These Gluten-Free Vegan Bagels are super easy to make and perfectly chewy and doughy. They're also yeast-free, oil-free and contain no added sugar!

I'm so excited to share this recipe for Gluten-Free Vegan Bagels as it's been a long time coming. I've been wanting to make gluten-free bagels for ages and have been experimenting with so many different combinations of flours.
I've made ones using yeast, but quite luckily I discovered that the yeast-free ones had a better taste and texture, which means they're much easier to make, and you don't have to wait around for them to prove.
Although bagels are usually boiled before being baked, I was a bit nervous that gluten-free ones wouldn't be able to stay together in all that hot water, so I decided to steam them instead of boiling. Steaming worked really well in terms of texture, and it's super easy to do too.
In terms of flours, I ended up going for a combination of brown rice flour and white rice flour, which had the best texture and the most neutral flavour.
Where can you buy brown rice flour?
If you can't find brown rice flour in your local supermarket, you'll be able to find it in local health stores or online.
Why you'll love these Gluten-Free Vegan Bagels:
- they're undetectably vegan and gluten-free
- they're perfectly chewy and doughy
- they're slightly crusty on the outside
- they toast well
- they have a neutral flavour
- they're oil-free
- they're free from sugar
- they're yeast-free
- they slice easily
- there's no kneading required
- there's no proving time needed
- they're made in one bowl
- they're perfect for sandwiches!
How to make these Gluten-Free Vegan Bagels
Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl - use a measuring jug to add the water a little bit at a time until you get a firm dough that can be easily moulded into shape.
Tip: Add the water a bit at a time so that you don’t add too much!
- Divide the dough into six equal parts.
- Use your hands to shape one part of the dough into a circular patty.
- Place on a square of baking paper slightly bigger than the size of the patty and place on a plate.
- Repeat for the rest of the dough.
- Use a chopstick or your finger to make a small hole in the centre of all the patties.
- Sprinkle over seeds to decorate, if desired.
What to use to decorate these bagels:
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- sunflower seeds
- everything bagel seasoning!
- Place a small amount of water in the bottom of the wide-bottomed pan with a steaming colander inside it.
- Bring the water to the boil.
- Once the water is boiling, carefully place the bagels into the steaming colander (with the baking paper still underneath them).
- Place a lid over the pan and steam for 7 minutes - you might have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your steaming colander.
- Transfer the steamed bagels onto a rectangular baking tray lined with baking paper - remove the squares from the bottom of the bagels before placing them on the baking tray.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the surface has crisped up.
- Leave to cool completely before slicing.
How long do these Bagels keep for?
These Bagels keep well covered in the fridge for a few days - they're best toasted before eating.
Topping ideas for these Gluten-Free Vegan Bagels:
- vegan breakfast sausage (what I used in this photo - recipe coming soon!)
- vegan cream cheese
- peanut butter and banana
- jam
- chickpea mayonnaise salad
- hummus
- vegan egg salad
- chickpea curry salad
- mashed avocado
- tofu scramble!
More gluten-free vegan bread recipes:
- Gluten-Free Vegan Chickpea Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Irish Soda Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Almond Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Oat Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Dinner Rolls
- Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Flour Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Seeded Buckwheat Bread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Cornbread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Walnut Bread
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Gluten-Free Vegan Bagels
Ingredients
- 150 g (1 cup) brown rice flour
- 100 g (â…˜ cup) rice flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- 4 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 180 ml (¾ cup) water
To decorate (optional):
- Poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning etc
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients for the bagels in a mixing bowl - add the water a little bit at a time until you get a firm dough that can be easily moulded into shape (it’s better to add the water a bit at a time so that you don’t add too much)
- Divide the dough into six equal parts
- Use your hands to shape one part of the dough into a circular patty
- Place on a square of baking paper slightly bigger than the size of the patty and place on a plate
- Repeat for the rest of the dough
- Use a chopstick or your finger to make a small hole in the centre of all the patties
- Sprinkle over seeds to decorate, if desired
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place a small amount of water in the bottom of the wide-bottomed pan with a steaming colander inside it Bring the water to the boil
- Once the water is boiling, carefully place the bagels into the steaming colander (with the baking paper still underneath them)
- Place a lid over the pan and steam for 7 minutes - you might have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your steaming colander
- Transfer the steamed bagels onto a baking tray lined with baking paper - remove the squares from the bottom of the bagels before placing them on the baking tray
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the surface has crisped up
- Leave to cool completely before slicing
- These bagels keep well covered in the fridge for a few days - best toasted before eating
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Dana
I cannot find regular rice flour. Could I use only brown rice flour? Should I add more liquid if this is the case?
Rhian Williams
Hm I'm not sure if it would be the right texture to be honest, it might be too dry. Would love to hear how you get on if you try it though! Instead of the white rice flour you can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend!
Alice
I have regular rice flour and oat flour, but I don’t have brown rice flour. What can I substitute for that?
Rhian Williams
I don't think any of these substitutions would work for this recipe, unfortunately!
Sarah
Would corn flour, oat flour, rice flour, or chickpea flour work instead of brown rice flour?
Rhian Williams
Potentially chickpea flour, but I can't guarantee anything as I haven't tested it this way. Would love to hear how you get on if you try it though!
Isla
I think sorghum flour might work but I haven’t tried it? Rhian, do you think that would work?
Rhian Williams
I've never tried that sorry! Again, would love to hear how you get on if you do try it!
Rima
Can I substitute tapioca flour with corn starch?
Rhian Williams
It should be ok!
Trina
Very good. Nice to have a vegan gf bagel.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!