Bagel Bites Instructions 101: Microwave, Air Fryer, Oven

So you’re having pangs of hunger and you’ve finally decided to give those bad boys a chance?

But should you make your bagel bites in the microwave or in the oven, and what instructions should you follow?

Making this delicious snack is pretty straightforward but there are a few key differences depending on the kitchen appliance you’re going to use.

In this post, I’ll show you how to cook bagel bites in the microwave and offer you a few tips on how to improve their taste.

Let’s jump right in.

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Bagel Bites Microwave Cooking Instructions

Whether you’re serving them for breakfast, you’re in the mood for some pizza or you just want to treat yourself with a snack, pizza bagels are a quick and easy fix.

Especially when you make them in the microwave.

Having said that, here are cooking directions on how to make bagel bites:

Remove packaging. Unpackage the crisping tray and peel off its plastic wrapper, then place the tray with its shiny side facing up. The tray is going to keep the bottom of the bagels from getting soggy, so it’s best to not remove it.
Spread out bagels. Arrange bagels so there’s about half an inch of space between them. This will redistribute the heat evenly and let the bagels cook all the way through.
Microwave them on high for the allotted time. The time you’ll need to microwave all your bagel bites will depend on the variety you’ve bought.

Here’s a bulleted list with the estimated cooking time for each Bagel Bite variety:

Buffalo Chicken Style: 1 minute for 4 pieces.
Cheese and pepperoni; Cheese, Sausage, and Pepperoni: 55 seconds for 4 pieces, 2 minutes 30 sec for 9 pieces; 3 minutes for 12 pieces.
Three Cheese: 55 seconds for 4 pieces; 2 minutes 10 sec for 9 pieces; 2 minutes 15 sec for 12 pieces.
Mozzarella: 55 seconds for 4 pieces; 3 minutes for 12 pieces.
Supreme: 2 minutes 2 sec for 9 pieces.
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese; Sausage, Egg, and Cheese; Bacon, Sausage, and Cheese; or Bacon and Cheese: 1 minute 15 sec for 4 pieces; 2 minutes 30 sec for 9 pieces.

Once they’re ready, you should let them cool off for a minute before serving.

Burning your tongue won’t do you any favors.

*So following some obscure events the pre-made tray that Bagel Bites come with got squashed.

I could not be bothered to buy a separate box just because of that so I improvised on the photos.

Please forgive me and the “obscure events”.

Oven Instructions for crispy Bagel Bites

If you can afford to wait for a slightly longer time, you can bake your bagel bites straight into the oven.

As you might expect this method works slightly differently than using the microwave.

For one thing, if you’re going to bake them in the oven, you should discard the crisping tray first.

And for another, throwing them in the oven will give them a crispier texture.

With that said, here’s how to cook bagel bites in the oven:

Preheat oven to a temperature of 425℉ (232℃). This will decrease the cooking time while in the meantime you take care of the other steps.
Arrange the Bagel Bites in a baking tray. Set the bagels on the baking tray with half an inch of space between them. There’s no need to oil the pan or use cooking spray.
Place the tray into the oven on an upper middle rack. This will allow the bagel bites to cook evenly on all sides and prevent them from burning.
Set the oven timer depending on the number of Bagel Bites. The time you’ll need to cook your bagel bites will depend on their variety and number.

And here’s a list with estimated cooking times for each type in this case:

Buffalo Chicken Style: 12 minutes for 4 or 9 pieces.
Supreme: 14 minutes for 9 pieces.
Mozzarella: 14 minutes for 12 or 24 pieces.
Three Cheese: 12 minutes for 4 or 9 pieces; 14 minutes for 12 or 20 pieces.
Cheese and Pepperoni; Cheese, Sausage, and Pepperoni: 12 minutes for 4 pieces, 14 minutes for 9 or 12 pieces; 16 minutes for 20 pieces.
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese; Sausage, Egg and Cheese; Bacon, Sausage and Cheese; Bacon and Cheese: 12 minutes for 4 pieces; 14 minutes for 9 pieces.

After they’ve finished heating, you should let them rest for a few minutes.

How to make Bagel Bites in a toaster oven?

Despite their limited use, toaster ovens do a great job when you want to make a batch of Bagel Bites.

Just like with the regular oven, you should throw out the crisping tray before baking them.

Here’s how to cook bagel bites in a toaster oven:

Arrange Bagel Bites on a baking tray. Preheat toaster oven to 400℉ (204℃) and spread out each bagel so there’s half an inch of space between them. This will let the bagels cook more evenly.
Bake them according to the package instructions. Just like the previous methods, the bake time will depend on the variety you’ve chosen.
Let them cool off. Use oven mitts to take them out of the toaster oven and let them rest for a few minutes.

Here’s a guideline for how long you should bake each type:

Buffalo Chicken Style: 12 minutes for 4 pieces; 14 minutes for 9 pieces.
Supreme: 16 minutes for 9 pieces.
Mozzarella: 12 minutes for 4 pieces; 16 minutes for 12 pieces.
Three Cheese: 12 minutes for 4 pieces; 14 minutes for 9 pieces; 16 minutes for 12 pieces.
Cheese and Pepperoni; Cheese, Sausage, and Pepperoni: 12 minutes for 4 pieces; 16 minutes for 9 pieces; 18 minutes for 12 pieces.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese; Sausage, Egg and Cheese; Bacon, Sausage and Cheese; Bacon and Cheese: 13 minutes for 4 pieces; 16 minutes for 9 pieces.

How to cook frozen Bagel Bites in an air fryer?

Is there anything that can’t be made with an air fryer?

Well, if there is, it surely isn’t Bagel Bites.

Even though I’m not the biggest fan of this method since you can easily burn the bagels, you can still try it out. If done properly you’ll get a very quick and delicious result though.

This is how you can cook frozen Bagel Bites in an air fryer:

Preheat air fryer to 360℉ (182℃). Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with a nonstick cooking spray.
Line the bagels. Spread out the frozen bagel bites in a single layer.
Air fry bagels for 4 to 6 minutes. Every air fryer cooks differently so it’s best to start checking the bagel bites once they hit the four minute mark. Generally speaking, most air fryers will have cooked the bagel bites to a nice crispiness in not more than 6 minutes.
Take them out. Use a pair of tongs to carefully remove the bagel bites.

Microwave or oven, which method is better?

All things aside, choosing whether you make your Bagel Bites in the oven or microwave will mostly depend on your personal taste. Microwave ovens cook food by using microwaves that penetrate foods and make their water molecules vibrate.

This produces heat which essentially “boils” the food product and alters its molecular structure. This is why foods that have a high water content such as red potatoes cook faster when they’re put in the microwave.

Convection ovens, on the other hand, cook foods by blowing hot air that gets circulated by a fan.

Convection Oven Recipe Idea: Convection Roasted Whole Chicken

Regular ovens bake foods by transferring heat from the outer to the inner food layers through a process known as conduction.

Put simply, baking your bagel bites in the oven will give them a crunchy texture, which can’t be achieved if you microwave them. However, they will cook slower so if you’re pressed by time using the microwave will be your best bet.

I personally prefer to make mine in the oven since the time difference isn’t that big.

Once they’re done, I like to sprinkle a little bit of shredded mozzarella cheese which makes them taste even better.

Additionally, I occasionally add some red pepper flakes and some basil to enhance their pizza flavor.