These 2 Ingredient Bagels are simply made with self rising flour and Greek yogurt! There is no yeast needed in this recipe, and you don’t need a fancy pan. Originally a Weight Watchers recipe, two ingredient bagels are healthier than store-bought. There are so many variations of the 2 ingredient bagel that you can make, including 2 Ingredient Cinnamon Raisin Bagels!
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.
What is 2 Ingredient Dough?
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 Greek yogurt, shaped into rolls, topped with egg wash and any desired seasonings, and then baked. Using self-rising flour means that the bagels will rise without the need for yeast. In less than 45 minutes, you can have hot fresh bagels ready for cream cheese, lox, nut butter, or whatever fillings your heart desires! You can also use the same two ingredient dough to make pizza dough!
Notes about the Greek yogurt:
- It’s very important that you use a thick, Greek yogurt (regular or nonfat) for this recipe. Don’t use yogurt that isn’t labeled as “Greek.”
- 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! The texture of a two ingredient bagel is more like a biscuit or roll, rather than a dense bagel.
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.
How to make 2-Ingredient Bagels from scratch:
In a large bowl, use a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon to combine the self-rising flour and 1 CUP OF THE YOGURT until the mixture clumps into 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. Then divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
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!
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.
Are 2 Ingredient Bagels healthier than traditional bagels?
Two ingredient bagels are generally considered to be a healthier choice than a classic bagel. The Greek yogurt in the recipe adds a good amount of protein. They are lower in calories, and there is less fat.
Can these bagels be made in the air fryer?
Yes! Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray). Air fry the bagels at 280 degrees F for 15 to 16 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Just be sure not to crowd the bagels in the basket.
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. Freeze 2 ingredient bagels for up to 6 months. 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 2-ingredient magic dough recipe can be used to make several other baked goods. They make for great breakfast sandwiches and avocado toast too! Using a different ratio of flour to yogurt, you can also make pretzel bites.
If you are a fan of bagels, you might like to try my Almond Flour Bagels recipe. You may also enjoy Bagel Quiche, Egg in a Bagel and Caramel Apple Bagel Bread Pudding.
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 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℉. 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.
- nutritional info figured using nonfat Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My bagels won’t cook inside.
They turned out great! They were a hit at my job. I didn’t use the egg wash on top I just sprayed extra-virgin olive oil spray on the top of them.
I made breakfast bagels by adding some Splenda, vanilla, and cinnamon. I think the bagels have a sour-dough taste because of the yogurt so you really have to off-set that to make them sweet. I have also added cocoa powder, coconut, PB2 powder, and pecans. The kids like coming up with their own combinations, which is fun for them. The Splenda keeps the WW points at three but if you don’t care about that, the sky’s the limit. I love that they are so fast and easy.
Can you make these with almond flour?
I have not tried making these with almond flour. I would imagine they’d turn out quite different.
i’m on the blue plan and when i enter the nutritional info into the recipe builder they come up as 4 instead of 3, am i missing something?! HELP!! lol
Hmmm- I have the recipe typed into the WW app. The only thing in the recipe that has points is the flour, which computes to 24 points for 8 servings. That computes to 3 per bagel!
How are these best stored?
I made mine with dannon light and fit that I needed used up. So delicious!
Covered container is fine. They should freeze well too!
Can you make this with full fat Greek yogurt?
Yes, but it will change the nutritional info.
Tried this for the first time and loved it! They all disappeared fast so now I have to make more. The best greek Yogurt was the key! I bought everything bagel at trader Joes, it is great. I also loved the texture better because was not so chewy. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delicious!
This is the first time I have ever made a bagel, I do make lots of biscuits. So I tried this recipe and it was great. I think the texture was a little more like a biscuit, but the flavor was very good. I topped them with some harvarti cheese. My husband said it’s a keeper. So will be making more of these.