These surprisingly simple Homemade Blueberry Bagels are delightfully chewy and flavored with real blueberries and a kiss of lemon zest!
Have you ever considered making homemade bagels? Or are you used to simply buying bagels from the grocery store or local bakery because you are too intimidated to try making them at home? Well, have no fear, homemade bagels are actually a very simple and achievable recipe to make at home for even less experienced bakers!
They only require a handful of common ingredients and can be made, start to finish, in about 2 hours! These from-scratch blueberry bagels are made with wild blueberries for their deep color and flavor and lemon zest for a burst of brightness that makes the real blueberry flavor pop! The bagels have a pretty purple interior thanks to these antioxidant-rich wild blueberries.
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If you are looking for more blueberry recipes to try this summer, be sure to check out my fresh Blueberry Custard Pie for a smashing dessert to bring to a summer barbecue! Or try my Blueberry Oatmeal Bars for a quick and easy dessert that is perfect served with vanilla ice cream around a bonfire.
⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor - No artificial flavoring, coloring, or "imitation blueberries" (whatever that is??) here! These bagels are flavored and colored with real wild blueberries and a kiss of lemon zest!
- Method - You will be shocked at how easy it is to make your own bagels at home!
- Texture - Everything you love about a bagel, from the dense and chewy interior to the exterior that becomes perfectly crispy when you toast it.
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these delicious homemade blueberry bagels.
Ingredient Notes
- Blueberries - I used frozen wild blueberries to develop this recipe due to their small size, vibrant color, and strong flavor.
- Lemon Zest - The zest of 1 lemon helps to make the blueberry flavor pop in these bagels.
- Yeast - This recipe uses active dry yeast (also called traditional yeast). I also use active dry yeast in my recipe for homemade yeast doughnuts.
- Sugar - Some white sugar for the dough and some brown sugar to add to the water that we will boil the bagels in.
- Salt - A very important ingredient in any dough recipe; without it, the dough will be bland and flavorless.
- Flour - To keep it simple, this recipe is made with regular all-purpose flour.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Stir together warm water, ½ teaspoon of sugar, and active dry yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes, and the yeast should get frothy and bubbly.
Step 2: Place the frozen wild blueberries in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to thaw the blueberries before stirring in the additional sugar, lemon zest, and salt.
Step 3: Add the frothy yeast mixture and blueberry mixture to the flour in a mixing bowl and stir until the dough begins to come together.
Step 4: Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until a smooth dough forms. You may add a bit more flour if the dough is still sticky, but it should not need much more.
Step 5: Cover and let rise in a warm place (but not too warm) for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Step 6: Punch down the dough and separate into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a bun shape by gathering the dough into a seam on the bottom. Then, pop a hole with your thumb through the center of the bun and roll it around using both index fingers to make the hole bigger.
Step 7: Repeat this process with all 6 pieces of dough and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 15-30 minutes while you boil the water to boil the bagels in.
Step 8: Stir 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into the boiling water. Boil the bagels, a few at a time, so that they don't crowd in the pot. Boil for 1 minute on each side.
Step 9: Gently remove from the water and place back onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven for 10-14 minutes or until the tops are browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling while allowing the bottoms to breathe and not become soggy.
💡 Top Tip
I love serving these bagels toasted with salted butter and a maple whipped cream cheese. Simply whip softened cream cheese with a little vanilla extract and as much maple syrup to reach your desired level of sweetness.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Boiling bagels gives them that pretty shiny exterior and chewy texture.
No. Simply store in a bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Baking soda reacts with the real blueberries in this recipe and will turn the exterior of the bagels green instead of remaining a pretty purple/blue color, so I recommend avoiding baking soda when making these blueberry bagels. A little brown sugar in the boiling solution helps the bagels to brown and adds a little sweetness.
🫐 More Blueberry Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these Homemade Blueberry Bagels or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Blueberry Bagels
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- large dutch oven or pot
- large baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water (110℉)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup frozen wild blueberries *
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 - 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- boiling water (to boil the bagels)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the warm water (110℉), sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy. Place the frozen wild blueberries in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to thaw the blueberries before stirring in the additional sugar, lemon zest, and salt.½ cup warm water, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast, ½ cup frozen wild blueberries, 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Add the frothy yeast mixture and blueberry mixture to the 2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl and stir until the dough begins to come together. Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until a smooth dough forms, adding up to ¼ cup more flour until the dough is slightly tacky but not too sticky to work with. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.2 - 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Once risen, punch down the dough and separate into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a bun shape by gathering the dough into a seam on the bottom. Then, pop a hole with your thumb through the center of the bun and roll it around using both index fingers to make the hole bigger. Repeat this process with all 6 pieces of dough and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 15-30 minutes.
- While the bagels are rising, preheat the oven to 425℉ and boil water at least 3 inches deep in a large pot or Dutch oven to boil the bagels in. Stir 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into the boiling water. Boil the bagels at a rolling boil, a few at a time, so that they don't crowd in the pot. Boil for 1 minute on each side. Gently remove from the water and place back onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.boiling water, 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Bake the boiled bagels immediately in the preheated oven for 10-14 minutes or until the tops are browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling so that the bottoms do not become soggy.
Notes
- I have only tested this recipe with frozen wild blueberries, so I'm not sure how it would turn out with fresh or frozen regular blueberries.
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