Summary
I donโt mean to be dramatic, but these changed my life. Much like my sourdough discard sandwich bread, you can make these in one day by using sourdough discard and commercial yeast! I love low maintenance recipes that arenโt intimidating. Plus delicious!
โค๏ธ Why You’ll Love Sourdough Discard Bagels
I’ve tried many bagel recipes before landing on this one, and when I finally got it right I was shocked at just how easy it is to make bagels at home. The best part is that you can make it all in the same day. There is no need for a second rise, and you can top it with just about anything. One recipe essentially makes 4 different bagels.
๐ฒ Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – This is just inactive sourdough starter that hasn’t been fed. It is equal parts flour and water that has already risen and fallen and now can be added to a multitude of recipes.
Flour – All-purpose flour, which I have learned is not only a kitchen staple, but a kitchen necessity.
๐ฉโ๐ณ How to Make Sourdough Discard Bagels
These really couldn’t be any simpler to make. First you throw all of your dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (yeast included, there is no need to activate it). In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the sourdough discard and water until it turns milky. Turn your stand mixer to low and slowly add in the sourdough starter mixture until the dough starts to come together. Keep it in the mixer, or knead by hand for 5 minutes. Cover and let rise for 2 hours. Split the dough into 8 large pieces, or 10 smaller ones. Roll into balls and poke a hole in the middle to make the bagel shape.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add in the sugar and baking soda. Place your bagels into the water and let boil for 30 seconds, flip over and let them boil for another 30 seconds. Remove from the water and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Top with the toppings of your choosing; I do everything bagel seasoning, cinnamon sugar, and cheese. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and make a bagel sandwich or spread some whipped cream cheese on top. You really can’t go wrong. You have to try these!
๐ช Tips and Tricks
- When making your bagel shape, stretch the hole in the middle wider than you think you’ll need. It will shrink during the boiling and baking process.
- Add your toppings to a different dish and dip your bagels into them, instead of sprinkling the toppings on top. It makes for a more even distribution on top.
๐ Variations
- Cinnamon Raisin bagels
- Blueberry bagels
- Stuffed Bagels
๐ Substitutions
There aren’t many ways to make substitutions to this bagel because the ingredients are so simple to begin with. But if you wanted a chewier texture to the bagel you can substitute half of the all-purpose flour for bread flour.
๐ Best served with
- eggs and bacon in the morning for breakfast
- whipped cream cheese with a drizzle of honey
๐ How to Store Leftovers
My favorite way to store any fresh bread product to ensure you get the longest shelf life out of it, is placing it into a brown paper bag and storing it in a bread box or kitchen cabinet. I have had the most success with this method and the bread will last 4-5 days.
๐ค Common Questions
I would say, YES. This ensures for the most even bake and sets up the dough before it goes into the oven.

Sourdough Discard Bagels
Ingredients
- 3 ยพ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 TBS sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ยผ tsp active yeast
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 egg for egg wash
- cinnamon sugar topping
- everything bagel seasoning topping
Instructions
- In a stand mixer add flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Add sourdough discard to warm water and stir, on low speed. Add water + discard to the flour mixture. Increase to medium speed and knead dough for 4-5 minutes.
- This is a fairly sturdy dough so add more water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer dough to greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit on counter to rise for 90 minutes – 2 hours. Or until doubled in size.
- On a lightly floured surface, transfer dough and separate into 8 equal pieces. Roll into individual dough balls, press finger into middle and form your bagel shapes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Boil large pot of water and when boiling add 1 TBS of baking soda + 1 TBS of sugar to boiling water. Place bagels in and let boil on each side for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Remove bagels and let cool.
- Top bagels with egg wash and toppings of your choice. (I did mozzarella cheese, everything bagel seasoning and cinnamon sugar).
- Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting, and enjoy!ย
Nutrition
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I canโt wait to make these and use up some of my discard! Can you share how much salt to use? Thank you so much!
Hi! Iโm so excited for you to try this recipe, I made some this morning and added 1 teaspoon ๐
These bagels turned out beautiful thank you for sharing
I LOVE this recipe! So so much! Thank you so much. Iโve shared it with my friends and they definitely love it too!!
These are so easy to make, and they come out so delicious each time! This was the first discard recipe I made with my sourdough, and I keep coming back to it because it is that good!! Thank you for the recipe!
Iโve made these probably 10 times and they are flawless every time. Thank you thank you thank you!! ๐
I LOVE this recipe! The bagels taste amazing and the texture is just right! My only issue is the first time I made it, they came out perfect. However, the following 3 times, the tops have cracked after boiling. Iโm not sure Iโve done anything different. Do you have any recommendations or ideas? Thank you!!
I made everything & cinnamon sugar bagels. Whew. These are phenomenal. I even love the process of making them. They are chewy and have the perfect outside texture as well. Would definitely recommend them! I uploaded into my fitness pal under โDiscard Bagels AOSโ for anyone who may need. Thank you Courtney!!
Last summer I gave up on bagels. I just couldnโt get them right. But your recipe solved that AND gave me something new to do with my discard. Thank you! Weโre going to be enjoying bagels regularly from now on!
These are amazing! I used grated Parmigiano Regiano and extra old cheddar. Super tasty. ๐ Heed Courtenay’s advice. When she says make the hole bigger, make it WAY bigger than you think it should be. LOL.
I’m also away from home for the winter, so kneaded by hand for 6 minutes, and slapped the dough about ยฝ dozen times, test for window pane.
So yummy. My kids ate them right up and I love how simple they were.
One question, if I made them blueberry, when do you add them?
This recipe is fantastic. I really hate wasting discard. I was looking around for discard bagel recipes and came across this one. Itโs so much better than my go to regular non-discard sourdough one, Iโll use it from now on. I love that I donโt have to let it rise overnight. The insides are perfect texture, like a bagel shop bagel. They are perfectly chewy.
What is the purpose of the baking soda in the water bath?
Thanks.
These are so good!!! My son who is extremely picky said they are better than Einstein bagels. The texture (which he is very sensitive to is perfect!) I was wondering if I could prep this ahead? Could I let them rise and shape them the night before and put in fridge? Then boil and bake in am, or would they go flat?
I would also like to know this!
This was my first time using sourdough discard and first time making bagels!!! Turned out great. Some of mine looked more like dinner rolls lol but thatโs user error and I learned a lot and canโt wait to make more!!
I’ve made these several times & have always loved them. Yesterday, I used all bread flour for a chewier bagel & used brown sugar instead of regular sugar in the water bath. I thought the brown sugar would caramelize a little better. These are over the top!!! Yes, they baked up with a beautiful bronze finish & the inside is even chewier than the original. Thank you for a great recipe, even though I played with it a little bit!
Love this recipe! Iโve made it twice, first time I baked it a little too long and it was a bit dense. Second time I made just it was the right consistency for the dough and watched the oven like a hawk when they baked and they turned out bomb!
Hi Courtney! I have lots of discard in my fridge but some of it is a few months old. Can I still use this discard? Itโs not fresh but has been in the fridge the whole time or should I throw it out and use fresh discard? Thank you! ๐
As long as there is no mold, your starter is good! There may be a layer of liquid hooch on top, just pour that out, give your starter a good stir and you’ll be good to go ๐
Making these again today to try the bagel bites! These are a huge hit around our house.
such a good idea!
These were amazing!!!! I will NEVER buy a bagel again! Thank you so much for sharing!
Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside! PERFECTION! ๐
Can you make the dough and leave it overnight in the fridge and boil and bake in the morning?
Yes! Make and shape at night then put it in the fridge. Boil and bake in the morning. ๐
Made these three times and they get better every time. I make a herb & garlic parmesan topping. 8 bagels equal to 122 grams per dough ball. Thank you for the recipe!
Ag what point in the process would you add an inclusion like chocolate chips?
Add them in during the tail end of the mixing process ๐
Can you substitute bread flour?
Absolutely!
Iโve seen where in other recipeโs youโve said that cinnamon can break down the dough a bit.
If you wanted to add it to the dough and not just on top, when would be the best time?
Try to add right before shaping.
These sound simple and delicious! Just wondering if I can use Honey instead of sugar? Any advice?
TIA!
That would work wonderfully!
When making blueberry bagels..how much blueberries do you add and at what point?
1/2 cup of blueberries added in during the mixing.
So easy and delicious. My family devoured these. This is my go-to bagel recipe!
Can I bulk ferment overnight in frig?
Yes! Shape them first then put them in the fridge overnight. ๐
Have you ever made them with bread flour? Planning my weekend! Thank you!
Bread flour would be delicious and result in a chewy texture ๐
If I just fed my discard yesterday and it’s been in fridge since lastnight, can I just take out what is needed for this recipe and use it today?
Absolutely!
What do you use to grease the bowl? Cant wait to make these tomorrow!
A bit of olive oil works great!
I just made these bagels – fantastically easy and they came out perfectly! I mixed 1/3 wholemeal flour and 2/3 normal flour as I have a wholemeal starter. I put sunflower and flax seeds on some and EBTB seasoning on others. They have become the โbread orderโ from my husband in front of the wholemeal sourdough I normally bake!!
(BTW in the recipe I think there is a small typo – add 1TSP of baking soda and then 1 TSP sugar or honey (it says boiling water)
Thankyou so much for sharing this recipe! A winner!
Amazing! This was my first discard recipe and it was so easy to make and the bagels taste SO good!
Yay! Great job!
Excellent instructions! Made the bagels yesterday times four batches. The whole family loves them. Thank you so much!
This is an amazing recipe! The dough is so lovely to work with and they turned out beautifully! Thank you for the recipe!
These are delicious. I made everything and cinnamon crunch๐
I’m so happy you liked them ๐
We love making these!! They are fantastic every time! Do you think you can freeze them for later? Thank you!
Absolutely!
Have you ever frozen the bagels after theyโve cooled? Being a household of one, donโt want them to go to waste.
Yes! They are good in the freezer for up to three months, and if you want bagels in the morning just let them thaw overnight on the counter ๐
Tried them last weekend and they were amazing.
I was wondering whether you have tried putting the dough into the fridge after the rise (before shaping the bagels and boiling)?
When do you add the raisins and cinnamon and how much of each? Donโt see a link. Thanks
I accidentally used dry yeast instead of instant. Newbie here. I didn’t know there is a difference! Did I ruin them? ๐
No, they should be ok. Let’s see how they turn out. ๐
This is the best bagel recipe! And a perfect way to use up some of that sourdough discard. Iโve made this recipe a dozen times now; itโs a weekend staple in our house!
BEST bagel recipe!
I made these today.. I mean I’m literally writing this review while eating a bagel. They turned out perfect!! I personally did only about 20 seconds per side in the boiling water. I baked them just oven 25 minutes to get a more golden crisp and wow thanks so much for this recipe it will be in my rotation!
OMG! They are so delicious. Way better than any commercial bagel and they taste just as good (if not better) than those I’ve had from bakeries and bagel shops. And they are easy enough that I will no longer be buying bagels. Thank you!!
Thank YOU! I’m so glad you like them ๐
Do I need to use instant yeast or is normal active dry yeast okay?
Active dry yeast will work!
Do you think I can fit a double batch in my stand mixer? I’m new to it!
It depends on how big your stand mixer is! I have a 6 qt stand mixer and it would fit, but I’m not sure it would in any smaller size.
I’m excited to try this recipe! wondering if I use active starter should I omit the yeast? and how would I alter the rise times? Appreciate all your delicious recipes ๐
The bagels were delicious exactly what you expect a bagel to taste like inside and out. I will definitely be making this my go to anytime I want to make bagels.
Can I freeze the dough and make them another day
I just needed to use discard it was getting crazy.
These were delicious!!
I have a few family members asking for the recipe but they donโt use/have sourdough discard. What would be different in ratio if that were omitted?
Thank you!
Good morning – Iโd like to make onion bagels and I presume I use dehydrated onion. So do I hydrate the onion in a bit of water and then put it on top of the bagels or do I put it on dried?
This recipe is a keeper!
Leaves bagels are so good! They turned out perfect!!
These are great! Could you possibly include instructions in this recipe for an overnight method as well?
I have made the discard bagels before and loved them, thankyou! My question is can I make them with active starter? I think I have seen that comment on another recipe but I can’t recall which recipe addressed this question and if it would apply to other recipes.
Making my 4th batch in a week! Theyโre a delicious and so easy to make.
I am looking for the recipe for the bagels that you allow to rise overnight. This recipe on website is different. Where is the overnight version?
Wow these are amazing! ๐คค I’ve tried other recipes but this will definitely be my go to from now on. Thank you! โค
I’m so glad you love it!
These look great! One question, could I use vegan butter? Thanks!
I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not. Let us know how it goes!
I donโt think I ever need to make any other recipe for bagels. These turned out insanely good my first attempt and are a hit in my home, fantastic.
Yay! You can make so many flavors with this recipe and pretzel bites!
Did these last weekend and they were a huge hit! I think I over baked them because the bottoms were a bit crunchy but that was my favorite part. They were huge and so fluffy! I did plain, ETBTB and cheddar. This weekend I wanna try onion, jalapeรฑo (maybe with cheddar) and cinnamon raisin. But because those are all mix ins Iโm gonna have plenty to freeze. I definitely need to work on the shaping a bit but never did I think they would be so simple and delicious!