This DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch is a super easy budget friendly idea for hosting a breakfast or brunch with friends or family in under 30 minutes.
Why you are going to love this DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch
One bite into that silky lox or smoked salmon, cream cheese spread, crunchy veggies and chewy bagel and your friends and family are going to love you. Who can resist a delicious decked out bagel?
With Spring and summer upon us, there will be graduation parties, wedding showers, baby showers, Mother’s Day, Father's Day, Easter and any day you feel like surrounding yourself with the people you love the most. The DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch is the perfect solution. There is no cooking, no major prep and no major cleanup. You got to love that!
The DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch is portable so you can enjoy it outside as a picnic or even as a dish to pass.
Keeping Your DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch Simple
Bagels:
You will need about 1.5 – 2 mini bagels per person. If you are serving a group of growing teenager boys or a group of soccer players, you might want to increase that to about 6 per person… LOL Have you seen them eat. Scary! We love using the little mini bagels. We also like to use the plain or wheat mini bagels. Plain bagels give your guests a blank canvas to craft their “masterpiece epic decked out bagel”. You can use the full-sized bagels as well.
Low Carb Option: If your team is on a keto, diabetic friendly or low carb diet, please make a batch of our Sesame Low Carb Cloud Bread to serve instead of bagels. Your low carb friends and family will love it!
Cream Cheese and Spreads:
We prefer the whipped cream cheese as it is much easier to spread than the traditional block style cream cheese. You can keep your cream cheese plain or feel free to add olives and chives, sun dried tomatoes and basil, fresh herbs, etc. Please add whatever you little heart desires.
Dairy Free Option: You can use cashew cream, vegan cream cheese, Better than Store Bought Red Pepper Hummus, Rosemary and Garlic Infused Olive Tapenade, guacamole, Traditional Baba Ghanoush or whatever your little heart desires.
Lox and Smoked Salmon:
Lox and smoked salmon are actually not the same thing. Lox is usually made from the belly of salmon. The salmon is salt-cured or brined, and it never cooked or smoked. Lox has a very silky, rich texture and is sliced super thin. Lox is preferred for topping for your DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch.
However, you can also use smoked salmon that is made from any part of the fish. The salmon starts off with brining just like a lox but then it is either cold smoked or hot smoked.
Bring on the Veggies, Pickled Veggies and Fresh Herbs:
Now, here is where you can get creative. We love using crisp, thinly sliced veggies. The only limit is your imagination. We used these sliced vegetables and herbs today…
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Red Onion
Radishes
Capers
Dill
Lemons
Fruits:
A fresh little slice of lemon to squeeze on top of your decked-out bagel and a grating of fresh pepper seals the deal. We also love fresh avocados which are actually categorized as a fruit. A bowl of fresh seasonal fruit on the side is always a welcome addition.
Other Additions:
Pickled vegetables like our Gingered Red Onion Pickled Golden Beets, Spicy Garlic Cucumber Refrigerator Pickles or our Lemon Radish Diakon Refrigerator Pickles would be a nice addition to your DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch.
Don’t Forget About the Kids: Almond butter and our Strawberry Rhubarb Refrigerator Jam is delicious. Kids also love our Roasted Pumpkin Seed Butter and a drizzle of runny honey as a bagel topping.
Beverages:
Who can survive a morning without coffee or tea? However, you may like to liven up the party with mimosas, Summertime Non-Alcoholic Fruity Drink Recipes or our warming Easy Spiced Golden Milk
You might like these other quick and easy Breakfast and Brunch ideas…
Stove Top Parmesan Leek Frittata
Sautéed Asparagus and Mushrooms with Poached Eggs
Top Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
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DIY Ultimate Bagel Bar Brunch
Ingredients
- 12 Mini bagels
whole (white and wheat assorted) – regular or toasted . 8-12 bagels - 16 oz Lox or smoked salmon – 16 oz
thinly sliced (about 2 ounces per person) - 8 oz Light whipped Cream cheese
1-2 (8-ounce containers) – always good to have a backup one in case you run low. - 2 Cucumbers
sliced thinly - 1 Red onion
peeled and sliced thinly - ⅓ cup Capers
- 1 Lemon
sliced thinly - ½ cup Dill
trimmed (or fresh herbs of choice) - 8 Radishes
sliced thinly - 2 Tomatoes
sliced thinly - 1 Avocado sliced thinly
Instructions
- On a wooden cutting board or large serving platter, arrange mini-bagels, lox (smoked salmon), light whipped cream cheese or spreads, cucumbers, red onion slices, capers, lemon slices, sprigs of dill or fresh herbs of choice, sliced radishes, sliced tomatoes and sliced avocados.
- Set out plates, napkins, utensils, fresh cracked pepper and salt, fresh fruit bowl and beverages of choice. Let everyone serve themselves and enjoy!
Aubry says
What a easy and great way to put out a spread for Easter morning -- let them grab and go.
Ken says
A great way to put out a spread that people can pick at - at their leisure. I am going to keep this in mind for our post-ride get together.
Olivia says
We hosted a last minute brunch at the house today. Went shopping and had everything ready for guests in flash. Lifesaver idea for last minute gatherings and showers.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much Olivia! So happy we could help you with your breakfast and brunch planning menu. Have a lovely week ahead.