Amazing Keto Bagels {Fathead Dough Recipe}

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Amazingly doughy and fragrant keto bagels are made with the miraculous fathead dough. Ready in just 30 minutes, they will blow your mind!

Six keto bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

I used to mourn my beloved weekend morning ritual of a toasted bagel, a thick layer of cream cheese, and a potent cup of coffee. 🥯☕

No more! These bagels are AMAZING. They are soft and doughy, and they taste just wonderful. This is truly a miracle dough and I am so grateful for discovering it.

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Inspired by empanadas

I made these keto bagels for the first time after using Fathead dough to make empanadas. The dough was so lovely, so golden and flaky and fragrant, that I just knew it would make amazing bagels.

So I went into the kitchen and started experimenting. I quickly found out that to make bagels with fathead dough, I would need to add more almond flour than I used for the empanadas. The empanada dough was extremely sticky. There was no way I could shape it into bagels.

I also learned that to get lovely, puffy bagels, I would need to add a leavening agent to the dough. So I added some baking powder.

It took a few tries, but it was well worth it. I now have a wonderful low-carb bagel recipe that my family really enjoys.

Ingredients

You’ll only need six ingredients to make these keto bagels – don’t you love recipes with a short ingredient list! Here’s an overview of what you’ll need. The exact measurements are in the recipe card below:

Shredded mozzarella: I use bagged pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella.

Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese, not reduced-fat.

Almond flour: An excellent flour substitute that baked exceptionally well. Blanched finely ground almond flour works best. I don’t recommend using a coarse almond meal in this recipe.

Baking powder: Please make sure it’s fresh.

Egg: One large egg is all you need.

Sesame seeds: Optional, but I think they make the bagels look amazing! You can also use Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel seasoning.

Instructions

The detailed instructions for making these bagels are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps – it’s surprisingly easy to make them:

You start by microwaving shredded mozzarella and cream cheese until melted. Then stir them.

Now, add almond flour, baking powder, and egg and quickly mix everything together to form a dough.

A photo collage showing steps 1-4 for making keto bagels.

Briefly knead the dough, then divide it into six equal parts. Roll each part into a log, then shape it into a bagel.

Dip the bagels in sesame seeds, then bake them for about 15 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.

A photo collage showing steps 5-10 for making low-carb fathead bagels.

Expert tip: work quickly

You’ll want to work quickly, kneading the dough well before it cools and making sure it’s completely uniform. However, if the dough has cooled and hardened and is impossible to knead, do not despair! Simply microwave it for a few seconds (start with 10 seconds) until it’s pliable again.

Frequently asked questions

What is fathead dough?

Fathead dough is a low-carb dough. Its main ingredients are shredded mozzarella, cream cheese, eggs, and almond flour. When baked, it becomes puffy, chewy, and fragrant. It’s remarkably similar to real dough.

Do these keto bagels taste like real bagels?

Not exactly. They are incredibly good, but they are different than regular bagels. Without gluten and yeast, it’s obviously not the same.
This is also true for other fathead-dough-based baked goods. So these keto soft pretzels are just wonderful. But they do not taste like real pretzels.

Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?

No. Coconut flour is extremely absorbent. It requires significant amounts of liquids and extra eggs. If you try to substitute it for the almond flour in this recipe, your bagels will be very dry. It’s best to look for a recipe that was originally written for coconut flour.

How to top these bagels

Naturally, like all bagels, they practically beg for a thick layer of cream cheese and perhaps some lox on top!

They’re also very good with butter, sugar-free jam, peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, and walnut butter. You can also use them to make a keto breakfast sandwich.

My dad makes these bagels regularly (hi dad! ❤️). He reports that they’re excellent with feta cheese. Here are dad’s bagels:

Fathead bagels made by Vered DeLeeuw dad, served on a blue and white plate.

Variations and substitutions

There are three ways to vary the basic recips:

Season the bagels – similarly to what I do when making the above-mentioned pretzels. You can add a bit of garlic powder and onion powder, for example. Try ¼ teaspoon of each. Mix them into the almond flour before adding it to the mixture.
Vary your toppings. Instead of sesame seeds, you can use poppy seeds, coarse salt, or Everything Bagel seasoning.
You could try a sweet version by adding ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a granulated sweetener to equal ¼ cup sugar. Mix them into the almond flour before adding it to the mixture.

Storing leftovers

These bagels are best enjoyed warm and fresh. If you have any leftovers, freeze them right away, as soon as they are cool. Thaw them gently in the microwave.

It’s best to freeze them because they don’t keep very well in the fridge. They tend to deflate when stored and lose their fluffiness.

Low-carb bagels topped with sesame seeds.

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Recipe card

Keto Fathead Bagels

Amazingly doughy and fragrant keto bagels are made with the miraculous fathead dough. Ready in just 30 minutes, they will blow your mind!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 bagels

Calories: 281kcal

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the mozzarella in a medium microwave safe bowl. Top with the cream cheese cubes. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 30 more seconds.
Stir again, and add the almond flour and the baking powder. Stir to incorporate as best as you can – dough won’t come together yet at this point.
Add the egg, mixing it in with a rubber spatula and then with your hands. Work quickly, kneading the dough well before it cools and making sure it’s completely uniform.
Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. I use my kitchen scales to make sure the bagels are all the same size.
Knead each part briefly, then roll into a 7-inch log, starting in the middle and rolling outwards, as shown in the video. Press the ends together to shape into a bagel.
Dip the tops of the bagels in the sesame seeds.
Arrange the bagels on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and fragrant, 15-17 minutes.

NOTES

You’ll want to work quickly, kneading the dough well before it cools and making sure it’s completely uniform. However, if the dough has cooled and is impossible to knead, do not despair! Simply microwave it for a few seconds (start with 10 seconds) until it’s pliable again. Storing these bagels: These bagels are best enjoyed warm and fresh. If you have any leftovers, freeze them right away, as soon as they are cool. Thaw them gently in the microwave. It’s best to freeze them because they don’t keep very well in the fridge. They tend to deflate when stored and lose their fluffiness.

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