Chewy Cream Cheese Everything Bagel Bites 

Wake up to these cream cheese stuffed everything bagel bites. You’ll love the soft, chewy bagel dough and molten cream cheese filling. This weekend, indulge in this easy yeasted recipe. The dough is ready in as little as 30 minutes! These delightful bites are perfect for brunch. Try them and watch this simple recipe become one of your new favorite quick breakfasts.

Why You’ll Love This Chewy Bagel Bite Recipe

• Comfort in every bite: Homemade bagels. Melty cream cheese. It’s a mouthwatering treat.
• Breakfast on the go: This is a wonderful recipe for all my meal preppers out there. Make a double batch, store extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds for a delicious grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings.
• Fast to make: A 30-minute yeasted dough makes these such an easy breakfast recipe.
• Adaptable: There are so many ways to fill and top these bagel bites. See my suggestions below!
• Yeasted: This dough might take an extra 15 minutes of your time, but yeasted breads are often chewier than a quick bread that uses baking powder. 
• The best dinner roll! These are amazing for breakfast AND dinner. Seriously, serve these with salmon, steak, or chicken for a special dinner side.

Why Do I Need to Poach My Bagel Bites in a Water Bath?

1. Chew: Boiling bagels before they are baked helps set and thicken their crust, giving them their shiny exteriors and signature chew. 
2. Shape: Traditionally boiling bagels also keeps them from rising too much in the oven. It’s part of the reason why bagels still have holes in them, and also why bagels are typically dense and chewy.

Everything Bagel Bite Ingredients

• All-purpose flour or 14.2 ounces
• Instant yeast
• ​Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Water
• Olive oil
• Plain cream cheese cut into small cubes.
• Barley malt syrup or honey
• Egg
• Everything bagel seasoning

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• (Optional, but recommended) A kitchen scale

How to Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel Bites: Step-By-Step

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then add the warm water and the olive oil.  Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, knead everything together until the dough is smooth and elastic, approximately 4-6 minutes. If the dough is very sticky after 3 minutes, you can add up to half of a cup more of flour, in 2 tablespoon increments. 
3. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the dough has risen. (It might not quite double in size if you only let it rest for 30 minutes, but that is okay. We really just want a bit of elasticity so that we can shape the dough easily around the cream cheese.)
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Then turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured surface. Roll into a log. Then divide dough into 16 equal portions, roughly 1.4 to 1.6 ounces each. Form each piece into a ball by rolling on the countertop with a cupped hand. They will be slightly larger than a golf ball. As you work with each piece through the next few steps, keep the dough that you’re not working with covered in plastic wrap.
5. At this point, preheat your oven to 375°F. You should also prepare your poaching water by bringing a pot filled with 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add in malt syrup or honey and give it a stir.
6. While you’re waiting for the pot to come to a boil, stuff the bagel bites with cream cheese. Start by cutting your block of cream cheese into 16 pieces. 
7. Then, take a piece of dough and flatten it. You can use a rolling pin, but I like to use the palm of my hand and then flatten the edge of the disc with my fingers, leaving the center a bit thicker so that the dough is evenly stretched around the cream cheese. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each dough circle. Then gently pull the edges of the dough up around the cream cheese to wrap it, pinching the dough tightly closed and then gently rolling it on the counter. Place the stuffed dough ball on the baking sheet, pinched edges facing down, and repeat until done.
8. By this time, your poaching water should be boiling. Gently lower 3-6 bagel bites into the pot at a time, or as many as fit comfortably. Boil for 30 seconds, flip, and boil for another 30 seconds. Transfer back to the parchment paper with a slotted spoon (I use a meshed strainer that we use for hot pot parties). And repeat until you have poached all of the bagel bites. 
9. Brush the bagel bites with egg wash and sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning. I used ¼ to ⅓ of a teaspoon for each bite, but you don’t have to be super precise here. Alternatively, you can skip the egg wash and sprinkle with the everything bagel seasoning immediately as they come out of the poaching water.
10. Bake bagel bites for 25-27 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes because the cream cheese will be molten hot.

How to Make Everything Bagel Bites: Video

Bagel Bite Variations

Experiment with Toppings:

• Asiago Parmesan
• Cheddar Jalapeno
• White or black sesame seeds 
• Poppy seeds
• Sea Salt Bagels
• Cinnamon sugar

Experiment with Fillings. Try adding a ring or two of pickled jalapenos and topping with grated cheddar cheese and another slice of pickled jalapeno. Add a teaspoon of jam to the middle of the dough before you add the cream cheese. Fold ¼-⅓ cup of chopped green onions or some garlic powder into room temperature cream cheese. Have fun!

Eliminate prep time with store bought pizza dough. Although you can let this dough rise while you go about your morning routine, one way to speed things up is to use premade pizza dough. This is particularly handy if you’re planning a full-blown brunch menu or a dinner party for a crowd. 

Turn your bites into buns! You can make 8 large bagel buns with a tablespoon of cream cheese in each, 12 with 2 teaspoons of cream cheese or 16 with 1.5 teaspoons of cream cheese. For me, it’s simple: when I make these for brunch, I make 16. When I make these for dinner, I make 8. 

How to Turn Bagel Bites into a Full-Blown Brunch

Serve these with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, and a bit of fruit and you’ll have a lovely Sunday brunch with your family.

If I were hosting a family gathering or brunch party and I wanted to make these bagel bites I would serve them as part of a bagel board concept that included:

• Sliced deli ham and pickled jalapenos or pickled red onions
• Smoked salmon, caper, and lemon wedges

I would make scrambled eggs and keep them warm in a crock pot. Alongside that, I might make these blackberry sage scones or a citrusy orange cake for something dessert-like. And just to round it all out, I’d toss a bunch of fruit in lime juice, honey, and maybe a bit of mint.

STORAGE & REHEATING

Storage: Bagel bites, like most homemade bread, are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. But you can also store these in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Because the cream cheese is IN the bagel, this makes them the perfect on-the-go breakfast at the start of the week.

Reheating: I wrap mine in a damp paper towel and heat for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. If you are reheating a few of these bagel bites, you can revive them at 350F for 8-10 minutes.

Freezing: Freeze these bagel bites in an airtight container or bag and store for up to three months. Reheat at 350°F for 10 minutes or until cream cheese is warm in the middle. 

📖 Recipe

Cream Cheese Stuffed Everything Bagel Bites

Wake up to these cream cheese stuffed everything bagel bites. You’ll love the soft, chewy bagel dough and molten cream cheese filling. This weekend, indulge in this easy yeasted recipe. The dough is ready in as little as 30 minutes!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Bread, breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8 -16 people

Ingredients

  

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Cream Cheese Everything Bagel Bites

• 3 ½ cups ap flour 14.2 ounces
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ⅓ cups warm water 18 ounces, 120-130° F
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese

Poaching Water for Bagel Bites

• 6-8 cups water depending on size of the pot you use to poach bagels
• 2 tablespoons barley malt syrup alt honey

Egg Wash

• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then add the warm water and the olive oil. Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, knead everything together until the dough is smooth and elastic, approximately 4-6 minutes. If the dough is very sticky after 3 minutes, you can add up to half of a cup more of flour, in 2 tablespoon increments.
• Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the dough has risen. (It might not quite double in size if you only let it rest for 30 minutes, but that is okay. We really just want a bit of elasticity so that we can shape the dough easily around the cream cheese.)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Then turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured surface. Roll into a log. Then divide into 16 portions of dough, 1.4 to 1.6 ounces each. Form each piece into a ball by rolling on the countertop with a cupped hand. They will be slightly larger than a golf ball. As you work with each piece through the next few steps, keep the dough that you’re not working with covered in plastic wrap.
• At this point, preheat your oven to 375F. You should also prepare your poaching water by bringing a pot filled with 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add in malt syrup or honey and give it a stir.
• While you’re waiting for the pot to come to a boil, stuff the bagel bites with cream cheese. Start by cutting your block of cream cheese into 16 pieces.
• Then, take a dough ball and flatten it. You can use a rolling pin, but I like to use the palm of my hand and then flatten the edge of the disc with my fingers, leaving the center a bit thicker so that the dough is evenly stretched around the cream cheese. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of the disc. Then gently pull the edges of the dough up around the cream cheese to wrap it, pinching the dough tightly closed and then gently rolling it on the counter. Place it on the baking sheet and repeat until done.
• By this time, your poaching water should be boiling. Gently lower 3-6 bagel bites into the pot at a time, or as many as fit comfortably. Boil for 30 seconds, flip, and boil for another 30 seconds. Transfer back to the parchment paper with a slotted spoon (I use a meshed strainer that we use for hot pot parties). And repeat until you have poached all of the bagel bites.
• Brush the bagel bites with egg wash and sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning. I used ¼ to ⅓ of a teaspoon for each bite, but you don’t have to be super precise here. Alternatively, you can skip the egg wash and sprinkle with the everything bagel seasoning immediately as they come out of the poaching water.
• Bake bagel bites for 25-27 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes because the cream cheese will be molten hot.

Notes

Make them bigger. You can easily turn these into stuffed bagel buns and serve them with dinner (chicken, steak, salmon… yum.). To do that, I generally cut the dough into 8 large pieces instead of 16. 

Shortcuts! You can use premade pizza dough to speed things up if you’re short on time or if you’re serving these at a brunch for a crowd or a dinner party.

Keyword bagel bites, bagels, bread, breakfast, brunch, cream cheese stuffed bagel bites, everything bagel bites

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