Can you believe you can make truly AMAZING bagels with just 2 ingredients, in 30 minutes? All you need is Greek yogurt and self-raising flour and you’re on your way to enjoying fresh, homemade bagels. Plus, I’m sharing the most DELICIOUS chopped jalapeño popper filling idea to get you started.
I’ve made bagels a few times the classic way. Make the dough, knead, leave to rise, shape, rise again, boil, top, and bake. I’m exhausted just looking at that list! This recipe is a HUGE game-changer. I’ve used this 2 ingredient dough many times before for different recipes. It’s the same as my 5 minute pizza dough recipe – but had never tried using it for bagels.
And seriously? These bagels are GOOD. They’re SO close to the original that it’s kind of astonishing. You won’t believe they’re made with just 2 ingredients in literally 30 minutes.
No fancy equipment, no waiting around and you’ve got delicious bagels you won’t believe were so easy to make. They’re so good, I think I’ll be sticking to this recipe from now on!
Ingredients
Just TWO ingredients go into these bagels (plus salt, but I don’t count that).
- Self-raising flour. This is how the bagels rise and puff up without having to use yeast. If you don’t have self-raising flour you can just use plain flour and baking powder. Use 1 teaspoon of baking powder for every cup of flour.
- Greek yogurt. You’ll get the best results with thick, proper Greek yogurt. If you try to use a plain, natural yogurt you’ll find the dough quite hard to work with – it’ll be really sticky and you’ll have to use a lot more flour to bring it together. You can use a fat-free Greek yogurt too if you prefer, I’ve found it works just as well as regular Greek yogurt. You could also use sour cream. If you can only find plain yogurt, you can drain some of the liquid using a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Let the yogurt sit for about 10 minutes in the sieve, then use it.
You’ll also need whatever you’re topping your bagels with! Everything bagel seasoning is a classic choice, but sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dukkah (a lovely Egyptian spice mix), grated cheese and pickled jalapeños, or flaky salt are great too.
How to make them
Start by adding your self-raising flour, salt and Greek yogurt into a large bowl. Use a large wooden spoon to mix it together. Once it starts looking like little lumps, get your hands in the bowl and squeeze the mixture into a rough dough.
I like to give it a couple of quick kneads in the bowl (press the heel of your hand down into the dough and then push it away from you, before folding the dough back over itself, giving it a quarter turn and repeating the process). After this, shape it into a rough ball.
Divide the dough into four roughly equal pieces (you can weigh them if you want to get precise). There are two ways you can shape them. The first is to roll each piece out into a small rope (around 6″/15cm long) with your hands. It helps if you sprinkle a little flour on your surface to make sure it doesn’t stick. Bring the 2 ends of the rope together to form a circle. Squeeze the ends together to seal the circle.
The second is to form your dough into a rough circle, then press down with your hands to create a flatter disc. Use your fingers to make a whole in the middle, then gently stretch the dough out into a bagel shape.
PRO TIP: A classic bagel is boiled before baking to help develop that deliciously chewy crust. You don’t have to boil these bagels if you don’t want to do the extra step, but I find they taste more authentic when you do.
If you’ve boiled the bagels, just go ahead and sprinkle your toppings directly on top as they come out of the water. If you’re not boiling them, you’ll need to brush them with an egg wash, milk or water and then add your toppings so they stick. You can also have your toppings laid out on a plate and press the tops of your bagels into them, just do whichever way you find easier. Then bake them until golden and glorious.
Five bagel topping ideas
- Jalapeño and cheddar. Grate your favorite cheese (I love using parmesan or cheddar) and sprinkle it on top of the bagels, along with dried herbs (basil, thyme or oregano are lovely). I like to mix about 1/4 cup of chopped pickled jalapeños and 1/4 cup of grated cheddar into the dough too!
- Everything bagel seasoning. You can buy this flavor-packed seed and spice mix, but it’s really easy to make it yourself.
- Za’atar. Sesame seeds, sumac, flaky salt, dried oregano, thyme and/or marjoram form this delicious blend, another one of my favorites and tasty on bagels.
- Dukkah. This fragrant and crunchy seed and nut mix is one of my most used ingredients. It mixes sesame seeds, almonds, pistachios, cumin, coriander, fennel, and flaky salt. Try my easy dukkah recipe and you’ll see how great it is.
- Cinnamon and sugar. Why not switch things up and make sweet bagels? Cinnamon and sugar is a classic combination that works wonderfully on bagels.
Watch how to make them
Got a question?
Thick, Greek yogurt is best here. It means you’ll end up with a dough that’s easy to work with and not sticky. I find that whenever I use plain yogurt that’s a lot runnier, the dough takes a while to come together and I end up having to add a lot more flour. So stick to Greek if you can. If you can only find plain yogurt, you can drain some of the liquid away using a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Let it sit in the sieve for about 10 minutes then use it.
Yes! I’ve had great results using a fat-free Greek yogurt, so it’s totally fine to use in this recipe.
They’ll last for 3 days in a sealed container but really are best on the day they’re baked. Pop them in the toaster on days 2 and 3 to freshen them up.
You can! These bagels are great to freeze. I like to slice them in half and then freeze them in zip lock bags – then you can just pop them in the toaster and defrost them easily and quickly. You can freeze them whole, you’ll just need to let them thaw for a few hours before using them. I cut them because I normally want a bagel quickly and end up slicing them to serve anyway!
Make them gluten-free by using self-raising gluten-free flour, or you can use bread, wholemeal or wholewheat flour and add baking powder.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing the dough – it doesn’t defrost well at all. You can put it in the fridge for a day and return to it later, but I wouldn’t freeze it.
How to serve the bagels
The sky’s the limit here! The classic is a big smear of cream cheese, but you can really do whatever you like. Here are eight things you could try…
- Make a jalapeño popper chopped bagel – lay out 1/4 cup of cream cheese on a large board and top with a couple of slices of crispy bacon, 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, a handful of chives, 1/4 cup grated cheddar and salt and pepper. Chop everything together until you’ve got a cream cheese paste, then smear onto your bagels.
- Labneh, pesto and sliced tomatoes.
- Smashed avocado (or pea and avocado hummus), marinated feta and dukkah.
- Scrambled eggs, chilli oil and cheese.
- Grilled halloumi slices, chilli jam and rocket
- Cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers.
- Spoon on any leftover Greek-style bread dipping oil, Mediterranean bread dipping oil or loaded festive bread dipping oil
- Marmite and cheese (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!)
One dough, many ways
If you like this recipe, I’ve developed others that use this same, fantastic flour and Greek yogurt dough you might enjoy!
Like this recipe? Here are some other easy bread recipes you might want to try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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2 Ingredient Greek Yogurt Bagels (No Yeast)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 bagels 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Can you believe you can make truly AMAZING bagels with just 2 ingredients, in 30 minutes? All you need is Greek yogurt and self-raising flour and you’re on your way to enjoying fresh, homemade bagels.
I’m including the option to boil the bagels before baking here, as is the traditional method, but you can skip this step if you like.
Ingredients
For the bagels –
- 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour (or use plain flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder)
- 280g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) thick Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping ideas –
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Za’atar
- Dukkah (try my easy dukkah recipe)
- Sesame seeds
- Poppy seeds
- Grated cheddar and pickled jalapeños
- Flaky sea salt
- Cinnamon and sugar
Instructions
- Make the bagel dough. Start by heating your oven to 400F/200C fan and line an oven tray with baking paper. Add the self-raising flour, Greek yogurt and salt to a large bowl. Mix with a large wooden spoon or spatula until it’s starting to look like crumbly breadcrumbs, then get your hands into the bowl to bring the mixture together into a rough dough. You’ll need to give it a couple of kneads in the bowl – just press down on the mixture with the palm of your hand, then fold the part you just pushed away back over itself and repeat for about 30 seconds. The dough shouldn’t be sticky – if it is, add a tiny bit more flour and work it into the dough with the kneading motion. (Need more help with kneading? Check out my post all about how to knead dough).
- Shape the bagels. Get your dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface and cut into 4 roughly equal pieces. You can weigh them if you want to get precise. There are two ways you can form the bagels. You can roll them out into ropes with your hands, approximately 6″ long then join the ends to form a circular bagel shape and press the two ends of the dough together to seal. Or, form your dough into a rough circle, then press down with your hands to create a flatter disc. Use your fingers to make a whole in the middle, then gently stretch the dough out into a bagel shape. Place the bagels onto the prepared baking tray.
- Boil the bagels. This is an optional step BUT I find it creates a more authentic-looking and tasting bagel. Classic bagels are boiled before baking to help develop that gorgeously golden and chewy crust. All you have to do is get a large pot of water boiling on the stove (you’ll want enough water in there so the bagels will be fully covered). Lower the bagels into the water and give them a little nudge with a large wooden spoon or fish slice so they don’t stick to the bottom. Boil for one minute, then carefully flip the bagels over with a fish slice, and let them boil for another 30 seconds. Use a fish slice to remove the bagels from the water and place them back onto your lined baking tray.
- Top the bagels. If you’ve boiled your bagels, you can sprinkle your toppings straight on top of your bagels on the tray (the water will help the toppings stick). If you’ve skipped the boiling step, brush the tops of the bagels with the whisked egg (or use milk/plant-based milk or water).
- Bake the bagels. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until they look golden brown and glorious. I like to rotate the oven tray halfway through to make sure they’re all cooking and browning evenly. Remove from the oven, then enjoy!
Notes
HOW TO MAKE JALAPENO CHEDDAR BAGELS: Add 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños and 1/4 cup grated cheddar into your bagel dough, then top each bagel with a handful of grated cheddar and a few pickled jalapeño slices!
HOW TO MAKE CHOPPED JALAPENO POPPER BAGELS: Lay out 1/4 cup of cream cheese on a large board and top with a couple of slices of crispy bacon, 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, a handful of chives, 1/4 cup grated cheddar and salt and pepper. Chop everything together until you’ve got a cream cheese paste, then smear onto your bagels.
STORAGE: The bagels will keep for 3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Just pop them in the toaster to freshen them up. They also freeze really well – I normally slice them in half and freeze them in zip-lock bags. You can then defrost from frozen in your toaster.
INGREDIENT NOTES: It’s important to use a thick, Greek yogurt here or you’ll have trouble with the dough (it’ll be very sticky). You can use a fat-free Greek yogurt too, I’ve found that works well. You could also use sour cream. If you only have plain yogurt, you can drain some of the liquid using a fine sieve lined with – let it sit for about 10 minutes.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: There are so many ways you can serve these bagels – go for a classic smear of cream cheese, load them up with smashed avocado and halloumi, try combining scrambled eggs, chilli oil and cheese or go for cream cheese or labneh with smoked salmon and capers.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: baking
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bagel
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2.4g
- Sodium: 608.1mg
- Fat: 2.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58.7g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 14.9g
- Cholesterol: 3.5mg
I only have fat-free Greek yogurt. Will that work?!
Hi! Yes, fat free will work fine 🙂
Followed the recipe exactly (boiled them as well). Came out perfect. Such a great way to eat bread without the added nasties. Thanks!
Yum!!!!!! These were so easy – I’m not normally a baker but these were a big hit, will make again
Will these cook ok if I don’t make them into bagels, just make little buns for burgers?
They should be fine!
Omg! Sooo good. I will never buy store bought bagels again. Thanks so much 🙂
Do I make any adjustments for high alltitude baking?
Hi Joan, I haven’t tested these at high altitude so I’m not sure how you’d adjust this – I’ve found this guide from King Arthur Baking which may be helpful – it sounds like reducing the oven temperature and slightly increasing the liquid and flour are probably changes you’ll need to make.
Fantastic! I’m gluten free and these are the best bagels I’ve had. I needed to add a bit of water (1/4 cup) to get the dough to come together, but I’m sure that’s because of my gf flour. Thank you so much!
I’m SO happy to hear this Maddie!! You’re so so welcome, and that’s a super helpful note about adding a little more water to account for the GF flour too 🙂
I tried boiling mine and they completely fell apart…what happened?
Oh no!! That’s never happened when I’ve made them so I’m not sure what could have gone wrong – unless your dough was very wet? Did you use thick Greek yogurt? Or perhaps they were just in the water too long? The boiling helps to seal them and create that signature bagel style crust, so it’s very strange that they fell apart, I’m sorry you had trouble.
I will say they tasted really good! I will definitely make them again!
but my bagels turned out a little undercooked/gummy in some parts, I must have done something wrong… I did cut them when they were warm…
Oh no! I do find it’s best to wait a little bit before cutting them to prevent any lingering gumminess – they may need a little longer in your oven if they’re still a little under (oven’s are so annoyingly all over the place so it could well be that x)
Will the dough hold overnight?
I think overnight it should be fine in the fridge x
For anyone who thinks they can sub yogurt for dairy free yogurt…DON’’T do it! I experimented this morning and ended up with literal rocks I couldn’t cut or eat. We had a good laugh. But trust me on this one, this recipe needs the originally recommended Greek yogurt. They’re really good made as intended!
Mine turned out doughy. I didn’t boil the boil and it seemed like they needed to be put in the oven for a longer time. I ended up putting them in the air fryer and they still were doughy. I won’t give up! Any suggestions?
Oh no! You could try letting them sit and cool a bit after baking? Sometimes when you cut into them right after they come out of the oven they can be a little gummy in the middle. Could also be worth trying the boiling step to see if that helps x
Can you skip adding salt to the dough?
You can if you like! They may taste a little bland, but if you load them up with flavorful toppings I think it’ll be fine x
5 star!! for sure
amazing light delicious perfect!
one question do you think they can be made in food processor? maybe the dough would come together easier? let me know if you ever tried it
KATE, IM updating my email, I had asked about using kitchen aid mixer,,, YESSSS! Omg update your email address that people can use the mixer with dough paddle, absolute no work involved. I make these bagels constantly that way. Turns out perfect and tender.. I’m so excited. No kneading involved. Takes no time to make them. I make cinnamon madjool date ones. Delicious ! I add a heaping tablespoon of good cinnamon then gently add the chopped dates. Then after boiling them before oven I add additional dates on top, just press them in a little. This is my favorite recipe ever . Thank you
Hi Ella! Thanks so much for sharing that it works brilliantly with a mixer – so so happy it works so well. The cinnamon date version sounds INCREDIBLE – I think I know what I’m making this weekend xx Kate
Making now and wondering if anyone has ever tried finishing them in the air fryer vs the oven after boiling 🙂
Hi Miranda! You can definitely finish them in the air fryer (it’ll be quicker too which is a bonus). Roughly 10 minutes at 360F/180C should do it x
The most perfect recipe ever! They came out absolutely perfect and Im obsessed!! Thank you so much! Will never buy a bagel again!
HEY! My dad and sister had great success on these! I was wondering if you had ever tried to make asiago bagels with this recipe? I’m going to try it but just wondered about other peoples’ success.
Hi Abigail! So happy to hear your dad and sister enjoyed the recipe 🙂 I’ve not tried making asiago bagels, but have made some using parmesan and cheddar so I’m sure they’d work well xx Kate
I tried this recipe again this past Monday (1 June), making a half batch once again. A Very different experience was had. This bagel was soo danged good. I was hollering when I finished.
What I did different This time: a different yogurt was uses, full fat called “the Greek Gods” traditional. Baked in a larger pan lined with parchment. I used too much yogurt the first time, so this time I used just over a half cup for 1 cup flour and extra baking powder and a little more salt (didnt use enough)…lol Great recipe…
Tried this recipe this morning: cinnamon raisin. Mine came out gummy in the middle and heavy. Baked at 400 for 25 minutes, plus back in for another 10 minutes because I thought maybe they were undone.
POST MORTEM of what I did: I made a half batch because its just me and divided the dough into 3. I think I may have used the wrong pan, 9×9.. Does a cookie sheet work better as there may not have been enough air circulation. Turns out that my yoghurt was fat free, hope that doesn’t matter.
Hi Addie! Thanks for sharing – this is super interesting to know. I suspect it could have been a combination of the pan and maybe the raisins made the dough a bit dense and impacted how they baked. You could try reducing the quantity of raisins, or chop them up into smaller pieces? In terms of the pan, a cookie sheet would be better because of the circulation issue you mention – I usually go for a tray/pan like a cookie sheet. Fat-free yogurt works well so that shouldn’t have been the issue. Let me know if you try again, hopefully some of those suggestions might help xx Kate
I tried this recipe again this past Monday (1 June), making a half batch once again. A Very different experience was had. This bagel was soo danged good. I was hollering when I finished.
What I did different This time: a different yogurt was used, full fat called “the Greek Gods” traditional. Boiled first, then baked in a larger pan lined with parchment. I used too much yogurt the first time, so this time I used just over a half cup for 1 cup flour and extra baking powder and then, a little more salt next time (didnt use enough)…lol Great recipe…
I just had to rate and comment on this recipe. I just made some of these last night, 2 poppyseed & 2 sesame seed. They were SO good! My husband couldn’t believe it and thinks they’re better than store bought bagels. I made another 2 batches today to freeze and we can’t get enough of them. After boiling them I cooked them at 200c in a conventional oven for about 35 mins, flipped over and cooked another 10 mins to avoid a soggy/gummy base. I also added some garlic & onion powder to the flour mixture. These will be a staple for me from now on, thank you so much.