8 Bagel Recipes for Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch

Egg in a Bagel Hole Recipe — Photo: The Ingalls

There's nothing quite like the satisfying chew of a bagel. It's a wonderful canvas for all sorts of deliciousness, whether that's a simple smear of cream cheese with perhaps some lox, cut into chunks and baked with vegetables for the breakfast casserole of your dreams, or sliced thin and toasted for bagel chips to accompany tangy olive tapenade. For a real treat, start with Homemade Bagels and then riff from there. Make your best bagel with these recipes for light meals and appetizers.

01 of 08

Homemade Bagels

Sweetened with a touch of honey, Los Angeles baker Zoe Nathan's homemade bagels are extra flavorful thanks to her inclusion of whole wheat flour in the dough. The trick to these crisp, chewy bagels is the poolish, a fermentation starter made with bread flour, yeast, and water — it's quickly assembled the night before the bagels are made.

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02 of 08

Sesame Bagel Breakfast Casserole

This breakfast-sandwich-inspired casserole is loaded with veggies, herbs, and sesame bagel pieces. It's best assembled the night before, allowing the bread to soak up the egg custard and simplifying brunch prep the morning of. You can sip on mimosas while it bakes.

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03 of 08

Egg in a Bagel Hole

Using bagels to make traditional eggs in a basket is a no-brainer. Add water to the skillet to cook the eggs evenly without burning the bagel halves, for a lightly toasted bagel wrapped around a perfectly runny yolk. Savory smoked salmon and creamy avocado complete this comforting breakfast.

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04 of 08

Sesame Bagels with Soppressata and Burrata

2010 F&W Best New Chef Missy Robbins has an ideal make-ahead dish for picnics or work lunches. Make super-easy Italian bagel sandwiches by brightening her homemade smear of Calabrian chile puree with orange juice, which comes together quickly in a blender or food processor. Don't forget the fresh basil leaves to tie all the flavors together.

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05 of 08

Soft-Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Sablefish and Trout Roe

Chef Andrew Carmellini's luxurious, creamy eggs are heavenly, and you can serve them with smoky sable, briny roe, and rich sour cream on a toasted bagel in 20 minutes.

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06 of 08

Black Olive Tapenade with Figs and Mint

Black Olive Tapanade with Figs and Mint — © David Malosh

Chef Jacques Pépin cleverly mixes oil- and brine-cured olives for this tapenade with sweet, fresh, and tangy notes from the dried figs, mint, and capers. Serve it with crispy bagel chips.

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07 of 08

Smoked Trout and Caper Cream Cheese Toasts

Chef Tory Miller devised this variation on bagels with lox and cream cheese, using smoked, locally raised trout and homemade English muffins. You could make it with baguette or the bagel that inspired it.

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08 of 08

Smoked Sturgeon with Caviar and Everything Bagel Crumbs

The Food & Wine Test Kitchen simplified the whimsical appetizer that chef Daniel Humm used to serve at New York City's Eleven Madison Park before it went plant-based. Use store-bought smoked sturgeon, hackleback caviar, and rye crackers to make the starter in 45 minutes.

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