Chewy Keto Bagels with Psyllium Husk
These keto bagels are made with a mozzarella and cream cheese dough, ground almonds, Groovy Keto Oat Fibre and Groovy Keto Psyllium Husk Powder, then glazed with egg and topped with sesame seeds. Each bagel has 1.5g net carbs. It takes 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook, and makes 6.
These keto bagels build on some well-tested recipes. Katrin Nürnberger's keto bagels on Sugar Free Londoner, rated 4.98 out of 5 from 37 votes, give us the base: a fathead dough of melted mozzarella and cream cheese mixed with almond flour, an egg, baking powder and a spoonful of psyllium husk powder, which she calls her secret ingredient, shaped into tall rings with a generous hole. On Reddit's r/ketorecipes, a baker who adapted a mozzarella and oat fibre bagel recipe added a teaspoon of psyllium husk for a chewier texture. And Edd Kimber's homemade bagels on BBC Good Food show the classic finish: a glaze of egg white and a scattering of seeds before baking. Our twist is to replace some of the ground almonds with our oat fibre, use a little more psyllium husk powder and rest the dough for 5 minutes before shaping, for a chewier, more bread-like bagel. We glaze with a little of the beaten egg from the dough, so nothing goes to waste.
The result is a small, golden bagel with a crisp, seeded crust and a dense, chewy middle that toasts well and holds a proper filling. One of Edd Kimber's classic bagels has 39g carbohydrate; each of these low carb bagels has 1.5g net carbs. If you'd rather bake a loaf for sandwiches, try our keto bread recipe, which uses the same two Groovy Keto products.
What we used: Groovy Keto Psyllium Husk Powder, which binds the dough and gives it chew, and Groovy Keto Oat Fibre, which stands in for some of the ground almonds. Weigh both, as they're very light.
Psyllium Husk Powder
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Oat Fibre
View productKeto bagels vs classic bagels
A classic bagel is a yeasted dough of strong white flour, boiled briefly and then baked, so nearly all of its carbohydrate is starch from the flour. These keto bagels skip the flour, the yeast and the boiling: melted mozzarella and cream cheese hold the dough together, ground almonds and oat fibre give it body, and psyllium husk powder adds the chew.
| Per bagel | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Net carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic bagel (BBC Good Food) | 39g | 4g | 39g |
| This keto bagel | 1.5g | 0.8g | 1.5g |
Classic figures are the published nutrition for one of the 10 bagels in Edd Kimber's homemade bagels on BBC Good Food, made with strong white flour, yeast and a little light brown sugar. They contain no polyols, so their net carbs are the same as their carbohydrate. Our bagels are a little smaller, at about 65g of dough each.
Tips for the best keto bagels
- Use the right mozzarella. Firm, low-moisture mozzarella melts into a smooth, stretchy dough. Fresh mozzarella in brine is too wet and won't hold a ring shape.
- Work while it's warm. Mozzarella dough stiffens as it cools. If it gets too firm to knead, warm it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds and carry on.
- Weigh the psyllium and oat fibre. Both are very light, so spoon measures vary a lot. Too much makes a dry, crumbly dough; too little and the bagels spread.
- Oil your hands. A few drops of olive oil on your palms stops the dough sticking while you knead and shape it.
- Shape them tall. Roll thick sausages and leave a hole of about 3cm. The bagels spread as they bake, and a small hole can close up completely.
Chewy Keto Bagels with Psyllium Husk
- Prep time15 min
- Cook time25 min
- Total time40 minutes
- Makes6 bagels
- Net carbs1.5g per bagel
Ingredients
For the dough
- 175g grated mozzarella (the firm, low-moisture kind sold for pizza, not fresh mozzarella balls)
- 50g full-fat cream cheese
- 80g ground almonds
- 20g Groovy Keto Oat Fibre
- 10g Groovy Keto Psyllium Husk Powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg, beaten
To finish
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- A little olive oil, for your hands
You will also need a large microwave-safe bowl (or a non-stick pan), a spatula, a pastry brush and a large baking tray lined with baking paper.
Allergens: contains milk, eggs, nuts (almonds) and sesame. See the allergen notes under Nutrition.
Method
- Get ready. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas mark 6 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, mix the ground almonds, oat fibre, psyllium husk powder and baking powder. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg into a small bowl and set it aside for glazing.
- Melt the cheese. Put the mozzarella and cream cheese in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, for about 1½ minutes in total, until melted and smooth. Or melt them in a non-stick pan over a low heat.
- Make the dough. Tip the dry ingredients and the rest of the beaten egg into the melted cheese and stir with a spatula until it comes together. As soon as it's cool enough to handle, knead it with lightly oiled hands for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth, with no streaks of cheese.
- Rest the dough. Cover the bowl and leave the dough for 5 minutes so the psyllium and oat fibre can soak up the moisture. It will firm up and feel less sticky.
- Shape the bagels. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces of about 65g. Roll each into a thick sausage about 12cm long, bring the ends together into a ring and pinch them firmly to seal. Leave a generous hole of about 3cm, because the bagels spread a little as they bake, and space them well apart on the tray.
- Glaze. Brush the tops with the egg you set aside and scatter over the sesame seeds.
- Bake. Bake on the middle shelf for 16 to 18 minutes, until deep golden brown. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool.
Ways to change it
- Everything-style topping: mix the sesame seeds with 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp dried onion flakes, ½ tsp garlic granules and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Cheese-topped: skip the seeds and press 30g of grated mature Cheddar onto the glazed tops before baking.
- Cinnamon: add 1 tsp ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients and leave off the seeds.
- Mini bagels: shape the dough into 8 smaller rings and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
Any of these changes will alter the nutrition figures.
How to serve keto bagels
- Smoked salmon: spread the toasted halves with cream cheese and top with smoked salmon, black pepper, a squeeze of lemon and a little fresh dill.
- Breakfast bagel: fill with scrambled egg and crispy bacon, or a fried egg and a slice of Cheddar.
- Simply toasted: with butter while they're still warm.
- Find out more: read our guides to psyllium husk powder and oat fibre to see how they work in keto baking.
Storage
- Fridge: once cool, keep the bagels in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Toast or warm them before eating, as they are firm when cold.
- Freezer: slice and freeze for up to 3 months, with baking paper between the halves, and toast straight from frozen.
Nutrition
Per serving (1 bagel, makes 6):
| Nutrient | Per bagel |
|---|---|
| Energy | 207 kcal |
| Fat | 16.9g |
| of which saturates | 6.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.5g |
| of which sugars | 0.8g |
| of which polyols | 0.0g |
| Net carbs | 1.5g |
| Fibre | 6.2g |
| Protein | 10.2g |
| Salt | 0.61g |
Net carbs are carbohydrate minus polyols, and this recipe has no polyols. On UK labels, fibre is already listed separately from carbohydrate, so it isn't subtracted again. Figures are calculated from the Groovy Keto Oat Fibre and Psyllium Husk Powder pack labels (with the psyllium energy worked out from its fibre, carbohydrate and protein, about 192 kcal per 100g) and UK (McCance and Widdowson's CoFID) data for mozzarella (12-360; CoFID only lists fresh mozzarella, and grated mozzarella is a little drier, so energy, fat and protein may be slightly higher), full-fat soft cheese for the cream cheese (12-551), ground almonds (14-870; CoFID gives only NSP fibre for almonds, so we've used an AOAC figure of about 12.5g per 100g), egg (12-937), baking powder (17-355) and sesame seeds (14-844). They will vary with the brands you use. They don't include the olive oil for your hands or any filling.
Allergens: this recipe contains milk (mozzarella and cream cheese), eggs, nuts (almonds) and sesame. Groovy Keto Oat Fibre is packed in a facility where there may be traces of nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. Oat fibre is made from oats. Some baking powders contain wheat flour, so check the label. Always check the current labels before baking for anyone with an allergy.
FAQ
Are bagels keto?
Ordinary bagels aren't, because they're made from strong white wheat flour. Edd Kimber's homemade bagels on BBC Good Food have 39g carbohydrate each. Keto bagels swap the flour for a mozzarella dough made with ground almonds, oat fibre and psyllium husk, so each of these has 1.5g net carbs instead.
How many carbs are in a keto bagel?
Each of these keto bagels has 1.5g net carbs: 1.5g carbohydrate and no polyols, with 6.2g fibre listed separately. Most of the carbohydrate comes from the ground almonds, with a little from the cream cheese and baking powder. Fillings add to that, so count butter, cream cheese or smoked salmon separately.
Can you toast keto bagels?
Yes, and they're at their best toasted. Let them cool, slice them and toast the halves under the grill or in a toaster on a lower setting than you'd use for bread, because the cheese in the dough browns quickly. You can also warm them cut side down in a dry frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes.
Can you freeze keto bagels?
Yes. Let them cool completely, slice them in half and freeze them in a freezer bag, with baking paper between the halves, for up to 3 months. You can toast the halves straight from frozen, allowing a minute or two longer. Or defrost them overnight in the fridge and warm them through before eating.
Why did my keto bagels go flat?
Usually the dough was too warm and soft when it was shaped, or the rings were too thin. Rest the dough for 5 minutes so it firms up, roll thick sausages and leave a generous hole, because mozzarella dough spreads in the oven. Old baking powder can also stop them rising, so check it's in date.
What is the best mozzarella for keto bagels?
Use firm, low-moisture mozzarella, either grated from a block or bought ready-grated for pizza. Fresh mozzarella balls in brine hold too much water and make a sticky dough that won't keep its shape. Some ready-grated cheese has a little potato starch added to stop it clumping, so check the label if you're counting every carb.
