Vegan pizza bagels (air fryer or oven baked)

Pizza is universally loved.

All of that saucy, melty goodness on a toasted crust… It’s endlessly delicious!

But you don’t always have the time or patience to make a full-sized pizza at home or wait around for delivery.

Pizza bagels to the rescue!

Like they said in the old jingle, when pizza is on a bagel, you can eat pizza anytime. 

You can add your favorite toppings.

Or use it as a clean-out-the-fridge meal, grabbing whatever odds and ends you have.

Homemade pizza bagels make a fast & tasty lunch that kids love.

They can also be a games night appetizer along with vegan nachos, fried pickles, and vegan jalapeño poppers.

In this post:

It depends.

Sometimes bagels are finished with an egg wash. Or they can include ingredients like honey or dairy cheese. 

However, a lot of bagels ARE vegan. 

Read the ingredient label at the grocery store, or ask the staff at the bagel bakery.

Most grocery stores and bagel bakeries like Bruegger’s have a number of vegan bagels on offer.

For obvious reasons, I recommend sticking with a savory bagel over sweet when making a pizza bagel. 

Here are some of my favorite bagel options for turning into pizzas:

• Everything bagels
• Sun-dried tomato bagels
• Rosemary olive oil bagels
• Plain bagels
• Onion bagels

Bagel: You’ll need a vegan bagel that doesn’t include egg wash, honey, or dairy ingredients. You can find many options at bagel bakeries or sold in grocery stores.

Sun-dried tomato or rosemary olive oil bagels are especially good here.

Marinara sauce: Any pizza sauce, marinara, or pasta sauce works here.

Vegan pepperoni: You can use homemade or store-bought vegan pepperoni. Herbivorous Butcher is my favorite.

It can be replaced with cooked vegan sausage crumbles or vegetables.

Veggies: Chopped bell pepper & onion are my go-to. But use whatever vegetable toppings you enjoy.

Vegan mozzarella: Use store-bought vegan mozzarella shreds or the pourable variety from Miyoko’s Creamery.

Optional garnish: For a flavorful finish, top with chopped fresh basil, chives, and/or vegan parmesan cheese.

Here’s how to make the recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Cut a bagel in half. Use a knife or bagel guillotine for even slicing.

Toast bagel halves cut side up in the air fryer or oven.

After toasting, remove them & top each bagel half with:

• Marinara or pizza sauce
• Vegan pepperoni
• Bell pepper
• Onion
• Non-dairy cheese

Return bagel halves to air fryer or oven.

Cook until the cheese has fully melted.

If you like, garnish with chopped basil, chives, and/or vegan parmesan cheese.

Wait a couple minutes before diving in to eat, as the pizza bagels will be quite hot.

Pizzas were made for personalization – especially mini ones! 

Use my preferred toppings in the recipe box below. Or choose your own adventure. 

Here are some mouthwatering topping ideas to get you started.

• Vegan breakfast pizza: Cooked Just Egg, vegan breakfast sausage, bell peppers, and onions
• Taco pizza: Black beans, tomatoes, onions, pickled jalapeños, and crushed tortilla chips
• Greek pizza: Kalamata olives, vegan feta cheese, and artichoke hearts
• Supreme pizza: Veggie sausage, sautéed mushrooms, vegan pepperoni, peppers, and onions
• Pesto pizza: Cilantro basil pesto, sautéed mushrooms, and sliced tomatoes
• Pepperoni & pineapple pizza: Vegan pepperoni and diced pineapple (Vegan ham also works!)
• Cheeseburger pizza: Browned veggie burger, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and vegan Thousand Island dressing

Finish any of the above pizzas with a smattering of shredded vegan mozzarella cheese. 

To keep the bread crisp, I recommend cooking the bagels for a couple minutes on their own before adding any toppings. 

Then when you add the marinara and toppings, the bagels hold up to the sauce much better without softening.

If you like, you can even lightly coat the bagels in olive oil as an extra barrier. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder and oregano for extra flavor!

Bagels vary in size. So adjust topping amounts accordingly.

If you’re cooking several pizza bagels in the air fryer, you’ll have to work in batches.

Remember that subsequent batches will likely cook faster, because the air fryer will already be hot.

Homemade pizza bagels can be a full meal on their own.

Or serve them with any of these tasty side dishes:

• Baked french fries
• Avocado caprese salad
• Onion rings
• Air fryer asparagus
• Tomato cucumber salad
• Broccolini with garlic & kale