The Best Bagel Toppings for a Bready Breakfast

Bagels are the breakfast of champions. Seriously, wheel-shaped pieces of bread you get to slather with spreadable cheese? What could be better? Literally nothing. But if you’re still just topping your bagels with regular ol’ cream cheese and calling it a day, we have some suggestions for you. From an alternative spread to bacon (er, the Canadian kind), these are the best bagel toppings if you’re looking to start your day a little differently.

Philadelphia Spicy Jalapeño Cream Cheese

If your default bagel topping is plain Philadelphia cream cheese, that’s great (Philly cream cheese is really good!), but we would like to recommend you spice things up, both literally and figuratively. Philadelphia Spicy Jalapeño Cream Cheese is brilliant—it melds the cool, creaminess of the Philly cream cheese you know and love with some genuine heat and nice pepper flavor. Look! You just turned your morning bagel (we recommend Einstein Bros. Take & Toast Asiago bagels) into a jalapeño popper. Nice one.

Read the full ranking of the best cream cheese

Tillamook Seriously Strawberry Cream Cheese

I’m a firm believer that anything sweet can be a dessert. Cereal. Flavored yogurt. Old shoe sprinkled with powdered sugar. Anyway, if you agree and want to turn your bagel into a post-meal sweet treat, grab Tillamook Seriously Strawberry Cream Cheese. It’s sweet and creamy and contains real chunks of strawberry, and you know what that means—your dessert bagel is now fruit! Health food for dessert? Look at you go.

Read the full ranking of the best cream cheese

Ithaca Lemon Garlic Hummus

Here’s where we start to get a little crafty with our bagel topping ideas, but hear us out: hummus is so, so good on a bagel. And Ithaca Lemon Garlic Hummus is nice and thick and perfect for bagels (no drippage through the bagel hole!). It has lemony tang, garlicky bite, and a pleasant nutty taste; it’s as close to homemade as you can get at the grocery store. Toast your bagel (if you can find salt bagels, even better) and slather it with a thick layer of this stuff. It’s one of the best bagel toppings—especially if you don’t eat dairy.

Read the full ranking of the best hummus

Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers

Yes, capers are a pretty traditional bagel topping—nothing wrong with that! If you want to go the old-school route, top your bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion, slices of tomato, and then sprinkle it with capers. But not just any capers, these Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers. Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling called these briny little guys “Goldilocks’ ideal capers.” They add salt and tang and some nice, vegetal bitterness to any dish, and they really make a bagel pop.

Read the full ranking of the best capers

Jones Hickory Smoked Canadian Bacon

If you’re making a bagel breakfast sandwich, you’re probably reaching for eggs, cheese (we recommend American), and a meat of some sort. Well, before you make a bagel sandwich with bacon strips floppin’ over the sides, consider a meaty, smoky, and conveniently round slab of Jones Canadian bacon. Justine loved its smoky flavor and thick rind—even though it’s made in Wisconsin, this is still A+ Canadian bacon. Pro tip: I like to make breakfast sandwiches with bagels that are about to go stale and then freeze them so they can be reheated in a pinch.

Read the full ranking of the best Canadian bacon


About the Author

Vinz Karl

Vinz Karl is a freelance contributor to Sporked and self-proclaimed Guy Fieri superfan. He believes in breakfast supremacy and is on a never-ending mission to try every flavor of Oreo out there. Originally from the Midwest, Vinz now resides in Los Angeles, where you can find him going on hikes, checking out new restaurants, and preparing for his eventual casting on CBS's Survivor.

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