Cheddar Cheese Bagel Recipe
This cheddar cheese bagel recipe is easy make! Top these delicious bagels with your favourite topping, such as jalapeño peppers and your favourite cheese flavour. Enjoy New York style fresh bagels as good as your neighbourhood bagel shop. Make your own bagels in the comfort of your home.
Love easy breakfast recipe? Try my sausage cream cheese casserole, chocolate chip pancakes or these Hawaiian roll breakfast sliders next!
About these Cheddar Bagels
There is nothing better than a homemade fresh bagel! The way the cheese gives the edges those crispy bits of cheddar cheese is heaven. This recipe gives that same great texture you get from a bakery.
Although the dough takes a bit of time to rise they are worth the wait and they really are super easy to make! You’ve got this!!
Don’t you love how you can mix and match the flavours such as jalapeño cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese. I’ve left instructions in the notes on the recipe card for cinnamon raisin bagel varation and you will want to try those too!
These bagels are perfect for breakfast or brunch, and if you have any leftovers they are easy to freeze. You might also enjoy my cranberry orange scones or cinnamon roll apple cobbler for your next breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients for Homemade Cheddar Bagels
- Granulated sugar
- Active dry yeast – I do not recommend any substitutes for this ingredient.
- Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature. Take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start the recipe.
- Vegetable oil
- Bread flour
- Salt
- Sharp cheddar cheese – see variations below for other suggestions. You can make these bagels your own by adding several different toppings to suit your taste.
Step By Step Instructions
Below you will find step by step instructions with photos to help you along the way. You can find the full recipe card with ingredients and instructions at the bottom of this page.
You will need one to two large cookie sheets for this recipe.
DISSOLVE THE YEAST
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve 1 tsp. of sugar in warm water. Water temperature should be between 110F and 115°F.
Sprinkle yeast over top of water mixture and let stand for 10 minutes. (Yeast should be frothy – if not, wait another two to three minutes).
MAKE THE DOUGH
Whisk in eggs and vegetable oil, followed by the sugar and salt.
Gradually stir in 2 cups of the flour and continue to stir until dough is smooth. Gradually add another cup of the flour and continue to mix. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. If the dough is a little sticky when you are kneading it, you can work up to 1/2 cup of additional flour into the dough but not more than that as it will upset the balance needed for the right texture.
Knead dough for 10 minutes. To knead dough, place dough in front of you and fold the back half of the dough towards you. Use heel of your hand to press dough down into itself. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat. (Turn, knead, turn, knead). When kneading is completed, the dough should spring back when you poke it with your finger.
Using a different large bowl, coat the bowl lightly with olive oil.
Place dough in bowl and turn dough through the oil once to grease.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough and knead 10 times.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions.
COOK THE BAGELS!
In a large, wide saucepan, bring 16 cups of water and the 2 tbsp. of sugar to a boil. (you will be shaping the bagels while the water is coming to a boil).
Roll into a 10-inch long rope. Bring the end together to form a circle, overlapping, then pinch the edges to seal the dough.(Pinch the edges tightly)! Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for 15 minutes.
Gently add the bagels to the boiling water, four at a time. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Turn over with slotted spoon and cook for 1 minute more. Move bagels to a baking sheet that is freshly-lined with parchment paper. Continue with the remaining bagels until all 12 have been completed.
EGG WASH AND TOPPINGS
Beat one egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl.
Brush the bagel tops with eggs, then place the bagels on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese on top. If you do not have parchment paper, you can grease and lightly flour the baking sheets.
Bake in 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Transfer to cooling racks. See recipe notes below for storage and freezing instructions.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
FAQ’s
Bagel are an easy baking project to make in the comfort of your home. They do take time to make and you should plan for about three to three and a half hours total from start to finish.
Although you can substitute all purpose flour for bread flour in a bagel recipe, the result will be a less chewy bagel. One of the things that makes a bagel so delicious is the chewy texture, so go with the bread flour!
Variations
You can make these bagels your own by changing up the types of cheese that you use. Mild or medium cheddar, Montery Jack and the ever-popular asiago cheese bagels are all great choices.
Jalapeno Cheddar Bagels – add in 100 g of finely grated jalepeno pepper to the dough and sprinkle a few on top of the cheddar before baking.
My Top Tips For Delicious Homemade Bagels
Use bread flour to achieve a classic, chewy bagel texture.
Measure ingredients accurately for a successful bake.
Make the your own – you can spinkle the unbaked bagels with sesame seeds, poppy seeds and a variety of cheeses. I’ve included instructions in the recipe card notes for cinnamon raisin bagels which are also delicious!
Cheddar Cheese Bagel Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12
Description
This cheddar cheese bagel recipe is easy make! Top these delicious bagels with your favourite topping, such as jalapeño peppers and your favourite cheese flavour. Enjoy New York style fresh bagels as good as your neighbourhood bagel shop. Make your own bagels in the comfort of your home.
Ingredients
YEAST MIXTURE:
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
DOUGH
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 and 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 and tsp. salt
POACHING LIQUID
16 cups water
1 and 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
EGG WASH
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. water
TOPPINGS
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- TO DISSOLVE YEAST
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve 1 tsp. of sugar in warm water. Water temperature should be between 110F and 115°F.
- Sprinkle yeast over top of water mixture and let stand for 10 minutes. (Yeast should be frothy – if not, wait another two to three minutes).
- MAKE THE DOUGH
- Whisk in eggs and vegetable oil.
- Add in sugar and salt.
- Gradually stir in 2 cups of the flour and continue to stir until dough is smooth. Gradually add another cup of the flour and continue to mix. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. If the dough is a little sticky when you are kneading it, you can work up to 1/2 cup of additional flour into the dough but not more than that as it will upset the balance needed for the right texture.
- Knead dough for 10 minutes. To knead dough, place dough in front of you and fold the back half of the dough towards you. Use heel of your hand to press dough down into itself. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat. (Turn, knead, turn, knead). When kneading is completed, the dough should spring back when you poke it with your finger.
- Using a different large bowl, coat the bowl lightly with olive oil.
- Place dough in bowl and turn dough through the oil once to grease.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.
- Punch down the dough and knead 10 times.
- Divide dough into 12 equal portions.
- In a large, wide saucepan, bring 16 cups of water and the 2 tbsp. of sugar to a boil. (you will be shaping the bagels while the water is coming to a boil).
- Roll into a 10-inch long rope. Bring the end together to form a circle, overlapping, then pinch the edges to seal the dough.(Pinch the edges tightly)! Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for 15 minutes.
- Gently add the bagels to the boiling water, four at a time. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Turn over with slotted spoon and cook for 1 minute more. Move bagels to a baking sheet that is freshly-lined with parchment paper. Continue with the remaining bagels until all 12 have been completed.
- EGG WASH AND TOPPINGS
- Beat one egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl.
- Brush the bagel tops with eggs, then place the bagels on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese on top. If you do not have parchment paper, you can grease and lightly flour the baking sheets.
- Bake in 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Transfer to cooling racks. See recipe notes below for storage and freezing instructions.
Notes
VARIATIONS:
1/2 cup of sesame seeds, poppyseeds or everything bagel seasoning. Sprinkle on top of bagels after brushing on the egg wash.
WHOLE WHEAT CINNAMON RAISIN BAGELS VARIATION:
Use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 2 and 1/2 cups of bread flour
Increase sugar from 2 tbsp. to 1/4 cup granulated sugar for the dough
Add 2 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to the flour mixture
After the dough has risen, punch down and gently knead in 1 cup raisins
STORAGE & FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:
Store bagels in a plastic storage container or plastic zip top bag for a few days.
Bagels can be frozen in plastic zip top bags for up to three months.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 255
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 246.8 mg
- Fat: 10.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.6 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg
This post was first published in October, 2020 and was updated January 31st, 2023 with additional images and some modifications to the recipe to include cheddar cheese bagels.
We have made these bagels quite a few times now and they never disappoint. The cheese is the teens favourite but we enjoyed all the flavours. It is an excellent recipe that hits the perfect bagel texture. We enjoy making these at home, thanks!!
These cheddar cheese bagels turned out great! Can’t wait to make them again.
I made these bagels as a treat for my family and they are so good! I’ll definitely make them again.
Thanks so much Kristen! We love them too 🙂
We had these bagels for breakfast this morning and oh my goodness were they delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I made these this morning and they very so good! It was perfectly cheesy and so tasty. Thank you for such a great recipe 🙂
Thanks so much Michelle!
Holy cow. That looks so good. All I need is some garlic compound butter and I’m set!
I just made these with a few adjustments. I wanted bigger bagels, so I made them into 8 equal pieces. I also made them into balls and just put a hole in the middle with my finger, then stretched them to the size I wanted. I made everything bagel, cheddar, and asiago herb ones. They turned out fantastic! I also used A.P. flour because that’s all I had and really wanted bagels! Thank you for the recipe!! Sorry I didn’t follow it exactly.
That’s terrific and thanks for sharing your feedback!
Turned out so tasty! Make sure to oil the parchment paper or put down a thin layer of cornmeal after shaping. It’ll be much easier to pick up to boil. Any other recommendations I do appreciate ☺️
This recipe has become a staple in our house. Our kids love cheddar bagels from our local bagel shop, and these taste just like them! They freeze great too. We pop them in the toaster and they taste so fresh.
Thrilled to hear this!! Thanks so much for taking the time to post a comment!