Homemade pumpkin shaped bagels full of warm spice and chewy goodness. A cozy fall baking recipe that’s festive, family-friendly, and delicious.
Bagel up buttercup, it’s pumpkin season!
By the time the ‘ber months roll in, my kids are already asking for pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins – pumpkin everything! This year, I decided to take our everyday homemade bagel recipe and give them a seasonal twist, by making pumpkin shaped bagels! With a swirl of pumpkin, a sprinkle of warm spices, and a simple tie with kitchen twine – breakfast suddenly looks like it came straight from the pumpkin patch!
These pumpkin shaped bagels are festive enough for a fall brunch, fun enough for school lunchboxes, and hearty enough for everyday breakfasts. They’re chewy, golden, and full of cozy pumpkin spice flavor. This is the kind of homemade fall recipe that will become a tradition in your kitchen for years to come! And because no bagel is complete without cream cheese, I’ve included a homemade maple cinnamon cream cheese spread you can whip up from scratch. The result? A fall breakfast that’s as cozy as it is adorable!
Why I Make Pumpkin Shaped Bagels from Scratch
Sure, I could pick up a bag of bagels at the store, but they’d never look as adorable, or taste as good as these pumpkin-shaped bagels! There’s something about shaping them into little pumpkins that makes the whole process feel a little more magical this time of year.
Making them from scratch means I can play with the flavors, keep the ingredients simple, and create something fun and festive that feels homemade in the truest sense. These pumpkin shaped bagels are about more than breakfast. It’s about delighting my family with something as whimsical as it is delicious.
Tools You Will Need for Pumpkin Shaped Bagels:
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Large mixing bowl
- Dutch oven or large pot (for boiling)
- Slotted spoon
- Kitchen twine (for shaping pumpkin bagels)
- Parchment-lined baking sheet
Homemade Pumpkin-Shaped Bagels
This recipe is un-bagel-ievably cozy.
Yields: 8 pumpkin shaped bagels
Prep Time: 2 hours (or over-night option)
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: ~2 ½ hours
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (105–110°F)
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar, divided (1 tbsp for yeast, 1 tbsp for dough)
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- ½ cup all-purpose for softer crumb (spooned and leveled)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Optional: A few drops natural orange food coloring (look for non-toxic or plant-based colors)
- 2 tbsp honey (for boiling water)
- Optional: 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water (for egg wash)
- For stems: small cinnamon sticks
Instructions
1. Activate the Yeast
In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup warm water, yeast, and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Stir and let sit 5–10 minutes, until foamy and creamy. If it doesn’t foam, start over with fresh yeast.
2. Mix the Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add flour, remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar, salt, spices, pumpkin purée, vanilla and syrup. Pour in the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough forms.
3. Knead
Increase to medium speed and knead for 7–8 minutes or until dough pulls off the sides of the bowl into a ball, and is smooth and elastic. The dough should feel stiff but slightly tacky.
- Dough too sticky? Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Dough too dry? Add a splash of warm water until soft and pliable.
4. Choose Your Rise
- Same-Day: Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Overnight: Let rise 30 minutes at room temp, then refrigerate 8–12 hours. Bring to room temperature 10 minutes before shaping.
5. Shape the Pumpkin Shaped Bagels
- Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces.
- Roll each into a ball.
- Cut 4 pieces of lightly oiled kitchen twine (12 inches each) and tie around each bagel in a criss-cross pattern to form “pumpkin ridges.” Place on a parchment-lined sheet, and repeat for each bagel.
- Let rest 30 minutes.
6. Pre-Heat Oven
Preheat oven to 425°F.
7. Boil the Bagels
Bring a large stainless steel pot or dutch oven with water to a boil, stir in honey. Gently lower the pumpkin shaped bagels into the water (2–3 at a time), boiling 1 minute per side. Using a slotted spatula, lift the bagels out of the water, letting the excess water drain off. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Egg Wash (Optional)
For extra shine and a bakery-style golden finish, brush boiled bagels lightly with egg wash before baking.
10. Bake Pumpkin Shaped Bagels
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden and set. Snip twine carefully and remove. Add a cinnamon stick “stem” to the center.
Secrets to Pumpkin Shaped Bagels
• Hydration matters: Pumpkin purée thickness varies. If dough looks too dry, add up to 2 tbsp more warm water.
•Don’t skip the boil. It gives the crust that classic bagel bite.
•Pull twine when the pumpkins are cool. It won’t peel off roughly, especially when dipped in olive oil before tying on!
Serving Suggestions & Variations
These pumpkin shaped bagels are versatile and can lean sweet or savory depending on the moment. A few of our favorites:
- Maple cream cheese spread for a cozy fall breakfast.
- Peanut butter + honey for an easy, kid-approved snack.
- Egg, cheese & sausage sandwich for a hearty family breakfast.
- Simply toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar for an afternoon treat.
And if you want to take them one step further, try making your cream cheese from scratch. It’s easier than you think and makes these pumpkin bagels feel like something truly special.
Bonus Recipe: 🍁 Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread
Because if you’re making bagels from scratch, why not the cream cheese too?
Ingredients
- 8 oz block full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl (or stand mixer with paddle), beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 1–2 minutes.
2. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Beat again until creamy and well blended.
3. Taste and adjust sweetness or spice to your liking.
4. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving to let flavors meld.
Storage & Freezing for Pumpkin Shaped Bagels
For Refrigeration:
- Store at room temperature in a paper bag for up to 2 days.
For Freezing:
- Freeze individually wrapped bagels up to 3 months. Toast or bake straight from frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to boil the pumpkin shaped bagels?
Yes, boiling is what makes a bagel a bagel. It creates the chewy crust. - Can I use all-purpose flour?
Yes, but they’ll be softer. Bread flour gives the best texture. - Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, I think it’s preferred. refrigerate overnight. Shape, boil and bake in the morning for fresh bagels at breakfast. - What if I don’t want to shape these into pumpkins? Can I shape them like a classic bagel?
Absolutely! After dividing and shaping your dough into balls, simply poke a hole through the center with your thumb, gently stretch it into a ring, and let them rise before boiling and baking!
A Note from My Kitchen Table…
When I was growing up, fall meant the kitchen always smelled of cinnamon, spice and everything nice. My mom might not have shaped bagels into pumpkins, but she knew how to make even the simplest things feel like a season worth savoring. Now, as I tie twine around each doughy round, I think about the way those little traditions stick with us. These pumpkin shaped bagels are more than breakfast, they’re the kind of memory I hope my kids will carry forward, a reminder that home is where the seasons come alive. And the quiet joy of knowing that some of the best memories start with dough in your hands.
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