Welcome to AK Pumpkin Week 2025! If you’ve been following AK for awhile, you know my love for pumpkin runs very deep (yes, I have over 40 pumpkin recipes). Each fall I love sharing sweet and savory recipes, new and updated, so that you can get your pumpkin party on all season long.
We’re kicking this week off with my brand new, easy high protein pumpkin bagels filled with nutrient-dense ingredients and baked up in just over 30 minutes. And there’s no yeast and no boiling involved. That’s right, you can have fresh, perfectly sweet and chewy pumpkin bagels for breakfast in no time!
These babies will have your house smelling heavenly. Add your favorite bagel toppings and spreads, and enjoy with a cup of coffee or my homemade pumpkin spice latte for the best fall morning.
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Pumpkin bagels with a nutritional twist
You know I’m all about taking a recipe and creating a more nourishing, nutrient-dense version of it that’s still absolutely delicious, which is exactly what I did with these pumpkin bagels. They’re loaded with:
- Vitamin A and vitamin C thanks to the real pumpkin puree baked right in
- Fiber and whole grains from the whole wheat flour
- Omega-3s, fiber & protein from flaxseed meal
- And protein and calcium from creamy Greek yogurt
Ingredients you’ll need to make these pumpkin protein bagels
Although making bagels from scratch can feel intimidating, these protein pumpkin bagels are made with SUPER simple pantry staples and there’s no yeast involved! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Yogurt: be sure to use a 2% or whole-milk plain Greek yogurt, which will give the bagels moisture and that boost of protein. Regular yogurt will be too thin.
- Pumpkin puree: yes, we’re mixing in the real deal pumpkin puree here! Feel free to use store-bought OR learn how to make your own from an actual pumpkin HERE.
- Sweetener: you’ll add a little honey or pure maple syrup to the dough for the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Flour: we’re using a mix of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour) to give the bagels the right texture.
- Flaxseed meal: as I mentioned, you’ll get another boost of fiber and protein from the flaxseed meal, plus omega-3s!
- Spices: bring out the pumpkin flavors with both pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the baking powder and salt. That’s right, no yeast needed!
- Egg: you’ll need an egg to brush the bagels before baking so they get that beautiful golden top.
Try yummy mix-ins
I love to mix raisins or dried cranberries into the dough before baking because they add a little sweetness and pair well with the cinnamon. This is optional, but give it a try if you love a good cinnamon raisin bagel!
Can I make them gluten-free or dairy-free?
Unfortunately, no, I can’t recommend a gluten-free substitute for the flour in these pumpkin protein bagels, though these may work with King Arthur 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. You could try a dairy-free Greek yogurt, but be sure it’s nice and thick like regular Greek yogurt!
How to make high protein pumpkin bagels
One bowl, no yeast, no boiling? Yes, these easy protein pumpkin bagels are a dream come true! Here’s how to make them:
- Mix the wet ingredients. Start by whisking together all of your wet ingredients in a large bowl until nice and smooth.
- Add the dry. Use a rubber spatula to start mixing all of the dry ingredients into the wet, then I find it easiest to mix the dough completely with clean hands.
- Form the bagels. Dust a surface with flour, divide the dough into 8 equal balls, then roll each ball into a rope. Join the ends of each “rope” to form each bagel.
- Brush, bake & devour. Place each bagel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush the tops with an egg wash, then bake them up until golden brown and puffed up.
Choose your bagel size
This recipe makes 8 smaller bagels, but you can absolutely make regular, bakery-style bagels by making 4 or 6 instead of 8!
Our favorite bagel toppings
What’s a bagel without the delicious toppings? Toast these high protein pumpkin bagels and try topping with:
- Butter and a little flaky sea salt
- Salted Honey Butter (found on page 235 of The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook!)
- Honey walnut cream cheese
- Bacon, egg & cheese (if you love a sweet-savory combination)
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: let your pumpkin protein bagels cool completely, then store them at room temperature for up to 2 days in a paper bag or in a reusable zip-top bag. I recommend transferring to the fridge after 2 days.
- To freeze: I recommend slicing your bagels in half before freezing. Wrap your bagel halves in parchment paper or wax paper to separate them, then store them in a reusable zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw your bagel halves in the refrigerator before toasting and enjoying.
Tools you’ll need
Get all of my kitchen essentials here!
More pumpkin recipes you’ll love
- Pumpkin Banana Flax Chocolate Chip Muffins
- The Best Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Get all of my pumpkin recipes here, and my breakfast recipes here!
I hope you love these high protein pumpkin bagels! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
High Protein Pumpkin Bagels
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients
- 1 cup (225 grams) 2% or whole-milk plain Greek yogurt (do not use regular yogurt)
- ¾ cup (180 grams) pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons honey (or pure maple syrup)
- Dry ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups (160 grams) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup (113 grams) white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour)
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional mix-ins
- ½ cup (70 grams) raisins or dried cranberries
- Topping
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, pumpkin puree and honey until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients: Add the flour, whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until the ingredients begin to come together, then use clean hands to work the flour into the dough until it is well absorbed. You may need to use your hands to get the flour incorporated into the dough. If using the dried fruit, fold it into the dough or work it in with your hands. It’s normal for the dough to be sticky, but if it is overly sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour.
- Form the bagels: Lightly dust additional flour on a work surface. Divide dough in half, then divide each half into 4 equal balls (for a total of 8 balls total). Roll each ball into a rope about 7 to 8 inches long. Note: I find it helpful to roll out the ropes in a little bit of flour to prevent sticking to the surface! Join the ends of each rope to form a bagel and then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls, placing bagels at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Brush the tops of the bagels very lightly with the egg wash. Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly golden brown and the bagels have puffed up. Cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into. I love these toasted with a little butter and flaky sea salt, or salted honey butter would be delicious!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
37 comments
Seriously! My first time making bagels ever and these are so amazing and easy. Even my picky kids like them. I made them dairy free (used siggis coconut based plain yogurt) and egg free (used dairy free butter instead of egg wash) because of allergies and they are still delicious.
Amazing! So glad they were a hit!
Can you substitute gluten free flour?
Check out the full post for substitution questions! I haven’t tested it, but they might work with a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour. Let me know if you try it!
Would 100% make these again! It’s like a cinnamon-raisin bagel and a pumpkin bagel had a cute little bagel babies. I used 0% Greek yogurt because that’s what I had on hand. They turned out beautifully soft on day one and developed that slightly chewy bagel texture on day two. My family devoured them toasted with butter and flaky salt (just as Monique suggested!).
P.S. I added a mix of currants and golden raisins plus a few pumpkin seeds on top because I’m a diva like that. 💯
YES so good! I support the diva baking additions 🙂 sounds amazing.
These were a last minute decision at 9:30pm a couple nights ago. I did not regret the decision. They were excellent. I did half with mini chocolate chips and half with a mixture of dried cranberries and blueberries I had on-hand. I will make these again!
Love that!! Glad you enjoyed!
I haven’t tried yet but looking forward to it. Do you think you could sub almond flour for up to half of the flour called for in this recipe?
Also, can you include bagels in your next cookbook?! 😍
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend swapping the flour here as the texture will greatly change — sorry! I’ll definitely keep bagels in mind for future books 🙂
One table spoon of baking powder? Seems like a lot.
It does, but because there isn’t any yeast in this recipe you’ll need a full tablespoon as a leavening agent!
These were amazing! I can’t wait to make them again. Came out perfect 😊
So happy to hear that!
Successfully made these gluten free (lower gluten for an intolerance not safe for celiac) and they’re SO good – amazing consistency. Used Bobs Redmill gluten free all purpose baking flour in place of the flour and jovial elkhorn whole wheat flour in place of the whole wheat flour. Can’t recommend enough!
Thank you for this sub!! I am GF and really appreciate the tip!
I’m glad they turned out well with those flour swaps! Such a great breakfast 🙂
I never post reviews but I couldn’t resist. These were delicious and pillowy soft. I’m in shock that they didn’t have to rise to get this texture. And the protein is definitely a plus. Soo good.
So glad you loved them!!
These are SO good! I used regular organic all purpose flour all around and still a great texture.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!!
I only gave 3 stars because it was mostly a failure for me. I don’t know what I did wrong. My husband said they tasted good but they were not bagel like he said more like soft cookies. They were very dense when he sliced into them and almost looked very underbaked even though I baked them for the stated time on the stated temp. If anyone has any suggestions I’d love to try again. I didn’t make any alterations to the original recipe.
Hi! I’d love to help troubleshoot. Did you measure the ingredients using cups or weights?
These are beyond delightful and so easy to make! I’ve always wanted to try making bagels but it seemed so intimidating. The recipe is foolproof and the flavors are spot on. I also love that you get a good dose of protein. This will be another AK fall recipe on repeat!
So glad you found this one! Perfect recipe for you bagel fix 🙂
I’m sad because they smelled so good in the oven but they turned out super dense and gummy,
I’m not sure what went wrong.
I followed the recipe..
Hi! Did you use cups or weighted measurements? It sounds like there might’ve been too much flour (perhaps from accidentally packing it) and/or that the dough was a big overmixed.
Just made these today and such an easy recipe. Mine definitely took longer to cook – 30 min. And didn’t have the shine like the picture. So I think next time I will use more egg wash and maybe move the baking tray higher in the oven for the last 10 min or so. But yummy flavor. Only kept 2 out. The rest are wrapped in the freezer for a Thanksgiving week away in the mountains.
Yes, feel free to add more egg wash! Great idea to prep these for the holidays!
I honestly didn’t have high expectations for these as I thought they might taste “too healthy”, but I was craving bagels and they turned out so good! I will definitely make again! The raisins give them the perfect hint of sweetness. For those who said they came out too gummy, I can’t help but wonder if they’re slicing them right out of the oven. Bread needs time to sit, as tempting as it is to eat it hot! I sliced one almost immediately because I had a hungry toddler waiting and it was slightly gummy. But I let the other ones cool and the inside was perfect and not gummy at all.
Great tip on the slicing! Glad you enjoyed!
Trying to limit white flour from our diet, do you think we can use 2 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour instead of the 1 1/3 cup of white and 1 cup of whole wheat? Thank you!
I tried this but I felt as though the bagels were too dense. However, you could try white whole wheat flour and see how they come out?
These were really good. I followed the recipe as written, added dried cherries as a mix-in & cooked them in the air fryer. Great flavor and texture. Delicious toasted w/butter and flaky salt. Will definitely make them again.
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious and super easy for homemade, high protein bagels. Great fall flavor. I did not add in any dried fruit, otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. Thank you for the pictures on how to roll the dough!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!