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4 Ultimate Ways To Toast Your Bagel Without A Toaster

To toast your bagel without a toaster, you can use your oven, broiler or even stove top!

If you really want to get the best results, an open campfire is the ultimate bagel-toasting method.

You can toast your bagel in the oven by simply turning the heat up to 350 degrees and placing your bagel in the center rack for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. 

Bagels are a crucial part of many peoples’ lives. You can enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack!

Thankfully, even if you don’t have a toaster to get the job done, there are plenty of other methods to try! 

4 Smart Ways to Toast Your Bagel Without a Toaster

So, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, or if you have a working toaster, you can still enjoy your bagel!

Just make sure to not overdo it, or else you will end up with a dry or even burnt bagel that no one will want to put in their mouth.

How To Toast Your Bagel Without A Toaster?

While there are probably plenty of ways to toast a bagel without a toaster, we’ve chosen our four favorite methods.

Below, we will go through each of them, so you can follow along!

If you’ve been craving a bagel but lack a toaster, you will know everything you need in order to enjoy a fresh, warm bagel by the end of this post. 

Stove Top Toasting

Stove Top Toasting

How Long It Takes: 5 Minutes

Using your stove to get your bagel all toasted and warm is probably one of the classic ideas that come to you in these scenarios.

All you need to do is get a pan or skillet that you think will work, gradually heat it up, and toast your bagel!

You can choose to butter your bagel or keep it un-buttered. For the butter lovers, you’ll probably want to place the bagel butter-side down so that it can melt into the bread and be even more delicious. 

The Method

  1. Get a non-stick pan or skillet. One with grill lines will work well for the toasting process, as any moisture won’t get trapped in the bread to make it soggy. 
  2. Preheat the stove and your chosen pan. Since the pan should be non-stick, you should gradually increase the temperature rather than go straight to scorching hot. Allow the pan to slowly heat up over the course of a minute or so.
  3. Cut your bagel in half to prepare it for toasting. If you want to add butter to it, you can add it now. 
  4. Place the bagel down on the skillet. For the best results, place it butter side down so that it can all soak into the bread of the bagel. However, you can toast the bagel butter side up if you really want to!
  5. Allow the bagel to sit on the pan for around two minutes. If the pan you’re using has a lid, you can place it on top to allow the bagel to heat up more thoroughly. 
  6. When you notice the bagel beginning to crisp up (not burn), flip it over and allow the other side to toast. 
  7. Leave it to toast for another two minutes  
  8. If, by the end of the four minutes of toasting, your bagel isn’t toasted enough, feel free to keep toasting it. Times can vary depending on the pan you’re using and also the type of bagel and stove. 

What we think of the results: this method gets pretty good results!

It’s super easy to do and follow, and you have a lot of control over how toasted your bagel gets.

Overall, it’s a good method to try out if you don’t have a toaster to get the job done. 

The order of your butter side up or down might depend on the other topping you want to put on the bagel.

For example, it would be great to put the bagel butter down first, then flip it and put the rest of the toppings on.

Once these toppings are on and the other side is toasting, they can also warm up.

Of course, this will depend on the toppings you want to use!

Oven Broiling

Oven Broiling

How Long It Takes: 1-2 Minutes

Using the oven to broil your bagel might seem a little strange, but it works so well!

To do this, all you need to do is turn on your broiler, cut your bagel in half, and allow it to toast in there.

This can take up to two minutes, so you need to be on your toes and watching your bagel like a hawk.

After around two minutes, you should have a bagel that’s perfect and golden.

The Method

  1. Prepare your broiler and place the grill rack in the highest slot in the oven.
  2. Preheat your oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
  3. Cut your bagel in half and place it on the grill rack. Pick the grill rack that is the closest to the top of the oven to get the best results. Placing it anywhere else in the oven is likely to result in an uneven heat distribution, which will result in an uneven toast. Parts of your bagel might be nicely toasted, while other parts are under done or burnt.
  4. Allow the bagel to toast, but keep a careful eye on it. It can get overdone in no time. 
  5. Watch your bagel as it toasts – look away for even a minute, and you could be left with a bagel that is burnt and inedible.
  6. After one or two minutes, or by the look of your bagel, remove it from the broiler and butter it! You might want to leave it in for longer or shorter, depending on your preferences, so try not to even blink. 

What we think of the results: this broiling method works pretty well, but it’s high stakes.

The super high temperature means that the bagel is at risk of being overdone in moments.

You need to be on your toes and very involved throughout the whole process, and you need to try and keep the temperatures even. 

This is probably the quest method of toasting your bagel, but it isn’t the easiest.

For someone who is used to using their oven for things like this, you might do well with this method.

However, if you haven’t done this before, take extra care. If you are able to use any of the other methods mentioned in this article, try those before resorting to this one. 

Since ovens and broilers provide a lot of intense heat, it is so easy to end up with a charred lump.

However, if you don’t have a toaster lying around to use, this method gets the job done.  

RELATED: 16 Bagel Toppings For Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner

A Slow Roast In The Oven

A Slow Roast In The Oven

How Long It Takes: 10 Minutes

Using your oven to get a nice slow roasted bagel is a preferred method compared to the one above.

To do this, you will follow similar steps to the above and preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or 180 if you want to take your time).

Place your bagel halves on the oven’s middle rack, then leave it to do its thing! 

The Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 or 180 degrees. The former will get the job quicker, so the latter is great if you want to take your time. 
  2. Cut your bagel in half
  3. Once the oven has been preheated, place your bagel on the middle rack. You can either place them straight onto the rack or put them in an oven-proof dish or tray.
  4. Allow the oven to do its thing and toast your bagel. Depending on the temperature you chose, this can take from 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the bagel to make sure it doesn’t overcook.
  5. Once the bagel is efficiently toasted, remove it, butter it, and enjoy!

What we think of the results: this method is a sigh of relief compared to the one above.

You don’t need to be staring at your oven, and you can step away for a moment to get other things done.

This oven method gives you a lot of control over how toasted you want your bagel, which definitely isn’t the case with the broiling method if you aren’t careful. 

You can still easily overcook your bagel with this method, but if you use a lower temperature, this is less likely to happen.

As long as you don’t forget about the bagel in your oven, it should come out perfect.

This is overall a great method for anyone who knows how to work an oven.

Campfire Toasting

Campfire Toasting

How Long It Takes: 5-10 Minutes

Is there anything better than being able to enjoy a hot bagel in the stunning outdoors? Probably not.

Toasting a bagel on a campfire is pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll go through it anyway.

To do this, all you need to do is have a campfire already made (good luck building it), and toast your bagel! You can use a skillet, a grid, or even a stick or sorts – whatever is available!

The toasting time will take a couple of minutes, but the flavor you get is pretty amazing.

The Method

  1. The first thing you need is a fire. We aren’t going to go through how to make one, so hopefully you just have one available to use. If you’re camping out somewhere, you probably already have one made, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. 
  2. The fire will have to be pretty stable – meaning that there should be no unruly flames. If there are, tongues of fire are likely to lick up and cremate your bagel. 
  3. Prepare your “cooking” method – this can be a skillet, grill grates, or a long campfire fork. Basically, whatever you want to use to hold the bagel over the flames. 
  4. Cut your bagel in half and put it on your chosen utensil or cooking implement. 
  5. Now, you’re going to have to time your bagel yourself. The easiest way to do this is by eye rather than using a set timer. When the bagel looks thoroughly toasted for your liking, it will be done! Generally, this process will take around 10 minutes, and you should flip the bagel halfway through to get the other side toasted.

What we think of the results: who doesn’t love a campfire? When you can combine a campfire and a bagel, it’s a winning combination.

This is a great method if you have a campfire lying around to use, but you probably won’t need to resort to it too often.

When you do, though, it’ll probably be your favorite method of them all. 

How To Store Your Bagels Properly?

How to Store Your Bagels Properly

Knowing how to properly store your bagels is an important thing to know for bagel lovers.

You can toast your bagels a million different ways, but if they’re stale and inedible, what’s the point? Of course, all bagels will eventually go stale, but it’s all about extending their life.

To make your bagels last as long as possible, you should keep them in a cool, dark spot.

There shouldn’t be excess moisture in the area, since the bagels will just absorb the moisture.

Somewhere like a cabinet or controlled refrigerator are logical spots to keep your bagels. 

While leaving them out on the counter might seem like a logical idea, it isn’t the best.

If you do leave them out, chances are they will go off pretty quickly.

With that being said, however, you can also freeze your bagels!

Frozen bagels will keep their freshness for up to four months, so you can pick one out and defrost it whenever you need one. 

Store your bagels properly to ensure they last as long as possible.

If you don’t, then you  will be disappointed after just a couple of days and be faced with stale bread.   

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does It Take To Toast A Bagel In The Oven?

Ten minutes should be enough to toast a bagel in your oven.

However, the timing will vary depending on what temperature you are toasting your bagel at, and how toasted you would like it to be.

Can You Toast A Bagel On The Stove? 

Yes! You can easily toast your bagel on the stove. To do this, you just need to get a skillet that will work, heat it up on the stove, and place your bagel in it.

Gradually crank the heat level up so that there is no sudden temperature change.

You can even butter the bagel and allow the butter to soak into the bread.

How Long Do Bagels Keep For?

Bagels can usually keep for anywhere from 2 to 7 days if they’re kept at room temperature. 

How Long Do Bagels Keep For?

A bagel that’s gone off will either be stale and hard or moldy. They might also smell sour or otherwise unpleasant.

Can You Freeze Bagels?

Yes, you can freeze bagels for up to 4 months.

What Is The Best Method To Toast A Bagel Without A Toaster?

Using your oven or broiler are great ways to get toasting done. For an authentic feel, campfire toasting is a great option.

4 Smart Ways to Toast Your Bagel Without a Toaster

How To Toast Your Bagel Without A Toaster

Prep Time: 1 minute
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 6 minutes

You don't need a toaster to make your bagel. Just cut it into half and place it into the preheated oven. Your delicious bagel will be ready in just a few minutes.

Materials

  • Bagel

Tools

  • Oven
  • Knife

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Prepare your bagels: Cut your bagels into half.
  3. Put your bagels inside the oven: Place the two halves of your bagel on the middle rack of the oven.
  4. Toast your bagel: Allow your bagel to be toasted in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to regularly check the bagel so it doesn't get overcooked.
  5. Serve: Once done, remove the bagel from the oven and enjoy!
Jess Smith
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Saturday 27th of August 2022

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