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!

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.

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