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.
These are great! Takes time to make them, but they are so worth it!
I found the bagels too sweet for my liking. Probably due to the inulin fiber? And the texture is like bread, not bagel at all. Proofing time was 50 minutes. And yes, the dough was too sticky.
I made these today but had to take them out early as the bottoms were beginning to burn… any idea why? The consistency is fine and they tasted baked through but just wondering why it took so much less time to bake…?
Okay I won’t lie. I was honestly cursing your lies as I was mixing my dough and found it to be a sticky goopy mess. However, I stuck with it, added a little more almond flour until my dough was manageable, and lo and behold – my dough rose and the end product was AMAZING. Totally worth the cursing and the most bagel-like low carb alternative I’ve made. This one is going in my “keep” section.
Lmaooo Amy! Yeah, keto batters are a whole other thing… I used to second guess myself every. single. time at the beginning 😉 ps. greasing your hands with oil makes it not stick to you!
How much extra almond flour instead of the whey? 20 g???
These were delicious! It has been many years since I have eaten a bagel and these filled that void!
Thank you!! With all this cvid stuff I can’t find eggs or cheese so this recipe is perfect as I already have everything! Thank you, your a life saver!
Hi Paola,
These bagels came out perfect! I followed your recipe, exactly. I used the almond flour with ground flax meal. I wanted them dairy free so I did not use whey protein isolate and added the almond flour instead…..let them rise for 60 minutes. I really don’t think they deflated once they came out of the oven. The texture was light, not dense at all. It was such a nice way to spend the afternoon observing “Stay Home” due to coronavirus. Thank you so much. All of your recipes that I have tried have been great! <3
I can’t get this to switch to US measurements??
Click on US Cups below the ingredients Denise 😉
I have been trying to click on the US cups but it is also not converting for me
Juste aller dans le bas de la recette a cote des instructions .. vous y verrez US et metric.. choisissez US
These tasted really good, but mine didn’t rise and the color was brownish gray? I was hoping for crusty too and light inside maybe the psyllium husk changes the color? I will try again . Any idea why I had this result?
How big should each bagel be? Maybe mine didn’t rise enough but they’re a bit small
I made these twice now. The first batch was tasty and very much like a true bagel. They didn’t raise as much as I’d anticipated which I have a feeling was that my oven was a little too warm for the proofing stage. Today I made them adding in chopped jalapeño and white cheddar( my very favourite flavour of high carb bagels).
I only made six this time upping the count to 4net carbs and of course they rise beautifully this time!
Gnom Gnom has become my go to for Keto recipes and this recipe is exactly why. I can count on the recipes being a great alternative. I just read up on your journey this week… so inspiring and thank you for sharing and for giving us great recipes for some of the things we miss the most but without all the guilt and side effects.
Well I have made these twice now and they just will not proof for me. Can not figure out why. The end product tastes mostly like an everything bagel but they seem more smooshy donuty to me. 🙁
Paola, have you tried baking with cauliflower powder to sub in for a nut flour? (Not cauliflower flour, but actually just cauliflower dried into a fine powder?) I am trying to minimize the amount of almond flour in breaded recipes.
Also, if I wanted to sub glucomannan/konjac powder for xanthan gum, would that work?
P.s. Love your recipes! Thank you so so much!
Paola,
I made these bagels this weekend. Another great recipe. They made my house smell wonderful! I should have put the foil paper on top after the 10 minutes like you said in the instructions but I did not. They came out a bit dark but were still delicious!
I was perfect for my bagel, egg, ham and cheese breakfast.
Any chance of developing a Chinese chicken ball recipe? I have one for “fried” rice, but I’d love to make it with chicken balls too.
Not that this needs another comment but delicious as always. Easy to make. Baking scares me being from Colorado but it worked great
If you would make a bialy, my family would love you forever. You can buy them all over NY and NJ. If you don’t know what bialys are: They are a cross between a bagel and an English and usually served grilled or toasted. They are chewy like an English, some have onion and butter near the top center and they are half the height of a bagel.
forgot to rate it.
I just made these – so good! I made six instead of eight. While this was an accident I am happy with the size I got. Perfect! They didn’t rise all that much during the hour I gave them, but they did get a little plumper in the oven. Easy to cut. I love that these aren’t eggy. So wonderful. I made cheddar jalapeño. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Paola you are a Miracle worker. I made these as per recipe perfect! Then I tried it with ground sunflower seeds to try nut free and they were perfect too. I’m going to try your light fluffy bread next.
I am curious what the yeast is acting on if the recipe doesn’t have gluten. That is how traditional bread gets its air holes, from yeast eating gluten. In gluten free, it’s the xanthan gum that makes the holes. Also not clear how the yeast can affect the flavor in this recipe…it just doesnt seem to have anything to act on and by itself, it has no flavor.
For the yeast to feed there has to have sugars but not gluten. But the sugars have to be real not artificial sweeteners
The yeast will provide some rise if you feed it with sugar (even instant or active dry yeast requires this step for grain free sugar free baking!) And will make some rise in the baked good. But honestly, it’s the yeast flavor which is most important!
My bagles spread but didn’t really rise. So they can’t be cut in half. Should the batter be piled high? The recipe didn’t say.
I had the same issue. Not sure if i made them too thin or if i had an issue with the yeast? Disappointing.
I found this worked on my last batch. Just make them a bit higher.
Does egg replacer work on these Keto bagels? I am hesitant to try this but have used egg replacer in standard yeast baking with white flour. Just curious if anyone has tried this substitute.
This is a fabulous recipe! Living in the UK I can’t use the brands you can access, but my bagels still worked out so well I couldn’t believe it. I milled the almond flour and flour from golden flaxseeds in my new Thermomix, and in fact used it to make the dough, making it even easier for myself. The bagels are so like ‘the real thing’ that they are a revelation. Having been gluten free for about 8 years and giving up entirely on any bread products because even the substitutes weren’t that great, were expensive and still caused bloating, I hadn’t thought to try ‘bread’ at all since being on a Keto diet for diabetes (successfully in remission now). these are so good I had to freeze the remaining bagels so that I wouldn’t demolish them all!
Thank you so much for your brilliant blog and for this excellent recipe. It’s a game changer.
Jacqui I luv that u used a Thermomix. Mine must b 20 yrs old but still works. I’ve been thinking of trying this recipe out to see if it works because of the dough function. Please if u have any tips, I’m all ears!
Did you use the dough function on thermomix or whisk? I have Thermomix. Would be useful to know the steps you took. Tq
Bonjour. si j’utilise de la levure sèche rapide Fleischmann a-t-on les mêmes résultats ?
Merci
oui, c’est la meme chose
I’m sooo very disappointed, I tried these, followed this recipe to a T, measured everything as said, even double-checked myself. the yeast did rise, I was hopeful.
However the dough did not get thick as it said, I again checked to make sure I hadn’t messed up. so I went ahead and just dipped the dough out on the parchment paper. tried to make the holes in the center as best as I could, put the oil-coated saran wrap on and let it proof, what a laugh it did rise but out not up. It took me hours to do this. I had tried the bread in it was ok, even tho it didn’t rise much, it was edible. I just wish it would have turned out, since being on a low carb diet, I really miss anything bread.
It’s possible that your yeast was to old
( shelf live) or the water was to hot or not hot enough. Give it another try and use a thermometer for checking temp. Good luck
I made these but used collagen powder in place of the whey protein. I think this may be why they didn’t rise as much as the ones pictures but the taste is wonderful. To me, the rise isn’t as big of a deal as I’m just having them with cream cheese and it’s the first bread-like food I’ve had in 2 years so I’m thrilled!!
Hi, if I were to use gluten how much would I use. I suppose I would delete the xanthen gum also?
Thanks
Can someone help me find a brand name for the inulin ingredient? I’m new to all of this and while I know a few of the ingredients the inulin is very new to me. Also, if you know where I could purchase the inulin from would be appreciated. I have looked up inulin but I get different results and I really want to try this recipe. I just want to make sure I have the correct ingredients when I start the recipe. Thanks! 🙂
Paola links to all of the ingredients. You just have to click the link highlighted word 🙂
pink*
I buy Now brand Inulin online at Amazon.
just click on the pink link in the receipt.. it will you at Amazon shop.. you will find different size and price
Organic Inulin FOS Powder (From Jerusalem Artichoke), 1KG (35 Ounce), Prebiotic Intestinal Support, Colon and Gut Health, Natural Water Soluble Fibers
Hi, how long do you have to mix the flour into the liquid before it turns into a dough? Mine stayed very tacky.
Thanks!
Hi!
Can it be made with lupin flour (or lhalf lupin, half almond)?
helleo danielle
did you try it with lupin? je serais interessée àsavoir .Si oui quels sont vos proportions