Freshly baked sourdough blueberry bagels with golden crust and cream cheese.

When was the last time you bit into a perfectly chewy, slightly tangy, sweet bagel packed with juicy blueberries? If the thought alone makes your taste buds do a little happy dance, then sourdough blueberry bagels just became your next baking project. These beauties combine the magic of sourdough with the sweetness of fruit, making them absolutely irresistible any day of the week.

Whether you’re Team Cream Cheese or Team Butter, sourdough blueberry bagels pair perfectly with any topping—or none at all. Plus, there’s something wildly satisfying about creating bagels from scratch. And the sourdough part? Oh, let’s just say it takes your bagel game up like eighty notches (wait, does that count as “math”?).

Consider this your complete guide—from nurturing your starter to boiling the dough (yes, bagels get boiled!) to biting into your homemade masterpiece alongside coffee. Let’s roll (pun fully intended).

Table of Contents

Why Sourdough Blueberry Bagels Just Hit Different

If you’ve made plain sourdough bagels before, you might know the reasons people go absolutely feral for them. But blueberry bagels? They’re next level. Here’s why:

Tangy + Sweet: The naturally fermented dough adds a slight tang that balances perfectly with the sweetness of the blueberries. It’s like flavor yin and yang.
Texture Heaven: Sourdough gives these bagels that iconic chewy crust and a soft interior, while blueberries add juicy little pockets of deliciousness.
Customizable Vibes: Whether you’re adding fresh blueberries or dried ones (more on that below), these bagels are a blank canvas for creativity. Want to throw some lemon zest in the dough? Do it. Craving a cinnamon sugar topping? No one’s stopping you.
Healthier Bread Option: Because sourdough undergoes fermentation, it’s easier to digest compared to bagels made with commercial yeast. That doesn’t mean you should eat an entire batch… but hey, no judgment if you do.

Bagel Ingredients: Simple Pantry Staples

You don’t need a bakery’s worth of ingredients to make sourdough blueberry bagels. A few pantry and fridge staples combine to create magic:

Dough

200g active sourdough starter (fed and bubbly, aka showing off its peak powers)
500g bread flour (you want the good stuff for that classic chew)
250ml water (lukewarm, because sourdough is picky about its climate)
50g granulated sugar (keeps things slightly sweet)
10g salt (balance, baby)
1 cup fresh or dried blueberries (if using dried, soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes first)

Toppings (optional, but essential in spirit)

Cornmeal for dusting
Sweet glaze, sesame seeds, or cinnamon sugar mix

Tools You’ll Need

Bagels are not hard to make, but they do require a few specific tools to make the process smoother. Gather these beforehand:

Stand mixer with a dough hook (optional, but trust me, it saves your arms)
Large mixing bowl
Kitchen scale (please don’t wing the measurements—accuracy is everything)
A slotted spoon
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Large pot (this is where boiling happens)
Clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap

Instructions for Making Sourdough Blueberry Bagels

Grab your apron, and let’s break this process down into manageable steps. Nobody has time for complicated chaos, so I promise this isn’t as intimidating as it sounds:

Day 1: Prepping the Dough

Activate Your Starter: Feed your sourdough starter 4–6 hours before you begin. It should be bubbly, doubled in size, and pass the “float test” (i.e., a dollop floats in water). If it sinks, it needs more time to get its act together.

Mix the Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine your active starter, bread flour, water, sugar, and salt. Use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment (or your hands for an arm workout) until the dough is smooth but slightly stiff.

Add the Blueberries: Gently fold in your blueberries, ensuring they’re evenly distributed without squishing them into oblivion. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.

Bulk Ferment (First Rise): Let the dough sit at room temperature for 4–6 hours until it looks puffy like a carb-born cloud. You’re not looking for it to double in size—just get noticeably fluffier.

Day 2: Shaping + Boiling + Baking

Shape The Bagels: Divide your dough into 8–10 equal portions (~100g each if you’re using a kitchen scale). Roll each portion into a ball, poke a hole in the center with your finger, and stretch it outward until it looks, well… bagel-y.

Chill Time (Literally): Place your bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Cover and refrigerate them overnight. This step enhances flavor and gives you that chewy bagel crust we all drool over.

Boiling Drama: Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Poach each bagel for about 30 seconds per side. This step is what gives bagels their chewy exterior and locks in moisture. Optional: Sprinkle toppings right after boiling for better adhesion.

Bake Till Golden: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake the bagels on the center rack for 20–25 minutes or until their tops turn a gorgeous golden brown. Pro tip: rotate the pan halfway through for even baking!

Cool + Devour: Let the bagels cool for at least 15 minutes (if you can wait that long). Slather on cream cheese, toast them with a little butter, or just eat one plain because they’re THAT good.

Nutrition Info (Per Bagel, Without Toppings)

Sourdough blueberry bagels boiling in a pot, with one being lifted by a slotted spoon.

Calories: ~210kcal
Carbs: ~43g
Protein: ~8g
Fat: ~1g
Fiber: ~2g
Sugar: ~6g

Sourdough Blueberry Bagels FAQs

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yep, but pat them dry first so they don’t add extra moisture to your dough. No one wants soupy bagels.

What’s the point of boiling bagels?

The boiling step creates that signature chewy crust. Skipping it would just leave you with regular bread rings. Do. Not. Skip.

How long do these stay fresh?

They’re best enjoyed fresh, but you can freeze them for up to 2 months. Reheat them in the oven for peak deliciousness.

Why You’ll Absolutely Love These

There’s something wildly satisfying about artisan bagels fresh from your own oven—not to mention how your kitchen smells like a bakery. Sourdough blueberry bagels are the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, chewy and soft. A weekend baking project? Yes. A breakfast worth waking up early for? Also yes.

If you make these bagels, please show them off (tag me—I need to drool in solidarity). Seriously, watching the rise, the golden bake, and that first blueberry-stuffed bite? Worth every single second.

Happy sourdough blueberry bagel baking! 🫐✨

Sourdough Blueberry Bagels

Author: Olivia Baker
Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes – 12 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 8 bagels 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

200g active sourdough starter (fed and bubbly, aka showing off its peak powers)
500g bread flour (you want the good stuff for that classic chew)
250ml water (lukewarm, because sourdough is picky about its climate)
50g granulated sugar (keeps things slightly sweet)
10g salt (balance, baby)
1 cup fresh or dried blueberries (if using dried, soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes first)

Toppings (optional, but essential in spirit

Cornmeal for dusting
Sweet glaze, sesame seeds, or cinnamon sugar mix

Instructions

Day 1: Prepping the Dough

Activate Your Starter: Feed your sourdough starter 4–6 hours before you begin. It should be bubbly, doubled in size, and pass the “float test” (i.e., a dollop floats in water). If it sinks, it needs more time to get its act together.
Mix the Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine your active starter, bread flour, water, sugar, and salt. Use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment (or your hands for an arm workout) until the dough is smooth but slightly stiff.
Add the Blueberries: Gently fold in your blueberries, ensuring they’re evenly distributed without squishing them into oblivion. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
Bulk Ferment (First Rise): Let the dough sit at room temperature for 4–6 hours until it looks puffy like a carb-born cloud. You’re not looking for it to double in size—just get noticeably fluffier.

Day 2: Shaping + Boiling + Baking

Shape The Bagels: Divide your dough into 8–10 equal portions (~100g each if you’re using a kitchen scale). Roll each portion into a ball, poke a hole in the center with your finger, and stretch it outward until it looks, well… bagel-y.
Chill Time (Literally): Place your bagels on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Cover and refrigerate them overnight. This step enhances flavor and gives you that chewy bagel crust we all drool over.
Boiling Drama: Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Poach each bagel for about 30 seconds per side. This step is what gives bagels their chewy exterior and locks in moisture. Optional: Sprinkle toppings right after boiling for better adhesion.
Bake Till Golden: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake the bagels on the center rack for 20–25 minutes or until their tops turn a gorgeous golden brown. Pro tip: rotate the pan halfway through for even baking!
Cool + Devour: Let the bagels cool for at least 15 minutes (if you can wait that long). Slather on cream cheese, toast them with a little butter, or just eat one plain because they’re THAT good.