Surely you’ve seen this 3 ingredient protein bagel recipe (sometimes 2 ingredients!) floating around on your fyp or reels page. With just flour, Greek yogurt, and baking powder, it’s hard not to be intrigued. I have tried making this recipe a number of times now (if you’ve been following my 75 medium series, you can attest to this!), and I think I have finally figured out the tricks to make the BEST protein bagel!
If you are trying to eat high-protein, or just want to make some easy homemade bagels, I can’t promise that these will be as good as a classic New York bagel, but they are still really good!
Protein Bagel Protein Breakdown
In total recipe (4 servings):
2 cups bread flour = 32 grams of protein
1.5 cups Greek yogurt = 36 grams of protein
= 68 grams of protein / 4 servings
= 17 grams of protein per bagel
This compared to a regular store-bought bagel that is about 10 grams of protein or the 13 grams in one of the Dave’s Killer Bread bagels (which are a great store bought option of bagels!)
If you make one of these bagels into a sandwich though, by adding 1 fried egg (6 grams of protein), 1 piece of turkey bacon (6 grams of protein), and a slice of cheese (~4 grams of protein) and you are looking at about 33 grams of protein for breakfast!
Secrets to the perfect protein bagel
A lot of people say that the Fage non-fat Greek yogurt is the best for this recipe, but I have used full-fat Greek yogurt many times while trialing this and had success, so I say use whatever Greek yogurt you want!
What I find works best and is different from most protein bagel recipes:
Using Bread Flour
Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, so you can develop more gluten when using it which will give you an airier bread vs a dense bread. I use King Arthur organic bread flour.
Bread Flour vs All-Purpose (via Bob’s Red Mill):
- Bread flour has a higher protein content (around 13% more), which leads to more stability, form and rise in the dough, allowing it to lift and hold shape
- All purpose flour has a lower protein content, resulting in lighter, shorter breads, which makes it an ideal flour for cookies, cakes and more
- All purpose flour contains less gluten than bread flour
- The higher content of gluten in bread flour makes it ideal for airy, chewy bread, rather than dense bread
Boiling the bagels before baking
This is another step that I see a lot of protein bagel recipes skip! Real bagels are boiled and then baked to give it that classic bagel chew. I boil mine with a bit of baking soda and honey in it for just 30 seconds per side.
Flavor Combinations
Personally, I love a cheddar and jalapeño or an everything bagel, but I’ve also made a cinnamon sugar, garlic & salt, and plain cheese bagel with this recipe! If you add things like cheese or jalapeno within the dough, just note that you may have to bake a little bit on the longer end!
P.S. If you enjoy this post, you may like this post about my favorite high-protein breakfast burrito recipe!
The Best Protein Bagels
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Greek yogurt
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg whisked
- bagel toppings as desired (cheese, cinnamon sugar, everything bagel seasoning, etc.)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350℉.
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Get a medium/large pot and fill with water. Add baking soda and honey and bring to a boil over high heat.
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In a bowl, mix bread flour, Greek yogurt, and baking powder. Mix until completely combined and then knead within the bowl for an additional minute or two.
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Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into a ball and then I use my finger to create a hole in a middle and form the piece into a bagel shape. Try to flatten it a bit and so it is all the same thickness.
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Once all of your bagels are formed, and working in batches if you need to, gently place the bagels into the boiling water/honey/baking soda mixture. Cook for 30 seconds and then flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Then drain and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
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Brush the tops of each bagel with the whisked egg wash and then add additional toppings as desired.
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Cook in oven for 35-45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting in
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Love a simple, high-protein recipe—especially when it’s just a few ingredients! Excited to see your tips for making the best version since these bagels have been all over my feed. Can’t wait to try them out!