Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels (Only 2 Ingredients, No Yeast!)

I honestly never thought I'd be the person making homemade bagels on a random Tuesday morning. But here I am, and I have to tell you - these gluten free cottage cheese bagels changed my whole breakfast routine.

Jessica has been gluten free for about two years now, and finding good bread options that don't taste like cardboard has been a real challenge for us. So when I first tried making bagels with just cottage cheese and gluten free flour, I was not expecting much. I figured they'd fall apart or taste weird. I was completely wrong.

They came out golden, chewy, and satisfying in a way that store-bought gluten free bread never is. Alex grabbed one before they even cooled down and said, "Wait, you actually made these?" That's when I knew this recipe was worth sharing. And if you love the idea of high protein bagel recipes with cottage cheese, you might also want to check out my cottage cheese bagels for another popular version my family loves.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Like This Recipe
• Ingredients for Your Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels
• How To Make Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels
• Storage and Reheating
• Tips and Variations for the Best Results
• Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels - Frequently Asked Questions
• Recipes You May Like
• Wrapping Up
• Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels

Why You Will Like This Recipe

There are so many reasons I keep coming back to this one. Here's what makes it worth your time:

• Only 2 main ingredients - no long grocery list needed
• Gluten free and yeast free - no waiting for dough to rise
• Ready from start to finish in about 40 minutes
• Each bagel has 11 grams of protein - a real win for a busy morning
• Kid-approved - Jessica takes them to school and actually asks for them
• Easy enough to make on a weekday with zero stress

Ingredients for Your Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels

Here is everything you need to make 4 bagels. Simple list, I promise.

For the bagels:

• 225 g full fat cottage cheese - full fat gives the best texture here, don't swap for low fat
• 180 g self-raising gluten free flour - see my note below if you only have plain GF flour

For the topping:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

A note on the flour: If you only have plain gluten free flour at home, no worries. Just add 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 100g of flour. And if your flour blend doesn't already include xanthan gum, add ¼ teaspoon total to the whole batch. This little step makes a big difference in how the dough holds together.

How To Make Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels

This process is straightforward. Once you've done it once, you'll feel totally comfortable making these on a weekday morning.

Step 1 - Prep Your Oven and Tray

Preheat your oven to 200C (Fan 180C / Gas Mark 6). Line a baking tray with baking paper and set it aside. I always line the tray before I start mixing because things move fast once the dough comes together.

Step 2 - Blend the Cottage Cheese

Add the cottage cheese to a blender or food processor and blitz it until it's smooth. This step matters. If you skip it and just dump the cottage cheese in lumpy, the dough won't come together properly.

Pour the smooth cottage cheese into a mixing bowl and add the gluten free self-raising flour.

Step 3 - Mix and Knead the Dough

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir everything together. It will start to feel quite thick and sticky pretty quickly. Switch to using your hands and knead it gently until it forms a smooth ball of dough. It will be slightly sticky - that's completely normal.

Don't panic if it seems a little messy at first. Just keep working it and it will come together. I promise.

Step 4 - Shape the Bagels

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Lightly flour your hands - this keeps things from sticking everywhere. Roll each piece into a ball, then into a sausage shape roughly 1 inch thick and 6-7 inches long.

Wrap each sausage into a circle and pinch the ends together firmly. You want that classic bagel ring shape. Place each one on your lined baking tray.

Step 5 - Add the Egg Wash and Seeds

Brush each gluten free cottage cheese bagel with the beaten egg. Then sprinkle over the poppy seeds and sesame seeds. The egg wash is what gives them that beautiful golden colour and helps the seeds stick.

Step 6 - Bake Until Golden

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the tops are golden brown. This is the part where your kitchen starts to smell amazing, by the way.

Remove from the oven and leave them to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting or eating. I know it's hard to wait, but slicing them too soon can make them a bit doughy inside.

Storage and Reheating

These bagels keep really well, which is one of the reasons I make a batch every week.

At room temperature: Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

In the fridge: They'll stay fresh for up to 4 days. Slice them before storing so you can pop them straight in the toaster.

In the freezer: These freeze beautifully. Slice them first, then freeze in a zip-lock bag for up to 3 months. Toast from frozen when you're ready to eat.

Reheating tip: The toaster is your best friend here. Two minutes in the toaster brings them right back to life - crispy outside, soft inside.

Tips and Variations for the Best Results

I've made these gluten free cottage cheese bagels more times than I can count at this point. Here are the things I've learned along the way.

• Use full fat cottage cheese. I tried low fat once and the dough was way too wet and hard to work with. Full fat is the move.
• Flour your hands generously. The dough is sticky. Flouring your hands every time you handle a new piece of dough makes shaping so much easier.
• Don't skip the blending step. Smooth cottage cheese really does give a better texture in the finished bagel.
• Switch up the toppings. Sesame seeds and poppy seeds are my go-to, but everything bagel seasoning works great too. So does just a sprinkle of sea salt if you want to keep it simple.
• Want more protein? Try my 3-ingredient cottage cheese bagels or the cottage cheese bagels with almond flour if you want to switch up the flour base.

Can you make these dairy free? Honestly, I haven't tested a dairy free version yet. The cottage cheese is such a core part of the structure that I'd be cautious about swapping it out without testing first.

Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Bagels - Frequently Asked Questions

Recipes You May Like

If you loved making these gluten free high protein bagels, here are a few more recipes worth trying next:

• Cottage Cheese Flatbread - Another simple, protein-packed bread option that comes together in minutes and works great as a wrap or pizza base.
• Cottage Cheese Pancakes - Fluffy, protein-rich pancakes that are a total weekend morning win, especially with Jessica requesting them almost every Saturday.
• Keto Cottage Cheese Bread - A low carb option that's just as satisfying and incredibly easy to slice and toast throughout the week.

Wrapping Up

These gluten free cottage cheese bagels are honestly one of the recipes I'm most proud of sharing. Two ingredients, no yeast, no complicated steps, and you end up with something that actually tastes like a real bagel. That's a win in my book.

If you give these a try, I'd love to hear how they turned out for you. Drop a comment below and let me know what toppings you used. And if you're saving recipes for later, this one is absolutely worth pinning to your breakfast board on Pinterest.

Happy baking!

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