These 2 Ingredient Bagels are simply made with self rising flour and non-fat Greek yogurt!
Traditional homemade bagels, while easy to make, are a bit time consuming. The yeasted dough requires plenty of resting time (usually overnight). It is then poached in boiling water before being baked in the oven.
The recipe for these 2 ingredient bagels skips the yeast and the poaching liquid. The bagel dough is simply made from two ingredients- self rising flour and nonfat Greek yogurt), shaped into rolls, topped with egg wash and any desired seasonings, and then baked.
In less than 45 minutes, you can have hot fresh bagels ready for cream cheese, lox, nut butter, or whatever fillings your heart desires!
A note about the Greek yogurt:
It’s very important that you use a thick, nonfat Greek yogurt for this recipe. Fage and Stonyfield are two brands that work well. If the yogurt is too runny or has liquid in it, it will probably make the dough too sticky. A thicker Greek yogurt should work perfectly. If your dough is sticky add more flour or use less yogurt. Take a look at the video to see if the Greek yogurt you’re using looks as thick as it does in the video.
How do these 2 ingredient bagels compare to traditional bagels?
Of course these 2 ingredient bagels cannot truly mimic the iconic chew and bite of a traditional poached and baked bagel. However, they come pretty darn close!
If you want a bagel with more “chew” make your own self-rising flour using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. The additional protein in bread flour will help get that desired texture. See *Recipe Notes in the recipe below for details.
What’s the easiest way to shape bagels?
Most recipes will tell you to roll the bagel dough into a rope and then pinch the edges together. I prefer a different method.
Shape each portion of dough into a ball. Use your thumbs to make a hole in the center of each ball. Gently pull and stretch until the dough is a uniform sized ring.
Before baking, the bagel dough is brushed with egg wash. The egg wash allows any desired toppings to stick to the dough. More importantly, the egg wash helps to give the baked bagels their brown coloring.
There are countless variation on bagel toppings. Use the ever popular “everything bagel seasoning mix” of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic powder, onion flakes, and sea salt. I’ve seen this “mix” sold at Trader Joe’s. Or stick to a plain egg-washed version!
These 2 ingredient bagels make for great breakfast sandwiches!
How to store 2-Ingredient Bagels:
Eat these bagels warm out of the oven, or let cool and store in a zip baggie or well-sealed container for up to 24 hours. If you keep them refrigerated, they should stay good up to 3 days. If you want to freeze them, wrap them individually and let them thaw before cutting open and toasting.
Weight Watchers Bagels:
2 ingredient bagels are also known as “Weight Watchers Bagels.” Regular bagels are far too caloric to enjoy when you’re following the Weight Watchers program, but since Greek yogurt is “free” on the Freestyle program, these bagels are a great breakfast option. Each bagel is counted as 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints.
This magical 2-ingredient dough recipe can be used to make several other baked goods. Using a different ratio of flour to yogurt, you can make pizza dough or pretzel bites!
If you are interested in more easy no-yeast bread recipes, you might like this Irish Soda Bread or Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits. These Black Pepper Gougeres or these Garlic Herb and Cheese Bread Sticks are also great options!
Things you can buy to help you make the best 2-Ingredient Bagels:
- SELF RISING FLOUR: I’m partial to this brand– love it!
- EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING: If you cannot get to Trader Joe’s, this is a good brand too… and it can be delivered tomorrow.
- RIMMED BAKING SHEETS: I use these baking sheets for absolutely everything >> bagels, roasted vegetables, salmon, baked chicken and cookies!
- PARCHMENT PAPER: These are awesome! They’re pre-cut pieces of parchment that fit your rimmed baking sheet perfectly.
2 Ingredient Bagels
Ingredients
BAGEL DOUGH:
- 2 cups self rising flour
- 1 to 2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt (see Recipe Notes for tips)
TOPPINGS:
- 1 large egg
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon water
- everything bagel seasoning mix, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc (all optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Lightly coat with cooking spray to prevent the bagels from sticking.
- In a large bowl, use a sturdy spatula to combine the self-rising flour and 1 CUP OF THE YOGURT until the mixture clumps to a shaggy dough. Add additional yogurt until you have a good consistency that is not quite sticky. You may or may not need to add a full additional cup of yogurt to the dough. It depends on the moisture content of the yogurt you are using. Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough together by hand for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If your dough is sticky add more flour or use less yogurt. (see Recipe Notes below for tips).
- Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Shape each portion of dough into a ball. Use your thumbs to make a hole in the center of each ball. Gently pull and stretch until the dough is a uniform sized ring. Repeat with remaining rounds. Flour your hands as needed.
- Arrange the shaped bagels on the prepared baking sheet. Mix together the egg wash by whisking the egg, salt, and water in a small bowl until smooth. Brush the egg wash mixture over the bagels. Sprinkle desired toppings over bagels.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through baking. Remove from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes until the tops of the bagels have browned.
- Eat warm out of the oven, or let cool and store in a zip baggie or well-sealed container for up to 24 hours. If you keep them refrigerated, they should stay good up to 3 days. If you want to freeze them, wrap them individually and let them thaw before cutting open and toasting.
Notes
- To make homemade self-rising flour: combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.
- To make a bagel with more "chew," substitute bread flour for AP flour in homemade self-rising flour recipe listed above.
- Use strained thick Greek yogurt. Stay away from those that are labeled "Greek style" yogurt as they tend to have more moisture. Suggested brands include: Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt and Stonyfield Greek Yogurt. If there is any liquid in your yogurt, it should be drained before using. Thick Greek yogurt works the best!
- The dough can also be mixed together in a stand mixer using a dough hook attachment. Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase to medium speed and knead until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
- When rotating the baking sheet, check if the bottoms of the bagels are browning too fast. If so, simply place another baking sheet under the current baking sheet and continue baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We’ve made this recipe for years. We’ve used regular plain yogurt many times, because it’s so much cheaper. We pour off as much whey as possible and follow the recipe. The bagels always come out very good. We love them!
THESE BAGELS ARE AMAZING!!!! For those saying they don’t resemble real bagles I think they absolutely do and I followed the recipe to a tee!!! For homage 2 ingredient bagels these are amazing. I will
be making again and again and again!!
Surprisingly yum!!
These came out great! I made mine smaller and lumpier to better mimic real (ie. Montreal-style) bagels. I’m not going to pretend that the similarities continued from there — taste and texture were completely different, of course, but still delicious, with a great chew, a soft centre, and a crispy exterior (when toasted) that was the perfect vehicle for cream cheese. Freezing hasn’t affected the texture at all — I thaw one in the fridge overnight and then cut and toast. I created my self-rising flour from your instructions (it’s not available where I live) and Fage 0%, needing the full two cups, so that put each bagel at just under 150 calories and 9 grams of protein. I’m going to be making these again in other varieties, like cinnamon raisin, 🙂
This recipe is simple and the bagels taste great! I put poopy seeds, sesame seeds, and shredded Asiago cheese on top of mine.
These were so good…and so easy… I will definitely be making these again
So fun ! Made exactly per recipe . Came out great . So easy . That’s the best thing about it , you don’t have to do anything else !
Really like the diversity and ease of this recipe. For the bagels I personally would add a little sugar but I was still pleased with them.
So good and so easy! I did use bread flour and it was not quite as dense as a regular bagel but it had a nice “chew”. I halved the recipe because it’s just hubby and me, and I got 4 small bagel. Not mini bagels, but smaller than what you would but in a store. I think they’re a perfect size! I might try subbing an egg yolk or two for some of the yogurt to make “egg” bagels. Thanks for a really nice recipe and all the helpful hints!
A slight modification makes it easier. I used 2 cups self rising flour, 1 cup of Fage non fat Greek Yogurt and 1/8 cup of water. I placed these ingredients into a bread machine, water first, then yogurt, then flour and allowed the bread machine to knead the mixture. No mess and easy. Bagels were perfect.
Interesting- thank you!
Question about bread flour? If I substitute it in place of self rising flour, do I need to do anything different?
You need the self rising flour, but it’s easy to make from All purpose.
For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of self-rising flour, you would mix together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.