Homemade Sourdough Bagels with DIY Everything Bagel Seasoning

There’s something deeply satisfying about a fresh, chewy sourdough bagel—and even more so when it’s topped with your own homemade everything bagel seasoning. These bagels came out beautifully bronzed and fragrant, thanks to a generous coat of this bold, toasty spice blend.

I’ve been experimenting with seasoning mixes lately, inspired by the jars of garlic and onion granules I picked up for a daqoos spice blend. If you live in the UK, you’ll know how quickly “shelf-stable” pantry spices can lose their punch thanks to the humidity. So before mine faded into blandness, I decided to put them to excellent use in this mix—loosely adapted from a recipe I bookmarked ages ago on Leite’s Culinaria.

This seasoning is everything a good everything bagel topping should be: savory, crunchy, and incredibly aromatic. I’ve adjusted the salt content slightly to match our preferences, and the blend makes enough to coat 10 homemade bagels.

If you’d like to try your hand at baking your own, my sourdough bagel recipe is now live on the blog—easy to follow, naturally leavened, and perfect for weekend baking projects.

Everything Bagel Seasoning (for 10 bagels)

• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

• 1½ tablespoons black sesame seeds

• 1½ tablespoons white sesame seeds

• 4 teaspoons onion granules

• 4 teaspoons garlic granules

• 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt (or coarse salt)

Mix everything together in a small bowl and sprinkle it liberally on shaped bagels just after boiling, before baking. The seeds toast up beautifully in the oven, releasing their oils and coating the bagels in a crunchy, savory crust.

These are best fresh but freeze well—and the seasoning mix is also great on roasted veg, avocado toast, or even sprinkled on fried eggs.

Happy baking!