These bagels are actually made with just 3 ingredients and happen to be vegan, gluten free, grain free and an option to be nut free! As someone who has been gluten free and vegan for years but also prefers not to consume grains all the time, I felt like there was really a lack of bagel recipes that ticked all these boxes. The only recipes I had known took a lot more time and effort. I knew that you could make bagels without the yeast and the time allowing it to rise but I hadn’t seen anything making a whole food plant based recipe so I set out to make these!
I grew up near a Noah’s bagels in Los Angeles. If you know you know! I’m aware this is no New York bagel shop but I loved getting my toasted bagel with extra cream cheese. I know we all have a different bagel preference so I love that this recipe can really be customizable. From an everything bagel to a blueberry bagel you can make this however you like it. I personally have been on an “Everything but the bagel” seasoning kick from Trader Joe’s and I find it brings these bagels to the next level.
I have tried some paleo and gluten free bagels over the years and they had a really grainy texture or the flavor was just really lacking. A bagel should be firm enough but also be a little soft and chewy on the inside and I think this bagel really has that. I made these as 4 mini bagels but you could also double the ingredients to make 8 mini bagels or 4 large bagels.
The 3 ingredients are:
CASSAVA FLOUR: Also known as yuca, it is a huge staple in other countries and very commonly found in South American cuisine. Cassava in this natural form is a tuber that looks similar to a yam. The flour is naturally gluten free and grain free. It’s one of my favorite alternatives to white flour because it has incredible health benefits, like being high in Vitamin C, but it’s flavor is very neutral. Since it looks and tastes similar to normal flour it’s a great alternative in a lot of baking, however it absorbs a lot of moisture quickly so you have to use it the right way. When making these bagels I recommend forming the bagels quickly and putting them into a preheated oven asap. You don’t want them to sit for too long as it could change the chemistry in the dough.
DAIRY FREE *VEGAN* PLAIN YOGURT: The yogurt is kind of the magic that brings the dough together. I used an almond based yogurt because I don’t have a nut allergy but you can also sub it for an oat or soy yogurt for a nut free option.
BAKING POWDER: Try to find aluminum free baking powder, I used this the leavening agent and I believe it allowed the bagel to have a little *bounce* in the texture.
NOTE:
- 1 cup Cassava flour
- ⅔ cup dairy free yogurt (try almond oat or soy)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt (optional)
- Optional:
- Brush with water or equal parts maple syrup and avocado oil then cover with seasoning of choice.
- I used Trader Joe's "Everything but the bagel" seasoning, you can add sesame seeds or poppy seeds etc!
- Form the dough by mixing the ingredients then using your hands to form one large ball of dough. Onto a cutting board, cut dough into 4 pieces. Then form each section into a round bagel shape and use your pointer finger to create a hole in the center. Top with any toppings if you like.
- Place them onto a baking sheet. I used a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350F for 20-25 mins. Makes 4 bagels. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (I had mine for up to a week and they were great!) Then spice in half and pop in the toaster oven. Enjoy with your favorite vegan cream cheese or bagel toppings.
Once you bake these you can refrigerate them in an airtight container (or freeze them) and when ready to eat I find the best way to go is to put them in a toaster oven. The bagels get a little firm when refrigerated but once you toast them they are perfect. I like top these with vegan cream cheese. Kite Hills and Mikoyos are two of my favorite brands. I recommend adding the cream cheese on the last few minutes if you have a toaster oven and it makes for a really delicious bagel!
Enjoy! Please comment or tag me on Instagram at @justinecolbert if you make them and let me know how you like them.
Thanks for sharing! I just tried this and the dough was so dry, there was no way it was going to form into a ball. What brand cassava flour and yogurt did you use? I used otto’s flour and coco june coconut yogurt to make it AIP. I don’t imagine the coconut yogurt is what made it dry as I used the same volume you indicated. So disappointed it didn’t work out. Do you have any advice?
My pleasure but I’m sorry to hear that happened. That is odd, Ottos brand Ive used it was great. I haven’t used with cocojune so I wonder if the yogurt changed it. With this recipe I definitely recommend increasing the yogurt if its too dry and working quickly because cassava can absorb the moisture if it sits too long. Baking is one of those tricky things that can be affected by the humidity in the room as well. Even if the dough seems sticky, you can add flour to your cooking surface to form into bagel shapes. Hope it works well if you try again! 🙂