Vegan Sesame Bagel Pizza (Ready in 10 Minutes)

Name: Vegan Sesame Bagel Pizza
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 sesame bagel (or plain); 2 tbsp tomato puree; pinch of dried oregano (or dried basil); 3 tbsp vegan mozzarella (grated, or vegan cheddar); pinch chilli flakes; 1 tomato (sliced); salt and pepper

Jump to Recipe

This vegan sesame bagel pizza is a quick, cheesy meal that's ready in just 10 minutes. Crisp toasted bagels turned into the most delicious pizza for an easy lunch, speedy dinner, or fun after-school snack for kids.

It's budget-friendly, very easy to tweak, and just as tasty served hot from the oven (or air fryer) or packed cold for lunchboxes the next day. If you love this recipe, you might also enjoy these Pizza Twists made with puff pastry or this sumptuous Quick Garlic Pizza Bread.

Using sesame bagels for the pizza base adds extra flavour and a satisfying crunch, making these pizzas rather special. Whether cooking for kids or adults, they're a simple and quick way to enjoy homemade pizza without making Pizza Dough.

Leftover bagels? Toast them and smear them with a thick layer of Vegetable Creamy Cheese or make this Falafel Beet Bagel Sandwich.

At-a-Glance - Bagel Pizzas

⏲️ Ready in: 10 minutes
👪 Serves: 2
🍽 Calories: 223
🧾 Main ingredients: Sesame bagel, pizza sauce (several options), cheese, herbs, optional toppings
👩🏻‍🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian

You will be surprised and instantly won over when you try these and see just how good they are and how quick too. A must-have recipe.

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⭐ Why You'll Love these Bagel Pizzas

Ready fast
Ready-made pizza base
Easy for kids to make for themselves or with a little help
Easy to change the sauce and toppings
Delicious hot or cold
Good in lunchboxes

📋 WHat You Need

You only need a few simple ingredients for these quick pizzas. The recipe card has the full ingredient list and method.

Ingredients for quick bagel pizzas including bagels, sauce, cheese and herbs.

Bagels - plain and other flavoured bagels are good, but I would avoid the cinnamon bagels; the flavour won't work for pizza
Mozzarella - for extra ooze, mix a little mayo into the grated vegan mozzarella
Herbs - I suggested dried herbs, but fresh herbs like basil are good to add when serving

🥯 Why Use Bagels instead of Pizza Dough?

Already baked so they cook quickly
Crisp base and chewy texture
Perfect for individual pizzas
Good portions for children and adding to lunch boxes
A quick dinner to serve with salad

🥯 Why I choose sesame bagels

Subtle nutty flavour
Extra crunch from the seeds
More texture than plain bagels

👪 Serve them in Lunchboxes

These quick, mini dairy-free pizzas are perfect in lunchboxes, let's face it all kids love pizza and sometimes you just want to see they have eaten something at lunchtime.

The good thing is these vegan bagel pizzas stay crisp and don't go soggy like sandwiches can, but cool them before packing them or they will go soft.

Serve them with some crunchy vegetables and hummus for dunking or with some fruit on the side. For more packed lunch ideas, check out my Vegan School Lunch page.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make Bagel Pizzas

Step-by-step photos showing how easy these quick vegan pizzas are to make. Scroll down for the recipe card.

Step 1

Step 1 - Slice your bagel in half and toast (broil) or grill it until it's crisp and golden. Take time to do this before making the pizzas for crunch to the base.

Step 2

Step 2 - Add the pizza sauce (options below) and the cheese.

Step 3

Step 3 - Add flavourings and sliced tomato to the cheese, then grill (broil) or pop in an air fryer or oven to cook until golden and the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

🍕 Pizza Sauce Options

Shop-bought pizza sauce
Whizz Bang Blender Pizza Sauce
Tomato puree (tomato paste)
Tomato puree with chilli flakes and herbs added (you could add garlic too)
Sundried Tomato Paste
Red pesto
Marinara Sauce
Marmite

🍕 Ideas for toppings

Classic	Spicy	Mediterranean	Protein
Mushrooms	Jalepenos	Red peppers	Pepperoni
Onion	Chilli flakes	Olives	Chickpeas
Tomatoes	Hot sauce	Artichoke	Tofu crumbles
Basil	Sriracha drizzle	Rocket (arugula)	Vegan sausage

🧀 Vegan Cheese for Pizza

Vegan mozzarella is obviously the best choice when making pizza, but it sometimes needs a wee bit help to melt well.

For ooze, mix a little vegan mayo into the grated mozzarella, and you will see the difference; you will definitely get that cheese pull.

For these quick pizzas, you could use grated vegan cheddar if you don't have mozzarella, and as an extra cheese topping add some of my Vegan Parmesan with garlic and herbs.

♨️ Make Them in an Air Fryer

Preheat if needed - check your manual
Cook in a single layer - space between the bagel halves
Check after 5 minutes - air fryers cook quicker
Cooking times will vary between different air fryers

If you have an air fryer, check out my air fryer ebook AIRFRY for 34 easy air fryer recipes.

💭 FAQs

Why is my bagel pizza soggy?

If your bagel pizza is soggy, it may not have been pre-cooked, have too much sauce, or need a minute or two longer cooking.

Why isn't the cheese melting?

Either the pizza hasn't been cooked long enough or the vegan mozzarella doesn't melt well generally; to help it along, mix a little mayo into the grated cheese.

Why is the pizza hard?

If the pizza seems hard, the bagel could be stale or overcooked.

Can you freeze bagel pizzas?

Yes, bake the bagel, add the toppings, then freeze in a labelled freezer bag for up to 3 months and bake from frozen.

Can I make bagel pizzas gluten-free?

Yes, just choose gluten-free bagels.

🍕 More vegan pizza style recipes

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