These soft pretzel bites are exactly like regular homemade soft pretzels, but shaped into smaller pieces. The dough requires just 6 ingredients and there’s hardly any rise time, so this is a wonderful recipe for yeast beginners. Have fun shaping the bites (they don’t need to be perfect!) and enjoy warm flavorful homemade pretzels within an hour. Serve plain, cinnamon sugar style, or with your favorite dip such as spicy cheese sauce or stone ground mustard.
I’m writing this over 7 years after this recipe was first published and say with 100% honesty that kids and adults alike FLOCK to these pretzel bites. They’re always a massive hit, a favorite party snack, and the fact that they’re surprisingly easy is music to the ears!
Tell Me About These Soft Pretzel Bites
- Flavor: If you enjoy soft pretzels, you’ll love these smaller bites. They’re completely homemade, so unlike store-bought frozen soft pretzels, each has that soft, warm, and fresh-from-the-oven taste and texture. You can keep the pretzels traditional with a sprinkling of coarse salt or try the cinnamon sugar version detailed in the recipe notes.
- Texture: The difference between bread and soft pretzels/soft pretzel bites is an alkaline bath. Do you know what that is? I promise it’s a very easy step. This is when shaped soft pretzel dough takes a dip in boiling water and baking soda, a quick step that provides the iconic chewy pretzel texture and adds a deeper, richer color to the baked pretzels. The boiling water also locks in the shape so the pretzels don’t over-puff in the oven. (Without the baking soda bath, you lose texture, that deep brown color, and flavor. So, basically, you will have bite-size bread instead of pretzels.) We do this key step when making regular soft pretzels, soft pretzel rolls, jalapeño cheddar soft pretzels and soft pretzel knots, too.
- Ease: Have you ever made my recipe for regular homemade soft pretzels? It was one of the first recipes I ever published, only to be republished with step-by-step photos a few years later. It’s become a “famous” & popular recipe on this website because the pretzels are relatively quick, extremely easy, and deliver great taste. Same story with these pretzel bites! Though the recipe requires yeast, I always say that this pretzel dough is a terrific starting point for yeast beginners because there’s very little rise time. And shaping the dough into bite-size pieces is easier than shaping into pretzels. Lots of perks about today’s recipe!
Dough for Soft Pretzel Bites
I never stray from my original soft pretzel dough, so that’s what you’ll use for these pretzel bites. You need just 6 basic ingredients to get started including warm water, yeast, a little sugar to feed the yeast, melted butter, salt, and all-purpose flour. (If you have it, the same amount of bread flour works too!). You can use either instant (quick rise) or active dry yeast in this dough. I usually use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast.
The dough doesn’t require extended rise time and the baking soda bath is pretty quick, so besides the baking step, the longest stretch of time this recipe requires is shaping.
Baking with Yeast Guide
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Step-By-Step Pictures
Whisk the warm water, yeast, and sugar together. Cover and let the mixture sit for a few minutes until foamy on top. Waiting for it to foam isn’t totally necessary, but it helps us see that the yeast is ready and active. The right photo below shows the dough before kneading. Review my How to Knead Dough video tutorial if needed before starting the next step.
Knead the dough, divide into 6 sections, and then roll into six 20-inch ropes. The video tutorial located in the recipe shows these steps as well. Cut each rope into 1.5 – 2 inch pieces to make bites. I like to use a (affiliate links) pizza cutter or bench scraper for cutting this dough, but a sharp knife works perfectly fine too. Use what you have.
The photo above shows the pretzel bites after the baking soda bath. At this point, they are ready to bake.
Try Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
Immediately after the baking soda bath while the soft pretzel bites are still wet, sprinkle with coarse salt. Or if you’d like a different topping, skip the coarse salt and try the cinnamon sugar version. Bake the pretzels completely plain without salt. Once done and still warm out of the oven, brush with melted butter then dip into a mix of cinnamon and granulated sugar. See specific instructions in the notes below.
By the way, you can have fun with even more toppings such as everything bagels seasoning instead of coarse salt. Heavily sprinkle on the pretzels while they’re still wet from the baking soda bath before baking.
For a larger version, try these soft pretzel rolls. Great for sandwiches!
More Appetizers & Snacks
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- Garlic & Bacon Spinach Dip
- Sweet Potato Skins
- Crab Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Stuffed Jalapeños
- Honey BBQ Popcorn Chicken
- Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
Soft Pretzel Bites
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 5 dozen
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft pretzel bites are always a crowd favorite! The easy dough requires just 6 ingredients and there’s hardly any rise time, so this is a wonderful recipe for yeast beginners. Have fun shaping the bites (they don’t need to be perfect!) and enjoy warm flavorful homemade pretzels within an hour. Review recipe notes and watch the video tutorial before starting.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm–no need to take temperature but around 100°F (38°C) is great)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
- 3 and 3/4 – 4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- topping: coarse salt/coarse sea salt
Baking Soda Bath
- 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
- 9 cups (2,160ml) water
Optional for Serving
- spicy cheese sauce or your favorite mustard
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle or dough hook attachment. (If you do not have a stand mixer, just use a regular large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.) Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups (375g) of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add 3/4 cup (95g) of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining 1/4 cup of flour and continue to beat for 1 more minute. (You can see in the video that I add the remaining flour.)
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 5.)
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
- Shape: With a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or bench scraper, cut dough into 6 equal pieces (just eyeball it, doesn’t have to be perfect). Sprinkle work surface very lightly with flour. (Tip: The heavier you flour the work surface, the harder it is to roll the dough. A little stickiness actually helps. You only need *a very light* dusting of flour.) Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop what you’re doing, lightly cover all of the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax. Then, return to rolling it into ropes. Cut each rope into 1.5 – 2 inch pieces to make bites.
- Baking Soda Bath: Mix water and baking soda together in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Place 8-10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for a quick 10-15 seconds. (Any longer and your pretzels could take on a metallic taste.) Using a slotted spatula or spoon, lift the pretzel bites out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place bites onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt while they are still wet or leave plain if using cinnamon sugar topping listed in the notes. Repeat baking soda bath with remaining pretzel bites. If needed, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked bites for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
- Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled pretzel bites freeze well up to 2-3 months. To reheat, bake frozen bites at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes or until warmed through or microwave frozen bites until warm. The prepared pretzel dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into bites while still cold, but allow some extra time, about 1 hour, for the pretzels to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Pizza Cutter or Bench Scraper | Large Pot | Coarse Salt
- Flour: If you have it, the same amount of bread flour works instead of all-purpose flour. Do not use whole wheat flour.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Bake the pretzel bites completely plain without salt in step 6. As the pretzel bites bake, melt 4 Tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter. Set aside. Combine 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Set aside. Once the pretzels are done and still warm out of the oven, brush each with melted butter then generously dip into cinnamon sugar. Cinnamon sugar pretzels are best served that day because due to the melted butter topping, they become soggy after a few hours.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Egg? This recipe used to call for brushing the boiled pretzel bites with a beaten egg before sprinkling with coarse salt. Now you can skip the egg and sprinkle the salt on the pretzels while they are still wet from the boiling step. If you prefer them the old way, feel free to continue brushing with the beaten egg before salting and baking. I skip it these days.
I love this recipe so much!
Tasted like pretzel but did not get golden. Pretzel texture
They were so good…tasted like Auntie Anne’s!!!!!!
This recipe is AMAZING!! I made for the football playoffs and they were a hit! They turned out even better the second time, not to mention they’re picture perfect. Thank you soo much sally!!
These tasted amazing! However, my two granddaughters and I had trouble rolling the dough into a rope. We would roll and it would spring back to original length just like a rubber band. Finally we held one end and let gravity help us out. Is there a trick to rolling? It took the three of us one and half hours to roll 12 pretzels. Otherwise everything was perfect.
Hi Judy! See step 4 for a tip on this: If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop what you’re doing, lightly cover all of the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax. Then, return to rolling it into ropes.
Turned out great! Wonderful snack for a cold, snowy day!
I have a question about freezing. Can I freeze the unshaped dough or do I need to shape them?
Hi Hannah, yes, you can freeze the unshaped dough. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before shaping and proceeding with the recipe.
Love, love, love these!! First time trying and perfect! Very easy to make
These are delicious!! We just finished a whole batch!
Hi, this might be a silly question, but do I have to use a stand mixer for this recipe?
Hi Ann, nope, you don’t! You can mix by hand instead.
These are EPIC! So so good! My dough was a bit sticky so I needed to add maybe 1/3 cup more flour but different things come into play and Sally’s recipe video showed me how the douh should look and they were so freaking good! A must make for everyone!
Made these and they were great! I put the extra dough in an airtight container in the fridge so I can make more tomorrow and the dough started to expand, like busting out of the container. Any reason why? Not sure of I’m supposed to store it a different way.
I’m dumb forgot there was yeast in this recipie so it will cold rise.
Such a yummy recipe! My family loved it, even my picky 3 yr old and 16 month old too! The cinnamon sugar ones were the most popular. Thanks again for another awesome recipe,Sally!
just made these, they are excellent pretzel bites, very easy to make. I froze some of the dough since there are only 2 of us. Used coarse kosher salt.
Am I able to use coarse kosher salt, rather than coarse sea salt?
Hi Jan, that will work just fine!
Really tasty
Just a baking day of a bunch of Sally’s recipes. They do not disappoint!
If I want to inject the cheese sauce into the bites, would I do this before or after baking?
I always look on this site for recipes I’m looking for first 🙂 my family loves these pretzels for game day and I love making them.
We’re making this for football next Saturday! The mustard dipping sauce the the pic looks amazing! How do we make that or where do we get it???? Thank you for this recipe we’re so excited!
Hi Kelly, the mustard pictured is a stone ground mustard. We hope you enjoy making these!
Hi, I was wondering more about freezing the dough. Do you freeze shaped pretzel dough? Before or after the baking soda bath? Should I thaw before baking? I made these pretzels last weekend for the first time and they were a huge hit! I’d love to make them in advance so that I can just pop them in the oven but my brain is telling me it’s better to eat fresh baked instead of baked and then frozen. Maybe I’m just being silly and they are equally delicious if baked and then frozen and thawed. Have you tried both ways?
Hi Tasha, if you want to freeze the shaped, unbaked pretzels, we find it’s best to do the baking soda bath right before baking—even drop them into the bath while frozen. That being said, we have frozen these shaped pretzels AFTER the bath too. It doesn’t make a huge difference either way. But the baked pretzels do freeze and reheat quite nicely, too!
This recipe was so fun to make, easy to follow and the pretzels were delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
I enjoyed making these and family enjoyed eating them! Thank you!
What brand of all purpose flour and bread flour do you use?
Hi SB, I usually use King Arthur.
This recipe was awesome! I gave them all the baking soda bath and have them sitting in the fridge to bake before a party tomorrow. I baked about four in the oven just to see how they would come out and the result was amazing! My question is tomorrow when I pull them out of the fridge to bake so I put them directly in the oven or let them come back to room temp before baking?
I was wondering if I can use salted butter for this recipe?
Hi Trina, yes you can. Because it’s only 1 T. of butter, no need to alter the salt in the recipe. Enjoy!
These were an absolute hit with my family! I underbaked them (12 minutes instead of 15) to keep them soft and chewy. Most excellent!!
I am eager to try this recipe. Thank for the easy instructions.
These taste awesome! They aren’t too pretty looking though. When I form the ropes, then cut, the process of transferring them from counter to water is difficult, if I grab more than two or three they all stick together. I tried putting them on a plate and they all sort of melted together. Any advice or tips?
Hi Vicki! The video tutorial in the recipe card shows exactly how Sally does this step – we transfer the bites to the water one at a time to prevent them sticking together. So glad you enjoyed them.
Thank you so much! The video wasn’t showing up for me earlier. So my first batch tasted awesome but wasn’t the most visually pleasing. Second batch I was able to watch the video first and saw my dough was a little more wet than it should’ve been. I kneaded in maybe 1/8 cup more flour before shaping it and they were perfect!!! I baked them and once cooled they went in the freezer. I had to sample a few, but we’ll be enjoying them this weekend!
Going into this I had low expectations (never done a baking soda wash; haven’t been all that successful working with yeast), but everything worked out great. Thanks for making a beginner recipe like this one.
Can I make and store these doughs to make piece bh oiece whenever the craving strikes ?