You only need TWO easy-to-find ingredients to make incredible, high-protein cottage cheese bagels in less than 30 minutes. No need to blend your cottage cheese if you don’t want to! Cook them in the air fryer for maximum speed, or in the oven if you prefer.
This recipe is a higher-protein twist on my 2-ingredient Greek yogurt bagels (the most popular recipe on my site!) If youโve tried and loved that version, think of this as the next evolution. Here, we’re swapping the Greek yogurt for cottage cheese (blended or unblended – both work well) for an extra boost of protein. I’m talking almost 13g per bagel. And if you’re worried that they taste like cottage cheese, they truly don’t. They taste so close to the real thing, they’re genuinely the reason I don’t buy bagels anymore.
Just mix the dough, shape the bagels, top them, and then bake or air fry. Thatโs IT. There’s no rising time, no yeast, no need to blend the cottage cheese, no boiling (unless you want to), AND no fancy equipment.
I tested these every which way to make sure this version was the best it could be – oven vs. air fryer, blended vs. unblended cottage cheese, boiled vs. not, and honestly, the results surprised me. The air fryer version is SO quick (nine minutes), so it’s my preferred method, but theyโre great baked too.
You can go classic with an everything bagel seasoning or sesame seed topping, or jazz things up with a jalapeรฑo cheddar version (my fave) or even chili crisp for a spicy twist. Theyโre SUPER freezer-friendly too, so you can stash a batch and have quick breakfasts or lunches sorted for the week.
Why you’ll love the bagels
- You only need TWO easy-to-find ingredients (plus salt).
- No need to blend or whip your cottage cheese first = less washing up.
- Higher protein than regular store-bought bagels.
- No yeast and no waiting for them to rise.
- Air fry in under ten minutes or bake if you prefer.
- Super freezer-friendly, so they’re perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients
- Cottage cheese. Any plain cottage cheese will work here – I use low or zero-fat often and it works brilliantly.
- Flour. If you don’t have or can’t find self-raising flour, use all-purpose flour and add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Bagels
Add your flour, salt and cottage cheese (unblended or blended) to a bowl and mix until it forms a shaggy dough. At this point, go in with your hands and knead it into a rough ball.
Divide the dough into four pieces, then roll those pieces into small balls.
Poke a hole in the center of each ball with your finger, then gently stretch it into a bagel shape. I find that this method is easier than rolling the dough into a log and sealing the ends, which is sometimes tricky. This way, there’s no risk of the dough coming apart while baking. Either egg-wash or boil the bagels for a few minutes (boiling them gives them a slightly more authentic chewiness, but it’s not essential), then top with whatever you’d like – I’ve gone with jalapeรฑo and cheddar here.
Bake or air-fry the bagels until they’re gloriously golden and cooked through.
What I learned while testing the bagels
Blended vs. unblended cottage cheese
The results here really surprised me. While I expected big differences in texture, the two versions were almost identical once baked.
- The bagels made with blended cottage cheese had a slightly smoother exterior, and the dough was a little easier to work with.
- The unblended version was just a touch more crumbly when shaping, but not enough to be a problem.
My verdict? If you donโt feel like blending the cottage cheese or donโt want to get another appliance dirty, you can absolutely skip it. Your bagels will still come out soft, golden and delicious.
Oven vs. air fryer
To my surprise, the air fryer was the clear winner here.
- Air fryer. The bagels cooked in nine minutes, compared with 30-plus minutes in the oven. They were evenly golden, perfectly cooked through and slightly crispy on the outside.
- Oven. They took much longer to cook through and achieve a good color. The oven is better for bigger batches, though, depending on the size of your air fryer.
My verdict? If you have an air fryer, I definitely recommend using it. It’s faster, fuss-free and gives you the best texture with minimal effort.
Boiled vs. egg wash
Boiling bagels before baking is a classic technique that gives them their signature chew and shine. I wanted to see how much of a difference it would make with this easy cottage cheese dough instead of egg washing them, and the results were subtle but noticeable.
- Boiled bagels. These had a glossier finish and a slightly chewier crust, so they felt just a bit more like a traditional bagel. But, they required a few extra minutes and an extra pot.
- Egg-washed bagels. They were slightly less glossy, but still looked beautiful. The texture was still soft, but they were a little less chewy. But, it was quicker and easier, especially if youโre short on time.
My verdict? Boiling them gives you a slightly more authentic bagel vibe, but the difference is pretty small. If youโre in a rush, egg washing is a great shortcut and your bagels will still taste amazing.
Cottage Cheese Bagels FAQs
Nope! I tested both ways and thereโs hardly any difference. Blending gives you a slightly smoother exterior, but unblended works fine and saves you from having to wash a blender.
You sure can, both full-fat and low-fat cottage cheese work well. The full-fat version gives you a slightly richer texture, but the difference is minimal. I usually use low-fat cottage cheese as it’s what I tend to have on hand.
Absolutely! Using the air fryer is my favorite way to cook them because it takes just NINE minutes. You don’t need to flip them and you’ll get a gorgeously golden crust. The oven works great too, but you’ll need to allow a little extra time.
They freeze BEAUTIFULLY. Let them cool, then slice them and store them in ziplock bags. You can then easily defrost them right in the toaster when you need them.
It doubles really well – I often do this if I’m making a batch to freeze.
Yes! Just use a good 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum to make sure the dough is easy to work with, and you might need to add a bit more flour to help the dough come together. I recommend starting with the same amount and then adding a little more if the dough feels too sticky. The dough will be slightly softer, so be gentle when shaping, but they still bake up beautifully (especially in the air fryer!)
Like this recipe? Try these cottage cheese recipes next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day ๐.
Print
Quick No-Blend Cottage Cheese Bagels (High-Protein)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 bagels
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
You only need TWO easy-to-find ingredients to make incredible, high-protein cottage cheese bagels in less than 30 minutes. No need to blend your cottage cheese if you don’t want to! Cook them in the air fryer for maximum speed, or in the oven if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour (approximately 180g), or use all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 cup cottage cheese (approximately 250g), blended or unblended
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, whisked (for the egg wash if you’re not boiling the bagels)
- Toppings of your choice (everything bagel seasoning, pickled jalapeรฑos and grated cheddar, sesame seeds, chili crisp, za’atar or even cinnamon sugar are great ideas)
Instructions
- Mix the dough.ย Add 1ยผ cups self-raising flour (or all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder), 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms, then knead with your hands in the bowl until it comes together.
- Divide the dough.ย Set the dough on a lightly floured surface. Slice it into four (roughly) equal pieces. If you have a scale, they should weigh about 105g each. Use your hands to shape the dough pieces into balls.
- Form the bagels.ย Use your finger to poke a hole in the center of each ball, then gently stretch it into a bagel shape. Make the holes a little larger than you’d expect – theyโll puff up during cooking. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
- Boil the bagels (optional).ย I like to do this when I have time – it gives the bagels a more authentic, chewy texture. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then drop the bagels into the water. Depending on the size of your pot, you might need to do this in stages (I usually do two at a time). Let them boil for about 1 minute, then flip them over and boil for another minute. They should float to the top. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove the bagels from the water and place onto a board or tray.
- Top the bakes.ย If you’veย notย boiled your bagels, brush them with the whisked egg, then sprinkle on your toppings. If you did boil them, skip the egg wash and top them straight after boiling, while they are still damp.
- Cook the bagels. Air fryer:ย Preheat your air fryer to 400ยฐF/200ยฐC (just run it empty for 2 minutes). Place your topped bagels into your air fryer and air fry for nine minutes until lovely and golden. Oven:ย Preheat your oven to 400ยฐF/200ยฐC. Place your topped bagels onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then pop them into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden all over.
- Slice and serve.ย Let the bagels sit for at least 10 minutes before you slice into them if you can – they can be a little gummy if you slice them straight away. Fill with whatever you’d like, and enjoy.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES:ย I normally use non-fat cottage cheese when I make these and it works perfectly fine, but regular cottage cheese is perfect too. If you want to whip or blend your cottage cheese for the bagels, just blitz it in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy, or you can sometimes find whipped cottage cheese at the grocery store.
BLENDED VS UNBLENDED COTTAGE CHEESE: Most recipes I’ve seen use blended or whipped cottage cheese in bagels, but in my testing, I found it hardly made any difference to the finished bagels, which was an immediate win. The dough with unblended cottage cheese was a little more crumbly, but it cuts out a semi-annoying step and means you don’t need to wash up a blender.ย
BOILING VS EGG WASH: Boiling the bagels before cooking them does give you a more authentic, chewy texture, but it’s really not essential here if you don’t want to do the extra step.ย
AIR FRYER VS OVEN:ย There is no denying that it’s SO much faster cooking the bagels in the air fryer. It takes just nine minutes, as opposed to 25 to 30 minutes in the oven. You also only need to preheat the air fryer for a minute, whereas the oven will take a lot longer to come up to temperature. The oven is better if you’re making a big batch. So if you have an air fryer, I recommend using that, but the oven works perfectly too.
AIR FRYER TIP: Most air fryers donโt have a dedicated preheat setting, so just set it to 400ยฐF/200ยฐC and run it for 2 minutes before adding the bagels.
TOPPING IDEAS:ย A classic is everything bagel seasoning, but I love jalapeรฑo cheddar. Just sprinkle grated cheddar cheese onto your bagels, and place a couple of fresh or pickled jalapeรฑos on top. A drizzle of chili crisp oil is excellent too, as is za’atar, sesame seeds or parmesan.
FILLING IDEAS:ย A big schmear of cream cheese is a given, but if you’re looking for a few jazzier ideas, you could try making these chopped chicken Caesar bagels, spread them with whipped spicy cottage cheese for more protein, everything bagel dip (a copycat of the viral one from Trader Joe’s), green goddess dip or layer on hot honey harissa halloumi.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: baking
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bagel
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 1.8g
- Sodium: 564.7mg
- Fat: 1.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 12.4g
- Cholesterol: 2.5mg
They look great! Any possibility these would work with GF flour?
Hi Barb! They should work fine – using a blend with xanthan gum in it will make the dough easier to work with and you might need to add a little more flour to bring the dough together – but apart from that you should be good xx