These high protein cinnamon sugar bagels are made with just a few simple ingredients and they are absolutely divine! If you’ve always wanted to make homemade bagels, but felt intimated this easy recipe is for you! All you need to do is combine self-rising flour with cottage cheese to create the dough. Then you can brush with an egg wash and add your cinnamon sugar mixture to create these easy, healthy and delicious 4 ingredient bagels that can be enjoyed for breakfast!

You can enjoy these easy and delicious cottage cheese high protein cinnamon sugar bagels anytime throughout the year! Did I mention that these high-protein bagels can easily be prepped ahead of time to enjoy throughout the week?
This recipe requires NO kitchen scale, NO wild yeast, NO warm place for the dough rise (because you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise at all), NO plastic wrap, NO boiling water for a water bath, NO sourdough starter, NO stand mixer or dough hook attachment and finally, NO hard work. Sure, it’s not the kind of bagel you will find at your local bakery or local bagel shops, but it’s a recipe that is easy, approachable, healthy and absolutely delicious!
If you love this healthy and easy bagel recipe, you will love my high protein bagel bites, baked egg sandwiches and my stuffed biscuit rolls!

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Ingredients

- Self-Rising Flour – A blend of flour, baking powder, and salt that provides structure and a light, airy texture while adding some carbohydrates for energy.
- 2% Cottage Cheese (Good Culture) – Adds moisture, a creamy tangy flavor, and a high-quality source of protein and calcium to support muscle growth and bone health.
- Egg, Whisked (Optional) – Enhances browning, adds a glossy finish, and provides extra protein and healthy fats for richness.
- Brown Sugar –adds moisture and a rich, caramel-like sweetness to these bagels, enhancing their flavor and texture.
- Cinnamon– provides warmth and spice to the bagels, complementing the sweetness for a balanced, aromatic flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions

1: Pre-heat your oven to 350 F and set your rack to the middle position.
2:Start by adding 1 cup of self-rising flour and 1 cup of 2% cottage cheese into a medium or large bowl.

3: Use your clean hands to knead the dough together until a dough forms and there is no leftover flour. Shape into a round dough ball.
4: Lightly flour a clean surface such as your kitchen counters or a clean cutting board and then place your round dough ball in the center. Use a kitchen scraper or knife to cut the bagel dough into four equal pieces.

5: Roll out the piece of dough into a thick rope and then place both ends together with about 1-2 inches overlapping and then squeeze the dough together to create a large bagel shape. Repeat until you have four large classic bagels.
6: Grab a large egg and place into a small bowl and whisk until you have an egg wash. Next, add your cinnamon and brown sugar into a regular sized bowl. Mix until everything is well combined.

7: Use a basting brush to add the egg wash on top of each bagel. Alternatively, you can spray each bagel with some avocado oil cooking spray. Then dip your bagel (egg wash side down) into the mixture. Flip back over and place plain side down onto a baking sheet. Repeat and then bake the bagels for 25-28 minutes until they are a nice golden brown color on top and appear cooked through. Allow the bagel to cool for 15 minutes and then serve them with some low-fat cream cheese spread or nut butter of choice.
Hint: If the dough is a little sticky, add a little bit of flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands or fingers.
Hint: use parchment paper to make clean up easier!
Substitutions
Cottage Cheese – if you don’t have cottage cheese on hand, feel free to use 1 cup greek yogurt (plain) instead. If you are not a fan of cottage cheese, I promise you won’t be able to taste the cottage cheese in this recipe at all!
Self-rising flour – if you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, feel free to make your own by using this recipe for self-rising flour (1 cup all purpose flour, 1 & ½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt). You can also use 1 cup of whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour in the recipe above.
Dairy-free- you can try using a dairy-free yogurt instead of cottage cheese to make this recipe dairy-free, however, be mindful that I have not tried this and therefore cannot guarantee what it will taste like!
Gluten-free- use 1 cup gluten-free self rising flour to make this recipe gluten-free or try making your own as mentioned above but substituting regular flour for gluten-free flour. You can also use 1 cup almond flour as well!
Egg-Free– feel free to skip the egg wash and spray with some avocado oil cooking spray instead.
This recipe is vegetarian friendly as is.
Variations
Mini Bagels- Cut the dough balls into 8 equal parts, and then shape the dough as described above to make 8 bite-sized bagels!
Bagel Bites– Use a kitchen scraper or knife to cut the dough into four equal parts. Then, keep cutting each of the dough pieces in half until you have 16 somewhat even pieces of dough.Next, roll the pieces of dough into round bagel balls.
Savory– Use savory seasonings like everything but the bagel seasonings, sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or asiago cheese to make savory bagels.
Plain Bagels– Don’t add any seasonings or cinnamon sugar at all to make plain bagels.
These high protein cinnamon sugar bagels are toddler and kid friendly as is!
Equipment
All you need to make these cinnamon sugar bagels are:
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 standard sheet pan
- 1 basting brush
- 1 kitchen scraper or large knife
- 1 Regular Bowl
- 1 Small Bowl
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through qualifying links.
Storage
Allow the cinnamon sugar bagels to cool completely then store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. Reheat when you are ready to serve!
You can also freeze these delicious bagels in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months.
Dietitian Tip
Serve these cottage cheese bagel with some eggs and some fresh fruit for a healthy, balanced and high protein breakfast!
Snacks
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Meal Prep Friendly
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Jump to: Recipe

Cinnamon Sugar Bagels
Equipment
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
- 1 standard sheet pan
- 1 Basting Brush
- 1 kitchen scraper or large knife
- 1 Regular Bowl
- 1 Small Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Self-Rising Flour
- 1 Cup 2% Cottage Cheese Good Culture
- 1 Egg Whisked (Optional)
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 350 F and set your rack to the middle position.
- Step 2:Start by adding 1 cup of self-rising flour and 1 cup of 2% cottage cheese into a medium mixing bowl.
- Step 3: Use your clean hands to knead the dough together until a dough forms and there is no leftover flour. Shape into a round dough ball.
- Step 4: Lightly flour a clean surface such as your kitchen counters or a clean cutting board and then place your round dough ball in the center. Use a kitchen scraper or knife to cut the dough into four equal parts.
- Step 5: Roll out the dough into a thick rope and then place both ends together with about 1-2 inches overlapping and then squeeze the dough together to create a large bagel. Repeat until you have four large classic bagels.
- Step 6: Grab a large egg and place into a small bowl and whisk until you have an egg wash. Next, add your cinnamon and brown sugar into a regular sized bowl. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Step 7: Use a basting brush to add the egg wash on top of each bagel. Alternatively, you can spray each bagel with some avocado oil spray. Then dip your bagel (egg wash side down) into the mixture. Flip back over and place plain side down onto a baking sheet. Repeat and then bake the bagels for 25-28 minutes until they are a nice golden brown color on top and appear cooked through. Allow the bagel to cool for 15 minutes and then serve them with some low-fat cream cheese or nut butter of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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