Easy Vegan, Gluten-Free Bagels with Psyllium
With their soft and chewy interiors and thin, lightly crispy crusts, these bagels don’t need gluten to be delicious! Whole Husk Psyllium lends unique binding properties that bring the simple, staple ingredients together effortlessly, while adding a healthy fiber boost to boot. You don’t need any special equipment, either—in fact, we find preparation easier by hand than with a stand mixer. Either way, the pliable dough makes shaping, boiling, and baking a breeze.
What is Psyllum?
A natural, soluble fiber derived from the seeds of powerful herb Plantago ovata, psyllium has long been used to aid healthy digestion. A natural prebiotic, psyllium promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms needed for a healthy, happy gut. Best known for encouraging smooth digestion and regularity, psyllium’s role in uplifting digestive health has further powerful, positive impacts with regard to blood sugar control, cholesterol, weight management, and overall wellness.
How to Make these Bagels
I’ll be honest, I fully expected for this recipe to be a dud. I was 100% prepared to enter a cycle of tweaking, modifying, and running out for more gluten-free flours. I was so surprised to yield happy results the first try that I honestly had old-fashioned phrases like “knock my socks off” bouncing through my head.
Often, gluten-free bakes require an intricate mixture of several flours from the gluten-free go-tos to the obscure. These satisfying bagels were made extra easy with King Arthur’s 1-1 gluten-free bread flour blend, a yeast mixture with a touch of maple syrup, and psyllium gel made with Organic India Whole Husk Psyllium and water. That’s really all you need, plus whatever toppings suit your taste! The psyllium lends structure to the gluten-free dough without any need for added oil.
Making the whole process even easier, only a light resting period of about an hour is necessary. We’ve found best results from splitting that proofing time between equally between one big dough ball and a baking sheet of shaped bagels, but you can certainly change that up to one session on the pan. Note, as with most gluten-free breads, don’t wait for the dough to double in size before moving on to next steps. In fact, too much of a rise will only compromise the texture.
These bagels are best enjoyed fresh. They’ll keep a couple of days, but they do go downhill much faster than standards breads with gluten. I feel like I should note, too, make sure they cool completely before bagging up extras. I bagged one that was just a little bit warm, only to return to a sweatiness that was truly unappetizing. I’m sure there’s science behind why that was made worse when gluten-free than when I’ve committed the same “offense” with gluten-full bagels, but I’ll have to look into that another day.
Humble, bulk-forming psyllium may not naturally strike you as the most romantic of supplements, but incorporating more, quality fiber into our diets is increasingly regarded as sexy and powerful. Adding to the bevy of bonuses, it’s not only easy to incorporate into tasty recipes, but it can also even improve them, especially when it comes to gluten-free baking. For example, just try a batch of these bagels. Enjoy!
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Easy Gluten-free Vegan Bagels with Psyllium
Whole husk psyllium lends binding properties for making gluten-free, vegan, soft, chewy, and tasty bagels easy!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 2 Teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ Cup ORGANIC INDIA Whole Husk Psyllium
- ¾ Cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar or maple syrup, divided
- 3 ½ Cups Gluten-free Bread Flour
- 1 Teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ Teaspoon baking soda (for water bath), optional
- Desired toppings (such as coarse salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds)
Instructions
- Prepare the yeast mixture: In a liquid measuring cup, combine the 1 ¼ Cups warm water, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of the maple syrup or sugar. Let bloom while moving onto the next two steps.
- Prepare the psyllium gel: In a small dish, add the ¼ cup ORGANIC INDIA Whole Husk Psyllium to ¾ Cup water. Fork whisk and let sit for a few minutes. It will firm up quickly.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour and salt, psyllium gel, and yeast mixture. You can mix using a dough hook or by hand using a spoon. Mix until a sticky but fairly smooth dough forms (a little lumpiness is ok). With clean hands, lightly knead to incorporate any unmixed flour and ensure there aren’t any clumps of the gel. Cover and let rest for approximately 30 minutes.
- Shape the bagels: Transfer the dough to a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour. Use a knife to divide it into approximately 8 equal sections. Press each section into a disc shape and gently poke a hole in the centers to form bagel shapes. Move the bagel to a prepared baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment and repeat with the remaining sections.
- Once all the dough is shaped, cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel and let the bagels rest for another 30 minutes. They will rise somewhat but will not double in size.
- When ready to boil and bake the bagels, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and prepare the water bath: fill a large, wide pot halfway with water and add the remaining tablespoon maple syrup and the baking soda. Bring the water to a gentle boil. Carefully transfer a few bagels at a time (3-4) into the simmering water. There should be enough space for the bagels not to overlap. Let the bagels simmer for 1 minute on each side, turning with a slotted spoon halfway. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the boiled bagels to the baking sheet. Sprinkle toppings of choice on top, or or press the warm bagels into your toppings.
- Once all the bagels have been boiled and topped as desired, place the tray in the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until they’ve baked through and browned to your liking. Allow the bagels to cool briefly before enjoying.