Crispy Rice Paper Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich
This is a crispy baked rice paper sandwich that uses two flat, everything bagel-seasoned rice paper discs as the top and bottom instead of bread. The filling is soft scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and melted cheddar. It's naturally gluten free, ready in under 20 minutes, and gives you all the flavor of a bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel… without any of the dough.
The idea here came from a simple question: what if rice paper could replace bread entirely? Not wrapped around the filling, not rolled into a tube — just baked flat into two crispy discs and used like the top and bottom of a sandwich. The result is something closer to a bagel cracker than a bagel, and it works better than you'd expect.
What you get is a genuinely crunchy shell with everything bagel seasoning baked right into the surface, filled with soft scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and melted cheddar. It's the flavor profile of a bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel, just lighter and crispier. If you've tried my Bacon Egg and Cheese Rice Paper Spiral — where the rice paper is rolled into a tube and shaped into a bagel form — this is a completely different format. The disc version is more like a sandwich. The filling sits between two crispy layers rather than inside one.
The technique is straightforward. Two sheets of rice paper, dipped in egg wash, pressed together, shaped with a hole in the center, loaded with everything seasoning, and baked at high heat. Each one comes out like a crispy, golden rice paper cracker that holds up to the filling without going soft. I've used the same rice paper approach in recipes like my Pistachio Baklava Rice Paper Spiral, and it never stops being useful — this ingredient just keeps finding new formats.
Jump to:
Why this crispy rice paper sandwich recipe works
Two sheets pressed together is the foundation. One sheet alone is too thin and fragile to hold its shape as a flat disc. Pressing two egg-washed sheets together gives you enough structure to cut the center hole, hold the round shape, and stay rigid through the bake without curling or cracking.
The egg wash is the secret to the crunch. Dipping rice paper in beaten egg before baking does two things: it bonds the layers and it helps the surface brown evenly rather than staying pale and papery. Don't rush the dip — you want both sides coated thoroughly.
The center matters more than it looks. Cutting the X in the center and pulling the flaps back creates the round disc shape with a center opening. It also creates slightly thicker edges from the folded flaps, which gives you more crunch where you hold the sandwich. It's a small detail that makes the final texture noticeably better.
Build order keeps the crunch alive. Cream cheese goes on the smooth side after baking. Cheddar goes down first so it acts as a moisture barrier between the eggs and the disc. Eggs on top of the cheese, bacon last. That sequence keeps the base disc from getting soggy before you're ready to eat.
"I absolutely love B.E.C bagel sandwiches, but I can't eat them all the time for obvious reasons. This opens up a whole new world for me...the crispiness of the rice paper with the bacon & egg is just absolutely delicious!"
Bill (email subscriber)
Recipe
Crispy Rice Paper Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Video
Ingredients
Method
- Build the Rice Paper Layers: Dip one side of a rice paper sheet into the egg wash. Press it firmly onto a second sheet. Dip the whole double sheet into the egg wash until both sides are fully coated.
- Shape the Disc: Place onto a lightly oiled board. Cut a small X in the center, about 1.5 inches in each direction. Gently pull the four flaps back to create a center hole and press the edges down to form a round disc shape.
- Repeat: Make a second disc the same way so you have a top and a bottom.
- Season and Bake: Transfer both discs to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with everything bagel seasoning. Bake at 350°F convection (or 375°F regular) for about 10 minutes until golden and crisp all over.
- Cook the Filling: Scramble 3 eggs over medium-low heat until just set — soft and creamy, not dry. Cook bacon until crispy and set aside.
- Build the Sandwich: Flip both discs so the smooth side faces up. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese across the base disc. Lay cheddar slices down to cover the surface. Top with scrambled eggs, then finish with crispy bacon.
- Close and Serve: Press the second disc on top and eat immediately while the rice paper is still hot and crunchy.
Notes
- This recipe makes 1 sandwich but it is enormous; it definitely serves 2 people.
- Pull the eggs off the heat just before they look fully done. They carry over and finish perfectly from the residual heat. Dry eggs inside a crispy shell is a texture mismatch — soft and creamy eggs inside a crunchy disc is the whole point of this sandwich.
- On the shaping: the X cut doesn't need to be precise. Rice paper is forgiving at this stage. Work slowly and pull the flaps back gently rather than tearing. The disc just needs to be roughly round with a center opening.
- These discs stay crispy in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to bring the crunch back. The microwave will kill it. If you're prepping ahead, bake the discs and store them unassembled — build the sandwich fresh when you're ready to eat.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Commonly Asked Questions about the Crispy BEC Sandwich
Yes, and it works really well as a bread substitute when baked at high heat. Dipped in egg wash and baked into flat discs, rice paper turns golden and genuinely crispy… more like a cracker than bread, but with enough structure to hold sandwich fillings without falling apart. It's naturally gluten free and much lighter than any dough-based option.
The egg wash is the key step. Dipping rice paper in beaten egg before baking helps it brown evenly and crisp up properly rather than staying pale and papery. Bake at 350°F convection or 375°F in a regular oven for about 10 minutes. Look for a deep golden color across the whole surface before pulling them out.
Yes. Rice paper is made from rice flour and water, making it naturally gluten free. For a fully gluten free sandwich, check that your everything bagel seasoning and bacon are also certified gluten free (most brands are, but it's worth a quick label check).
This rice paper disc sandwich is a solid option! The rice paper itself is low in carbs compared to any bread or bagel, and the filling is protein-forward with eggs, bacon, and cheese. If you want to go even lighter on the filling side, Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese shaves a bit more off without losing the creamy layer.
Eat it fresh for the best crunch. If you're prepping ahead, bake and store the discs unassembled in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer before building the sandwich. Assembling ahead and refrigerating will soften the discs quickly.
If you make this one, I'd love to see your version. The first time you bite through both layers at once is a good moment. Leave a rating below or tag me, and save it if you want an easy breakfast option this week.
More recipes I think you'll love
Into this one? I have lots more where it came from. Try a few of these next.
