Air fryer bagels are a homemade yeast bagel that is chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy centers. Learn how to make homemade bagels in your air fryer for the perfect crust. Slather on cream cheese, and jam, or use the bagel to make a sandwich.
This bagel recipe requires just a few basic pantry ingredients. You might find you have all the ingredients on hand already. Don’t wait; give this air fryer bagel recipe a try.
Also, make sure to check out my air fryer peanut butter cookies! They are so easy to make in the air fryer. Or, for an easy dinner do this air fryer whole chicken.
Ingredient notes
- Warm Water – The water needs to be between 100-110 degrees F. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast and cause your dough not to rise. These are rise bagels, which means the yeast needs to rise the dough.
- Yeast – You can use a packet of yeast or if you buy in bulk, measure out 2 1/4 teaspoons.
- Brown Sugar – The sugar helps the yeast activate but also adds a hint of sweetness to the bagels.
- Flour – Scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a smaller measuring cup or spoon. Then level off the top.
- Honey – Honey is the sweetening agent in this recipe. If you don’t want the bagels to have sweetness, you can use less honey.
- Egg – I d recommend using room a room temperature egg.
- Salt – The salt will help enhance your bagel dough quite a bit. Without it you will find your dough is less than flavorful.
- Toppings – You can choose any toppings you want. From a classic salted top, everything bagel seasoning, cookie crumbles, sesame seeds, and more.
How to make Air Fryer Bagels
In a large bowl, you will add your warm water, yeast, and brown sugar. Then you will add the flour and salt and work the dough.
It will create a shaggy dough, as seen in the picture above.
On a floured surface, dump out your bagel dough and then knead it to create a consistent dough texture that is slightly sticky to the touch but smooth.
Allow your dough to rise and double in size in a covered bowl.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down, and roll it into 4 equal balls.
Poke a hole in the center of each ball to create the bagel shape. Then bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in the honey and stir to combine.
Boil the bagels one at a time for 30 seconds per side, remove the bagels, and place them on parchment paper.
Add bagels to the air fryer basket, and brush with egg wash. Then cook as directed until the bagels are golden brown in color.
Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Recipe tips and variations
- If you want to add spices or seasonings, add them to the bagel before you go and cook them.
- Make sure your dough is covered with plastic wrap or a towel to ensure the dough doesn’t harden and dry out as it is sitting to rise.
- The egg wash is key as it will help to make the crust of the bagels become golden brown. If you don’t do the egg wash, it will be dull in color.
- You could also brush with milk if you don’t want to use egg wash.
Storage and reheating tips
- Room Temperature: Store any bagel leftovers in an air-tight container on the counter at room temperature for 2 days.
- Freeze: To freeze homemade bagels, place them in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for 3-4 months.
- Reheat: To reheat bagels, you can use your oven or air fryer at 375 degrees F for about 2-3 minutes, oven at 400 degrees F for 3-4 minutes or microwave for 1 minute.
How to serve
You can serve up these bagels for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner. Slather on your favorite bagel schmere, cream cheese like our Vegetable Cream Cheese, mashed avocado, or use the bagel as bread to make a sandwich. The possibilities are truly endless in terms of how to eat your bagels.
You could even do it as Grated Egg Avocado Toast!
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about this air fryer bread recipe.
Boiling the bagel dough allows for a crust to create on the outer part of the dough. Then as it bakes or in this case is air fried it creates a deep golden brown chewy crust.
Air-fried bagels have a chewier texture than a slice of bread. While both have a crust, the texture is a lot different.
If you don’t boil the bagels in water, they will be more like a rolled texture than a chewy bagel.
bagel topping ideas
Air Fryer Bagels
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Print Pin RecipeIngredients
- ¾ cup warm water about 100-110F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 large egg
- Toppings of your choice flake sea salt, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and brown sugar.
- Next add the flour and salt and stir the dough together using a dough whisk or wooden spoon. You can also do this in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook if you prefer.
- Once a shaggy dough forms, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and only slightly sticky to the touch.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and set it aside to rise for one hour.
- After the dough has risen, divide it into 4 and shape the dough into a ball.
- Poke a hole through the center of each ball to create the traditional bagel shape.
- Bring a large pot of water (about 4 quarts) to a boil. Add the honey and stir to combine.
- Boil the bagels, one at a time, for 30 seconds per side. Then remove the bagels and place them on a sheet of parchment paper that has been lined with nonstick spray.
- Lightly spray your air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Add the bagels to the basket, making sure not to overcrowd them.
- Beat the egg with a small splash of water (about 1 tablespoon) to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the top of each bagel and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
- Cook at 375F for 8-10 minutes, or until the bagels are golden brown.
- Serve warm. Store any leftover bagels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
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