Grains and starches

Bagel nutrition, in full.

On USDA figures, 1 medium bagel works out at 289 calories and carries 11 g of protein. The record behind it is USDA’s “Bagels, plain, enriched, without calcium propionate (includes onion, poppy, sesame)”. Beyond the headline number, it is notable for thiamin and niacin. Pick a portion in the panel and it recalculates on the spot; the nutrient table further down moves with it.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Source data is USDA FoodData Central (175049). The sums run on your device and nothing leaves it.

Bagel calories by portion

1 medium bagel supplies 289 calories, which scales to 275 per 100 g. Each serving listed underneath was weighed by USDA rather than estimated.

How much protein is in bagel?

There are 11 g of protein in 1 medium bagel, or 22 percent of the 50 g the FDA uses as a daily reference. Only 15 percent of its calories come from protein, so treat bagel as something you eat for other reasons and count the protein as a bonus.

Energy-wise, protein contributes 16 percent, fat 5 percent and carbohydrate 79 percent, which makes it mostly a carbohydrate.

Bagel in the kitchen

A bagel is a dense, ring-shaped yeast bread that is boiled before baking. You can buy them fresh from bakeries, packaged in supermarkets, or frozen. Look for a glossy, blistered crust and a heavy feel. Avoid pale, soft specimens that resemble standard bread rolls shaped into rings.

Slicing a bagel requires a sharp serrated knife to handle the dense crumb without squashing it. Toasting revives stale bagels, crisping the exterior while keeping the interior chewy. The common error is overheating them, which turns the crumb tough and cardboard-like. Use moderate heat.

Split and toasted, bagels are traditionally spread with cream cheese and topped with cured salmon and capers. In other culinary traditions, they are filled with salt beef and hot mustard. You can also use them as a base for melted cheese and chopped herbs.

Everything USDA measures in bagel

1 medium bagel delivers thiamin (47 percent of the Daily Value), niacin (30 percent of the Daily Value), riboflavin (25 percent of the Daily Value). Everything else USDA reports for it is in the table, scaled to your serving.

Fibre runs to 2.3 g per 100 g, or 8 percent of the Daily Value.

Watch the sodium: 534 mg in 100 g, or 23 percent of the recommended maximum for a day.

Where bagel fits in a day

1 medium bagel uses 14 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and returns 22 percent of the protein reference. Your own budget is probably not 2,000; the TDEE calculator works it out, and the macro calculator splits it into protein, carbs and fat.

Three recipes built around bagel

Three recipes from the Calorie Counter Team, each costed ingredient by ingredient against USDA records, so the per-serving figures are sums, not guesses.

Breakfast · British

Bacon and Egg Bagel Sandwich

A toasted bagel filled with pan-fried bacon and a fried egg.

10 min · serves 1

613kcal

23gprotein

37gfat

46gcarbs

Ingredients

• 1 plain bagel 85 g
• 1 large egg 50 g
• 2 rashers back bacon 60 g
• Unsalted butter 10 g
• Table salt 1 g

Method

1. Cut the bagel in half horizontally.
2. Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter in a second pan and fry the egg for 3 minutes.
4. Toast the bagel halves under a grill for 2 minutes.
5. Assemble the sandwich with the bacon, egg, and salt.

Per serving, from 5 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Lunch · American

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Bagel

Toasted sesame bagel topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon, sliced red onion, and capers.

5 min · serves 1

391kcal

18gprotein

13gfat

48gcarbs

Ingredients

• 1 sesame bagel 85 g
• Cream cheese 30 g
• Smoked salmon 40 g
• Red onion 10 g
• Capers 5 g

Method

1. Slice the bagel in half horizontally.
2. Toast the bagel halves for 2 minutes.
3. Spread the cream cheese over the cut sides.
4. Layer the smoked salmon over the cream cheese.
5. Top with the red onion and capers.

Built from 5 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Dinner · Italian-American

Baked Bagel Pizzas

Bagel halves topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then baked until the cheese melts.

15 min · serves 1

419kcal

19gprotein

15gfat

52gcarbs

Ingredients

• 1 plain bagel 85 g
• Tomato passata 50 g
• Mozzarella cheese 40 g
• Olive oil 5 g
• Dried oregano 1 g
• Table salt 1 g

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Slice the bagel in half horizontally.
3. Spread the tomato passata over the cut sides.
4. Top with the mozzarella cheese, dried oregano, salt, and olive oil.
5. Bake on a tray for 8 minutes until the cheese melts.

Figures are per serving and come from 6 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Putting bagel on a plate

To see how bagel adds up in a meal, here it is beside two ordinary companions, all three from USDA figures.

Bagel or something else?

Same weight for every row, 100 g, so differences are not portion effects. The form column shows whether a row is raw, cooked or as sold.

Questions about bagel

What is the calorie count for 1 medium bagel?

USDA measures 1 medium bagel at 289 calories, or 275 calories for each 100 g. The record used is “Bagels, plain, enriched, without calcium propionate (includes onion, poppy, sesame)” (FDC 175049).

Is there much protein in bagel?

Per 100 g, bagel contains 11 g of protein. 1 medium bagel therefore gives 11 g, which is 22 percent of a 50 g day.

Does bagel fit a calorie deficit?

Weight change comes from the whole week’s intake. 1 medium bagel contributes 289 calories and 11 g of protein (15 percent of its energy), which means it needs a protein-rich partner on the plate.

How many carbs are in bagel?

56 g in 1 medium bagel, of which 2.4 g is fibre and 0 g is sugar.

How do you restore a stale bagel?

Splash the bagel with cold water, then bake it in a hot oven for a short duration. This steam treatment softens the interior crumb and restores the crisp texture of the outer crust.

Why are bagels boiled before they are baked?

Boiling gelatinises the starches on the exterior of the dough. This crucial process locks in the liquid, creates the signature chewy crust, and prevents the bread from rising excessively when it is subsequently baked in the oven.

Sources

• Bagels, plain, enriched, without calcium propionate (includes onion, poppy, sesame) — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 175049
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9