Are Bagels Vegan?
Bagels are a staple snack item for many, and whether one toasts them or eats them fresh, consumers around the world rely on them for a quick and easy meal. These snacks, which can range from plain, to sweet or savory – can be enjoyed with an endless range of toppings are perfect for almost any occasion.
However, if you are someone who promotes sustainability, the main question you ask is, “are bagels Vegan?” In this article, we address that exact issue while assessing all the ingredients that go into making a perfect bagel and researching different brands, just so you don’t have to!
What Are Bagels?
Bagel is derived from the German word böugel, which means ring or bracelet. Bagels are chewy, dense ring-shaped bread produced with yeasted dough and boiled for a few minutes before baking. This water bath aids in the creation of a chewy texture and a lustrous crust.
It is a type of bread that is boiled before baking and fashioned into a round ring. Some bakers steam the bagel rather than boil it, causing purists to dismiss the finished product as anything but a bagel.
How Are Bagels Made?
This vegan bagel dish is fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the exterior, and it’s delicious! The yeast dough rises to form a soft and airy dough.
Bagels are a type of bread that comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. You just need three components to make a bagel: water and flour to make the dough, and yeast to ensure that the dough rises and does not become too hard or chewy.
Sugar (for taste and yeast food) and salt (primarily for taste) are frequently added, as well as toppings like nuts for added flavor. The dough is tough and strong, much firmer than typical bread doughs. As a result, unlike many other bread doughs, it won’t swell as much or as quickly.
The dough is shaped into a ring after it has been kneaded and allowed to proof or rest for a few minutes, as is customary for any loaf. Before dropping the rings in hot boiling water, they may or may not be rested or proofed again. They come to a halt in a scorching oven.
The final product is chewy and dense, much more so than a typical loaf of bread. Bagels don’t have a particularly crispy crust, but the outside layer differs slightly from the middle.
Common Ingredients In Bagels
Common ingredients in bagels include flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and water to bind it all together. Other ingredients including fruits, seeds, grains, nuts, vegetables, berries, herbs, and spices are used occasionally in vegan bagel recipes to enhance taste, color, and texture.
Potential Non – Vegan Ingredients
Sometimes, bagel recipes can include non-vegan ingredients such as the ones mentioned below.
Sugar: Sugar is sometimes purified using bone char, to get rid of impurities and obtain a white product. It is usually difficult to check whether the sugar used is 100% vegan, and so it is best to look for an explicit vegan certification before consuming the bagel.
Egg: Eggs are used in bagel dough sometimes to make it lighter, softer, and less chewy- making it non-vegan. Moreover, sometimes even though eggs may not be used during the cooking process – the egg white is sometimes used as a glazing agent or on top to help sesame or poppy seeds stick.
L-Cysteine: It’s a sort of amino acid that’s utilized in a variety of baked foods, including bagels, as a flavor enhancer and dough conditioner. There are multiple plant-based sources of L-Cysteine. However, one needs to check for vegan certification before purchasing to be sure. This is usually a concern with pre-packaged bagels and not fresh ones.
Honey: Even though all bagels may not contain honey, all of them require a sweetening agent to be added to the dough. In some cases, it may be fructose corn syrup, barley malt, or maple syrup – but if the ingredient used is honey, the bagel is no longer vegan.
Also Read: Is Sourdough Bread Vegan?
Are There Any Vegan Bagel Brands?
Below are a few brands. Let’s look into what bagels are vegan.
1. Are Panera Bagels Vegan?
Certain Panera bagels are vegan. According to their website ingredients such as Poppyseed, sesame, salt, sprouted grain bagel flat, plain, black pepper focaccia, classic sourdough, tomato basil, artisan ciabatta, blueberry bagels, and more are added. This indicates there is a wide range of vegan options available at Panera.
2. Are Thomas Bagels Vegan?
Thomas’ Bagels are completely vegan and dairy-free and do not use milk and eggs, as well as other animal-derived ingredients. Wheat flour, yeast, cornmeal, and soybean oil are among the key ingredients used by Thomas’ Bagels. Thomas’ Bagels, Thomas’ Bagel Thins, and Thomas’ Mini Bagels are all vegan-friendly, according to PETA.
3. Are Dunkin Donuts Bagels Vegan?
Dunkin’ Donuts’ menu already includes a variety of plant-based options, that contain no animal sources including meat, fish, shellfish, milk, egg, or honey, and no enzymes or rennet from animal sources. Their Cinnamon Raisin, Plain, Everything, and Sesame bagels are vegan options.
4. Are Starbucks Bagels Vegan?
Yes, Starbucks bagels are vegan and are available on the Starbucks menu at several locations worldwide. Starbucks has four distinct bagels on its menu, three of which are vegan, including the Plain, Cinnamon Raisin, and Everything bagel.
5. Are Lenders Bagels Vegan?
No, Lender’s bagels are not vegan since they include monoglycerides, enzymes, natural taste, and a variety of food colors. Plain, Blueberry, Onion, Whole Wheat, and Egg are the five kinds of Lender’s Bagels, all of which are non-vegan. Lender’s bagels use HFCS as a sugar source to help with this procedure.
6. Are New York Bagels Vegan?
Yes, New York Bagels are vegan unless it’s an egg bagel, in which case it’s not. Flour, water, salt, sugar, and yeast are usually the main ingredients, making them vegan-friendly. Even though honey can be a non-vegan ingredient, it is usually not used since it is quite expensive for a business to utilize it as a sugar alternative.
7. Are Sara Lee Bagels Vegan?
Except for the “Soft & Smooth” variants, Sara Lee’s bagels are all vegan. It offers vegan bagels in eight different flavors including Blueberry, Cinnamon Raisin, Everything, Onion, Plain, Toaster Size Blueberry, Toaster Size Cinnamon Raisin, and Toaster Size Plain. Most of these are vegan, but it’s best to double-check in case honey has been used to enhance the taste.
8. Are Bruegger’s Bagels Vegan?
Yes, several of Bruegger’s Bagels are vegan, specifically fifteen of their bagel variations, including some of their most renowned flavors such as the Classic, Everything, and Blueberry. Onion, poppy, sesame, chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, garlic, pumpkin, Bruegger bits, cranberry orange, everything, plain pumpernickel, salt, and sun-dried tomato are some of the other vegan bagel varieties.
9. Are Einstein Bros Bagels Vegan?
The bulk of the bagels at Einstein Bros are vegan. Vegan bagels at Einstein bros include Garlic, Onion, Plain, Poppy, Pumpernickel, Sesame, Ancient Grain, Cinnamon Raisin, Cranberry, and Everything. The best part is they also sell vegan spreads and cream cheese to enjoy with your bagel, and also have the option of substituting any drink with almond milk instead of regular!
10. Are Trader Joe’s Bagels Vegan?
Yes, many bagels at Trader Joes are vegan, including the whole wheat bagels, plain bagels, everything bagels, blueberry bran muffins, sesame seed bagels, cinnamon raisin bagels, organic moral fiber, and cranberry-orange bran muffins. Moreover, most pita bread, tortillas, and freshly baked gourmet bread are vegan-friendly!
11. Are Dave’s Killer Bagels Vegan?
Killer Dave’s Bagels are not only vegan-friendly but also USDA organic, non-GMO, and never use high fructose corn syrup or chemical preservatives or additives in their products.
All of their bagels are currently vegan, and they use healthful ingredients to make the different flavors available such as Boomin’ Berry Bagels, Cinnamon Raisin Remix Bagels, Epic Everything Bagels, and the classic Plain Awesome Bagels.
12. Are Tim Horton’s Bagel Vegan?
Almost all of Tim Horton’s iconic bagels are vegan, including the Blueberry, Cinnamon Raisin, Everything, Plain, and Sesame Seed bagels. However, one should avoid the 12-grain bagel, since honey may be used to sweeten this one up.
13. Are Noah’s Bagels Vegan?
Yes, several Vegan bagels are available at Noah’s Bagels. They are a sister company of Einstein Bagels and sell bagels in a large number of flavors.
Vegan-friendly bagels at Noah’s include the French Toast Bagel, Garlic Bagel, Onion Bagel, Plain Bagel, Peppercorn Potato Bagel, Salt Bagel, Pretzel Bagel, Sourdough Bagel, Sesame Seed Bagel, Poppyseed Bagel, Whole Wheat Bagel, Blueberry Bagel, Ancient Grain Bagel, Chocolate Chip Bagel, Everything Bagel and lastly the Cinnamon Raisin Bagel.
Also Read: Is Pita Bread Vegan and Gluten Free
Conclusion
Being a vegan requires a little extra effort- to ensure that you can enjoy your favorite food. Bagels are not only a great snack but also a staple breakfast item. When looking for vegan bagels, there are many factors to consider, including the product’s contents and what goes on top of them.
The best solution is to opt for vegan bagels that explicitly state their vegan-friendly stays, to avoid any unwanted consumption. The post above talks about the major bagel companies, and helps you answer whether your favorite bagels are vegan or not!
