Air Fryer Bagels
Air Fryer Bagels
These bagels are built on a two-ingredient dough: self-rising flour and thick Greek yogurt, stirred together, kneaded briefly, and shaped into rings. There’s no yeast, no proofing, and no boiling — the steps that define a traditional bagel are skipped entirely, which is what makes this version fast.
The dough goes straight from the counter into the air fryer. Ropes of dough are pinched into rings, brushed with egg wash (or just water, or a spray of oil), topped with everything bagel seasoning, and air-fried until deep golden — about 25 minutes from start to finish.
Because there’s no boil, the texture sits closer to a dense biscuit or a savory scone than a chewy, boiled-and-baked bagel — bready and enriched, but shorter and less elastic. Letting them cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing matters more than usual here, since the crumb is still setting when they come out of the basket.
This is a modern shortcut recipe: the yogurt-dough method built its reputation as a fast, high-protein stand-in for a real bagel, and the air fryer version keeps that spirit — minimal cleanup, minimal waiting, no need to turn on the oven for four bagels. Good for a weekday breakfast, or split and toasted for sandwiches.
Ingredients
Makes 4 bagels
- 140 g self-rising flour, plus extra for kneading (or 140 g all-purpose flour + 2 tsp baking powder + ¾ tsp salt)
- 245 g plain Greek yogurt, thick, drained of excess liquid (non-fat or full-fat)
- optional: 1 egg (or egg white), beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash (or brush with water, or spray with oil)
- 1-2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning (or sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion and garlic flakes, or coarse salt)
Directions
Whisk the flour in a bowl — if you’re using all-purpose flour instead of self-rising, whisk in the baking powder and salt at the same time. Add the yogurt and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together into a shaggy, ragged dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about a minute, until it turns smooth and just tacky rather than sticky. Work in a little extra flour if it keeps sticking to your fingers.
Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 15 cm (6 in) long, then bring the ends together and pinch them closed to form a ring.
Brush the top and sides of each ring with the egg wash — or with plain water, or a light spray of oil if you’d rather skip the egg — then sprinkle generously with the seasoning.
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C). Grease the basket or line it with parchment, then arrange the bagels with at least 2.5 cm (1 in) between them; cook in two batches if they don’t all fit with room to expand.
Air-fry for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bagels are deep golden and cooked through. Flipping them halfway through gives slightly more even browning but isn’t necessary. For a gentler bake with less risk of over-browning, use 280°F (140°C) instead and give them 15 to 16 minutes.
Move the bagels to a wire rack and let them cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. They’re still setting when they come out of the air fryer, and cutting in too early leaves the center gummy.
Notes
Use thick, well-strained Greek yogurt and pour off any liquid sitting on top before measuring — thin yogurt makes a wet dough that won’t hold its shape. Cottage cheese blended completely smooth works as a substitute.
For toppings that really stick, brush a second light coat of egg wash over the seasoning once it’s on, rather than relying on just one coat.
The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge; let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before shaping.
These are best eaten the day they’re made. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days, or freeze the bagels individually wrapped and refresh them in the air fryer or toaster.
Because there’s no yeast and no boil, these land closer to a dense biscuit or scone than a real boiled-and-baked bagel. That’s the trade-off for a recipe that’s done, start to finish, in about 25 minutes.
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