These bagels are worth waking up for. A perfect breakfast, these Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese bagels are the ultimate in flavor. The smoked salmon adds just enough saltiness to offset the sweet cream cheese while capers add a nice zip that enhances this dish. The tangy cream cheese, thin slices of smoked salmon, capers, and fresh dill gives them a bright and fresh flavor. These will be your new favorite breakfast!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! ❤️ If you give it a try, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments section at the bottom of the page or share a pic of your om noms on Instagram and tag @dishesanddustbunnies! ❤️

Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredients & instructions!
How to make a Smoked Salmon Bagel
Cream cheese is spread on a toasted bagel (everything bagels are great for this!), then a layer of smoked salmon is placed on top. Fresh chopped dill weed and capers are sprinkled on top, then it's served with a lemon wedge on the side. Freshly squeezed lemon juice drizzled over top of your smoked salmon cream cheese bagel is absolutely amazing!

Variations – Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Bagel
Use different kinds of bagels – I find that the best flavor of bagel to go along with smoked salmon is the everything bagel, but you can use any flavour of bagel that you enjoy. You can use your favorite bagels or some of these ideas:
- Plain bagel
- Onion bagels
- Sesame seed bagels
- Poppyseed bagels
- Cheddar bagels
- Pumpernickle bagels
- Salt bagels
What to use instead of bagels – although bagels are the most common type of thing to put your smoked salmon and cream cheese on, there are lots of other options that are super delicious and even turn this recipe into a great party appetizer! Here are some ideas:
- waffles
- crackers, for bite sized appetizers
- melba toasts; rye, etc
- on top of sliced cucumbers
- thinly sliced sourdough bread
- on top of baked potatoes – baked, cut down the center, then add your smoked salmon toppings
Different types of cream cheese – Plain cream cheese is great, but you can also use other flavors! Try herb and garlic, chive flavor, and for a different texture you could try whipped cream cheese. No matter what flavor you choose to go with your smoked salmon bagel, it's best to use full fat cream cheese – the light kind just won't be the same!
🤔 Looking for alternatives or substitutes to cream cheese?
👉 Explore this helpful guide on tasty substitutes!
Different toppings – Here are some other topping ideas for your smoked salmon cream cheese bagels:
- thinly sliced red onion
- cucumber
- a little black pepper
- tomatoes
- avocado slices
- roasted red pepper

What kind of salmon do you use for bagels?
In this post, I used slices of cold smoked salmon, but you can also use salmon called lox.
What's the difference between smoked salmon and lox?
Lox is salmon that has been sured in salt and not smoked. Smoked salmon is simple smoked and not cured in salt.

What cheese goes with smoked salmon?
Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, Camembert or goat cheese work well with smoked salmon but feel free to try others. Flavored cream cheese is great on smoked salmon bagels too! I enjoy herb and garlic flavor and chive cream cheese.
Can you buy smoked salmon at the grocery store?
Yes, you can typically find smoked salmon at the grocery store in the frozen food section. Before using, make sure to thaw it out by leaving the package on the counter or under running water for about 15 minutes.


Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Bagels
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Toasted everything bagels
- Cream cheese, plain or flavored (herb and garlic is really great!)
- Smoked salmon slices – usually comes frozen in a vaccuum sealed pack at most grocery stores
- Capers
- Fresh dill, chopped
- Lemon wedges
- thinly sliced red onion (optional but very good!)
Instructions
- Toast the bagels, spread cream cheese on top.
- Layout pieces of smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese. I find that it's best to keep it to just one layer rather than stacking since the smoke salmon is quite rich. One layer of salmon is just right.
- On top of the layer of smoked salmon sprinkle fresh dill and some capers.
- Serve right away with lemon wedges. Squeezing a bit of lemon on top of the smoked salmon cream cheese bagels make the flavours pop and taste even more amazing!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast