This was a recipe I have been looking forward to developing for quite some time now! My sourdough discard bagel recipe is one of the most popular recipes on my website because of how easy and accessible they are to make, and these bagel bombs are no different. They are perfect for breakfast or brunch, but my kids especially love them as an afternoon snack.
โค๏ธ Why You’ll Love Strawberry Bagel Bombs
These are one of those dishes that look really complicated, but actually take minimal effort. Bagel bombs take me just as much time to make as regular bagels, so it’s nice to have a fun switch up every once and a while! Especially a change that caters to spring, add the addition of freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry cream cheese make these sweet, delicious and a must make in your kitchen!

๐ฒ Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – unfed, inactive sourdough starter that’s been on the counter, or is coming from the fridge.
Water – Filtered water
Honey – To add sweetness in the dough and help activate the yeast without using granulated sugar.
Flour – For all of my recipes I use Costco’s organic, unbleached all-purpose flour.
Salt – I usually always use pink Himalayan salt, but use what you have on hand.
Yeast – I use this instant yeast off of amazon, have used it for years and have zero complaints.
Freeze dried strawberries – The entire one-ounce bag of Simply Truth Organic freeze-dried strawberries from our local grocery store.
Strawberry cream cheese – I like Aldi’s strawberry cream cheese! But use whatever is your favorite. It’s about 1 tablespoon for every bagel bomb.
๐ฉโ๐ณ How to Make Strawberry Bagel Bombs
- In your stand mixer bowl, add flour, salt, yeast and mix together.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the water, honey and sourdough discard until the discard has dissolved and you have a milky liquid.
- With the speed on low, slowly add the sourdough liquid into the dry ingredients. Once the dough has started to come together, add in the freeze-dried strawberries and knead for 3-5 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a bowl cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, turn over onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your bench scraper or large knife, separate the dough into 10 equal pieces.
- Flatten the dough out and place a dollop (about one tablespoon) of strawberry cream cheese directly to the middle. Fold the sides up towards the middle and pinch the seams closed around the cream cheese. With your hand, roll the dough slightly so it comes together as a smooth ball.
- Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda + 1 tablespoon of sugar to a pot of boiling water. Place your bagel bombs into the pot of boiling water for 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the water and onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Brush the tops of the bagel bombs with an egg wash, and place into the air fryer at 375 for 12 minutes.
- When they are finished, remove your bagels and let cool for 10 – 20 minutes.
- You can eat these warm but it’s best to let them cool for a little while, so the dough doesn’t turn out gummy.
- Enjoy just as is with your favorite breakfast/brunch beverage!

๐ช Tips and Tricks
- Making sure the seam is sealed tight so the cream cheese doesn’t fall out. This will make a more pleasurable bagel bomb experience.
- When you’re rolling out your dough for the cream cheese, don’t roll it out too thin so the cream cheese is tucked nicely in the middle of the dough.
๐ Variations
I’m excited to try more bagel bomb recipes moving forward! Starting with cinnamon toast crunch, everything bagel, and wild blueberry. But for now, try my super simple and MOST POPULAR, regular bagel recipe.
๐ Substitutions
Changing out the cream cheese is the simplest swap to make.
- Strawberry Cream Cheese – Regular Cream Cheese

๐ Best served with
- Spring brunch
- After school snacks
๐ How to Store Leftovers
Store your leftover bagel bombs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Because these are stuffed with cream cheese, it’s best to not leave it out on the counter. When you’re ready to eat them, place the bagel bombs on a baking sheet and into a 350-degree oven until warmed through.
๐ค Common Questions
Yes! Just put the bagels into a Ziplock bag and into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat them, take them out of the fridge the night before and leave on the counter over night to thaw. In the morning, place them into a 350-degree oven until they are warmed though.
Yes! If you want to eat these first thing in the morning, the night before make your dough as you normally would. After the 2-hour rise, stuff the dough balls with cream cheese, shape them, and place them onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap and into the fridge. In the morning, boil and bake them exactly as instructed.

Strawberry Bagel Bombs
Equipment
- stand mixer or large mixing bowl with whisk
- bowl cover/ tea towel
- large pot
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 3 ยพ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ยผ tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbs honey
- 1 cup sourdough discard (unfed)
- 1 cup warm filtered water
- 1 – 1ยฝ cups freeze dried strawberries.
- 7.5 oz strawberry cream cheese 1 container
Instructions
- In your stand mixer bowl, add flour, salt, yeast and mix together.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the water, honey and sourdough discard until the discard has dissolved and you have a milky liquid.
- With the speed on low, slowly add the sourdough liquid into the dry ingredients. Once the dough has started to come together, add in the freeze-dried strawberries and knead for 3-5 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a bowl cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, turn over onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your bench scraper or large knife, separate the dough into 10 equal pieces.
- Flatten the dough out and place a dollop (about one tablespoon) of strawberry cream cheese directly to the middle. Fold the sides up towards the middle and pinch the seams closed around the cream cheese. With your hand, roll the dough slightly so it comes together as a smooth ball.
- Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda + 1 tablespoon of sugar to a pot of boiling water. Place your bagel bombs into the pot of boiling water for 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the water and onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Brush the tops of the bagel bombs with an egg wash, and place into the air fryer at 375 for 12 minutes.
- When they are finished, remove your bagels and let cool for 10 – 20 minutes.
- You can eat these warm but it's best to let them cool for a little while, so the dough doesn't turn out gummy.
- Enjoy just as is with your favorite breakfast/brunch beverage!
Notes
Nutrition
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O m g. These are incredible. Duh! We didnโt have freeze dried strawberries, so I just made them plain with cinnamon sugar on top. They turned out absolutely delicious. Next time we will try the strawberry. We also baked them because we donโt have an air frier and theyโre perfect!
These were amazing!!! I didnโt have the strawberry ingredients on hand (will try those next time for sure) so I improvised with regular cream cheese and a sprinkle of everything but the bagel on top of cream cheese then on top of bagel bombs after the egg wash. Cooked them according to oven directions and then they were devoured! My family loved these so much! Thank you!
Greatest sourdough recipe Iโve found yet!!! Swapped strawberries for diced jalapeรฑos and used plain cream cheese. Then topped with shredded cheese before they went in the oven. OMG! Amazing! I ate 2 before they even cooled down because I couldnโt wait!
Wow! I love that!