Ok, right off the bat—in case you were wondering, most bagels are vegan. Hooray! Yet bagel sandwiches don’t have the reputation of being a vegan go-to food. Why is that? Bagels don’t need to be topped with egg and sausage to make a great breakfast or lunch… There are, as always, plenty of vegan options!

Vegan or non-vegan?

Traditional plain bagel dough contains no animal products. Not all flavors are created equal, though. Some bagels—like egg bagels or cheesy asiago—obviously contain dairy. However, there are a few more animal products that might find their way into your bagels, too. These include honey (think honey whole wheat recipes) or animal products found in enriched store-bought bagels such as milk powder, butter, lard, or emulsifying and softening agents like L-cysteine, mono-glycerides, and diglycerides. The frozen section of the grocery store can be dangerous here! Many of the bagged-up baked goods have a long list of ingredients that strays far from the simple, time-tested formula of flour, water, yeast, and salt.

How can I find a vegan bagel?

Stick to traditional hand-rolled bagels! The centuries-old bagel recipe was first created back in the day when bagels were sold as a cheap, easy street food. Because animal products and sweeteners were more expensive, they were historically not found in bagel dough. However, as bagels have gained popularity in the USA, all sorts of additions have been mixed in to expand the range of flavors and grocery store shelf life. These things may include non-vegan ingredients, so keep it simple… Always try to buy fresh, quality bread products. Here at Gotham, our bagels are preservative-free, for example! Besides our egg, egg everything, and asiago flavors, our bagels are all vegan. However, if you don’t live near a real bagel shop, here is a guide to the vegan bagel situation at the chain-bakeries and grocery stores for reference.

Incredible vegan bagel ideas

Now that we’ve established that the bagel itself is vegan, here are a few topping ideas to get you started. If you’re vegan, you’re probably no stranger to avocado. It makes perfect sense to add avocado as a creamy spread onto a bagel! There’s also a plethora of opportunity when it comes to using hummus, as shown here. Here’s a take on the classic breakfast bagel that is animal-free, too. You can even do a vegan cream cheese and lox (gasp!) with some cleverly-seasoned slices of carrot. The world of bagels offers something for everyone… except maybe low-carb fiends.

Side note: Vegan cream cheese

If you are vegan but sometimes miss some creamy schmear (who wouldn’t?!) fear not. There are alternative cream cheeses out there (for example, Daiya, Go Veggie, Kite Hill, Tofutti, and WayFare brands) that are gleefully dairy-free and still delicious. At Gotham, we offer two flavors of tofu-based vegan cream cheese: plain and scallion. And while we’re on the subject, you’ve got to try our vegan specialty sandwich, called simply “The V.”