Perfectly Chewy Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagel Recipe
Cozy Up This Fall with Perfectly Chewy Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagels!
You need to try this easy overnight sourdough bagel recipe. Made with simple ingredients, it’s easy for beginners and will impress your guests! Add this one to your Fall Recipes!
I’m all about pumpkin recipes right now. On my flight home last week, I started making recipe lists, three-fourths of which were pumpkin-based. We’ve been getting hit hard with rain the past few days from the hurricane, and since school was canceled for my son and most of the town is closed, I decided to cozy things up inside. We brought out some fall décor from the garage bins, lit some candles, watched It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and baked some of the yummiest chewy pumpkin spice sourdough bagels to enjoy this weekend.
It feels like an eternity since I last baked anything sourdough. I was worried my starter would die in the refrigerator while I was away, but it’s so strong that as soon as I fed it when I got home, it started bubbling and popping all over the place! Sometimes, my starter gets so rich that I have to transfer just a few tablespoons into a new jar with flour and water so it doesn’t get too sour. I love sourdough, but there is such a thing as too sour.
Have you made sourdough recipes before?
If not, here are two of my top sourdough blogs!
- The Best Sourdough Bread Loaf Recipe for Beginners—This blog has SO MUCH information on sourdough baking and how to get started.
- How to Make Sourdough Starter—You need a sourdough starter to make sourdough recipes, and this post shares everything you need to know about getting or making your own starter!

Pumpkin Spice Bagels for Fall
These pumpkin spice bagels are some of the best I’ve ever made! They’re puffy, chewy, and perfectly spiced. They would absolutely steal the show whether you bring them into work, serve them to guests, or bake them for a neighbor.
I’m really looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving this year. I plan on making these bagels for Thanksgiving morning to enjoy after the neighborhood turkey trot. They will also be super delicious, filled with all the Thanksgiving leftovers as a sandwich the next day! Can you imagine these bagels with cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey, cream cheese, and maybe a little gravy in there? Yum!
If you’d like more bagel flavors, check out my original sourdough bagel recipe blog!
Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels | Simple Ingredients
This easy overnight homemade pumpkin spice sourdough bagel recipe is delicious and even better when toasted! It’s crispy on the outside and has the perfect chewy bagel texture in the middle. We will be enjoying this cozy recipe all season long.
Pumpkin Spice Bagel Ingredients:
- Sourdough Starter,
- Water
- Honey
- Salt
- Bread Flour
- Pumpkin Puree
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Allspice
(or cinnamon and pumpkin spice seasoning).

Can I make these sourdough bagels vegan?
The best part of these bagels is that you can make them vegan! Instead of using honey, you can use cane sugar, maple syrup, agave, or brown sugar! You can also use vegan cheese for the jalapeno cheddar bagels if you want to try those out.

Timeline for making sourdough bagels
- Activate the starter in the morning, make your dough before bed, shape bagels in the morning, water bath, and bake,
- Activate your starter before bed, make the dough in the morning, shape bagels in the late afternoon, water bath, and bake that evening.
I have done both ways, but I usually stick to option number one. I love the idea of having warm bagels baking in the morning!

I bet you already have everything in the house to make sourdough bagels!
What do I need to make sourdough bagels?
Electric Mixer (optional)
Kitchen Scale
Silicone Baking Mat (optional)
Parchment Paper
Pot for Boiling Water
Baking Sheet
Oven
Tongs


VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagels
Step One: Activate the Sourdough Starter (around 7:00 AM—10 AM).
Mix 1/4 cup of starter, 1/2 cup of room-temperature water, and 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour in a jar.
** If you plan to leave your starter for a while, use colder water to slow the activation process.
Step Two: Prepare Bagel Dough (before bed, 7 PM—10 PM).
Using an eclectic mixer’s fitted bowl, add the activated starter, filtered water, honey, and sea salt. Mix the ingredients until they resemble milk. Fold in the bread flour, pumpkin puree, and spices.
Step Three: Let the dough sit for ten minutes. It’ll look flaky and dry.
Sep Four: Mix the bagel dough on a low speed for seven minutes with a knead attachment. If you do not have an electric mixer, you can knead with your hands on a floured surface until the dough is tough.
Step Five: Cover the dough overnight or for the next 10 hours.
Here are some sourdough recipes you may love:
The Best Golden Sourdough Bread Recipe
The Best Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
How to make Sourdough Starter
Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagels
Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bread
Pull Apart Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Sourdough Pizza Crust
Gingerbread Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Jalapeño Pepper Jack Sourdough Bread



After 10 – 12 hours, the dough will double in size.
Step Six: Shape the bagels. On a floured surface, weigh 150 grams of dough and form them into balls. Once you form a ball, poke through it with your thumb and stretch the edges until you get a bagel shape.
This recipe makes about six large bagels. 
Step Seven: Place the bagels on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover them for two hours to allow them to rise.


Step Eight: Bring a large pot of water to a boil once your bagel dough has doubled. Carefully add 2-3 bagels into the boiling water, and cook each side for 1 minute. I had three pans going at once to speed up the process. Once each bagel side has been through the water bath, you can place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I use the tongs to flip the bagels, or grabbing the bagel through the center with a fork also works. After a water bath, this is when you can dip the bagel into the seasonings before baking (make sure not to grab the bagel when it’s too hot)

Step Nine: Preheat your oven to 400- degrees. Place the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet (they do not need to be far apart since they will not rise any larger in the oven.) Bake for 22-26 minutes.
Note: If your bagels’ bottoms look brown, add a layer of cornmeal underneath the parchment paper. You can also place them on a rack to bake.

How do you store your sourdough bagels?
If I make a bunch and know we cannot get through them in a few days, I’ll put them in a freezer ziplock bag and store them there. I let them defrost at room temperature and then slice and toast them!
If we eat them quickly or have guests, I’ll keep them in a ziplock bag on the counter or refrigerator.
If I needed to run a campaign on toasting bagels, I absolutely would! It kills me inside to watch my husband grab a bagel straight from the bag and eat it like a wild animal. That bagel deserves to be sliced, toasted, and dressed up with cream cheese! Speaking of cream cheese, when I worked at the bagel shop in high school, we used to make honey walnut cream cheese for our sweeter bagels, and this bagel would pair perfectly with that!
Honey Walnut Cream Cheese:
- 1/2 cup plain cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients together! 


This recipe makes half a dozen standard-size bagels, but it can easily be doubled if you want to bake more! For miniature bagels, divide the dough into smaller portions, cutting the grams of dough in half for each bagel. Don’t forget to double the starter if you’re also doubling this recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagels
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Activation (double if you plan on making extra)
- 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Cup Room Temp Filtered Water
- 1/4 Cup Sourdough Starter
Sourdough Bagel Dough
- 105 Grams Activated Sourdough Starter
- 250 Grams Room Temp Filtered Water
- 40 Grams Honey (or Sugar)
- 10 Grams Sea Salt
- 550 Grams Bread Flour
- 90 Grams Pumpkin Puree
SPICES - you can also use 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice as replacement
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp Ginger
- 1/8 Tsp Cloves
- 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp Allspice
Instructions
Sourdough Starter Activation
- Sourdough Starter Activation (double if you plan on making extra)IN THE MORNING In a jar, mix together your sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, and room-temperature filtered water. Place the jar in a warm area in the house for 6-8 hours.
Sourdough Bagel Dough
- BEFORE BED Add the activated sourdough starter, filtered room-temperature water, honey, and sea salt to an eclectic mixer's fitted bowl. Mix the ingredients until they resemble milk. Fold in the bread flour, pumpkin puree, and spices.
- Let the dough sit for ten minutes. It'll look flaky and dry.
- Mix the bagel dough on a low speed for seven minutes with a knead attachment. If you do not have an eclectic mixer, you can knead with your hands on a floured surface until the dough is tough.
- Cover the dough overnight or for the next 10 hours.
- IN THE MORNING After 10 - 12 hours, the dough will double in size.Shape the bagels. On a floured surface, weigh 150 grams of dough and form it into balls. Once you create a ball, poke through it with your thumb and stretch the edges until you get a bagel shape.
- Place the bagels on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover them for two hours to allow them to rise.
- Once your bagel dough has doubled, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add 2-3 bagels to the boiling water, and cook each side for 1 minute.Once each bagel side has been through the water bath, you can place it back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- BAKE: Preheat your oven to 400- degrees. Place the bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet (they do not need to be far apart since they will not rise any larger in the oven.) Bake for 22-26 minutes. If your bagels' bottoms look brown, place cornmeal underneath the parchment paper to keep the bottoms from touching the pan directly. You can also bake them on a rack.
- Allow the bagels to cool, slice, toast, and enjoy!
Notes

You May Also Like These Popular Recipes:
Gluten-Free Flaky Pumpkin Pie
Fall Butternut Squash Deviled Eggs
Healthy Cottage Cheese Chocolate Pudding Parfait
Honey Roasted Oat & Nut Granola
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Frosted Banana Bread Bars
Blueberry Blender Oatmeal Bars
Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches
Healthy Peach Crumble Dessert
Perfect Spiced Zucchini Bread Loaf
Chewy 30- Minute Chocolate Chip Cookies
Maple Frosted Pumpkin Spice Bars
Gingerbread Muffins
Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls


I can’t wait for you to try this pumpkin spice sourdough bagel recipe! It’s seriously delicious and the perfect way to cozy up during colder mornings. Even my toddler loves them!
Questions for you!
- How do you like to enjoy your bagels?
- What flavor should I make next?
- Are there any fall recipe requests?





Very good recipe!
So delicious!