"Cheesy" Cauliflower Bagel (Easy Vegan-Friendly Recipe)

Who needs to cook veggies for dinner when you can eat them for breakfast, inside a bagel? Here’s a unique and delicious cauliflower bagel recipe with an odd but interesting main ingredient - cauliflower rice. The method for making these bagels are as straightforward as it gets – just mix everything inside a bowl, let sit overnight in the fridge, shape and cook. The neutral flavor and soft texture of cauliflower rice blend in perfectly with the dough, and the added nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese) adds a good dose of savory, cheesy flavor that makes yummy munchable breakfast treats that are actually more healthy!

Here's why I love this recipe

• A delicious way to incorporate more cauliflower into your diet for better health
• No eggs, milk or butter and vegan friendly!
• The added almond flour gives these bagels a rich, buttery flavor.
• Minimal kneading is required, and you can let the dough rise overnight if you want.

Ingredients Used to Make Cauliflower Bagel

_{**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the baking aisle, or the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• Bread Flour - Bread flour is highly recommended for this recipe for the best texture and structure. TIP: For the best texture and chew, use a higher protein bread flour like King Arthur Bread Flour. Please read the note in the substitution section below if using other flours.

• Almond Flour (optional)- I used blanched almond flour, but if you want, you can substitute the almond flour with more bread flour (more details on the recipe card).

Why almond flour? Almond flour is not a traditional ingredient for bagels, but I like adding it for the extra boost in flavor and nutrition. It also produces more tender (easier on your jaws) bagels which my family prefers.

• Instant Yeast - you can find instant yeast in the baking section near the flours. My favorite is SAF Instant Premium Yeast, which works quickly and consistently produces great results. I recommend using instant yeast over active yeast for this recipe since active yeast needs to be activated in water.

• Sugar - I used raw cane sugar, but you can use regular granulated white sugar, or healthier alternatives like coconut, date, or maple sugars. Sugar-free substitutes such as monk fruit sweetener or stevia powder can be used in the filling, but for what goes inside the bread, I would NOT RECOMMEND using sugar-free substitutes since they can cause the bread to not rise properly.

• Salt - Pink Himalayan salt is what I have at home, so it’s what I use, but you can use any kind for this recipe.

• Cauliflower Rice – I used frozen cauliflower rice which I quickly defrosted (30-60 seconds) in the microwave, so they were no longer cold. You can also use fresh cauliflower rice, but just make sure there are no larger chunks of cauliflower since they may not cook through the baking process.

More Breakfast Recipes (HERE)

Step by Step Guide

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

Here are some awesome ways you can make this bagel recipe your own 🙂

• Add more flavor! Add 1 ½ tsp of herb seasoning like this seasoning blend instead of the salt.

• Add more texture! Adding chopped nuts, seeds, or dried fruits or oats is a fantastic way to increase the nutrition and flavor in breads, including this one.

• Want to add more fiber? Substitute white whole wheat flour for up to half of the bread flour called for in this recipe. You'll need to add a few more tablespoons of water to adjust the hydration since whole wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour.

More Bagel Add In Ideas:

• Make these bagels healthier by adding a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition. Here are some ideas
  • Nuts - chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews
  • Seeds - poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds or chiaseeds
  • Dried Fruit - chopped apricot, raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, candied ginger, citrus zests, etc.

Note on Substitutions

• Unfortunately, gluten-free flours cannot be substituted for bread flour in this recipe.
• If you don't have bread flour, you can also use All Purpose Flour instead. AP flour has less protein than bread flour, so it will yield softer bagels with less chew/ bite.
• As I mentioned in the Ingredients Section, almond flour makes these bagels more flavorful and more nutritionally balanced, but it also makes the bagels less chewy (and more tender). If you prefer a traditional bagel texture, use ¼ cup of bread flour instead of ½ cup of almond flour.
• The almond flour can be subbed with other nut flour like pecan, cashew and walnut flour.

How to Store Cauliflower Bagel

• You can store these bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
• For longer storage, you can place the bagels in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, toast inside an air fryer or toaster with the filling side up.

Final Tips

• Weigh your flour for the best results. 1 cup of bread flour = 120 grams / 4.23 oz. This is recommended since scooping the flour directly from the bag can pack the flour into the measuring cup, and this means you'll end up with more flour than what's called for in the recipe. If you don't have a kitchen scale, you can measure the flour by spooning pre-sifted flour into the measuring cup, then using the straight end of the spoon to level the flour across the top to sweep off the excess.

More Bagel Recipes (HERE)