’s impacting the results. It’s a finicky recipe but worth figuring out because they are the best paleo bagels we’ve had.
Oh no! It sounds to me like maybe the humidity is contributing to the issues with the dough. I hope that you’re able to figure it out though and please let me know what ends up working for you!
This worked exactly as written, thanks! I get to be included in bagel breakfast days now.
Holy crow! Sooo easy, sooo beautiful, soo delicious! I live in the desert, so I went with large eggs instead of medium, as we are also in a higher elevation. They are the perfect size and texture. I added molasses to the water to give it the best color. I love these!
I am interested in more healthy receipes