Keto Bagels
Published September 26, 2021 • Updated March 11, 2026
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I make these keto bagels every week with just almond flour, protein powder, and a few pantry staples. No fathead dough, no mozzarella, just 3.1g net carbs per bagel and a chew that actually reminds me of the real thing.
I started making these because I was tired of every keto recipe starting with fathead dough. I went through a half-dozen mozzarella-based versions before I realized the problem wasn’t my technique. Cheese in the dough just makes everything taste like a cheese roll. I wanted an actual bagel texture, not a cheese ball with a hole in it. That meant building a dough from scratch with almond flour and protein powder, no dairy in the batter at all.
The first batch I got right, I pulled one out of the oven and tore it open while it was still too hot. The inside was springy and slightly dense in the middle, the way a real bagel should be. The outside had a thin crust that crackled when I bit through it. I made three more batches that week just to confirm it wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t. My reader Corinne went through eight batches to dial in her technique, and she came to the same conclusion I did: keep the dough compact and the chew follows.
The texture comes from how the ingredients work together. Protein powder gives the bagels lift and structure so they don’t come out flat. Inulin keeps net carbs at 3.1g per bagel and adds that dense, chewy center you expect from a real bagel. Xanthan gum is what creates the chewy pull when you tear one apart. If you bake with almond flour at all, you probably already have most of this in your pantry.
My whole week revolves around the Sunday batch. I double the recipe, bake all eight at once, and split them between the fridge and the freezer. The fridge bagels are for the week. I grab one each morning, toast it, and go. Some days it’s a full sandwich with egg, bacon, and cheddar. Most days I just spread butter and eat it on the way out. They hold up to toppings without getting soggy, which is more than I can say for most of the low carb breads I’ve tried. They toast straight from the freezer with no thawing needed, and that’s the part that keeps me coming back to this recipe.
The base dough is plain, but I rotate through flavors depending on the mood. Everything bagel seasoning pressed into the top is my default. Cinnamon with brown sugar free sweetener when I want something closer to a cinnamon roll. Dried onion flakes for sandwich days. I’ve tried all seven variations listed below and the dough handles every one of them.
If you’re building out your keto breakfast rotation, my pumpkin bread and banana bread use similar almond flour bases and freeze just as well. I bake one batch of something new every Sunday and rotate through the week. It keeps breakfast from getting boring without any morning effort.
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Ingredients
1 cup almond flour -
1/4 cup low-carb protein powder
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2 tablespoons inulin powder
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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1 teaspoon xanthan gum
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1 teaspoon golden brown sugar free sweetener
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 egg
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
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2 tablespoons hot water
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1 egg white (for egg wash)
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, add almond flour, protein powder, inulin powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, brown sugar free sweetener, salt. **NOTE: Can use an additional 1/2 cup almond flour in place of the inulin powder. May need to add an additional 2 tablespoons of water.
Add wet ingredients
Mix in egg, melted butter and hot water.
Mold into bagel shapes
Divide dough into four balls. Place balls on a parchment lined baking tray about 2 inches apart. Using your finger make a circle in the center of each ball. Make sure the circle is a little wider than a typical bagel as the bagels will rise and fill in the circle as they bake. Brush with egg white for egg wash to create a shine on top. **NOTE: When handling dough, it’s best to wet your hands or spray oil on them in order to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
Bake
Bake bagels at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different flour instead of almond flour?
I've tested this with a few alternatives. Coconut flour absorbs way more liquid, so if you go that route, use about 1/3 the amount and expect a denser result. The version I like best after the original is 1/2 cup almond flour plus 1/4 cup lupin flour. It keeps the net carbs low, though the outside comes out slightly yellow. I haven't found anything that matches pure almond flour for texture in this recipe.
What can I substitute for inulin powder?
I know inulin isn't a pantry staple for most people. My best substitute is using an extra 1/2 cup almond flour (1 1/2 cups total), though I'll be honest, the texture shifts toward a biscuit. You lose some of that chewy, dense center. Psyllium husk powder is another option I've seen readers use successfully. It keeps the moisture and chew closer to the original.
How do I store and reheat these bagels?
I keep mine in a zip-top bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, I freeze them and they hold for about 3 months. When I'm ready to eat one, I drop it in the toaster straight from frozen, no thawing needed. Takes about two minutes and the crust crisps back up perfectly. I do this almost every morning. That's the whole reason I batch-make them on Sundays.
Why did my bagels turn out flat?
This happens when the dough gets spread too thin. I had the same issue early on, and one of my readers (Corinne) nailed the diagnosis after eight batches of testing: she went too thin around batch four and lost all the lift. The fix is keeping the dough balls compact and making the center hole wider than you think you need. The dough rises inward during baking, so if the hole is too small, you end up with a mound instead of a ring. Wet your hands before shaping to keep everything from sticking.
Does the protein powder flavor come through when baked?
It depends on the flavor. I've used vanilla whey and it does come through, especially with savory toppings. If you're spreading cream cheese, you probably won't notice it. But pair it with lox, avocado, or everything seasoning and you'll get a sweet note that doesn't belong. My recommendation is unflavored whey isolate. If vanilla is all you have, it won't ruin them, but you'll taste it.
Are these bagels dairy-free?
Almost. The dough uses butter, but swap in coconut oil and they're fully dairy-free. I've made them with coconut oil a couple of times when I ran out of butter, and the texture held up fine. The flavor shifts a little (slightly nutty from the coconut), but it works.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of egg and butter?
I've seen the two-ingredient Greek yogurt versions floating around keto sites. I've tried that approach and the texture is completely different. Greek yogurt gives you something soft and bread-like, almost like a dinner roll. What I wanted was chew and crust, which is why I went with protein powder and xanthan gum instead. If you're after a softer quick bread, yogurt works. If you want something that actually tears and toasts like a bagel, this is the version I'd make.
Can I make mini bagels or a loaf with this dough?
I've made minis by dividing the dough into eight balls instead of four. Bake time drops to about 8-9 minutes, and they're great for slider sandwiches. One of my readers (Marie) asked about a full loaf, and I think the dough would handle it. I'd shape it in a small loaf pan and add 5-10 minutes to the bake time. I haven't nailed the exact timing on the loaf version yet, but the dough scales cleanly.
Somewhere around batch eight and I'm still tweaking. The xanthan gum is non-negotiable, but I've started pulling these at exactly 11 minutes because the bottoms were charring on me at 12. They're not a New York bagel, nothing keto is, but freaking nothing comes close to this for 3.1g net carbs. Tried everything bagel seasoning mixed straight into the dough last batch and that's now the only way I'll make them.
The everything bagel mixed into the dough is so much better than just on top. Stays in every bite. 11 minutes tracks if your oven runs hot, mine hits 12 but I watch those bottoms.
Brought these to a Sunday brunch last weekend and two people spent a solid ten minutes debating which bakery I'd picked them up from before I said anything. The xanthan gum genuinely does something to the chew that I wasn't expecting from an almond flour base.
That xanthan gum chew is why I kept the recipe complicated. Easier versions exist but they don't pass the bakery test.
Sixth batch and I finally dialed in the bake time. At 10 minutes the tops are golden and there's still a little give, which is what I want if I'm eating them right away. Push to 12 and they firm up (better for toasting, not as good fresh). The no-mozzarella thing was what got me to try the recipe in the first place, and the xanthan gum does actually deliver that chew. Made it into the Sunday prep list.
Brought these to a spring brunch last weekend. The loudest anti-keto people at the table were the ones hovering over the tray. The chew is genuinely unreal for an almond flour bagel (no fathead dough, no mozzarella, just that texture). Someone asked what bakery I'd gotten them from and I had to pull up my phone to prove I'd baked them myself.
The bakery question is the best. It's the xanthan gum. Most keto bagel recipes skip it and you can tell.
Wet your hands before shaping, like actually soak them, and the dough stops fighting you completely (xanthan gum gets grippy fast). Took me three batches to figure that out. Should've been obvious but here we are.
Three batches is about right for that one. I should've put it in the notes.
Tip for anyone fighting dough stickiness: wet your hands before shaping and it stops completely. Mine were done at 11 minutes, golden already, so check earlier than you think.
11 minutes is early for mine but ovens are all over the place. The golden color is the real tell, not the timer.
Grew up on deli bagels every Sunday. Giving them up was honestly the hardest part of going keto. Made a batch of these and that xanthan gum chew hit me somewhere I wasn't ready for. Ate one standing over the sink and had some feelings about it. No regrets.
Sunday deli bagels are a specific kind of muscle memory. Glad this one scratched it.
Wet hands really help here. The xanthan gum makes it sticky, and dry hands just fight it the whole time. Started rinsing between each ball. Rounds came out way cleaner.
Cold dough helps too. Start cold and the xanthan doesn't get as bad before you've even shaped the first one.
Added everything bagel seasoning before baking because it was just sitting there, and I don't think I can eat them plain anymore (the salt and garlic sink into the crust in a way I wasn't prepared for). First time working with xanthan gum and I kept waiting for it to fall apart but it just... didn't.
Baked-in everything seasoning is its own thing. That salt and garlic actually fuses into the crust instead of just sitting on top. And yeah, xanthan gum is strange the first time and then you start putting it in everything.
My teenager tests every keto bagel I make and is not shy about it. Sunday he bit into one and asked if I'd finally 'just bought real ones.' The xanthan gum + protein powder combo is what actually creates that slight resistance when you bite through, which every other recipe I've tried has skipped. That was enough.
Ha, 'did you buy these' from a teenager is the real benchmark. That's the reaction I was going for.
Brought these to a spring brunch and my sister-in-law, who has never once let a keto bake slide, ate two and thought I'd picked them up from a bakery.
The protein powder is what does it. No mozzarella, no weird pull, just actual chew. She probably couldn't place what was off because nothing was.
First time making these and I kept second-guessing myself the whole way through because I've only done fathead dough for bagel-type things before. Protein powder holding the dough together was new to me and I wasn't sure how it would behave in something that dry-looking. Came together in about two minutes and I pulled mine at 11 because they were going golden fast. The chew is real. Not a Davidovich bagel, but actual chew, which I stopped expecting from keto bread anything. Had mine with cream cheese and cucumber this morning and it did not turn to mush, which has been the test I keep failing with other recipes. One question though: I have vanilla whey isolate in the pantry right now. Does the flavor of the protein powder actually come through in the bake, or is it neutral enough that vanilla wouldn't matter?
Vanilla does come through a little. With cream cheese you might not notice much, but if you go savory (lox, avocado, everything seasoning) it can be a weird note. Unflavored isolate is the fix, but it won't ruin them.
Batch eight and I'm still tweaking. Somewhere around batch four I went too thin on the dough and they went completely flat, no lift at all, and it took two more batches to figure out that was the whole problem. Back to keeping them compact and the chew is totally different now, actually bouncy in the good way. No cheese in these at all, no fathead, nothing like that, and somehow that makes them taste more like a real bagel. Freezing a double batch this weekend.
Eight batches to nail the thickness is honestly not that many for bagels. Compact dough, that's where the lift comes from. They toast straight from frozen no problem.
These actually hold together when you slice them. Been making them on Sundays for the week.
The xanthan gum does most of the work there. Sunday bagel batch is smart.
Do you have a sub for inulin powder? When I have it in anything it is like I have gastro.. 😞😞
I don't have a sub for this ingredient in this keto bagel recipe but I hope to have a new recipe out soon.