In search for a dairy free alternative to fathead dough?! Look no further than these gluten free, paleo and keto bagels with yeast. Soft, chewy and with an awesome taste(i.e. no eggy or cheesy business here!).
Gluten Free & Keto Bagels
With yeast!
These low carb and grain free bagels are pure gold guys! And if you’ve already met my soft ‘n fluffy sandwich bread (or proper cinnamon rolls!), you already know I don’t mess around when it comes to bread.
And these guys right here are no exception. Plus, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to whip them up.
p.s. They’re just 3g net carbs per (full-sized!) bagel. Ideal!
The Deets
Because the keto grain free flours do not cook in water, doing a traditional bagel recipe (i.e. boiling them before baking!) unfortunately just isn’t possible. Still, the results are outstanding.
As you well know, bagels are dense and chewy, so you may want to play around a bit with the rising time to get them denser or lighter. Full disclosure, I prefer to do a bit of a longer rise (about 45-50 minutes); they become a little softer, but the taste with the yeast becomes sooo good.
Still, making these paleo and keto bagels is incredibly simple really. But, like with any yeasted bread, it does require you take care of a few details to ensure the best possible outcome.
In my experience, and unlike our staple sandwich keto bread, these low carb bagels don’t collapse much (if at all!) post bake.
You just must ensure your bagels do increase in size substantially while proofing. They can even double if you let them, but they do become a bit fluffier. And note that grain free yeast doughs do require a little extra warmth. For instance, I place my tray on top of my oven as I heat it up (so my tray gets slightly warm and they rise beautifully). But you must ensure you don’t overheat them or you’ll kill the yeast. Think a warm and humid day at the beach, that’s the ideal temperature.
Shape the dough
Wet your fingertips and shape into rounds, poking a whole in the middle and smoothing as much as possible.
Let it rise
Grain free yeast doughs need a little more cuddling. So find a warm spot and proof the dough for 20-60 minutes (less time for denser bagels, more for fluffier ones).
Bake them up!
Brush with an egg white wash (better browning), sprinkle with toppings of choice (you can’t go wrong with Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel), and bake for about 20-25 mins until deep golden.
The Tips ‘N Tricks
The yeast in this low carb and keto bread ensures a wonderful texture and taste. Check out these tips for best results with grain free yeast doughs!
Weigh your ingredients. This will forever be a staple recommendation for any sort of gluten free baking here at gnom-gnom. As aside from leading to less dirty dishes, it will ensure consistent results time and time again. Remember that gluten free (and particularly keto) baking is notoriously finicky, and measuring by cups is anything but accurate. And if you don’t own a baking scale, measure with cups by dropping the ingredients onto them rather than scooping them out (which often leads to overpacking).
Ingredients at room temperature. Self explanatory really, but incredibly important (particularly for the eggs). If you add cold eggs to the mix your bread simply won’t rise much (if at all).
Proof the yeast. This involves mixing dry active yeast with water that’s just warm to touch (between 105-110°F to be precise) and inulin or an actual sugar (think maple syrup or honey) for 7 minutes until foamy. And before you scream sugar (!!) remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.
Avoid abrupt temperature changes and air drafts. Like with any yeast bread, you need to cuddle your dough. Make sure it’s able to rest undisturbed in a warm space.
Baking at high altitude? Yup, so am I (Paola here!!). You just need to up the temperature a bit to seal the rise, and just keep an eye out for excessive browning.
The Ingredients & Possible Subs
These bagels do have a few ingredients, but you’ll find that most are staple paleo and keto pantry ingredients. In the list below you’ll find details on several ingredients and possible subs. This is also perhaps the most forgiving recipe in terms of subs out of all the grain free yeast bread recipes on the site!
Almond flour. You truly need a super finely ground almond flour here, as if you use meal your rolls will turn out dense and oily. Super fine almond flour brands include Anthony’s , WellBees and Bob’s.
Now if paleo, or in keto maintenance, you can lighten up the bread even more by substituting part of the almond flour (3-6 tablespoons) with arrowroot flour.
Flaxseed meal or psyllium husk can be used interchangeably in this recipe, and they both need to be re-ground for best texture. You’ll want to use golden flaxseed meal (we use Bob’s), and regrind the flakes in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until finely powdered. Great way to avoid slimy bread. And for the psyllium husk powder, NOW brand doesn’t turn bread purple.
Whey protein isolate ensures a better rise. But since bagels are on the dense side, you can get away with subbing with more almond flour (they just collapse a bit post bake). Keep in mind that this ingredient varies tremendously from brand to brand, and we’ve only tried (and are super happy!) with Isopure’s Zero Carb Unflavored. I’m still experimenting with more subs here, but a few of you reported back successfully back on our soft ‘n fluffy sandwich bread that collagen and hemp pro protein powder worked (I cannot guarantee these subs yet though!).
Xanthan gum. Borrowed from molecular cooking, xanthan gum is the binding agent which makes your toothpaste jelly-like (and your cream cheese, well cream cheese-like). And it’s also the most common gluten-replacer in gluten free baking. And while we do prefer the results with it, you can sub it with flax.
Gluten Free & Keto Bagels (With Yeast!)
Ingredients
For the keto bagels
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons inulin maple syrup or honey, to feed the yeast
- 120 ml water lukewarm between 105-110°F
- 192 g almond flour
- 42 g golden flaxseed meal or psyllium husk, finely ground
- 20 g whey protein isolate or more almond flour (in tablespoons)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum or 1 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds**
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt depending on toppings
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
- 21 g extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Topping suggestions
- 1 egg white lightly beaten with a teaspoon of water, for egg wash
- Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel
Instructions
- Our keto bagels use the focaccia methodology (albeit different ratios), but do check out the video below for deets 'n tricks!
- Add yeast and maple syrup (to feed the yeast, see notes) to a large bowl. Heat up water to 105-110°F, and if you don't have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch. Pour water over yeast mixture, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn't start again (too cold water won't activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
- Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, psyllium husk (or flaxseed meal), whey protein isolate (or more almond flour), xanthan gum, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Once your yeast is proofed, add in the egg, egg whites, olive oil and vinegar. Mix with a whisk or electric mixer for a couple minutes until light and frothy. Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. You want to mix thoroughly and quickly to activate the xanthan gum, though the dough will become very thick by the end and form into a round.
- Line a baking tray with a baking mat or parchment paper. Wet your hands (so the dough doesn't stick!) and divide the dough into 8 rounds. Smooth the rounds as much as possible and, using your index finger, make an indentation in the center, stretching out the dough until 'bagel shaped'. Cover with a oiled cling film (saran wrap) and place in a warm draft-free space for 20-60 minutes. You want to do 20 minutes for a denser bagel, and 40-60 for a fluffier one (I personally go for the longer rise as the yeast taste develops much more!).
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C while the dough is proofing. And if you're baking at high altitude, you'll want to bake it at 375°F/190°C.
- Brush with an egg white wash (better browning), sprinkle with toppings of choice (you can't go wrong with Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel), and bake for about 20-25 mins until deep golden. Check in on them at minute 10-13, and cover with aluminum foil if needed.
- Allow the bagels to cool completely for best texture, as the bread will continue to cook while cooling resulting in a better crumb. But if you can't hold your horses, at least give it 15 minutes before digging in (the bagels in the pics were cut just 20 minutes after baking).
- Keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days, giving it a light toast before serving again. These guys also freeze great.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
and some food (for thought) 👁️
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(p.s. we don’t talk about fight club 🪄 )
xo! Paola
Hellloooooooo!! 👋🏻
I made the. Read and now the bagels.
The bread was very flat and had an odd taste. The bagels- flat. What did I do wrong?
I’m so excited for a Non fathead dough!!
Oh no Kari! I need a bit more info though (did you make any subs, what do you mean by an odd taste?). Did your yeast proof properly? For a better rise your bagels likely just needed a bit more warmth to rise xo!
I didn’t make any changes as I am in NO WAY baking savvy! You do amazing work and no need to change it.
Neither of them rose a lot. I left them covered on the stove to proof.
Do you take orders? I would seriously buy a couple loads and sets of bagels from you!!!!
I tried this recipe last night and they turned out great. This is by far the best keto bagel recipe I’ve tried. I love that you provide weight for the measurements. The only issue I had is my bagels have the slightest bit of grittiness to them. I’m trying to figure out which of my ingredients would be causing it. My thought is it must be the psyllium husk as all the other ingredients I use regularly and have never noticed this before. Have you ever come across this issue?
Hi Carrie! You guys write about grittiness/sandiness form time to time and you’re right, it’s generally that an ingredient isn’t fine enough. I’m also not sure why, but it does seem to become more obvious in the keto yeast recipes. Almond flour should be fine, flaxseed meal should be golden and bought ground (then re-grind the flakes into powder yourself), psyllium husks (I’ve been buying the powder lately and its SUPER finely ground nowadays). I hope this helps! xo!
Hello!
I made these today and they are very flat😖😖 what did I do wrong?
I’ve been thinking…if you buy a bagel mold…then put your bagel dough in it…then but the mold in a vacuum seal pack like a foodsaver bag..then dunk it in water to simulate boiling them. I wonder if that would do the trick? Anyhow..if it works…give me credit hahaha.
The problem is that the keto ‘flours’ aren’t actually grains so they don’t cook in water 🙁
But if you put them in a mold and then steam them in a steamer like you would broccoli for example, or vaccuum seal and throw in a sous vide, that wouod “simulate” it no? Im gonna give it a try. By the way, ive made these bagels, they are good, thanks!
I would say definitely no! they don’t cook in water (or steam) and will just turn soggy xo!
I’m so happy to have found these! I was a little worried as I tried the bread recipe that was a little mushy (I was impatient and cut it too soon lol) but these came out next to perfect!
I love cheddar jalapeño bagels and want to try that next. What moderations (if any) would you suggest for baking with these toppings?
BTW I’m so thankful for your website. The recipes I found via YouTube don’t even compare to how amazing your recipes are. Thanks so much xoxo
I followed your recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly! I’m very excited to add these to my keto way of life. Certainly makes it a little easier. THANK YOU!!
Also my bagels are grey. How do you make them white?
Hi I made these exactly as the recipe says without any substitutions. But my bagels didn’t rise that much after 60 minutes. I would love to make the fluffy bagels you described successfully.
Paola, can you give more details on the rise? Before the rise how thick do you make the bagels? After 60 min how thick do they become? Should I try putting a towel on top to make the bagels warmer when they proof? Any tips would be appreciated.
Mine didn’t rise much at all, and then the next day they were “wet”. So much so that I couldn’t even spread cream cheese on them – it kept sliding off because of the “wetness”. I used Now brand psyllium husk instead of the golden flaxseed meal, if that makes a difference. What causes this? Not grinding it up enough in the re-grind? Will I get the same result if I try with the golden flax seed meal?
What would happen if you didn’t use any yeast at all? Would love to make these and I don’t have any at the moment.
The thing is that the recipe was built around the yeast Kasey, so without it they won’t rise (per usual for most keto breads) and they won’t have that tangy bread taste 🙁
I followed the recipe exactly, taking the temperature of my water for the yeast (110 degrees), weighing all of my ingredients, proofing the dough in a very warm spot, etc. They hardly rose at all, and are VERY small. Way smaller than what they look in your pictures. Can you think of what might have caused that? Maybe I smoothed them down too much? I rolled them into balls, then mashed them down a bit into rounds, and then used my thumb to make an opening in the middle. Mine are very smooth on top like a traditional bagel. Could this have been it?
Your instructions were so clear and it is amazing to smell bread in my house again! Thank you so much for this recipe!
All I have is rapid rise yeast, would that make a difference? Thanks!
I haven’t personally used it Amy, but a couple readers have reported back on it successfully in the sandwich bread xo
Hello! May I ask if this will work with blanched almond pulp (from making nut milk) ?
Does the liquid in the proofed yeast need to be completely reduced to foam before adding the egg mixture ?
Thanks!
Hi Sophia! I wouldn’t use the leftover pulp tbh as part of the composition of the almonds will have gone into the milk already (= not the same thing as almond flour unfortunately!).
And do keep in mind that the proof yeast doesn’t reduce, it simply bubbles xo!
Unfortunately whey protein is actually dairy so using this will not be Paleo 😞
She says you can use more Almond flour!
I tried these yesterday. Delicious! I did notice my dough seemed a little bit more moist than the one in the pictures. Not sure if it’s because I’m in the Northwest (I’ve had it happen before), but they turned out good. I only got 7, and they weren’t as big and puffy as your pictures, but they did rise just slightly when I left them for an hour to proof.
Maybe they get just as big and puffy as you form them to be? Or maybe they were supposed to rise more?
For the moisture issue, do you think it would hurt to add a bit more almond flour to dry it out a bit after mixing, if needed? Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
These Bagels were absolutely amazing. I’m really impressed with how it turned out, and how true and accurate everything in this recipe was. I think the next time I’m going to try to make this like a flatbread, so it will be a little more Focaccia like. Thank you So much and please keep recipes like this coming!
Awesome to hear Julie! And def on the focaccia, the bagels themselves were inspired by it (check out the recipes for the focaccia and extra fluffy pizza!) xo!
Can we make this without the Apple cider vinegar? Or should that taste cook off entirely? I’m really not a fan of the flavor or smell of vinegar
I think leaving it out would be fine, as baking powder doesn’t need an acid to activate it (like baking soda does). I could taste the vinegar in my everything bagels, but not in my cinnamon and sugar ones, which is interesting. I’m going to leave out the vinegar next time.
This recipe is well-written with clear instructions, but mine didn’t turn out at all like the pics you show. I used Kirkland superfine almond flour, the whey protein isolate that you suggest, and Bob’s Red Mill ground flax, and since I didn’t have xanthan gum, I used more of the ground flax. My yeast proofed nicely, I had the eggs at room temp, amd I also used a scale to measure everything, but my dough came out really wet. They also didn’t rise at all while cooking and actually became flat. Do you think the missing xanthan gum is the problem, or perhaps my scale is screwy?
Hello, my bagels did not work 🙁 I followed your recipe to a T I’m not sure where I went wrong. I used almond flour instead of whey protein and flax seed as I haven’t been able to find xanthan gum here in New Zealand.
Could these two changes cause them not to rise? Thank you
Definitely Chanelle! Please keep in mind that making all those subs means not making the recipe-to-a-t (grain free yeast baking is particularly fuzzy, so unfortunately too many things were changed here and the liquid/dry ratios got thrown off) xo!
i think she made the 2 changes you suggested in brackets in the recipe…should we not be making those substitutes?
There was yogurt as well and something else? (I’m on my phone so I’m going by memory) :-S
Yogurt has a different acidity and live cultures. With regular baking I don’t see it being a problem, but tbh grain free baking has given me quite the surprises, particularly with yeast. Still, not sure it was this.
I’m not in the kitchen with you guys, so they could’ve also been under naked etc? It’s hard to diagnose exact problems at times 😘
I went to bin inn, they have xantham gum (with an ‘m’ instead of an ‘n’)
Let me begin by saying that you are a genius and that your recipes bring joy to my life lol. I search this site in my free time more than anything else and have been building one amazing pantry as a result. With all that said, I made the bagels and they didn’t turn out anything like I excepted and weren’t very good. I know your skills are on point so what did I do wrong? They came out almost moist and extra dense (like no holes at all when u cut it open) and while they didn’t taste bad per se, they tasted super almondy/fake bready . Here’s what I used so maybe u can help me identify the issue so I don’t screw up the next batch lol. All I had in the house was instant yeast but it foamed up perfectly so I don’t think that was the culprit. I used psyllium husk powder which was literally powder so it was very fine (did turn the bagels almost purple tho but I’m from NY and I’m used to crazy bagel varieties lol). I didn’t have any whey protein isolate (please believe it’s in my amazon cart now tho) so I subbed with more almond flour as suggested but that shouldn’t have ruined them, right? I did use superfine almond flour but it’s Costco Kirkland Signature brand. I wet my hands quite a bit during the molding stage and gave a generous egg white wash. Also, are these supposed to be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside like a regular bagel or no? These were soft and corn muffin type dense. Helppp. I am jonesin for a bagel and on the verge of committing carbacide 😂.
Thank you for sharing these amazing recipes with the world!
Hi! Can I premake the dough a day or two ahead before baking? If so, how should I adjust the prep/cooking method.
Unfortunately you can’t Kay! You need to proof the dough and bake it otherwise the yeast dies (you can freeze them baked!) xo
thanks so so much for your fast reply. can’t wait to try them!
This is a truly special recipe, Paola! I used the golden flax seed meal (not psyllium) and more almond flour as I don’t have whey protein isolate on hand that’s not flavored. Still came out great! I am definitely going to have to use this dough for a pizza, too.
Just wondering how much almond flour you put in, in place of the whey protein. Do you put in the 20g?
Unbelievably good. Skipped the bagel shape and just baked these up as rolls. Perfect for burgers or whatever! Thank you!
Hello. I’m planning on giving these a try. I see you call for Whey Protein Isolate which just looks like a protein powder. Can you use any protein powder? I use this one which is 100% plant based.
Hi Corey, whey protein isolate is used professionally to help yeast breads rise better- so not any protein powder will work unfortunately 🙁 xo!
I never really comment on anything, but these bagels were just too amazing not to say something. Thank you so much for creating this, you truly saved me from the carb cravings.. haha:) Your recipes are the only ones I trust for keto stuff. ❤️
So awesome to hear Victoria, thank you for reporting back! 🙂 p.s. check out some of the other yeast breads like the cinnamon rolls ;)!
I made them tonight. Lovely.
One problem: shaping them. It gets messy and I couldn’t do a nice job. I was hesitant to wet my hands too much as I thought it might affect the final outcome.
Is there a better easier way to shape them? A piping bag perhaps?
Hi Ryan! Piping could definitely make it easier with a little practice 😉
Any other suggestion?
I mean I think your piping bag is a good alternative as I mentioned (maybe oil it so the dough doesn’t stick?). I just honestly don’t find them that hard to shape (keto yeast doughs are a little weird when they rise, so you don’t get smooth bagels or breads anyways). Maybe just a bit more practice?
I did end up making it last weekend, following the recipe almost to the T (using finely ground psyllium husks rather than flax). It turned out great. The only change was that I made 6 bagels, each weighing 90g, rather than 8. I thought they were a bit to small when I was shaping them to be 8. I let them rise for 60 minutes. They rose, and after baking ended up being slightly smaller than a typical bagel, but still a reasonable size.
The only thing that I didn’t like is that the texture had a slight psyllium sliminess. I did bake them a bit longer, to account for their bigger size. I also waited for 3 hours before slicing them and toasting them. I noticed that in another recipe you wrote that different psyllium behaves differently. So I wonder if next time I should use less psyllium and more almond flour, or whether I should use flax instead of some of the psyllium?
All in all this is the most bread-like paleo bread I’ve had to date. I can’t wait to try your other bread recipes. Thanks a lot!
This looks awesome! Plan on trying it out this weekend. A question, you mention substituting part of the almond flour (3-6 tablespoons) with arrowroot flour. Should the amount of arrowroot flour be the equivalent of almond flour taken out by weight or by volume? Arrowroot flour is denser, so if I substitute in the same amount by volume it would be more by weight.
Thanks!
I made these and they are wonderful. I got an AMAZING rise out of them. I did let them rise for over 60 minutes while I cooked other things. The taste and texture are authentic. I put cream cheese on one and my mind and taste buds were blown! These WILL be a staple in my home for sure!
Is it possible that oat fibre may be a better substitute for the whey protein than more almond flour? I use this in my fathead bagel recipe because it makes it a bit more bread-like. But I wasn’t sure here.
Unfortunately no Alison, you need a protein and whey works best xo