Everything bagel seasoning substitutes
Everything bagel seasoning substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Homemade everything blend
1 tbsp each white sesame, black sesame, poppy seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion + 1 to 2 tsp coarse salt = about 1/3 cup
The genuine article, and one of the easiest blends in cooking to make from scratch.
Everything bagel seasoning is a texture ingredient as much as a flavour one. Its job is crunch on top plus toasted garlic and onion aroma plus salt, which is why a fine powdered garlic-onion mix does not work as a swap. Mix 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic, 1 tablespoon dried minced onion and 1 to 2 teaspoons coarse salt and you have made it, and you can leave out any one seed without much loss. If you have only white sesame seeds, use 2 tablespoons of those in place of the white and black. For a quick fix, toasted sesame seeds plus coarse salt plus a little garlic powder covers the essentials.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- bagels and bread rolls
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of everything bagel seasoning | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homemade everything blendbagels and bread rolls | 1 tbsp each white sesame, black sesame, poppy seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion + 1 to 2 tsp coarse salt = about 1/3 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Sesame seeds plus coarse salt plus garlic powderavocado toast | 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ½ tsp coarse salt + ¼ tsp garlic powder per 1 tbsp everything seasoningWorks | Works |
| 3 | Furikakeeggs and rice | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Za'atarflatbread and pita | Same amountAnd add a pinch of coarse saltTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Poppy seeds plus dried minced onion plus saltsesame-free baking | 1 tsp poppy seeds + 1 tsp dried minced onion + ½ tsp coarse salt per 1 tbsp everything seasoningYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Toasted breadcrumbs plus garlic, onion and salttopping casseroles and gratins | 1 tbsp coarse toasted breadcrumbs + ¼ tsp garlic powder + ¼ tsp onion powder + pinch salt per 1 tbsp everything seasoningYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Homemade everything blend
similar taste and texture
The genuine article, and one of the easiest blends in cooking to make from scratch.
- Best for
- bagels and bread rolls, avocado toast, cream cheese and cottage cheese, eggs and salads, roasted salmon and chicken, crackers and puff pastry
Use dried minced or granulated garlic and onion, the pieces you can see, rather than powder. Powder dissolves into a paste on anything moist and turns the topping muddy and bitter, while the minced form toasts into sweet crunchy bits. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for two or three minutes until they smell nutty, which makes a bigger difference to the finished flavour than any single ingredient. Keep the salt on the low side if you are putting it on already-salty food like smoked salmon or cheese.
Sesame seeds plus coarse salt plus garlic powder
similar taste and texture
The three-ingredient emergency version for a kitchen with no poppy seeds and no dried onion.
- Best for
- avocado toast, eggs, salads and roasted vegetables, a bagel you are eating right now
Gets you crunch, salt and garlic, which is three of the four jobs. What is missing is the dried onion, which is the sweetest and most distinctive part of the real blend, so the result tastes sharper and less rounded and more simply of sesame. Sprinkle the garlic powder on last and lightly, because unlike minced garlic it will go pasty and can taste harsh on a wet surface. Toast the sesame seeds if you have three spare minutes, since untoasted seeds taste raw and slightly bitter here.
Furikake
different taste, similar texture
The Japanese rice topping, which is also a coarse sesame-and-seaweed sprinkle designed for exactly this kind of finishing job.
- Best for
- eggs and rice, avocado toast, salmon and tuna, roasted vegetables, popcorn
Structurally a very good match, because it is built on sesame seeds and coarse salt and it delivers the same satisfying crunch. The flavour goes in a clearly different direction: seaweed and dried fish umami instead of toasted garlic and onion, so avocado toast made with furikake tastes savoury and oceanic rather than bagel-shop garlicky. On eggs, fish and rice that is often an improvement. On a bagel with cream cheese it will taste wrong to anyone expecting the original.
Za'atar
different taste, similar texture
A Middle Eastern blend that also leads with sesame seeds, so the texture reads similarly on top of bread.
- Best for
- flatbread and pita, labneh, yoghurt and cream cheese, roasted vegetables, chicken, olive oil dipping
Sesame seeds give the same crunch and the same nutty top note, and it is an excellent thing to put on bread. The difference is unmistakable though: za'atar brings dried thyme or oregano and the sour, fruity tang of sumac, so the result tastes herbal and lemony instead of garlicky and oniony. Some za'atar is already salted and some is not, so taste before adding more salt. Choose this when you are happy to make a different, good thing rather than an imitation.
Poppy seeds plus dried minced onion plus salt
different taste and texture
The version for anyone avoiding sesame, which is a common allergy and the one ingredient the blend is usually built around.
- Best for
- sesame-free baking, bagels and rolls, potatoes and roasted vegetables, chicken salad
Genuinely workable, and the dried onion carries more of the recognisable everything-bagel flavour than most people assume. What changes is the crunch and the nuttiness: poppy seeds are much smaller and crunch finer, so the topping feels grittier rather than toasty, and without sesame there is no rich roasted note. Adding a tablespoon of hulled sunflower seeds or hemp seeds, chopped coarsely, restores some of the body if sesame is off the table.
Toasted breadcrumbs plus garlic, onion and salt
different taste and texture
Questions
5 questionsWhat exactly is in everything bagel seasoning?
White sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion and coarse salt. That is the whole list in most versions, sometimes with caraway seeds added, which is a nod to the older New York bagel style. Because there is nothing obscure in it, this is one of the few blends where making your own is faster than a trip to the shop, and the homemade version usually tastes better because the seeds are fresher.
Can I use garlic powder and onion powder instead of the minced kind?
You can, but expect a real drop in quality, and use less. Powder has a much larger surface area, so it tastes stronger and sharper, it dissolves on contact with anything moist and turns the topping into a gritty paste, and it scorches into bitterness in the oven where minced pieces would toast sweetly. Use about half as much powder as the recipe calls for in minced, and add it at the end rather than baking it on.
Can I just leave everything bagel seasoning out?
Yes, in almost every case, because it is a topping rather than a structural ingredient. Nothing will fail to set, rise or bind. What you lose is crunch, salt on the surface and aroma, which on something like avocado toast or a cream cheese bagel is most of the appeal. If you skip it, at minimum add flaky salt, and ideally add any toasted seed you have on hand for texture.
Is everything bagel seasoning the same as everything but the bagel seasoning?
Yes, they are the same product under two names, and EBTB is the common shorthand. The wording just distinguishes the seasoning from the bagel itself. Recipes use the phrases interchangeably, and the salt level is the main thing that varies between brands and homemade versions, so taste yours before deciding how heavily to season.
Which single ingredient matters most if I only have one?
Dried minced onion. It contributes the sweet, toasty, unmistakably bagel-shop aroma, and it is the ingredient people miss most when it is absent. Sesame seeds come second because they supply the crunch and the nutty richness. Poppy seeds and black sesame contribute mostly looks and a slight textural grit, so if you are short, drop those first.
Tips for substituting everything bagel seasoning
5 tips- Use dried minced or granulated garlic and onion, never powder, in any homemade version. The visible pieces are what toast into sweet crunchy specks, while powder turns to paste on a moist surface and tastes bitter when it browns.
- Toast your sesame seeds. Two or three minutes in a dry pan until they smell nutty is the single biggest upgrade you can make, and it is why homemade blends often taste better than the jar.
- This blend burns easily. On bread and pastry, bake at 400F or below, and if a recipe goes hotter, add the seasoning in the last few minutes or brush the top with a little water or egg wash so the seeds stick and stay put rather than scorching.
- It is salty, so count it as seasoning. On smoked salmon, feta, cured meat or an already-seasoned dish, use a blend with less salt or sprinkle less, or the dish tips over quickly.
- The seeds go rancid faster than most spices because of their oil content. Six months in a cool dark cupboard is realistic, and if the blend smells like old paint or crayons, the sesame and poppy seeds have turned and it will make food taste bitter.