DIY Everything Bagel Seasoning

Everything bagel seasoning adds the perfect salty, garlicky, crunchy finishing touch to every dish.

This is hardly a recipe, more like a DIY activity to make this tasty seasoning! That you can put on practically everything you eat.

I don’t really eat many bagels, especially not lately since I started to reduce carbs and sugar. But this seasoning works with so many other dishes that I had to try to make it from scratch. There is nothing better than knowing exactly what it contains and controlling the flavor.

Why is it called everything but bagel seasoning?

To explain the name, we need to go back to the bagels. The everything bagel is a baked bagel with many toppings on it. The toppings can contain sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes, garlic flakes, sunflower seeds, salt, black pepper, etc. It was invented back in 1980 by a baker named David Gussin. He had leftover seed toppings from different types of products he baked. He merged them all in one container and decided to just put it on bagels and call it everything.

He started selling bagels with "everything" topping and it was a big success, everyone wanted to have them. Later on, Trader Joe's started selling the topping without the bagels and called it everything but the bagel. Nowadays there are few companies selling this seasoning and if you are here you will learn soon how to whip some up yourself.

Ingredients for everything bagel seasoning:

Everything bagel seasoning is made of flaked sea salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, dries onions flakes, and dried garlic flakes. Sure, you can add and omit any seed you like but from reading online, these are the ones that are officially defined as everything bagel ingredients.

It is important to have the ingredients roughly the same size, as much as possible. Don’t use garlic powder or regular salt, it will make the blend not mixed evenly and the flavor might be too strong. I bought bigger flakes of garlic and onion so before mixing I ground each one of them separately to have them more minced then flaked. if you have minced dried onion and garlic that's perfect for the recipe.

Sesame seeds – In the blend you buy there are black and white sesame seeds. If you can't get any black sesame seeds just use more regular white ones, the flavor won't be that different. I used the sesame seeds as they are, if you prefer you can toast them lightly in a clean pan until they get lightly browned for a deeper toasted nutty flavor.

Flaked sea salt - I used Maldon sea salt flakes, it has the size of the perfect flakes and it fits the recipe. Any coarse salt would work too.

Is it cheaper to make or buy everything bagel seasoning?

Yes, it is, you can mix as much as you want and control the outcome amount unlike when buying a small container at the shop. The ingredients separately are usually cheaper and you can use them for other dishes too. Besides the price, you also control the flavor, if you find the store-bought version too salty, just test and see how much salt you really like in it. Do you like spicy? Add some chili flakes!

How long does Everything But the bagel seasoning last?

After you mix the seasoning, store it in an air-tight container or a jar and place it in a cool dry location in your kitchen. If stored correctly, the mix will last for a few months. The amount of seasoning from this recipe is not that big and if after tasting it you start putting it on everything most likely it won't last that long because you just finish it.

What do you do with everything but the bagel seasoning?

Everything bagel seasoning adds the perfect salty, garlicky, crunchy finishing touch to every dish. Any savory breakfast will be upgraded with a little sprinkle of this yummy seasoning.

Here are some dishes you can upgrade with this yummy seasoning:

• On your bagel with some cream cheese - like it was first used.
• On your avocado toast, or any other savory bread and spread combination.
• As a garnish and extra crunch for any salad.
• As a topping for homemade crackers, bread or Challah.
• Sprinkle some on popcorn for the perfect savory munch.
• As pizza topping with crunch, I add it after baking the pizza.
• On hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, or an omelet.
• In your basic chaffles batter as extra flavor.
• On any savory dip like my lentil dip or edamame dip as a garnish or mix it in.
• On a Hanukah latkes platter as another topping option.

This quick simple mix can add so much to anything you eat, just try and see. Everything bagel seasoning is non-dairy, vegan, gluten-free and can be combined in many different diets.

The recipe yields ½ cup. If you want more then you can double the recipe.

Here is the recipe for this DIY everything bagel seasoning: