Easy Bagel Strata with Salmon and Cream Cheese

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to pull together a nice breakfast, this bagel strata with salmon and cream cheese is your answer. You just prep it ahead, bake it off, and suddenly you have something that looks impressive but is actually very doable. It’s a great option if you’re hosting brunch or just want something make-ahead friendly for the weekend.

Pull Up A Chair

Rachel: I love a brunch option that feels special without me having to think too hard, and this fits. You do a little prep, let it sit, then let the oven do the rest of the work.

Emily: This tastes like my favorite bagel, but warmer, cozier, and somehow more filling. Also, anything with cream cheese baked on top? I’m in.

Why You’ll Love This Bagel Strata with Salmon

• Elevated version of a classic bagel with lox. It’s got all of the flavors of a bagel loaded with cream cheese, lox, red onions, and capers, baked into a shareable and impressive dish.
• Make-ahead friendly. This strata gets prepped ahead of time and baked when you want to eat it, making it a huge win for low-stress mornings. 
• Balanced flavors. It’s creamy, salty, fresh, herby, and has varying textures.
• Great for sharing. Whether you’re hosting brunch with friends, cooking for a party, or just leveling up your weekend breakfast, this salmon strata is a great option. 
• Flexible and easy to customize. Don’t eat salmon? Skip it! This bagel strata is easy enough to customize to your liking.

What is a Strata?

A strata is a baked casserole made with bread that has been soaked in a mixture of eggs and milk or cream. It often has other ingredients, like cheese, protein, or vegetables. It’s basically a savory bread pudding that is great for brunch, lunch, or even dinner. 

Ingredients in Bagel Strata with Salmon and Cream Cheese

• Salmon – we prefer the texture and flavor of baked salmon instead of lox in this recipe.
• Bagels – day-old bagels are best as they won’t get too soggy. Recommended flavors: everything, onion, sesame, or plain. 
• Custard – eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and a couple dashes of nutmeg.
• Capers – for a nice briny pop.
• Red onions – cut these thin to keep their flavor sweeter and not overpowering.
• Dill – fresh dill has the best flavor, but dried dill can work too; just use a little less.
• Cream cheese – use a block of regular cream cheese, not reduced fat, for best flavor and texture. 
• Everything bagel seasoning – for extra “bagel” flavor.
• Optional toppings – flaky sea salt, sliced avocado, and fresh lemon juice all add flavor and texture.

How to Make This Breakfast Bagel Strata

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Add the salmon to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until mostly cooked. Turn off the oven and remove the salmon. Let the salmon rest for 10 minutes before breaking it into large chunks.

Lightly grease a deep 9×13 baking dish with butter or nonstick spray to prevent sticking. Layer the bagel pieces on the bottom of the dish. Distribute the salmon on top of the bagels, then the capers, and red onions. Break the cream cheese block up into small pieces and distribute evenly on top. 

Whisk together the eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to make the custard. Pour it evenly over the strata, making sure everything gets moistened. Cover the strata in foil and place in the fridge for at least an hour or up to overnight. 

When ready to bake the strata, preheat the oven to 350°F. Note: If you’re using a glass dish, you may want to let it rest at room temperature after refrigeration so that the glass warms up slightly before baking (extreme temperature change can damage it). Place the covered baking dish into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. The strata is done when it’s no longer jiggly in the middle and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and mostly dry. Top with the fresh dill and everything bagel seasoning.

Our Tips for the Best Bagel Strata with Salmon

• Be careful not to cook the salmon for too long. This recipe uses raw salmon that you bake first, then add to the strata and bake again, so it’s important not to overdo the first bake.
• If you can only use fresh bagels, don’t soak the strata for more than an hour before baking. Otherwise it might get too soggy. Alternatively, you can dry the bagels out by baking them in a low oven (around 200 or 250°F for about 15 minutes). 

• Cut or separate the cream cheese into small pieces. This will help ensure it distributes evenly all over the strata.
• Add fresh herbs after baking for the brightest flavor. If you can’t get fresh dill, you can sprinkle on some dried dill instead.
• Optional: let the strata rest for 15 minutes after removing from the fridge. Depending on your baking dish, a short rest between fridging and baking will help it warm up so it doesn’t break from the temperature change. This is especially important when using glass dishes. 

Serving and Storage Ideas

We like to serve this for breakfast, brunch, or breakfast-for-dinner. Serve it on its own with a cup of coffee, or with a side. We like it with berries and cream or a tropical fruit salad if eating it for breakfast, and if you’re eating it for dinner, it’s great alongside our lemony asparagus orzo or simple roasted broccoli. 

Store any leftovers of this breakfast bake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the oven or microwave. 

Easy Bagel Strata with Salmon and Cream Cheese

This savory bagel strata with salmon is everything you love about a classic bagel with cream cheese, baked into a cozy, shareable brunch casserole. Made with day-old bagels, flaky cooked salmon, capers, red onions, fresh dill, dollops of cream cheese, and a creamy egg custard, it’s rich, bright, and bursting with flavor.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Rest Time:1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time:2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy

Servings: 8

Equipment

• 9×13 casserole dish

Ingredients

• ½ to ¾ pound salmon no skin
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 day-old-bagels halved horizontally and cut into bite sized pieces
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• Dash of nutmeg
• 3 tbsp capers
• ¼ red onion sliced thin
• 1 tbsp fresh dill
• Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Butter or nonstick spray for baking dish

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil for the salmon.
• Add the salmon to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Bake the salmon for about 10 minutes or until it’s mostly cooked (you’ll be baking it again later, so don’t overcook now). Turn off the oven and remove the salmon. Let the salmon rest for 10 minutes before breaking it into large chunks.
  ½ to ¾ pound salmon, 1 tsp olive oil, 0.25 tsp salt, 0.25 tsp black pepper
• Lightly grease a deep 9×13 baking dish with butter or nonstick spray to prevent sticking. Layer the bagel pieces on the bottom of the dish. Distribute the salmon on top of the bagels, then the onions and capers. Separate the cream cheese block into small pieces and distribute them evenly all over the top of the strata. We do this with 2 spoons.
  ½ to ¾ pound salmon, 4 day-old-bagels, 8 oz cream cheese, 3 tbsp capers, Butter or nonstick spray for baking dish, ¼ red onion
• Mix up the custard by whisking together eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Pour the custard evenly over the strata, making sure that all of the bagels and salmon and other toppings get moistened. Cover the strata in foil and place in the fridge for at least an hour or up to overnight.
  8 eggs, 2 cups whole milk, 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper, Dash of nutmeg
• When ready to bake the strata, preheat the oven to 350°F. Note: If you're using a glass dish, you may want to let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes after refrigeration so that the glass warms up slightly before baking (extreme temperature change can damage it).
• Place the baking dish, still covered in foil, into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. The strata is done when it’s no longer jiggly in the middle and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and mostly dry.
• Top the cooked strata with the fresh dill and everything bagel seasoning. Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it into pieces.
  1 tbsp fresh dill, Everything Bagel Seasoning

Notes

• Be careful not to cook the salmon for too long. This recipe uses raw salmon that you bake first, then add to the strata and bake again, so it’s important not to overdo the first bake.
• If you can only use fresher bagels, don’t soak the strata for more than an hour before baking. Otherwise it might get too soggy. Alternatively, you can dry the bagels out by baking them in a low oven (around 200 or 250°F for about 15 minutes). 
• Cut or separate the cream cheese into small pieces. This will help ensure it distributes evenly all over the strata.
• Add fresh herbs after baking for the brightest flavor. If you can’t get fresh dill, you can sprinkle on some dried dill instead. 
• Optional: let the strata rest for 15 minutes after removing from the fridge. Depending on your baking dish, a short rest between fridging and baking will help it warm up so it doesn’t break from the temperature change. This is especially important when using glass dishes. 

Final Thoughts

This bagel strata with salmon is one of those recipes that makes you feel like you pulled off something impressive without actually making your morning more stressful. It’s cozy, flavorful, and feels super put together, whether you’re hosting brunch or just trying to make breakfast feel a little more special. If you make this recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave us a comment and a rating below, and tag us on Instagram!