Homemade Onion Bagels
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Homemade onion bagels aren’t difficult and can be made with ordinary home ingredients. Who wants bagels for breakfast! 
What’s your idea of good comfort food? Mac n cheese? Chicken soup? Chocolate Chip Cookies? Anything chocolate?
Well for me, bagels are comfort food.
I think it goes back to all the brunches in my youth when cream cheese, bagels and lox were served. It was a great way to have a meal that was delicious and festive but easy enough for the hostess to relax too.
Step by Step Directions
Of course, making the bagels from scratch is actually work. But it’s much easier than you’d think.
You start by making a bread-like yeast dough and let it rise for about an hour. 
Next you form bagels, give them a brief second rise, then boil.
The boiling is done in water mixed with baking soda which helps them brown nicely as they bake. If you are interested in the science check out this NPR analysis. I use an electric frying pan but a large deep skillet or Dutch oven should work.
After boiling, you top the damp bagels with dried chopped onion, which gives them a big punch of flavor and professional appearance.
Then you bake and cool the bagels.
I hadn’t made bagels in years but my Sunday bloggers onion theme was the perfect incentive. Despite the appeal of homemade, they had fallen by the wayside as I juggled career and kids. 
Happily, this onion bagel recipe turned out beautiful and delicious the first time I tried. So then my next thought was all of the other flavors I could try.
Cinnamon Cranberry anyone? 
Homemade Onion Bagels
Ingredients
Bagel dough:
- 1 cup warm water about 115 F
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast or ½ packet
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 2 1/2 cups flour
Other:
- ¼ cup baking soda
- Water for boiling
- 1-2 Tablespoons dried minced onion for topping
Instructions
- Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Combine the salt, flour and onion powder, then add to the water and yeast mixture. Mix and adjust flour or water if needed to make a dough that is just slightly sticky. Knead the dough until it “pushes back”, 5-10 minutes.
- Put the dough in a bowl at least double its size and top with a wet cloth. Let the dough rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 6 pieces. Form each into a ball and poke your thumb through the center to make a bagel shape. Set the bagels in a warm place to rise about 15 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.
- Add the baking soda and enough water to a tall frying pan or saucepan that is deep enough to float the bagels. Bring to a boil.
- Set the bagels in the boiling water, 2-3 at a time and boil for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon, drain them on a towel, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with dried mined onion. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
All About the Onion
- Caramelized Onion Chip Dip by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- French Onion Soup by Making Miracles
- German Onion Cake by That Recipe
- Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Tarts by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Homemade French Onion Dip by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Mongolian Beef by Palatable Pastime
- Onion Bagels by Art of Natural Living
- Pork and Green Onion Chow Fun by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Quick Pickled Green Onions by Veggies First Then Dessert
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I have been using this recipe for at least a couple of years, now, and I want to let you know that it is a wonderful recipe, and I make it fairly often. I am a practiced baker, and have been making my own bread for 40 years, with just a few years that I wasn’t baking. I’ve been baking artisan sourdough bread for the last four years, my pie crusts are flaky, and I’ve also baked quite a few pastries over the years. You have truly got a wonderful bagel recipe, & I appreciate it and can’t recommend it enough. Wonderful!
Thanks so much Claire! Happy baking!
Should you rehydrate the onion before putting them on top of the bagels???????
No just use them dried. Hope you enjoy!
Can fresh or dried onions also be added directly to the dough when it is mixing?
I use onion powder to flavor the dough, but you could also use dried minced onion or finely chopped fresh onion. For the fresh onion, you’d need to be careful that it didn’t compromise the ability of the dough to stick together, so chop well and watch the amount. Have fun!
I’ve made these a few times, and they are great every time! I usually have to add more flour, though – not sure why.
One modification I made, which is delightful, is to also add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Very nice combo!
So happy you are enjoying these Bryan! Flour varies by brand/type, and it also absorbs moisture from the air. This means you usually need to adjust some for any type of bread. Love your idea of the garlic powder–I’d add garlic to almost anything 🙂 !
Is it 1 1/2 teaspoons or Tablespoons active dry yeast? because you have t. i noticed the onion powder has a T but when you typed out Tablespoon you used a t not a T. i just want this to actually come out right.
“t” is conventionally teaspoons, but I spelled everything out so it is clearer now. That is my preference anyway so thanks for catching that I was in mixed mode. And yes, that’s a lot of onion powder 🙂 ! Hope you enjoy the bagels!
I tried to make these this morning. The directions said to add everything else together except the dried onion. My question is the baking soda. Does that go into the mix or do you put that in the water. I put it into the mix and nothing rose. If the baking soda was for the boiling water the recipe should have said that.
Your second impulse was correct, Matthew–the baking soda is for the water–and I have made that clearer now. But since it is the yeast that makes it rise, that wouldn’t be the cause of your problem. The baking soda is just there to give a browner, crustier exterior. The bagels don’t rise as much as bread. If the texture was good, then they actually did work, though the baking soda would make them pretty salty so I’d suggest you discard them. Thank you so much for your comment and I hope that it’s easier to understand now.
I finally made these this morning and they were heavenly! And oh so simple relatively speaking…Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. Mine came out very chewy and soft, which I personally love but may have had something to do with my not quite getting the hang of yeast.
They are supposed to be chewy Violet so I think you got it right! So happy you enjoyed!
Onion bagels are one of my faves! I am totally going to try these. They look perfectly delicious.
We really enjoyed. I’ll be making more for July 4th festivities!
Luckily my guys would pass on these letting me enjoy them all! YUMMY! I could just make theirs plain, I guess.
If you left the onion powder out, you could go wild changing toppings Audrey!
There is nothing like a homemade bagel. I love onion bagels and these looks just delicious.
This was easier than I expected–and excited to goo wild with some new flavors!
OMG this would be perfect with smoked salmon and cream cheese!
Just bought the smoked salmon Raymund (cream cheese is a given) 🙂
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at homemade bagels, but haven’t yet. Not sure why, but they are definitely on my try-it list again after seeing yours!
Oh you should go for it. I’d be happy to answer if you have any questions…
What a great idea to use the electric frying pan. It’s been a long time since I made bagels as well.
The frying pan really is great for this! So happy I snagged it!
I love homemade bagels but I haven’t tried an onion one yet. Next on my list!
Yes, getting back to bagel-making caused my list to grow!
Homemade bagels have been on my radar for awhile but I just haven’t tried them yet! Yours look wonderful – love the onion flavor profile!
If you are used to making bread, bagels really aren’t any harder!
Oh my goodness, what a great choice for this week’s theme. I love onion bagels.
I was glad I thought of this–these were a huge hit!
I haven’t made homemade bagels in decades! To be honest, I have never liked a single bagel that came from the store (even from NYC!)… But homemade ones are so different, and so fresh. That is a great tip about the baking soda… I did not know that, and will give it a try. Since I’m baking some sort of bread almost every other day, why not bagels?
You should give the bagels a go David! And I completely agree–freshness is everything in a bagel!