One of my favorite smells is fresh baked bread. Now, I don’t eat a lot of bread, especially any containing gluten and/or wheat, but that doesn’t mean the smell isn’t mouth-watering. Last week, I decided to try my hand at baking grain free and allergy friendly bagels for a healthy option that both my son and I can enjoy. (He is currently intolerant to eggs, dairy and some nuts and so we’re avoiding those foods for the time being.) These delicious Grain Free Seedy Bagels were the result!

I’m definitely no bagel expert, but I have been doing a lot of allergy friendly baking in the form of muffins, cookies and (more recently) bread. And I dare say, these are the BEST bagels I have ever had. My recipe for these Paleo friendly, Grain-Free Seedy Bagels serves four. My healthy bagel recipe is completely void of added sugar, grains, gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts. Oh, and they taste amazing 😉

Making Your Own Grain Free Bagels From Scratch

The best thing about making your own bagels? You can tweak the flavors to your liking! These allergy friendly bagels are highly customize-able. For instance, you can eliminate the seeds for a softer, smoother texture. You can also swap the seeds for mix-ins like chopped nuts or opt for a sweet bagel by adding raisins, cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey to the batter. The choice is yours and the options are endless!

Something to note, if you decide to add sunflower seeds then be aware they may turn green. Yes, green! Sunflower seeds react with baking soda and turn green in color. This isn’t mold and there’s nothing unhealthy about it, it just is. If you look closely at some of these photos where the bagels are cut in half, you can see the greenish color surrounding the sunflower seeds.

Paleo Bagel Toppings

When I think of bagel toppings, cream cheese is the first thing that comes to mind. If you tolerate dairy, cream cheese from grass fed cows is still a perfectly Paleo option (in my opinion). There are also almond milk based cream cheeses that you can find in store. Other popular Paleo bagel toppings include: nut butter, seed butter, coconut butter, avocado, runny egg, mashed berries and smoked salmon.

Texture of Homemade, Gluten Free, Vegan Bagels

These homemade Vegan bagels are dense, chewy and moist. They are a little crisp on the outside but soft on the inside – just the way a great bagel should be! Xanthan gum is one of the ingredients that helps give these bagels their bread-like texture. Without gluten, it’s hard to achieve elasticity in dough, but xanthan gum does a good job. This ingredient may be omitted, but will slightly change the bagel texture.

Enjoy!