I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of the everything bagel flavor combo. Not only is it my go-to bagel order, but I also enjoy everything bagel chips, hummus, and sprinkling the seasoning on, well, everything.
Why make your own everything bagel seasoning? For one, it’s cheaper than buying it premade. You also have more control over the freshness, ensuring your seasoning mix is as flavorful as possible. Lastly, you can adjust the exact blend. While this recipe makes a classic everything bagel seasoning, you can play with the ratio of the ingredients to suit your tastes.
What Is Everything Bagel Seasoning?
What came first, the seasoning or the bagel? It’s unclear, but everything bagel seasoning is all of the ingredients you’d normally find sprinkled on top of an everything bagel. The spice mix typically includes sesame seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, salt, and poppy seeds. The blend results in a nutty, toasty, savory, and salty flavor combo that’s tasty on all kinds of savory dishes.
Creating the Perfect Everything Bagel Seasoning
Before developing this recipe, we taste-tested six different storebought everything bagel seasonings. Trader Joe’s and Olde Thompson were favorites, thanks to their balanced flavors and the right amount of saltiness. This recipe replicates the ratio of ingredients in Olde Thompson and the mild saltiness of Trader Joe’s, which uses flaky salt.
One thing that struck recipe developer Nicole Hopper while testing this spice mix was the color. “The culprits were the onion and garlic—straight from the jar they are very pale, and in the storebought seasonings they are golden and toasty.” Her solution is to toast the dehydrated minced garlic and onion in a dry skillet for a few minutes before combining the ingredients, giving the flavor and color a boost.
Choosing the Right Salt
We tested this everything bagel seasoning mix with coarse salt as well as flaky salt, and flaky salt won the battle. Nicole found flaky sea salt to have a more pleasing look and a fun, crunchy texture. Morton’s sea salt flakes work nicely and are widely available, but any brand will do. If the flakes are especially big, you can break them up slightly with your fingers.
If you don’t have flaky salt, you can use coarse kosher salt. Avoid any kind of fine salt or table salt for this recipe.
How to Use Everything Bagel Seasoning
Nicole enjoys sprinkling homemade everything bagel seasoning on avocado toast. “It has a good balance of different textures and a subtle nuttiness from the sesame. The onion and garlic are strong but not so overpowering that you feel the need to run for a breath mint, and there’s just enough salt to season the avocado perfectly.”
Use everything bagel seasoning anywhere you’d enjoy a bit of crunch, nuttiness, savoriness, and saltiness. Try sprinkling it over cream cheese, eggs, avocado, popcorn, or hummus. Use it to season homemade crackers or top homemade breads before baking. The sky is the limit!
Seasonings to Spice Up Your Life
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Adobo Seasoning
- Homemade Italian Seasoning
- Sazón Seasoning
- Burger Seasoning
Toast the garlic and onion (optional):
For a stronger, toastier flavor, toast the dehydrated minced garlic and onion.
Add the garlic and onion to a small dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
Combine the ingredients:
Combine the garlic and onion with the white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flaky salt, and black sesame seeds. Whisk everything together until evenly combined.
Store:
Transfer to an airtight jar or container. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
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