Protein Bagels

This Protein Bagels recipe makes the BEST cottage cheese bagels with only 4 basic ingredients. An easy-to-make, high protein bagel recipe with 14 grams of protein per bagel!

 

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

If you’re trying to add more protein to your diet, you’re not alone. It seems like everybody is thinking more about their health, more about their physical fitness, and more about increasing their protein intake. This High Protein Bagels recipe is one of our favourite high-protein recipes made with everybody’s favourite high-protein ingredients: cottage cheese!

These protein bagels are SO easy to make by hand, their taste and texture is SO similar to standard bagels (which isn’t true for all high-protein bagel recipes online these days…), and they’re the perfect base for a healthy protein-packed breakfast, lunch or even dinner! Trust us, you’re going to LOVE this one!

Protein bagels are a healthier twist on traditional bagels, with a recipe that’s modified to include ingredients for added protein. They’re perfect for anyone looking to boost their protein intake while still enjoying delicious food and baked goods. Unlike standard bagels, which are primarily made from flour, water, salt, and yeast, protein bagels incorporate high-protein cottage cheese to enhance their protein content AND their texture and flavour!

The bake up just like regular bagels, minus the boiling step, and they’re a great base for a delicious meal or snack!

There are SO many reasons we LOVE these protein bagels. Here are just a few:

1. They have a HIGH PROTEIN CONTENT: Each bagel packs a protein punch with 18 grams of protein, helping to keep you feeling full and helping you meet your protein goals.
2. Their CLASSIC TASTE AND TEXTURE: By using yeast instead of baking powder and allowing the dough to rest for a short time, these cottage cheese bagels have a traditional chewy texture and a classic bagel flavour.
3. They’re NUTRITIOUS: Cottage cheese not only adds protein, but it also adds other essential nutrients.
4. The recipe calls for SIMPLE INGREDIENTS: This recipe sticks to basic, easy-to-find ingredients, making it a simple recipe to make anytime with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
5. They’re GREAT FOR MEAL PREP: Make a batch on the weekend, and you’ve got quick breakfast or lunch option ready for a busy week.

One of our favourite things about these protein bagels is their versatility. Here are some tasty, high-protein ideas for serving:

• Smoked Salmon: Top with smoked salmon, a light smear of cream cheese, and capers for a classic combination.
• Turkey: Add some mayo, sliced turkey, roasted red peppers, sliced avocado, and a dollop or two of hummus.
• Grilled Chicken: Top each half with roasted peppers, red onions, sliced grilled chicken and some sharp cheddar cheese.
• Veggies: Add some mayo, then slices of tomatoes and cucumbers, and top with feta cheese.
• Egg Salad: Top with your favourite egg salad and chopped green onions or chives.
• Chicken Salad: Add your favourite chicken salad recipe (or use ours!) and some lettuce and tomato for a delicious bagel sandwich.
• Tuna Melt: Add canned tuna, onions, chopped celery, and mayo and top with shredded cheese and broil for a healthier tuna melt.
• Breakfast Sandwich: Make a breakfast sandwich with a slice of Canadian bacon, a fried egg, and a slice of cheddar cheese.
• Sweet: Spread with peanut butter or almond butter with slices of banana or apple, and a sprinkle of chia seeds.

There are so many ways to make protein bagels, but here’s how WE recommend making yours the BEST they can be!

We know, it would be so much faster and easier to use baking powder instead of yeast in this bagel recipe. But we don’t recommend it. Adding yeast adds SO much flavour and if you want your protein bagels to taste anything like a traditional bagel, skip the baking powder and opt for yeast instead.

Don’t cut corners here. Be sure to blend the cottage cheese completely so it’s smooth with no lumps. This will help the dough come together better and the bagels to bake more evenly with a similar texture to traditional bagels.

Lower fat cottage cheese contains slightly more water and less fat than high-fat cream cheese does. This makes the bagel dough easier to handle and gives it a similar texture to traditional bagels. Using low fat cottage cheese also helps keep the calories in the recipe low, and lower fat cottage cheese often has a higher protein conten,t too!

Making sure your cottage cheese is at room temperature before you blend it and use it in this recipe will help the dough come together a lot better. Cold cottage cheese will create a tougher dough that’s harder to work with.

Knead your dough for a few minutes by hand until the dough forms a ball. We recommend mixing the dough by hand, not in a mixer. Kneading the dough helps develop the gluten in the dough and resting helps the dough relax so it’s easier to handle when you’re forming the bagels.

Be sure to brush the tops with egg wash for that classic bagel shine. This also helps any toppings stick, so don’t skip this step if you’re adding salt or bagel seasoning on top!

Here’s a few issues you might encounter when making these protein bagels and how we recommend fixing or preventing them:

Don’t be surprised if the dough is shaggy and dry – this is normal. If you can’t seem to get the dough to absorb all the flour, add a teaspoon of water into the dough and continue to mix with your hands. The dough should come together, but it will still be quite dry and rough.

If you’ve left the dough to rest and it hasn’t grown too much, it’s no big deal. Protein Bagel dough is a bit tough and doesn’t rise too much – the rising time is mainly to allow the flavour to develop so the bagels taste like bagels!

If the dough is too sticky, just add a tablespoon or two of flour as you’re trying to form the bagels. You can also oil your hands a little bit as you’re working with the dough to prevent it from sticking to your hands.

Be sure to form the bagels with very large holes. The holes naturally close slightly as the bagels puff up in the oven, so if they’re larger before baking this will help.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make these Protein Bagels (paid links):

• mixing bowls
• measuring cups and spoons
• large baking sheet
• Pastry Brush
• Blender
• Plastic Wrap

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this High Protein Bagels recipe (paid links):

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cottage cheese, at room temperature

For the egg wash and topping:

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning (optional)

There are so many different ways to make these cottage cheese bagels your own. Here are a few variations on the basic recipe that we LOVE:

1. Cheese and Onion: Add sliced green onions and grated cheese to the dough for a cheesy, sharp flavoured bagel.
2. Cinnamon Raisin: Add raisins and cinnamon to the dough for a sweet option.
3. Blueberry: For a classic blueberry flavour, add fresh blueberries to the dough.
4. Whole Wheat: Substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavour. Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid, so you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to the dough.
5. Herb and Garlic: Add fresh or roasted garlic and fresh herbs to the dough before baking for a deliciously savoury twist.
   

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