If you’re a savoury breakfast kind of gal, these low calorie protein bagels are a MUST try! They are so simple to make with just 4 ingredients and they come out so fluffy, soft and incredibly delicious. Plus, each bagel contains just 176 calories and packs over 10g of protein to help you hit your protein goals with ease!

Now I love a breakfast bagel as much as the next person, but they can be very high in calories. Sometimes, you’re craving a breakfast bagel and having the high calorie version to satisfy your craving is 100% necessary. But if you’re anything like me and get hyper-fixated on a certain meal for weeks on end, having a 700+ calorie breakfast everyday isn’t practical when you’re in a calorie deficit. These low calorie bagels are not only low in calories, they are high in protein and taste absolutely incredible! Each bagel contains just 176 calories so you can add your toppings for a delicious breakfast bagel under 500 calories!

Once you nail down this base recipe, you can customise the bagels to your hearts content. My favorite is always a classic everything bagel. Sprinkling the bagels with a little everything but the bagel seasoning before baking is the perfect way to elevate the bagels without any extra work. But you can go for any flavor combo like cheddar jalapeño, sesame or even switch it up for a sweet cinnamon and raisin bagel.

So for all my savory breakfast girlies or those who need the occasional savory breakfast to switch out your sweet breakfasts, these protein bagels are for you. These bagels are the unicorn of low calorie food options! They are low in calories, high in protein, taste super delicious and have an incredibly soft and fluffy texture. Plus, you can customise with toppings and fillings so you can switch things up everyday! Whichever way you choose to enjoy these bagels, I am certain you will not be going back to store bought bagels once you’ve had these!

Ingredients in low calorie protein bagels

Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.

To make these low calorie protein bagels you will need:

Strong bread flour – To make perfectly soft and chewy bagels, bread flour is the way to go. It has a higher protein content than regular all-purpose/plain flour which not only increases the overall protein content of the bagel but also makes the texture a lot softer and chewier. Higher gluten content also means the bagels have a better rise which creates the nice airy, soft centre. Even though I would recommend you use bread flour, you can also use AP/plain flour if you don’t have bread flour to hand. The bagels may not be as chewy as desired but they’ll still come out delicious!

Baking powder – To help the bagels rise a little for a super soft and fluffy centre.

Fat-free Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt adds moisture and a tangy flavor to the bagels whilst also helping them bind to form a dough. Greek yogurt is high in protein too which means higher protein bagels! I wouldn’t suggest replacing Greek yogurt with plain, natural yogurt. It has a higher water content which makes it a lot runnier and thus makes the dough much harder to work with.

Egg – Just before baking, these bagels are covered in egg to give the classic crispy golden shell on the bagel. It also adds to the overall protein count for these bagels which is always a plus! I didn’t end up using the entire egg which can be annoying but any leftover egg can be added to the bagel filling later!

Everything but the bagel seasoning (optional)

How to make low calorie protein bagels

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
Set aside about 10g or 1 tbsp of flour. In a large bowl, combine the remaining flour, baking powder and yogurt. Mix until it forms a dough, it might be easier to get in with your hands but a rubber spatula should work too.
Once you have formed a rough dough, transfer to a flat surface, sprinkle with the flour you set aside and knead for a couple minutes. This shouldn’t take long, you only need to knead the dough until it forms a soft ball.
Divide the dough into 4 equal smaller balls. My pro tip to getting all the bagels equal is to use a kitchen scale. After you’ve finished kneading, weigh the ball of dough and divide the weight by four. Now cut the dough and weigh each small ball to ensure they’re all equal.
Once you’ve formed the ball, there are two ways you can go about forming the bagels. The easiest and my personal favorite, is to roll the dough between your fingers to form a long, roughly 8-inch rope and then squeeze the two ends of the rope together to form a ball. You can then flatten to make it a bigger bagel. The other way is to flatten the small ball of dough to form a disc and poke a hole in the middle with your finger. Then you can stretch out the dough to form a bagel.
Once your bagels are all formed, transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush each bagel with the egg. If you’re using any seasonings, sprinkle them on to the bagels after you’ve brushed them with the egg.
Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Allow the bagels at least 20 minutes to cool down before slicing. Enjoy!

Storage

These bagels will store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. You can also make these ahead and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Make sure you pre-cut them to save you a whole lotta stress when you’re ready to use them! Defrost the sliced bagels in the toaster and you’re good to go.

Serving suggestions

Now this is the fun part! You can serve these bagels anyway you like, honestly, the options are endless. If you’re in a deficit and looking for low calorie options, here are some of my favorites.

The classic egg & cheese bagel – Starting off with the classic – an egg and cheese bagel! I like to use 2 eggs + any leftover from the egg wash to make an omelette. I then top the omelette with a slice of red Leicester cheese (orange cheddar in the US). You can use low fat cheese for an even lower calorie option. For this bagel, two eggs, 1-2 tsp of oil to cook the eggs and a slice of red Leicester cheese you get a 412 calorie breakfast with 29g of protein.

Cream cheese & smoked salmon – Another classic! I use Philadelphia garlic & herbs cream cheese which tastes delicious but is reduced fat making it low in calories! So i go with 30g of cream cheese and 50g of smoked salmon. You can sprinkle on any seasonings you would like – I love to use chilli flakes, a little salt & pepper and paprika. This bagel comes to a total of 368 calories and 27g of protein.

Loaded breakfast bagel – This is probably one of my all time favorite breakfast options, It is a little higher in calories than the previous options but oh my is it worth it! I use 2 eggs, 2ml of avocado oil for the eggs, 2 vegan sausages (109 calories for 2 sausages!!), 1 hash brown and a slice of American cheese. This bagel comes out to 561 calories and 34g of protein!

Tuna bagel – Another yummy classic. This one is really simple and is perfect or lunch. I use 1 can of tuna in spring water, 100g of greek yogurt, 15g of light mayo, 25g of chopped jalepenos and half a small onion. I then season with powdered vegetable stock, chilli flakes, dried parsley and paprika. This bagel comes out to 397 calories and contains a whopping 47g of protein!

These are just some ways to enjoy these bagels, there are endless options like pizza bagels, avocado and salsa, egg salad and so on. You can also serve with sauces, I usually go for ketchup which only has 14 calories per 15g!

more low calorie breakfast options…