Soft and fluffy like a cloud, these Pumpkin Bagels are made with pumpkin puree, twisted, and brushed with oil right before baking. These bagels are perfect on your fall table and can be enjoyed with butter, cheese, or sweet spreads!
Pumpkin Bagels
Hey guys! Today I’m sharing with you a fall favorite: these incredibly fluffy Pumpkin Bagels! See how pretty they look? They’re twisted ⏤ no worries, they’re very easy to make!
These bagels are truly the softest and fluffiest you’ll ever have. The dough features pumpkin puree and the bagels are brushed with oil right before twisting, for extra richness and softness.
They’re topped with white and black sesame and baked until golden brown on top ⏤ no water bath involved unlike traditional bagels (which is why traditional bagels are chewy, while these are just perfectly fluffy).
They’re pretty neutral in flavor, as in you can slather them with cream cheese and other savory toppings or some good old chocolate. It’s up to you, really.
Make a batch & you might discover a new addition… so tread carefully lol!
Ingredients
- All purpose flour. This is your base flour so make sure you have enough.
- Bread flour. You’ll also want to add in some bread flour which is what makes these bagels incredibly soft and fluffy. Bread flour has a higher protein content which results in extremely fluffy baked goods so don’t substitute it.
- Yeast. Instant, active, or fresh ⏤ any yeast will work for this recipe and I’ll provide all measurements in the recipe card down below. If you need help with using yeast and you’re a beginner baker, here’s my The Beginner’s Guide to Baking with Yeast.
- Sugar. Use white granulated sugar.
- Salt for flavor.
- Pumpkin puree. You can use canned pumpkin puree or you can make your own at home by boiling, baking, or steaming some pumpkin and then using a food processor or immersion blender to pure the cooked pumpkin until smooth.
- Milk. Use cow milk.
- Water.
- Eggs for structure.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter to have more control over the amount of salt.
- Oil. For brushing the bagels during the twisting process. Do not skip this step as it’s what gives them those delicious fluffy layers.
- Sesame seeds. Optional, for topping. I used black and white sesame seeds but you can also use everything bagel topping or coarse salt.
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine together the flours, yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, water, and butter. Knead until soft and elastic but not sticky. You can do this by hand or you can use a stand-mixer fitted with a hook.
- Let rise. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size.
- Oil it up. Punch down the dough to get rid of any air bubbles. Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface and roll it out into an 16″ x 12″ (40 x 30 cm) rectangle. Brush two thirds of the rectangle with oil then fold into thirds starting from the side with no oil. Rotate the rectangle 90°, roll out again into an 16″ x 12″ rectangle and repeat the same process.
- Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Twist each piece twice, bring the ends together and pinch them to seal, then place the bagel onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the bagels with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again.
- Preheat the oven.
- Brush the bagels with milk and top with black and white sesame seeds or your favorite toppings.
- Bake until golden brown on top.
What goes on a pumpkin bagel?
Pumpkin bagels can be sweet or savory, you decide. Here’s what goes on a pumpkin bagel:
- Cream cheese
- Salted butter
- Brie cheese
- Gorgonzola and mascarpone
- Caramelized onions
- Ham and cheese
- Cinnamon honey butter
- Jam
- Hazelnut spread or Nutella
- Peanut butter
How do you store pumpkin bagels?
These bagels are best eaten as they’re made: warm and fluffy! As many other baked goods, they will naturally dry up overtime so I recommend freezing the ones you don’t plan on eating as soon as they come down to room temperature.
Freeze them in an air-tight container or in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
How do you reheat a bagel?
Cut the bagel in half, then place it face down on a toaster and toast until the bagel has crisped up a bit and is fully heated through, then top with your favorite toppings or enjoy as is.
You can also pop the halved bagel face down on a baking sheet and pop it in a preheated (350 F – 180 C) oven and bake until the center has crisped up and the bagel is fully heated through.
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you’ll love these Pumpkin Bagel Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
MORE BAKED GOODS YOU’LL LOVE:
- Pan De Yuca (Latin American Cheese Bread)
- Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)
- Fried Russian Piroshki with Potatoes and Meat

Pumpkin Bagels
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/4 cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp (75 ml) milk (warm)
- 2 and 1/4 tsp (7 g) instant yeast
- 1 tbsp (15 g) sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp (180 g) pumpkin puree (I recommend homemade for best flavor)
- 1 tsp (5 g) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) olive oil
- 2 tbsp (25 g) unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/4 cup (35 g) black and white sesame seeds (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, water, and butter. Knead until soft and elastic but not sticky. You can do this by hand or you can use a stand-mixer fitted with a hook.
- Let rise. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Butter the dough. Punch down the dough to get rid of any air bubbles. Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface and roll it out into an 16" x 12" (40 x 30 cm) rectangle. Spread half of the butter evenly over two thirds of the rectangle then fold into thirds starting from the side with no butter. Rotate the rectangle 90°, roll out again into an 16" x 12" rectangle and repeat the same process using the remaining butter.
- Make the bagels. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Twist each piece twice, bring the ends together and pinch them to seal, then place the bagel onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the bagels with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again for 20-40 minutes or until puffed up.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake. Brush the bagels with milk and top with black and white sesame seeds or toppings of choice. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Enjoy warm.
Notes
📷 DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?! Tag @itsdamnspicy on Instagram and hashtag it #itsdamnspicy
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