Dairy-Free Grilled Cheese Bagels with Everything Your Craving

I originally whipped up this dairy-free grilled cheese bagel sandwich when Daiya shared their reformulated cheese alternative with me. Back then, their slices were round, and begged to be used on bagels. Of course, they’ve reformulated again since then. (Seriously, that company never stops reformulating – I can’t keep up!) And their slices are now square. But they still work great on these tasty round sandwiches.

Dairy-Free Grilled Cheese Bagel Secrets

• Inside Out: To get a flat grilling surface, turn the bagel top and bottom the other way. The cheese seems to adhere fairly well to the sloped insides, only gushing out a bit in the middle. But we took no issue with that!
• Smashability: One of the reasons I like grilled cheese bagels is their wonderful thickness. The doughy bread balances the cheese and offers a better taste and texture experience in my opinion. Regular bread gets smashed and greasy. But bagels can be smashed a bit while still offering alternative crunch and softness with each bite.
• Mayonnaise: Sure, you can use dairy-free buttery spread, but something about mayonnaise really ups the grilled cheese game. It functions well and adds good, complimentary flavor.
• Everything Seasoning: This delicious, seedy, salty seasoning plays up the bagel vibe while adding crunch and flavor. We’ll never go back to a plain dairy-free grilled cheese bagel again!

Special Diet Notes: Everything Grilled Cheese Bagel

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, optionally vegan, and vegetarian.

Alisa Fleming

Dairy-Free Everything Grilled Cheese Bagel

5 from 4 votes

Turning bagels inside out creates a perfect flat surface for grilling while retaining the heft and texture of this beloved bread.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 1 serving

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Calories:

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 bagel whole grain or gluten-free
• Mayonnaise regular or vegan or dairy-free buttery spread
• 2 slices dairy-free cheese alterntive I use Daiya
• Everything Topping see note

Method

 

1. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise or buttery spread on the cut sides of your bagel.
2. Place one half, cut side down, on a plate. Top with one slice of dairy-free cheese alternative. Sprinkle with everything seasoning. Top with the second slice of dairy-free cheese alternative, and sprinkle with more everything seasoning. Top with the second bagel half, cut side up.
3. Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat.
4. Carefully slide the inside-out bagel into the pan. Place a pan lid, smaller than the skillet, over the bagel. This will help weigh the bagel down and cook the cheese alternative in the middle.
5. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Uncover, carefully flip, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until browned. Remove to a plate and devour.

Notes

Everything Topping: I used Trader Joe's for a convenient cheat. You can make your own seasoning with this simple recipe.
Holy Solutions: I use somewhat "chubby" bagels with smallish center holes. If you're using a bagel with a wide hole, you can punch a little cheese alternative out of the middle or add another delicious layer, like roasted bell pepper between the bagel half and the cheese alternative.

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