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Home Blog Seasons, Holidays, and Special Occasions Entertaining

Fully-Loaded Bagel Bar

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 12/01/21 Updated: 11/21/22
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A fully-loaded bagel bar is about as fun as it gets! Perfect for brunch, bridal or baby showers, or anytime you want to impress your guests with a fun spread of bagels and every sweet and savory topping they could want. It’s quite easy to assemble, too!

Overhead view of a bagel bar with various spreads

A Total Party Game-Changer

So, the first time I put together one of these amazing fully-loaded bagel bars was for my daughter’s 100-days party a couple of years ago. A 100-days party is basically a party where you officially introduce the new baby to the rest of the family, 100 days after the baby’s born.

My daughter’s party was a brunch, so besides the bagel bar we also had a mimosa bar and a yogurt parfait bar. Everything was stunning together, not to mention it was a lot of fun – I mean, who doesn’t like a build-your-own ANYTHING bar? Plus it meant I had to do very little actual cooking, so. Wins all around!

What Makes This So Good

  • Not only is a bagel bar perfect for brunches, it’s also great for baby and bridal showers, Christmas mornings, potlucks, bachelorette parties, or just anytime you need to feed a lot of people and want to show off a little.
  • You can load this baby up with all your favorite flavors and textures! I use a wide variety of sweet and savory ingredients on my bagel bar, but you can lean toward all-sweet or all-savory if you prefer.
Close-up of items on a bagel bar

My Favorite Bagel Combos

Like I mentioned before, you can put basically anything you love on a bagel bar! There are endless combinations of toppings, spreads, and bagels that work well together. These are just a few of my favorites!

  • Peanut butter + apple slices + chopped chocolate
  • Chocolate-hazelnut spread + raspberries + crumbled goat cheese + glazed pecans
  • Plain cream cheese + smoked salmon/lox + red onion slices + capers
  • Hummus + sliced turkey + avocado slices + tomato slices
  • Walnut & honey cream cheese + sliced prosciutto + chopped walnuts
  • Grainy mustard + hard-boiled eggs + chicken salad
  • Strawberry cream cheese + sliced strawberries + chopped chocolate
  • Scallion cream cheese + sliced prosciutto + chopped arugula
  • Scallion cream cheese + bacon + tomato slices + chopped arugula

Chef’s Tips

  • I picked up a set of ramekins to use for the spreads, so everything coordinated. 10/10 recommend! They’re so handy to have around, especially if you’re someone who loves bagel bars and charcuterie boards, or just entertaining in general.
  • Serve the cream cheese at room temperature for easy spreading! The flavors are a little more robust at room temperature, too.
  • When I put together a bagel bar, I like to offer mini bagels and bagel thins in addition to the regular-sized bagels. That way people can try different topping combinations without having to commit to one giant ol’ standard bagel.
Close-up of items on a bagel bar

More Party-Perfect Recipes You’ll Love

  • Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
  • Blini for Caviar (and Other Toppings)
  • Addictive Hot Crab Dip (Low Carb, Keto, Gluten Free)
  • Paleo Spinach Artichoke Dip (Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip)
  • Perfect Keto Charcuterie Board

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Overhead view of a bagel bar with various spreads

Fully-Loaded Bagel Bar

Prep:30 minutes
Cook:0 minutes
Total:30 minutes
A fully-loaded bagel bar is about as fun as it gets! Perfect for brunch, bridal or baby showers, or anytime you want to impress your guests with a fun spread of bagels and every sweet and savory topping they could want. It's quite easy to assemble, too!
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12 people

Ingredients

Suggested Spreads

  • plain cream cheese see Notes for vegan
  • scallion cream cheese
  • walnut cream cheese
  • strawberry cream cheese
  • nutella see Notes for vegan
  • jam or compote
  • butter plain or flavored, regular or whipped
  • peanut butter or almond butter
  • honey
  • grainy mustard

Suggested Sweet Toppings

  • raspberries
  • strawberries
  • blueberries
  • blackberries
  • apples thinly sliced
  • sliced almonds
  • glazed pecans
  • chopped walnuts
  • chopped chocolate bars
  • cinnamon
  • brown sugar cinnamon

Suggested Savory Toppings

  • capers
  • red onions thinly sliced
  • tomatoes thinly sliced
  • cucumbers thinly sliced
  • green onions chopped
  • avocadoes sliced
  • arugula chopped

Suggested Proteins

  • smoked salmon
  • bacon cooked, chopped
  • prosciutto sliced
  • turkey sliced
  • hard-boiled eggs diced
  • chicken salad see Notes
  • hummus

Suggested Cheeses

  • goat cheese
  • blue cheese
  • mozzarella
  • cheddar
  • spreadable cheese

Suggested Bagels

  • bagel thins
  • mini bagels sliced
  • a variety of full-size bagels sliced, see Notes

Equipment

  • Large serving board, platter, or baking sheet, or smaller trays and bowls
  • Small bowls, cups, and ramekins
  • Serving utensils

Instructions 

  • Begin by placing bagels down center of board, in bowls or baskets, or on trays or plates on table.
  • Transfer spreads of choice to individual bowls, cups, and ramekins, and arrange around bagels.
  • Fill in any space with remaining toppings – I prefer to separate mine by savory and sweet, but you can arrange them in any way you like.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Cream Cheese: Make your own vegan cream cheese with this recipe.
  • Nutella: Make your own vegan nutella with this recipe.
  • Chicken Salad: Use store-bought or make your own savory, sweet, and/or buffalo versions.
  • Bagels: I like to include a variety of standard-sized bagels, like “Everything”, cinnamon raisin, chocolate chip, asiago cheese, blueberry, plain, etc.

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

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Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

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