I saw these viral two ingredient bagel bites (not sure who the idea originated from!) and decided to give them a shot when I found myself with cream cheese that needed eating. I’m always skeptical of these viral recipes, but I really did love this one!
The original recipe uses flour and yogurt, but I tried it using ground up pumpkin seeds for a more nutrient-dense and fiber-ful ball. I also added in cheese and scallions to make them flavorful enough on their own as a quick snack, but I highly recommend topping with cream cheese for the full bagel-like experience. One of these little guys packs in 5g protein and they’re a good source of fiber, magnesium, and zinc!
Ingredient highlight
Pumpkin seeds! These cute green seeds are a great source of vitamin K, magnesium, iron, and zinc, to name a few. I love adding them raw to smoothies and sauces for a creamy texture or simply roasting them (like these spice seeds!).
Servings 24 balls (ish)
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese*
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions*
- Sesame seeds or everything but the bagel (EBTB) seasoning, for rolling
- Cream cheese, for topping (optional)
- *Leave cheese out and/or replace scallions with ½ tsp each onion powder and garlic powder OR add 1-2 tbsp of EBTB into the mixture. You can also flavor these however you want or just leave them plain with some flaky salt on top.
- Note: ~ you can make these any shape you want. You could shape them into a larger bagel or make them flatter discs, etc…
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a blender, add the pumpkin seeds and blend until a fine meal forms, scraping under the blade as needed.
- Transfer to a large bowl and use your hands to break up any big clumps. Add the yogurt and salt and mix until combined. Add the cheddar and scallions and mix again until combined.
- Roll into balls (I did about 1 heaping tablespoon), then roll those balls into sesame seeds or EBTB seasoning. It helps to add the balls to a plate and sprinkle the seeds on top and roll them around in what fell off. Alternatively, you can leave them bare on the outside.
- If you’d like, sprinkle some extra cheese underneath some or all of the balls – this will give you a cheesy bottom!
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on the outside and golden brown on the bottom.
- Allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before eating. They are flavorful enough on their own, but for the full bagel experience, tear or slice them in half and smear with cream cheese.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Grind up 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
- Make and bake the balls
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, use a vegan yogurt alternative and either leave out the cheese or use a vegan alternative cheese.
- Sub the ground up pumpkin seeds with almond flour/meal.
- Use any grated cheese in place of cheddar (parm, gouda, mozzarella, etc…).
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover balls in the microwave until just warmed through, about 15-20 seconds. Eat them as is or cut/tear in half and top with cream cheese.
- Put a little bit of smoked salmon in there for a bagel and lox experience.
- Eat with scrambled or boiled eggs for a more filling snack or light meal.
- Once you’ve warmed them up, cut them in half and toast them in a skillet!
- Tear up the balls into small pieces, toss in a bit of oil and bake at 425F for about 10 minutes or until golden and crisp to make little croutons.
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