These 4-ingredient cottage cheese bagels are made with cottage cheese, all-purpose flour, baking powder and an egg wash for a beautiful golden crust. No yeast, boiling or rising required! They bake in just 30 minutes and have a soft, fluffy centre with little pockets of cottage cheese. With approximately 13 grams of protein per bagel, they’re perfect high-protein bagels for breakfast sandwiches, toasting or meal prep.
My daughter loved these bagels straight out of the oven — until she asked, “Are they healthy?” When I said yes, she immediately changed her mind. 😂 Apparently, healthy food is suspicious in our house! So I reassured her, “It’s just cheesy bread,” and suddenly it was acceptable lol.
She even requested one for her school lunch the next day, just on its own with nothing in it. Kids are funny like that, aren’t they? Plain pasta with nothing on it, boiled rice and bread with no toppings. Go figure.
If you love finding new ways to use cottage cheese, I’ve got plenty more ideas in my cottage cheese recipes collection, from easy breakfasts to savoury meals and sweet treats. It’s amazing how versatile one ingredient can be!
What's So Good About These Cottage Cheese Bagels
Just 4 ingredients. Cottage cheese, flour, baking powder and an egg wash. No yeast, boiling or waiting around for dough to rise. The fifth, optional ingredient is your favourite bagel seasoning.
A little protein boost. Each bagel has approximately 13 grams of protein before you even add your favourite fillings.
Soft inside, golden outside. The egg wash gives these bagels a lovely golden crust, while the cottage cheese keeps the inside soft and moist.
Perfect for all kinds of fillings. Make them plain or add your favourite seeds and seasonings. They’re delicious toasted, stuffed with savoury fillings like egg salad, or served with something sweet like berries and honey. I’ve also included my simple egg salad recipe further down, so you can make a batch to have ready for breakfast.
Super convenient. I usually make 8 or 12 bagels at a time and keep them in the fridge or freezer. You can use the recipe card’s serving multiplier to make a bigger batch, too. Whenever I need a quick alternative to store-bought bread, they’re ready to go. Pop one in the toaster, spread on some peanut butter or add avocado and turkey, and breakfast is ready in under 5 minutes. Plus, I get to choose exactly what goes into them.
Ingredients You'll Need
Cottage cheese: I prefer full-fat (4%) cottage cheese for a soft, moist texture. But low-fat is ok too. No blending required.
All-purpose flour: Regular white flour, preferably unbleached.
Baking powder: Helps the bagels rise without yeast. Make sure it’s baking powder, not baking soda.
Egg: For brushing the bagels before baking to give them a lovely golden crust.
Bagel seasoning (optional): Everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or your favourite topping. Leave some plain if you’re planning sweet fillings. Poppy seeds work well with sweet as well.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Bagels - Easy Steps
Step 1: Mix the ingredients
Preheat your fan-forced oven to 180°C (350°F).
In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Add the cottage cheese and mix with a spatula until a rough, crumbly dough forms.
Step 2: Bring the dough together
Transfer the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. It may look quite dry and crumbly at first, but don’t rush to add more flour or liquid.
Use your hands to press, squeeze and gently knead the mixture until it comes together into a soft dough ball. You should still see little pieces of cottage cheese throughout.
Step 3: Divide the dough
Divide the dough into four equal portions using a knife. Roll each portion into a ball, then gently flatten it into a thick disc.
Step 4: Shape the bagels
Push your finger through the centre of each dough disc, then gently stretch the opening to form a bagel. Make the centre holes at least 1½ inches (4 cm) wide, as the bagels will expand during baking and smaller holes may close up completely.
Step 5: Add the egg wash and seasoning
Brush the tops of the shaped bagels with beaten egg. Pour your favourite bagel seasoning onto a shallow plate, then gently dip each bagel, egg-washed side down, into the seasoning. This gives the bagels a generous, even coating and helps the seeds stick. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, seasoned side up.
I sometimes brush and dip both sides of the bagel cause I love my seasonings; why not.
Leave some bagels plain if you’re planning to use them with sweet toppings, or you can use plain sesame or poppy seeds for sweet stuff.
Step 6: Bake until golden
Bake at 350°F (180°C) fan-forced for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Don’t judge them by the colour alone. Mine looked ready after 25 minutes, but the centres were still slightly too moist. The extra five minutes made all the difference.
Allow the bagels to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
I sometimes brush and dip both sides of the bagel cause I love my seasonings; why not.
Leave some bagels plain if you’re planning to use them with sweet toppings, or you can use plain sesame or poppy seeds for sweet stuff.
How to Serve Cottage Cheese Bagels
These bagels are delicious fresh, but I especially love them toasted. The outside becomes beautifully crispy while the centre turns soft and moist again, even after they’ve firmed up in the fridge.
Here are four of my favourite ways to enjoy them.
1. Egg Salad Bagel — Approximately 26 g Protein
Creamy egg salad made with two boiled eggs, whole-egg mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, fresh chives and cracked black pepper, piled onto a golden cottage cheese bagel with fluffy curly lettuce.
I’ve included my quick egg salad recipe below so you can make it yourself.
2. Turkey and Avocado Bagel — Approximately 22 g Protein
Layer two slices of deli-style roast turkey, ripe avocado, and fresh arugula (rocket) onto a toasted bagel. The peppery arugula works beautifully with the creamy avocado and savoury turkey. It’s an easy, filling lunch that takes just a few minutes to assemble.
3. Smoked Salmon and Avocado Bagel — Approximately 23 g Protein
Spread ripe avocado onto a sliced bagel, then layer on two slices of smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onions, capers, and fresh dill. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if you like for a fresh, savoury combination. Perfect for a weekend breakfast or a quick lunch.
4. Berry, Honey and Whipped Cottage Cheese Bagel — Approximately 20 g Protein
For something sweet, spread about ¼ cup of whipped cottage cheese onto a plain bagel, top with fresh sliced strawberries & blueberries, and finish with a drizzle of honey. The creamy cottage cheese and juicy berries are delicious together, especially on a lightly toasted bagel. Yes, that is whipped cottage cheese on cottage cheese bagels- why not!
How to Store and Freeze
In the fridge: Because these bagels contain cottage cheese, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator rather than leaving them on the counter. They may firm up and feel a little hard when chilled, but don’t worry! Toasting brings back that lovely soft, moist centre with a crispy outside. For best quality. They hold up well in the fridge for 5-6 days.
In the freezer: These bagels freeze well, and here’s my favourite little meal-prep trick: slice each bagel in half before freezing, then place a small piece of parchment paper (baking paper) between the two halves so they don’t stick together. Store in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for up to 2–3 months for best quality.
To reheat: Pop the frozen halves straight into the toaster. No thawing needed! You may need an extra toasting cycle depending on your toaster and how thick you’ve made the bagels.
My Easy Egg Salad Bagel
This is one of my favourite ways to enjoy these cottage cheese bagels. The egg salad is creamy, slightly tangy from the Dijon mustard, and so simple to throw together. Add some fluffy, curly lettuce for a little crunch, and you’ve got a delicious breakfast or lunch that packs around 26 grams of protein. My kind of post-workout meal.
What You'll Need
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons whole-egg mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
Salt & pepper to taste (around 1/4 teaspoon of each)
Curly lettuce, for serving
1 golden homemade cottage cheese bagel, sliced
How to Make It
Mix the chopped eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chives, and black pepper in a small bowl until creamy and well combined. Taste first, then check if you want to add the salt.
Slice your cottage cheese bagel in half and toast it if you like. Add a few leaves of curly lettuce, pile on the egg salad and close the sandwich.
That’s it! A creamy, satisfying egg salad bagel that hits the spot!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cottage cheese bagels can be a good option if you’re looking to increase your protein intake. This recipe provides approximately 13 grams of protein per bagel, before adding any fillings. They’re made with a short ingredient list and don’t require yeast or added sugar. Cottage cheese bagels are more nutritionally balanced, so they are a great choice even for simple fillings.
Mix cottage cheese, all-purpose flour and baking powder to form a dough. Shape into bagels and bake until golden and cooked through. My recipe uses those same three dough ingredients, plus an egg wash for a golden crust. The bagel seasoning is optional.
Use full-fat cottage cheese, measure the flour carefully and avoid adding too much extra flour while kneading. Baking powder helps the bagels rise, while the cottage cheese keeps the centres soft and moist. Bake until fully cooked, then let them cool before slicing.
No. You can use cottage cheese straight from the container without blending it. The curds mix into the dough and leave little pockets of cottage cheese in the finished bagels. This texture resembles cheesy bread, but less salty.
The dough can look dry and crumbly when you first combine the ingredients. Gently press, squeeze and knead it together until it forms a soft ball. Avoid adding extra liquid too quickly unless necessary.
Bagels expand in the oven, so small centre holes can close up. Stretch each hole to at least 1½ inches (4 cm) wide before baking to allow room for the dough to rise.
Cottage Cheese Bagels (No Yeast)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 120 g all-purpose flour (plain flour); I like using unbleached type
- 1¼ cups full-fat 4% cottage cheese, unblended
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large egg beaten, for brushing onto the bagels
- 1/4 cup Everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds, poppy seeds or your favourite toppings (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Or you can use a non-stick silicone tray.
- Add the flour and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined.
- Add the cottage cheese directly to the flour mixture. You can blend it prior, but I didn't. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Using your hands, gently press and squeeze the mixture together until it forms a cohesive dough. It may initially look dry and crumbly, but keep working it gently to incorporate the cottage cheese. Avoid excessive kneading.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, flatten it a little, then create a hole through the centre and gently stretch it into a bagel shape. Make the holes generously sized, around 1½-inch (4cm), as they will shrink when the bagels expand during baking. See image in the process steps above.
- Arrange the bagels on the prepared baking tray, leaving space between them. Brush the tops with beaten egg and dip the egged side into a plate of bagel seasonings of your choice.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bagels have risen and the tops are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bagels to cool for approximately 15 minutes before slicing. Serve plain, toasted or with your favourite fillings.
