High protein cottage cheese bagels are made with just three ingredients and everything bagel seasoning.
If you need a high protein breakfast that's affordable, easy to prep and actually enjoyable to eat, these cottage cheese bagels deliver. They require just three basic ingredients and store surprisingly well throughout the week. Toast them, sandwich them or eat them smothered with cream cheese. This is one of those recipes that quickly becomes part of a routine simply because it works.
reasons you'll love cottage cheese bagels
- Quick + Easy - 4 ingredients!
- High Protein - Enjoy 13 grams of protein in each bagel!
- Meal Prep Friendly - Bake once and use throughout the week.
What are everything bagels?
Everything Bagels are a classic bagel flavor. These bagels feature a savory seasoning blend made from sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, onion and salt. This gives the bagels a bold flavor and a great exterior texture.
High Protein Bagel Ingredients
- Flour: you will need all purpose flour for this recipe. It also works very well with gluten free all purpose flour mixes that contain xanthan gum.
- Cottage Cheese: full fat cottage cheese, stirred well before measuring.
- Egg White: helps to create that perfectly beautiful golden brown crust.
- Everything Seasoning: you can easily find premixed everything but the bagel seasoning at most grocery stores. This is a mix of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic and salt. The Trader Joe's version has a particularly strong cult following.
What I learned During Testing
- Blended cottage cheese makes a major difference: whipping the cottage cheese makes it fluffy, light and provides just the right "bite" for bagels. If you do not blend it, you will find the dough tough and uneven in texture.
- Don't skip the egg wash: it doesn't just provide a golden brown texture, it helps the seasoning stick and helps to create that crisp exterior texture you love in a bagel.
- Bake until deeply golden: underbaked centers will be gummy and have an unpleasant texture.
Protein Bagel Recipe Variations
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels: Add in 1 ½ tablespoons of cinnamon and ½ cup raisins to the dough. After shaping into bagels sprinkle additional cinnamon to the exterior after coating with the egg white.
- Sesame: Follow the directions above for everything bagel seasoning, but use sesame seeds and sea salt.
- Asiago Bagels: this is my personal favorite and you can find the full recipe, along with the step by step video for protein bagels here.
- Gluten Free Bagels: check the tips section of the recipe card below. For the best results I recommend using Cup 4 Cup or King Arthur's Gluten Free Flour.
How To Store Cottage Cheese Bagels
- Room Temperature: store in an airtight container up to 2 days. They are very moist so they will mold quickly, I would suggest storing in the fridge.
- Fridge: Keep in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Slice, then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months; toast straight from frozen.
Other Breakfast Recipes
- How to cook bacon in the oven
- Protein pancakes
- Air fryer bacon
- Protein snacks
- Breakfast burrito recipe
- Egg bites recipe
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Everything Cottage Cheese Bagels
Ingredients
Cottage Cheese Ingredients
- 1 cup blended cottage cheese
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free alternative
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 2 –3 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning
If using gluten free flour add:
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the blended cottage cheese and stir until a dough forms.
- Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead 2–3 minutes until smooth (dough will be slightly tacky).
- Divide into 4 equal portions and roll each into a rope, then shape into a bagel by joining the ends.
- Place on the baking sheet and brush each with egg wash.
- Sprinkle generously with everything bagel seasoning.
- Bake 20–25 minutes, until golden and set.
- Cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Tips:
- Make sure the cottage cheese is completely blended with no lumps. You want it to be extra light and fluffy.
Nutrition Information
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
