Jalapeño Cheddar Cottage Cheese Bagels
Bite into these jalapeño cheddar cottage cheese bagels for a delicious twist on the viral recipe. These 4 ingredient, high protein bagels are loaded to the brim with freshly shredded cheddar cheese, diced jalapeños, and protein rich cottage cheese yet make a surprisingly fluffy companion for cream cheese, scrambled eggs, or other popular bagel toppings.
Personally, I was on the cottage cheese train LONG before cottage cheese took over the internet. While I primarily paired cottage cheese and fruit or enjoyed it on a rice cake, one thing the internet has accomplished is really showing me the true versatility of cottage cheese in recipes.
From cottage cheese sauces to creamy smoothies, it seems like there are few recipes that don’t benefit from a scoop of cottage cheese. You can find a variety of cottage cheese recipes online but one of the most popular recipes out there is for high protein cottage cheese bagels! Yes… you read that right.
With just two simple ingredients, cottage cheese and self rising flour, you can make easy and delicious high protein bagels in a flash. Due to the high protein and moisture, cottage cheese bagels are denser than your traditional bagel but they are still light and fluffy and much more balanced in the macros!
While the most popular way to make cottage cheese bagels is to follow the 2 ingredient recipe and then top them with everything bagel seasoning, I decided to lean into another delicious bagel flavor and make these delicious jalepeno cheddar cottage cheese bagels instead.
Loaded with freshly shredded cheddar cheese and finely diced jalapeños, these cottage cheese bagels make the perfect base for a layer of cream cheese, scrambled eggs, or can even be enjoyed at lunch or dinner topped with ham and cheese or other toppings of your choice!
No matter how you serve them, you’re bound to love these high protein bagels. Let’s get to the recipe:
Looking for other cottage cheese ideas? Check out these 20 ideas!
Why you’ll love this cheddar jalapeño cottage cheese bagel recipe:
I think you’re going to love this jalapeño cheddar bagel with cottage cheese because it is:
Filled with flavor: I mixed the diced jalapeños and shredded cheddar cheese directly into your dough so that you get those delicious flavors in every bite! Also, removing the seeds from your jalapeño will help add the jalapeño flavor but skip the spice to keep it family friendly.
Easy to make: The hardest part of making your own cottage cheese bagels is getting the dough to combine and shaping them into bagel form… other than that, this recipe just requires a bowl, some patience, and baking time.
Can be made with self rising flour or a few extra ingredients: If you do not have self rising flour then you can use 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. This will add ingredients to your recipe but achieve the same rise as self rising flour.
Makes a high protein bagel: Protein comes from both the cottage cheese and shredded cheddar cheese in this recipe. While brand use will make the total protein and calorie content vary slightly, each bagel has roughly 230 calories and 15 grams of protein!
Only 4 ingredients! This recipe comes together with cottage cheese, self rising flour, fresh jalapeño, and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. With those 4 ingredients and a little bit of patience, you’ll have this cottage cheese bagel ready to enjoy in no time.
Toaster friendly: You can toast cottage cheese bagels just like regular bagels! This makes them deliciously crispy and tasty with butter or cream cheese.
Uses blended cottage cheese: Making a bagel with cottage cheese is an easy way to boost the protein and you won’t notice it’s there because this recipe calls for blended cottage cheese! Blended cottage cheese is easy to make and has a creamy consistency like yogurt.
My entire family loves these cottage cheese bagels and I think you and your family will too!
Ingredients you’ll need:
To make these jalapeño cheddar cottage cheese bagels, you’ll just need these 4 ingredients:
Cottage cheese: I opted for low fat cottage cheese in this recipe to lower the calories but save the protein. Good Culture Cottage cheese is delicious and adds extra protein but the Daisy brand blends the easiest in the blender. Use whatever brand you prefer!
Self rising flour: If you do not have self rising flour on hand then you can make your own by combing 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Freshly shredded cheddar cheese: Absolutely do not use the pre-bagged cheddar cheese. You MUST use freshly shredded cheddar so that it melts perfectly in your dough and crisps up on top.
Fresh jalapeño: de-seeded and very finely diced.
Optional: 1 egg for an egg wash that will help the tops of your cottage cheese bagels become golden brown as they bake.
That’s all you’ll need!
Step by Step Instructions:
It’s surprisingly easy to make homemade cottage cheese bagels and they come together in under 45 minutes.
Here’s how you’ll make them:
1) Add your cottage cheese to a blender and blend until smooth. Using blended cottage cheese in this recipe will help disguise the cottage cheese texture and keep your dough together better!
LTN Tip: I find that the Daisy brand, which is slightly larger curd and has higher moisture, tends to blend the best. If you use a smaller curd cottage cheese, you may want to add a very small splash of water or milk to help it blend into a Greek yogurt consistency.
2) Shred your cheddar cheese and de-seed then dice your jalapeño. Add your blended cottage cheese, self rising flour, cheddar cheese, and jalapeño to a medium mixing bowl.
3) Use your hands or a mixing spoon to begin to mix your dough until it forms crumbles like this.
4) Then pour your crumbly dough out onto a cutting board and begin to knead and fold your dough until it comes together into a uniform ball. You may think the dough is too dry but it most likely is not… keep kneading and folding and the dough should come together after about 1 minute. Be patient!
LTN Tip: If you absolutely cannot get your dough to come together, add 1 tbsp of cottage cheese. You do not want your dough to be too sticky so I recommend giving it enough time and patience before you add additional cottage cheese!
5) Cut your large dough ball into 4 equal sections. Roll 1 section into a smaller ball and then shape it into a bagel shape being sure to make the center hole large enough so that it maintains its shape while it rises in the oven. Repeat until you have 4 bagels shapes.
5) Place your bagels on a lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Crack an egg in a small bowl, whisk it, and lightly brush over top each bagel if you want an extra crispy top. Top with additional cottage cheese and some fresh jalapeño slices or pieces.
6) Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes or until your tops are golden brown and the cottage cheese bagels are fully cooked through. Serve warm with cream cheese or as a egg and bagel sandwich and enjoy!
Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:
These delicious jalapeño cheddar cottage cheese bagels are the perfect high protein bagel for your breakfast and you can certainly add your own twist to them like:
Adding seasonings: With the salt content of the self-rising flour, I would skip adding anything salty but you could certainly add other flavors like pepper, paprika, or even garlic powder.
Swap for greek yogurt: You can make high protein bagels with Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese if you did not have the cottage cheese on hand. The texture may vary slightly but will give you a similar result!
Use sharp cheddar: I used a mild cheddar for this recipe but you could add more flavor by opting for sharp cheddar instead. If you wanted to, change out the cheddar entirely and make these cottage cheese bagels with smoked gouda or another favorite cheese!
Skip the jalapeños: Because we removed the seeds these cottage cheese bagels simply have the flavor of jalapeño without the spice. If you wanted to skip the jalapeño, you could simply make cheesy cottage cheese bagels instead which could be more family friendly.
Change how you serve it: These jalapeño cottage cheese bagels are DELICIOUS when served with scrambled eggs for breakfast but you could serve them with your own favorite bagel toppings like salmon and cream cheese, plain cream cheese, ham and cheese, and more!
The options are endless! No matter how you choose to serve this recipe, these high protein bagels make it easy and delicious to add some protein to your day.
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram @nutrition.at.its.roots so I can see and always come back and rate the recipe on the recipe card!
Recipe FAQ:
Can I make cottage cheese bagels with Greek yogurt instead?
You can! Greek yogurt does have a slightly different moisture content so the final texture could vary but you can swap the blended cottage cheese for Greek yogurt instead in a 1:1 ratio if you had Greek yogurt on hand.
How many grams of protein are in each of these high protein bagels?
I used good culture cottage cheese which has a slightly higher protein content than other brands but each bagel has between 15 and 18 grams of protein from the cottage cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.
How should I store cottage cheese bagels?
To maintain freshness I recommend storing these at room temperature in a ziplock bag or airtight container for up to 3 days. If you choose to store these in the refrigerator up to 3-5 days, the bagels will become more dense but will still be delicious!
Other cottage cheese recipes you will love:
If you love these easy 4 ingredient cottage cheese bagels then you’ll probably love some of these other cottage cheese recipes that I have on the blog:
Cottage Cheese Flatbread
Blended Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
Savory Cottage Cheese Toast
Creamy Potato and Bean Soup
Blueberry Cottage Cheese Muffins
Jalapeño Cheddar Cottage Cheese Bagels
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
- Add your cottage cheese to a blender or blender cup and blend until smooth. Then, freshly shred your cheddar cheese and de-seed then dice your jalepeno.
- Add ALL of your blended cottage cheese, self rising flour, cheddar cheese, and diced jalepeno to a bowl and mix with a spatula until it forms crumbles. Pour the mixture out onto a large cutting board and begin to knead and fold the dough together until it forms a well combined dough ball (this will take about 1 minute... do not worry, the dough DOES come together).
- Cut your dough ball into 4 equal sections. Take one section and roll it into a smaller ball then form it into a bagel form making sure to make the center hole large enough so that the bagel maintains its shape as it bakes. Repeat until you have 4 bagels.
- Whisk an egg in a small bowl and top each bagel with a light egg wash (you could also spray with avocado oil spray) and then sprinkle on additional cheddar cheese and jalepeno slices.
- Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes or until the tops are golden and the dough is fully cooked through. Enjoy!
*All nutrition information has been approximated. Results may vary depending on brands used and serving size.
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!