These soft and chewy Japanese-style Chocolate Bagels have a lightly crisp crust, a rich cocoa dough, and plenty of room for delicious fillings such as butter, cream cheese, and melty chocolate chips. This homemade chocolate bagel recipe is lightly sweet, deeply chocolatey, and perfect for breakfast, dessert, or creative bagel sandwiches.
Table of Contents
- Japanese Style Chocolate Bagels Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Bagels
- VIDEO: Watch How to Make It
- Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Variations & Filling Ideas
- How to Store and Reheat Chocolate Bagels
- To reheat:
- Recipe FAQ
- More Japanese Style Bagel Recipes
- Chocolate Bagels Recipe
Japanese Style Chocolate Bagels Recipe
Chocolate bagels deserve more attention. Not just chocolate chip bagels, but real chocolate bagels made with cocoa powder directly in the dough. The result is a bagel with a deep chocolate flavor, a beautiful dark color, and a satisfying chewy texture that still feels soft and approachable.
Japanese-style bagels are usually softer than classic New York-style bagels, while still keeping the signature chew and thin crust that make bagels so enjoyable. In Japan, chocolate bagels are often filled with cream cheese, chocolate chips, butter, sweet red bean paste, or even dessert-style fillings. They are also used for sweet bagel sandwiches with fruit, cream, and chocolate.
This chocolate bagel recipe keeps the dough lightly sweet so the cocoa flavor can shine. It is rich enough for dessert but balanced enough for breakfast. The dough is also sturdy enough to hold fillings, making it a great base for both simple chocolate chip bagels and more indulgent stuffed bagels.
- Soft, chewy Japanese-style texture
- Lightly crisp, thin crust
- Deep cocoa flavor without being overly sweet
- Great for cream cheese, chocolate, butter, and fruit fillings
- Perfect for breakfast, snacks, dessert, or bagel sandwiches
Ingredients and Substitutions
These homemade chocolate bagels are made with a short list of simple ingredients. Because bagel dough is firm and lower in hydration than regular bread dough, weighing the ingredients is recommended for the best texture.
- Bread flour: Bread flour gives the bagels structure, chew, and strength for shaping and filling.
- Cocoa powder: Natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder can be used. Dutch-processed cocoa gives a darker color and a smoother chocolate flavor.
- Instant dry yeast: Use less yeast for an overnight cold ferment and slightly more yeast for a same-day version.
- Sugar: The amount can be adjusted from 6% to 10%, depending on how sweet you want the dough. Keeping the dough less sweet allows the fillings to stand out.
- Salt: Salt balances the sweetness and strengthens the flavor of the cocoa.
- Oil: Oil is optional, but it helps create a slightly softer crumb.
- Water: The dough should feel firm, smooth, and pliable, not sticky.
How to Make Chocolate Bagels
The method is similar to a classic Japanese-style bagel, with cocoa powder added to the dough. The process includes mixing, fermenting, shaping, boiling, and baking. Boiling the bagels before baking is what creates their chewy crust and traditional bagel texture.
- Mix and knead: Combine the dry ingredients, then add water and oil if using. Knead until the dough is smooth, firm, and cohesive.
- First fermentation: For the best flavor, cold ferment the dough in the refrigerator for 12–18 hours. For a same-day bake, let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled.
- Divide and rest: Divide the dough into 6 portions, pre-shape each piece into a short log, and rest until relaxed.
- Shape and fill: Roll each piece into a rectangle, add fillings along the top edge, roll tightly, seal the seam, and connect the ends to form a bagel ring.
- Secondary proof: Let the shaped bagels proof until they are about 1.8 times their original size.
- Boil: Simmer the bagels in water with malt syrup, molasses, or sugar for 10–30 seconds per side.
- Bake: Bake until the exterior is lightly crisp and the bagels are slightly darker in color.
VIDEO: Watch How to Make It
Use the step-by-step instructions below as your guide for mixing, filling, shaping, boiling, and baking these chocolate bagels.
Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Dough consistency: This chocolate bagel dough is low in hydration, so it will not pass a full windowpane test. It should stretch slightly before tearing and feel smooth, firm, and not sticky.
- Use chocolate chips: If adding chocolate, chips are easier to work with than chopped chocolate. Sharp pieces of chopped chocolate can tear the dough while shaping.
- Use time as a guide: Resting and proofing times vary depending on room temperature. Watch how the dough looks and feels instead of relying only on the clock.
- Seal seams securely: Pinch every seam firmly. Loose seams can cause the bagels to open during boiling or split in the oven, especially when filled.
- Adjust boiling time: A shorter boil gives a softer crust, while a longer boil creates a chewier exterior and slightly thicker crust.
Variations & Filling Ideas
Filling Ideas
- Chocolate salt bread bagels: 15 g butter and 15 g chocolate per 100 g bagel dough
- Cream cheese and chocolate: 22 g cream cheese and 15 g chocolate per 100 g bagel dough
- Dried fruit and chocolate: 15 g dried fruit and 15 g chocolate per 100 g bagel dough
- Chocolate chips: 20–25 g chocolate per 100 g bagel dough
Sandwich Ideas
- Cream cheese with caramelized bananas
- Boursin cranberry, prosciutto, and balsamic glaze
- Rum raisin cream
- Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter
- Peanut butter, jelly, and sliced bananas
- Pistachio butter, kataifi, and strawberries
- Hazelnut spread with banana or strawberries
- Blueberry jam and cream cheese
How to Store and Reheat Chocolate Bagels
Chocolate bagels are best enjoyed the day they are baked. If you do not eat them right away, store them in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze them in airtight bags for up to 2 months. Avoid refrigerating bagels, as the cold temperature can make them dry and hard.
To reheat:
- Toaster: Lightly spray the bagel with water, then toast until warm and crisp.
- Steam: Place the bagel in a steamer basket and steam for 1–2 minutes until warm. Steaming makes the crumb soft and chewy.
- Steam and toast: For an extra chewy center and crisp exterior, steam first, then toast briefly.
- From frozen: Thaw at room temperature first, then toast or steam.
Recipe FAQ
This can happen when the seams are not sealed securely or when the bagels are underproofed before boiling and baking.
Yes. For a same-day version, increase the instant dry yeast to 4 g and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled.
More Japanese Style Bagel Recipes
- Salt Bread Bagels
- Carrot Cake Bagels
- Cinnamon Roll Bagels
- French Toast Bagels
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
- Kabocha Bagels
Enjoy these homemade Chocolate Bagels warm, toasted, filled, or sliced into dessert-style sandwiches. Their cocoa-rich dough, soft chew, and lightly crisp crust make them a delicious choice for both everyday breakfasts and special treats.
Chocolate Bagels
- Author: Lisa Kitahara
- Total Time: 12–18 hours fermentation, plus prep and baking
- Yield: 6 bagels
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Soft and chewy Japanese-style chocolate bagels made with cocoa-rich dough. Fill them with chocolate chips, cream cheese, butter, or your favorite sweet additions for a lightly sweet bagel that works for breakfast, dessert, or sandwiches.
Ingredients
Chocolate Bagel Dough
- 400 g bread flour
- 32 g cocoa powder
- 2.5 g instant dry yeast for overnight fermentation, or 4 g instant dry yeast for same-day baking
- 24–40 g sugar, depending on preferred sweetness
- 8 g salt
- 12 ml oil, optional
- 280–288 ml water
Fillings
- Chocolate salt bread bagels: 20 g butter and 20 g chocolate per 125–130 g bagel dough
- Cream cheese and chocolate: about 25 g cream cheese and 20 g chocolate per 125–130 g bagel dough
- Chocolate chips: 25 g chocolate per 125–130 g bagel dough
Instructions
Preliminary Notes
- For the most consistent results, weigh all ingredients with a kitchen scale.
- This is a Japanese-style bagel, so it is softer and less intensely chewy than a New York-style bagel.
- The dough is firm and low in hydration. It should become smooth and stretch slightly before tearing, but it does not need to pass a full windowpane test.
Make the Dough in a Stand Mixer
- Add bread flour, cocoa powder, sugar, yeast, and salt to the mixer bowl. Mix briefly to combine.
- Add water and oil, if using. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms.
- Increase to medium-low speed and knead for 8–10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and cohesive.
Make the Dough by Hand
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add water and oil, then mix until a rough dough forms.
- Knead on a clean surface for 10–12 minutes, until the dough feels firm, elastic, and smooth.
First Fermentation
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 12–18 hours for the best flavor and chew.
- For a same-day bake, let the dough ferment at room temperature until doubled.
- Prepare and portion your fillings while the dough rests.
Divide and Pre-Shape
- Once the dough has doubled, divide it into 6 equal pieces, about 125–130 g each.
- Flatten each piece gently, then roll the top edge downward to form a short log.
- Place the logs seam-side down, cover, and rest for 10–20 minutes, depending on room temperature.
- Cut 6 square pieces of parchment paper, about 8×8 cm or 3×3 inches.
Shape the Bagels
- Roll one rested log into a large rectangle with the long edge facing you.
- If adding fillings, place them along the top edge of the dough.
- Roll the top edge over the filling and press firmly to seal. Continue rolling tightly, pressing at each turn.
- Pinch the final seam closed securely, then repeat with the remaining dough.
- Take the first rolled log, open one end slightly, tuck the other end inside, and pinch firmly to seal into a ring.
- Place each shaped bagel seam-side down on parchment. Cover and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Secondary Proof
- Proof at 30°C or 86°F for 45–60 minutes, or until the bagels are about 1.8 times larger.
- They should look puffy but still sturdy.
Preheat, Boil, and Bake
- About 20 minutes before proofing is complete, preheat the oven to 450°F or 232°C.
- Bring a wide pot of water to a boil. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of malt syrup, molasses, or sugar.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, about 85°C or 185°F.
- Place the bagels in the water parchment-side up. Remove the parchment after a few seconds.
- Boil for 10–30 seconds per side. A shorter boil gives a softer crust, while a longer boil gives a chewier exterior.
- Transfer the boiled bagels to a baking tray using a skimmer. If making chocolate salt bread bagels, sprinkle with salt before baking.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F or 205°C. Bake for 14 minutes, or until set, lightly crisp, and slightly darker.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing or serving.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish, American, Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bagel
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 4.8 g
- Protein: 9.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0