Do Bagels Have Eggs? A Guide to Breakfast Breads

Bagels remain among the most popular breakfast bread, followed by muffins, pancakes, and croissants. However, vegans and people who avoid eggs often find it challenging to source their favorite breakfast bread made with the ingredients they eat.

Bagels are a great choice because they are easy to find everywhere, and you can top them with various ingredients to make a nutritious and filling breakfast. However, if you are vegan, you may ask, “Do bagels have eggs?”

Bagels are confusing bread for someone who has just become vegan. Here’s a guide to breakfast bread, making it easier to start your day by eating correctly.

Origin of Bagels

Bagels have a long history. Accounts of their origin vary, but a similar bread is mentioned in a 13th-century Arabic recipe that describes boiling the ring-shaped bread before baking them. In this interesting article from National Geographic, we read of the bagel’s arrival to Eastern Europe, brought there by Jewish immigrants, and how they later brought them to the U.S. in the late 19^th century. They soon became firmly entrenched in American food culture.

Do Bagels Have Eggs?

Traditionally, bagels contain no eggs or dairy. The dough used for bagel making contains flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil, and water, meaning they are vegan.

However, bakers have developed several bagel varieties, some containing non-vegan ingredients like eggs and dairy. They may also contain honey, bread improvers, and preservatives. The idea behind eggs in bagels is to meet the demands of consumers looking for softer, less crusty bread versions.

“Egg bagels” are puffier or softer in texture and have a yellower color. They are often slightly sweeter than those prepared traditionally.

Eggs serve several purposes when added to baked goods. These include providing better leavening, higher moisture content that creates a smoother dough, and the addition of fat that helps make gluten protein less chewy.

Therefore, besides their softer texture, bagels containing eggs have a richer flavor than the classical variety.

In this guide to breakfast bread, we tell you how to check the ingredients in bagels and how to make vegan bagels at home.

Delicious and versatile bagels contain yeast dough. They are convenient for breakfast since they pair well with several toppings, whether you prefer something sweet or savory. They also go well with several preferred morning beverages, including tea, coffee, or a glass of milk.

However, if you prefer a vegan bagel or one without eggs, ask your baker about their ingredients or read the package to ensure it contains no eggs or other animal products.

Therefore, traditional bagels are usually 100% vegan since their dough contains no animal products. On the other hand, some mass-produced bagels may have eggs and other animal products. Some smaller bakeries don’t list all the nutritional information, making it difficult for consumers to determine the ingredients used in their products.

What About the Ingredients Used for Other Breakfast Breads?

If you want a bread breakfast option that includes no eggs or other animal products, then a slice of plain toasted bread with a vegan spread like a jam, fruit preserve, or nut butter is always a safe option.

Like with bagels, you can have several other breakfast bread options if you can determine the ingredients included in these. Several shops sell vegan muffins, ideal for those who feel like a sweeter breakfast.

You can sometimes also find vegan croissants in specialty stores. Pancake batter traditionally requires eggs and milk, but you can make delicious vegan or “no egg” pancakes using other ingredients. Serve them with maple syrup and vegan butter for a hearty start to your day.

Besides eggs and dairy, many types of breakfast bread may include several preservatives and conditioners that help maintain their freshness and provide a better texture. Often these are plant-based, but some come from animal sources.

For example, L-cysteine is an additive that makes the dough softer, but this amino acid is sometimes sourced from chicken feathers. If you want to avoid certain products, you must know what’s in your bagel, and your supplier is the best person to provide this information.

No Egg Bagel Recipe

It’s effortless to make your egg-free and dairy-free bagels at home using the basic ingredients of yeast, water, sugar, flour, salt, and oil. Moreover, you can top them with your favorite seeds or grains after boiling and just before baking. They will keep well in an airtight container for a few days, up to a week in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to three months.

Bianca Zapatka’s recipe yields eight soft, chewy, and delicious vegan bagels – the perfect breakfast bread. Serve these with sweet or savory toppings for a nutritious start to your day.

No Egg Muffins

Whatever your reasons for wanting eggless breakfast bread, it’s easy to adapt recipes with egg substitutes. Plenty of commercial baked goods manufacturers and bakeries also cater to people with specific nutritional needs.

Here is a banana muffin recipe from The Worktop that contains no eggs, and it’s easy to adapt it into a vegan or gluten-free muffin. 

Egg Alternatives for Baking

Eggs provide binding properties in baking. But you can easily substitute them in most recipes with apple sauce, water from cooked legumes (aquafaba), ground flaxseed, tapioca starch, chickpea flour mixed with water, ripe bananas, or tofu.

Tips for Vegan Breakfast Breads

• Check the ingredients list of any mass-produced breakfast bread to ensure it contains no eggs or other animal products.
• You can also make vegan bagels and muffins with flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil, and water.
• Substitute eggs in baking recipes with apple sauce, water from cooked legumes (aquafaba), ground flaxseed, tapioca starch, chickpea flour mixed with water, ripe bananas, or tofu.
• Enjoy your breakfast bread topped with vegan spreads like jams and nut butter for a nutritious start to your day.

Final Take

Traditional bagels don’t contain eggs or dairy, making them entirely vegan. However, bakers often opt to use ingredients to add taste or improve the texture of the end product. Bagels remain among the most popular breakfast breads, followed by other favorites like muffins, pancakes, and croissants.

You must determine your favorite baker’s ingredients if you don’t want your baked goods to contain eggs or other animal products. More prominent baked goods manufacturers provide a list of ingredients used and nutritional information on their bagel packaging. However, smaller producers may omit to add the details.

Ask for that information before buying; it is your right as a consumer to know what’s added to your favorite breakfast bread. Most baked goods, even bagels, are easy to make at home, so prepare a batch to enjoy with your favorite breakfast topping and preferred morning beverage!

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