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
Could you sub flax eggs here?
What’s EBTB seasoning… I don’t see this in the recipe???
It’s everything bagel seasoning, you can buy it at Trader Joe’s or even Publix I think!
How much nut milk do you think to sub for the maple syrup?
Do you know the nutrition facts of one of these bagels?
Would so love a video of this recipe! Seems simple…but also tricky :-/ They look amazing!
Shaping into bagel shape was near impossible…but baked texture and taste are very nice!
I’ll be making these again and work harder to make better shape!
Is there a substitue for the flour?
The recipe says to put everything in the blender- is that correct or is it supposed to be mixer??!
Hi Erica, yes in a blender. If you have a mixer, that’s great too.
any substitute for cassava flour?
These were pretty easy to make and delish! I found if I roll each piece into a ball then poke a hole in the middle with my finger and spread it out a little before dropping into the boiling water, the bagel turned out perfectly 🙂
Hi! My dough came out super wet and sticky so was unable to manipulate into balls. Is there a special order I should be placing ingredients into the blender? Any tips on what I might have done wrong would be so appreciated!
If you rub a little palm shortening on your hands before you mold the dough it works really well! i’m sure olive or coconut oil would work too. I had the same issue 🙂
I was new to making any kind of bagels but these turned out wonderful. Great recipe!
That means the world to me. So happy!