This is one of the easiest ways to prepare homemade soft pretzels and the results are extra delicious. The soft pretzel dough only needs to rest for 10 minutes before shaping. The quick baking soda boil gives the pretzels their traditional flavor. Make sure you watch the video for how to shape pretzels!
Homemade soft pretzels are nothing new around here because this recipe has been a reader favorite for years. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101 (which has become a New York Times Best Seller!).
The dough requires just 6 ingredients and there’s hardly any rise time, so not only are these easy, they’re pretty quick too. In fact, I remember feeling pleasantly surprised at the ease and speed the first time I made them—it took us only 30 minutes to make 1 batch!
Over the years, I’ve added a smidge of melted butter to the dough for improved flavor. Furthermore, we’ve introduced the baking soda bath. While it sounds strange, this step is what gives pretzels that iconic flavor, chewy texture, helps deepen their golden color in the oven, and locks in the super soft interior. If you get the water boiling ahead of time, it really only adds 5 minutes to the entire process.
We’ve also made them soft pretzel bites, soft pretzel knots (with various toppings), jalapeño cheddar pretzels, and soft pretzel rolls from this simple dough. There’s no wrong way to shape a pretzel, but let’s stick with the classic today. I promise you’ll no longer feel intimidated working with yeast, shaping pretzels, or the baking soda bath.
Even if you have zero skill in the kitchen, you can make these homemade soft pretzels.
Step-by-Step Photos
Let’s chat about the dough. You need the simplest, most basic ingredients possible and I bet each one is in your kitchen right now. Warm water, 1 packet of yeast, brown or regular granulated sugar, melted butter, salt, and flour.
Mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water, let it sit for a minute, then whisk in the butter and salt, then add the flour. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment a big bowl and wooden spoon. Work with what you have in the kitchen. And if you need extra help with kneading, see my full How to Knead Dough video tutorial.
You don’t have to wait to let this dough rise for an extended period of time. Just 10 to 30 minutes does the trick. Don’t have a lot of time on your hands? This recipe is for you. If, however, you want to extend the rise time, you certainly could. Doughs that leave time for bulk fermentation (when the dough rises before shaping), typically have a more enhanced, developed flavor. In fact, some pretzel recipes require an overnight rise in the refrigerator. If you have the time for that, do it! However, I find a brief rise suitable for today’s pretzels, especially if I’m making them with younger bakers.
How to Shape Homemade Soft Pretzels
Now it’s time to shape.
Roll about 1/3 cup (75g) of dough into a long 20- to 22-inch rope.
Twist the ends and bring the ends down. That’s a pretzel!
Now drop the pretzels into the boiling water + baking soda. Let them boil for 20–30 seconds each, then place onto a baking sheet. This pretzel dough makes 12 regular-size soft pretzels, so I use 2 baking sheets. 6 on each.
Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake in a hot oven. That’s it, you’re done.
Make-Ahead Tip
If you are making pretzels in advance, do not top them with coarse salt before baking. The salt draws the moisture out of the pretzels, and once you’ve placed the baked and cooled pretzels in an airtight container or bag, it doesn’t take long before you’ll notice water droplets forming inside and the pretzels become soggy and wrinkled. Yuck!
If you won’t be serving the pretzels the same day you bake them, omit the salt-topping step. Bake as directed, then allow to cool completely before placing them in an airtight container, and store at room temperature. When you are ready to serve them, place the pretzels on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with water, then sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake them in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 5–10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Same goes for freezing homemade soft pretzels: wait to top with salt until you’re ready to serve them. Cool the unsalted baked pretzels completely, then freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen pretzels (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
And if you want to kick your soft pretzel status into major high gear, add some spicy nacho cheese sauce.
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Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 pretzels
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is one of the easiest ways to prepare homemade soft pretzels for beginners, and the results are extra delicious! The dough is a family recipe and only needs to rest for 10 to 30 minutes before shaping. The quick baking soda boil gives the pretzels their traditional flavor, and I do not recommend skipping it. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (around 100°F/38°C)
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 and 3/4–4 cups (469–500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- coarse salt, for topping
Baking Soda Bath (See Recipe Note)
- 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
- 9 cups (2.13L) water
Instructions
- Whisk the yeast and sugar into warm water. Cover and allow to sit for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the melted butter and salt. Add 3 cups (375g) of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer) until combined. Add 3/4 cup (94g) more flour until the dough is slightly tacky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more (31g) flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger—if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 to 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 to 5 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.
- Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 8.)
- 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.
- With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 75g sections, which is about 1/3 cup of dough each.
- Roll the dough into a 20–22-inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the 2 ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
- Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1–2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds. Any longer than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, cover the boiled, unbaked pretzels with lightly oiled plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking (step 9).
- Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with coarse salt. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until dark golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and, if desired, serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce.
- Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. See Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions in recipe Notes below for more storage info. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds, or bake at 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: If planning to freeze fully baked pretzels, do not top them with coarse salt before baking. Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen pretzels (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through, or microwave frozen pretzels until warm. The prepared pretzel dough can be covered and 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 pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time, about 1 hour, for the pretzels to puff up at room temperature before continuing with the baking soda bath and baking. You can also freeze the boiled, unbaked pretzels and here’s how: after boiling the pretzels in step 8, place them on a lightly greased parchment paper- or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Freeze the pretzels for about 1 hour, then transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag (squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag before sealing) and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, brush frozen pretzels (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 400°F (204°C) for 15–20 minutes or until dark golden brown.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl | Wooden Spoon | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Pizza Cutter | Large Pot (such as a Dutch oven)
- Baking Soda Bath (Step 8): The baking soda bath is strongly recommended because it helps create that chewy texture and distinctive pretzel flavor. If skipping, brush the shaped and unbaked pretzels with a mixture of 1 beaten egg + 1 Tablespoon of dairy or nondairy milk. This is known as an egg wash. Sprinkle the brushed pretzels with salt. The egg wash will help the salt stick. If you don’t have an egg, simply brush with 2 Tablespoons of dairy or nondairy milk.
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels: Skip the coarse salt topping (and skip the egg wash, see note above, if you aren’t doing the baking soda bath step). Bake as directed in step 9. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tablespoons (56g) of unsalted or salted butter. Brush the baked and warm pretzels with melted butter, then dip the tops into a mix of cinnamon and sugar. I usually use 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Cinnamon-sugar pretzels taste best the day they’re made because the melted butter topping causes them to become soggy after a few hours.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Dear Sally,
Thank you so much for providing a great recipe, from your husband, no less! I have seen these made in the Amish country of Pennsylvania and those are scrumptious. I am happy to say the batch I made turned out just as well and maybe a bit better! I tasted the dough and decided to double the butter and brown sugar. At the very end, I did what I saw the Amish do: dip them heavily in melted butter. Heavenly!! Such fun making these beautiful, soft, brown warm and cozy treats.
Made these for the football game. I was amazed how easy they were. My husband said he was shocked that they tasted as if he just got one from his favorite street vendor. Turned out perfect
these are perfect and so easy my 9 year old basically made them herself. You are a genius!
I’ve never made soft pretzels before, and with the polar vortex over me in Chicago, I decided I wanted to try making soft pretzels for the first time. I’m so glad I found your recipe and decided I wasn’t afraid to find out for myself why you cut out the hour or so rise on the dough before forming the shapes. These pretzels are absolutely perfect, and your recipe is, as well. And if someone WANTS puffier pretzels, they can just add that rise in themselves. I bet they’d still turn out perfect!
These were the best ever. Thank you!! My kids loved them and we did with no sauce too 🙂
I made these pretzels yesterday and they are AMAZING! I can’t believe how easy they were to prepare. The color, chewiness, taste – all perfect. Of course they were incredible straight out of the oven, but reheating the leftovers the next day in a toaster made them just as good. Thank you so much for a stellar recipe, Sally!
Great recipe! Huge hit with the family! My youngest requested cinnamon sugar so I’m going to try that tomorrow. Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe.
Sally, I have used a lot of your recipes and love them all; in fact I have never had one that wasn’t absolutely perfect. I’m ready to venture out and try something with yeast. I have never used yeast and I’m a little afraid to try it. Which of your recipes is a good first recipe using yeast?
Hi Linda! So glad you are ready to begin a yeast baking adventure. I think these pretzels are a great way to begin because there isn’t much rise time involved. However, you do need to shape the dough. You can also try this no knead bread. Leave out the cheese and jalapeño, if desired. The rise time is long but you don’t need to knead or shape the bread.
My first attempt at soft pretzels two years ago was a complete disaster. These were so easy and turned out great: golden brown, soft and the right amount and chewy. Thank you! The proportions of your recipes are always on point and turn out amazing!
I made these, followed every step exactly, and now when I try to take them off the baking sheet they are literally super glued to it and won’t come off… I don’t know what to do now
Mine did that the first time too haha I suggest putting parchment paper on your cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. I haven’t had an issue since 🙂
I made these today! Delicious with your spicy cheese sauce! We ate half of them right out of the baking sheet! Perfect for a blistery fall day like today in WA 🙂
This recipe works at high altitude! They turned out great!
Thanks so much for this recipe Sally! I have only started venturing into bread making recently, first your pizza dough and now this & the pretzels look and taste so good 😀 You make the recipe easy to follow and even for a first time bread-baker they look pro!
These are so easy to make and so good!! I’m not so good at making the pretzel shape, but I will keep practicing. I had a bit of trouble rolling them.
Made these for the first time yesterday and they were a big hit with my family and friends! I plan to make these for my son’s 4th grade class… a unit on State Cooking. As a Philly girl in California I thought this would be a fun thing for the kids! Now the trick will be tripling the recipe as I will need about 30 pretzels total! That’s a lot of rope rolling … thanks you, Sally!
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I searched a few recipes online, and found this quick recipe. Looked at reviews and knew I had to try it! My sister, nephew and I, loved making and eating them. It was very hard not eating the whole batch. Ha ha! We will definitely make these again! Thank you for sharing!
These pretzels were AMAZING! From start to finish it took me about an hour. I wondered about the “no rise time”. But anything that saves me an hour is worth trying. So glad I tried…and succeeded! Thank you for a great new recipe to try with my grandchildren.
Made these pretzels today and they are so good! First time making anything with yeast. Your instructions were easy to follow and after seeing your video, I knew this was something I wanted to try to make. Well they came out great and I already have requests to make them again. We love soft pretzels! Thanks for another great recipe Sally!
Hi Sally,
Just wondering what does the step of boiling the dough in water and baking soda do?
Thanks,
Jo
Helps them retain a chewy and soft texture as well as promotes even browning 🙂 I wouldn’t skip it!
Whoa! Just made these. So easy! Used the baking time to clean up the tiny mess. Dipped them in butter after baking and used cinnamon and sugar on half of them, salt on the other half. Thank you Sally!
I made these pretzels and wow cant believe how easy it was. Plus, they’re so delicious and truly are soft. My kids loved them!!
Well, my 5 year old said she likes them better than any other she has had….and she is picky. It was a really fun mom/daughter activity.
These pretzels are so yummy! They taste like the kind you get at a brewery. My family loved them. My daughters and I made them together, so that made them even more tasty!
Hi Sally,
Thanks so much for the recipe- they were so easy and delicious! Just one question which is purely for presentation- my pretzels ended up quite cracked with lots of the white part showing. It didn’t affect the flavour or texture but do you know why this might happen?
Thanks!
Hi Sally,
I made these and followed the recipe as written, however the pretzels were really dense and hard to chew when warm and after cooling they became even more dense. 🙁 Any idea what went wrong?
My guess would be overworking the dough OR using a little too much flour. You want a nice soft dough and always be gentle with it 🙂
I just took these out of the oven and they turned out great!! Oh, that chewy inside–REAL soft pretzels. They were easy to make (and eat :). I’m making the cheddar sauce to go with them. And thanks for the video–I watched it a few times before trying these, and it was really helpful. It convinced me that making pretzels at home was totally doable-lol.