When it comes to a portable breakfast you can eat on the go, bite-sized cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs are hard to beat. Learn how to make your own cream cheese stuffed bagels and you can customize them however you like, changing up the flavors of the cream cheese (this 10-minute scallion cream cheese is a fave!) and any toppings.
Bagel bombs are a fun beginner baking project, and I've got step-by-step photo instructions to guide you through it. There's also a video at the end of the post if you need it!
If you're looking for a homemade recipe for the Shark Tank famous Bantam Bagels you can find in the freezer aisle (and at Starbucks) or for Dunkin' Donuts Stuffed Bagel Minis, you're in the right place. These bite-sized cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs are freezer-friendly and super quick to reheat in the microwave or toaster oven for breakfast or snacking.
These homemade stuffed bagels use my homemade mini bagel dough as a base. No changes needed — it's a great simple bagel dough that holds its shape well and is easy to work with.
5-star reader review
“Turned out amazing! I’ve made them at least 3 times now and my husband is in love with these!! He’ll grab them in the morning on the way out the door or if he has time he likes to enjoy them with coffee.”
—Rachel
My recipe testing for these cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs focused mostly on testing different ratios of cream cheese to bagel dough. I wanted to stuff as much cream cheese into each bagel bomb as possible without causing them to explode during baking.
I started with 2 teaspoons (10 grams) of cream cheese per bagel bomb, but the final recipe ended up with a little more than 1 tablespoon (18 grams) in each one. Super satisfying! Very filling! And really fun to make.
Ingredient Notes: Use The Right Cream Cheese...or else!
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these bite-sized cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs. Pay special attention to the type of cream cheese! See recipe card (at the end of the bblg post) for ingredient quantities.
Brick-Style Cream Cheese - Use brick-style cream cheese or my easy homemade cream cheese to fill these bagel bombs. You can also use a creamy goat cheese (like my homemade goat cheese) or brick-style Neufchâtel cheese instead of cream cheese if you prefer. DO NOT use "whipped" cream cheese or "cream cheese spreads" as they don't freeze well, get really messy during shaping, and tend to melt during the baking process.
Portion and Freeze the Cream Cheese
Frozen cream cheese is easier and less messy to handle, and by doing this before you make the bagel dough, you won't forget to do it later and it will have plenty of time to freeze before you need to use it. So start here.
A standard brick of cream cheese is 226 grams (8 ounces / 1 cup) which you're going to divide into 12 equal portions of approximately 18 grams each. If they're off by a gram or two here or there, don't sweat it.
Each portion is slightly more than a tablespoon which is a nightmare to try to measure with actual tablespoons, so you're better off weighing it out. I do use a tablespoon scoop to divide it up, but cream cheese is sticky and unwieldy, so I usually have to even the scoops out as I go.
Pop the sheet pan in the freezer, covered or uncovered, and move on to making the dough.
Making Bagel Dough
You can make this bagel dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook or knead it by hand. It's a very easy dough and really fun to work with.
Use a dough hook and mix the dough together on low-medium speed just until there's no dry bits in the bowl and all the water has been absorbed. Once the dough comes together in a messy ball, increase the mixer speed and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until it is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch.
If the dough is sticking to the walls or bottom of the bowl, dust in more flour one teaspoon at a time, giving it plenty of time to incorporate before adding more.
Shape the bagel dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
How to Shape Cream Cheese Stuffed Bagel Bombs
The first step in shaping these mini cream cheese stuffed bagels is to preshape the dough into nice round dough balls. This helps the dough get used to the round shape and makes it easier to stretch it around the cream cheese later.
Turn the dough out onto a clean countertop and gently deflate it with your fingers. Then, divide the dough into twelve equal portions using a kitchen scale.
Once you have twelve nice round dough balls, cover them with a damp paper towel and let them rest for 15-20 minutes. This gives the gluten network time to relax and get used to the new shape so they're easier to stretch around the cream cheese.
Flip the dough ball so the seam side faces up. Gently flatten it against the counter.
Place one of the frozen cream cheese balls in the center of the dough.
Pinch all the edges together around the cream cheese in the middle to seal it shut.
Flip the dough ball over so the seam side is down.
Cup your hand around it the dough ball with your pinkie flush against the counter and scoot the ball in tight circles to tighten up the seam at the bottom. Pinch any remaining visible seams shut if needed.
It's really important to get all the seams and edges underneath the bagel bomb and pinched together here. Any visible creases, cracks, or fissures will expand when you boil them so you want to make sure the bagel bombs are as smooth as possible.
When you put the dough ball down on the counter with the seam side down, you should see a perfectly smooth ball all the way around with all the edges hidden underneath.
Arrange the bagel bombs on a parchment-lined sheet pan, cover them with a damp paper towel, and let them rest for another 15-20 minutes while you preheat the oven and bring a pot of water to a boil.
Boiling and Baking Bagel Bombs
Boiling is a crucial step in any bagel or bagel-adjacent baking process. It gelatinizes the starches in the outer crust, giving it that characteristic shiny bagel chewiness. It also sets the crust in place, preventing it from expanding too much in the oven during baking.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: If they're not boiled, they're not bagels!
And yes, that applies to cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs too. Luckily these bagel bombs only need to be boiled for about 25-30 seconds. Just enough time to set the crust, but not enough time for them to fully expand and spill cream cheese everywhere.
You can work in batches for this step — depending on how wide your pot is you should be able to do two batches of six bagel bombs each or four batches of three bagel bombs each.
The bagel dough expands slightly in the water, which means the seams at the bottom are at risk of coming apart. Keep a close eye on them in the pot; if the bottom seam is expanding too much, you'll want to remove those bagel bombs first!
Remove the boiled bite-sized bagel bombs to a parchment-lined sheet pan and brush them with egg wash.
You can add any toppings you like to your mini bagels. These are great with my homemade everything bagel seasoning!
Customizing Cream Cheese Flavors
You can add up to 36 grams of ~other flavors~ to the cream cheese before scooping and freezing it. That means you'll have 21 grams of cream cheese per bagel bomb instead of 18 grams.
Here's some bagel bomb flavor ideas to get you started:
- Make my easy homemade scallion cream cheese and use that as the filling with a sesame seed coating on the outside of each bagel bomb.
- If you want to go hard on some everything bagel flavor, add 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning to the cream cheese, and mix 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning into the dough. Then top your bagel bombs with even more everything bagel seasoning.
- Any cheeseball appetizer or dessert mix, like the ones you get from Wind & Willow can be used to flavor the cream cheese too. I'm partial to their caramelized onion mix and the BLT mix. Use code TPK15 for 15% off any purchases at WindAndWillow.com! (Disclosure: Wind & Willow is a client of mine, but they did not pay me to mention them here; I genuinely like and use their products!)
- If you're a bacon-lover, finely chop two pieces of crispy bacon or add ⅛ cup bacon bits to the cream cheese before freezing it.
- Be careful when adding anything that has a lot of moisture in it like peppers or onions — you're better off using dried peppers or dried onions. Moisture will turn to steam in the oven and can cause more blowouts or air pockets inside your bagel bombs.
- If you do want to use fresh vegetables, I recommend using an immersion blender or food processor to incorporate them into the cream cheese so that they're very finely blended rather than chunks.
Practical Tips and Recipe Notes
- I used this 1 tablespoon scoop to portion out my cream cheese. It's not a perfect scoop and cream cheese is thick and prone to air bubbles which is why I weigh each scoop for accuracy. But I find using the scoop is easier than a spoon or knife in terms of controlling mess. You decide what's right for you.
- Instant yeast can be added directly to the dry ingredients. The only reason to bloom instant yeast in warm water before adding it to your dough is if you're not sure it's still good. Store your yeast in the freezer and you'll never have to worry about this step.
- I've been recipe testing in a very cold kitchen and have found that using a cheap (less than $15) seed-starting heat mat is a great way to keep my dough warm so it rises properly. Super important, especially after you've stuffed the bagel bombs — the warmth helps the bottoms seal back up!
- You can use any of my other bagel recipes to make the dough for these bagel bombs. Those doughs will make 16 bagel bombs instead of 12, so you'll need an additional 54 grams of cream cheese for the filling.
📖 Recipe
Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Bagel Bombs
Ingredients
- 375 grams all-purpose flour
- 14 grams sugar
- 8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 3 grams instant yeast
- 225 grams warm water
- 226 grams brick-style cream cheese
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- ⅛ cup bagel toppings (optional)
Instructions
- Mix. Mix flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Pour the water into the middle. Start the mixer on a low speed and give the dough a minute or two to incorporate, pausing and scraping down the bowl as needed until the dough comes together in a messy ball in the bowl. If your kitchen is humid, hold back ⅛ cup of water and add it 1 teaspoon at a time only if the dough isn't coming together or seems very dry.
- Knead. Increase the speed to low-medium and let the mixer run for 3-5 minutes, dusting in more flour only if the dough is sticking to the bowl. You’re looking for a dough that is smooth and elastic and just slightly tacky to the touch. It shouldn’t cling to your hands or the bowl.
- Rise. Shape the dough into a smooth round ball, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Let it rise for an hour in a warm spot or until about doubled in size. When you press a finger into the dough, it should fill in partially but not completely.
- Cream cheese. Divide the cream cheese into equal portions of about 18 grams each. Scoop onto a parchment-lined quarter sheet pan and place in the freezer to chill while the dough rises.
- Deflate. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface, gently deflating it with the pads of your fingers.
- Divide and pre-shape. Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into twelve equal pieces (about 52 grams each). Flatten the dough gently against the counter, tuck the edges up, and pinch them together on top. Flip the dough over and cup your hand around it. Drag your hand toward your body against the counter to create surface tension and shape the dough into an oval. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat to create a circle shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the dough balls with a damp paper towel and let them rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Assemble. Starting with the first dough ball you shaped, flip it over so the seam is facing up. Gently flatten it out with your fingers. Place one of the frozen cream cheese balls in the middle and pinch all the edges of the dough together to seal the cream cheese inside. Flip the dough ball over so the seam is facing down, cup your hand around it and scoot it around in circles to tighten up the seam at the bottom. Cover the dough balls again and rest for another 15-20 minutes.Do NOT rush this final resting step — it is super important to give the dough time to seal shut so your bagel bombs don't open during boiling or baking! You can let them sit for up to 30 minutes before boiling if needed.
- While the stuffed bagels rest, preheat your oven to 400°F and fill a wide, high-sided skillet with at least 2 inches of water. Bring it to a low boil on the stove. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Boil. Boil bagel bombs in batches for about 30 seconds with the pinched together bottoms facing up. Remove to a lined sheet pan, flipping them over so the seam side is facing down.
- Egg wash and toppings. Brush each mini bagel with egg wash (1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water, whisked together) and sprinkle with add any desired toppings.
- Bake. When all the bagel bombs have been boiled, egg washed, and topped, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake them for 17-19 minutes, until golden brown and shiny.
- Cool. Remove the bagel bombs from the oven. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheet pan, then transfer a wire rack to finish cooling before slicing.
Storage & Freezing
- Due to the cream cheese filling, these bagel bombs cannot be stored at room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs in an airtight bag with as much air pressed out as possible for 4-5 days. To reheat, microwave for 10-15 seconds or in the oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes.Mini bagel bombs can also be frozen and stored in an airtight bag with as much air pressed out as possible for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds or in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
RECIPE NOTES
- You can add up to 36 grams of mix-ins (bacon, everything bagel seasoning, chives, grated cheddar cheese, etc.) to the cream cheese before scooping it; aim for no more than 21 grams of cream cheese per bagel bomb.
- If you're going to add any flavors or mix-ins to your cream cheese filling, either use a food processor or microwave the cream cheese beforehand so that everything mixes together evenly.
- The temperature of the water and the temperature of the room the dough is rising in will affect how quickly the dough rises. Cool temperatures slow yeast activity, warm temperatures speed it up.
- If you need to let the bagel dough rest or relax at all during the shaping process, cover it with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out.
- Once cool, store bagel bombs in an airtight bag in the fridge with as much air pressed out as possible for 4-5 days. To reheat, microwave for 10-15 seconds or in the oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes.
- Frozen mini bagel bombs can be stored in an airtight bag with as much air pressed out as possible for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.
EML says
I've made so many Practical Kitchen recipes and have loved them all. And even though I've successfully made the bagels before I was still nervous about this one. But once again, I found it so much simpler than I expected and the recipe really helps with that. I love how clear everything is and I can't wait to make these all the time!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad you had fun with these! 🙂 Happy baking!
Nicole S says
Is there a way to prep in advance the night before to cook in the morning?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You could make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge, but I wouldn't shape them the night before — you'll end up with air pockets and bubbles inside!
Beth says
These turned out perfect. I think it may be my favorite of Rebecca's bagel recipes (which is saying something!). Reheating from frozen tales 30 seconds in my microwave. It is amazing! Perfectly chewy and fresh tasting when reheated and the perfect amount of cream cheese
Laina says
It's a homemade Bagelful! Now that's nostalgic.
Traci H says
Just made these and they are great! I’ll definitely be making again and playing around with different fillings!!
Rachel says
Turned out amazing! I’ve made them at least 3 times now and my husband is in love with these!! He’ll grab them in the morning on the way out the door or if he has time he likes to enjoy them with coffee.
Kiki S says
I made these and absolutely loved them! I've made your blueberry bagels before and saw you said you could use any of your bagel recipes for this, would I continue to follow the baking instructions on this recipe and just use the other for the dough. Figured I would double check, but fantastic recipe, I will quite literally be making these weekly or freezing a big batch.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Oh so glad you like them! And yes you would follow the blueberry bagel recipe to make the dough and then follow this recipe’s instructions for the shaping/resting times and baking time/temperature! Enjoy!
Megan says
These are SUCH a showstopper. I made them most recently for a ladies brunch and they all raved! My fiancé was jealous he wasn’t invited to the brunch, just because of these 😂
I’ve used a frozen block of cream cheese—I wouldn’t necessarily *recommend* it for safety reasons, but if you’re very careful, it does work.
I also used this recipe but stuffed them with cooked taco meat instead for dinner. So versatile!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
omg i love the idea of making them with taco meat! genius!
Hannah says
These are so good, I’m writing this comment before I’ve even finished eating. I made these plain, with cinnamon sugar, and with sesame seeds and I can’t wait to play around with other toppings! So good!
Laura says
I am about to start this recipe with your scallion cream cheese filling, and I have a question. Have you tried boiling the bagels in a barley malt solution? I was wondering if it made a difference with the taste, texture, and chew factor -- or that seems to be the best method for a full-sized bagel only? Thank you! It will be nice to make these for my daughter so she has something to eat before going to school.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
The barley malt solution doesn't really make much of a difference with these in my opinion! I've found in order to get the benefits of barley malt syrup you really need to use it both in the dough and the boiling solution and use a dough that has a long, slow rise like my new york-style bagels. You could certainly use that dough to make these if you wanted! It'll just take longer.
Madalaine McDaniel says
Great post! I love how you broke down the recipe into easy-to-follow steps, and the photos make it look so delicious. I'm definitely trying this out soon—thanks for sharing!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Enjoy the bagel bombs, please do let me know how they turn out! Happy baking!
jaynee says
Not exactly sure what happened but I ended up having to add about twice as much flour and it was still pretty wet? I had to add flour to my fingers for every bomb I worked with. I do live in a high humidity area but my home at the time was only reading 50% humidity.
Also, I converted the grams into cups? I'm realizing now it should have been weight? I think?
Regardless, they came out amaaaaazing and the 12 I made yesterday are gone so I'm going to make more today!!!
Question: I'm thinking about making them smaller? Do you have any recommendations?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Converting the grams into cups is absolutely what went wrong here! There is no set standard for what "1 cup" of flour weighs, so when you convert the number of cups you get can vary widely depending on what calculation you use. You were right to keep adding flour until the dough behaved correctly, I'm glad they still worked out for you! And yes, you can definitely make them smaller, you'll just have to portion a smaller amount of cream cheese per bagel bomb! Enjoy!
Kearston says
I have made this recipe probably a dozen times now, and each time I am just as shocked at how perfect they are. This time, I halted the size of the “bombs” to 25g, they’re so cute and just as good. Thank you!!
Lisa G says
So freakin good!!
Erin says
I have never left a comment on anything in my life but I had to come back here to say this are phenomenal! I bake and cook daily, always make my own bread but I have never been able to get bagels right. Followed the directions exactly and they are perfect. Will absolutely be making again. The only difference I might try next time is to just cut the cream cheese into cubes rather than trying to use my cookie scoop.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad this worked well for you!! Cutting the cream cheese into cubes is smart! I may have to try that next time I make these. I like the cookie scoop because it feels less messy to me lol.
Erin says
I’m back! Tried cutting into cubes, I do think it was easier than the cookie scoop but the frozen corners of the cubes kinda poked out when rolling. So just had to be careful.
Anna says
I adore these! I was making a cream cheese based spinach artichoke dip the other day and froze some of the uncooked mixture into balls, then used those for the filling. They came out absolutely incredible! Perfect for my kids to take in their lunches. I think a buffalo chicken dip style one would be great, too - might try that next!
Jacqueline Rodgers says
do you think that if you freeze butter or peanut butter that would work as well as the cheese
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Butter wouldn’t work because it would melt out in the oven but peanut butter could work! I haven’t tested it, but it should work. Please let me know if you try it.