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. 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 do it every time now. It’s worth it!
We’ve also made them soft pretzel bites, soft pretzel knots (with various toppings), and soft pretzel rolls from this simple dough. We’ve also jazzed them up as crab pretzels. There’s no wrong way to shape a pretzel, but let’s stick with tradition 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 guarantee each one is in your kitchen right now. Warm water, 1 packet yeast, melted butter, brown or regular granulated sugar, salt, and flour.
Let the yeast foam in the warm water for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, a hand mixer, or– like you’ll notice in the video below the recipe– no mixer at all. Work with what you have in the kitchen.
Guess what? You don’t have to wait to let this dough rise. YES! Well, we’ll let it rest for 10 minutes while you get the baking soda + water boiling on the stove but that’s it. Don’t have any patience? This is the recipe for you. By the way, did you know that some pretzel recipes call for rising overnight? They’re remarkable pretzels but I’m satisfied with this ultra quick dough!
How to Shape Homemade Soft Pretzels
Now it’s time to shape.
Roll 1/3 cup of dough into a long 20-22 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 salt and bake in a hot oven. That’s it, you’re done.
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 and the results are extra delicious! The dough is a family recipe and 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!
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 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
- 3 and 3/4-4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- coarse salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Baking Soda Bath (See Recipe Note)
- 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
- 9 cups (2,160ml) water
Instructions
- Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
- 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 1/3 cup sections (about 75g each).
- Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two 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 more 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. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce.
- Cover and store leftover pretzels 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 pretzels freeze well up to 2-3 months. To reheat, bake frozen pretzels at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through or microwave frozen pretzels 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 pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time, about 1 hour, for the pretzels to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking.
- Baking Soda Bath (Step 6): 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 7. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tablespoons (60g) of unsalted or salted butter (your choice). 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 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.
Keywords: soft pretzels
My husband and I made these and they were delicious. Try them with a bit of cream cheese, yummy!
★★★★★
I make these once a week! They’re so good, they barely last out of the oven
★★★★★
I wish you included nutrition facts for diabetics… 🙁
Hi Emma! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Want to try it but the app for determining nutritional value didn’t tell me anything. I want to make mini pretzels. I too am diabetic but this did not help me at all. The recipe posted should give values in my opinion
Emma these would not be a traditionally diabetic friendly food. Flour is the main ingredient. If you google keto bagel recipes they would fit the nutritional needs of a diabetic better, though the texture is quite different.
I loved these. They were absolutely delicious and so fun to make! I made them for game day and my family loved them! Just like real soft pretzels!!
★★★★★
Do not 3 times now and they were perfect. Third time had to ad a lot of flour till they weren’t sticky dough
★★★★★
I love all your recipes. Been slowly working my way thru them.!! Thanks to you love being a amateur baker/chef.!! These were absolutely delicious and so easy. I’ll try garlic butter and other varieties next time.
Can I let the dough set for longer than ten minutes?
Hi Jules, for a puffier pretzel, you can let the dough rest for longer than 10 minutes (perhaps up to 2 hours) or you can let the shaped pretzels rest (covered lightly) for up to 1 hour.
Wow! These were so easy to make and so delicious. Perfection. I made 6 with coarse salt on top and the other six rolled in cinnamon sugar. They were melt in your mouth and absolutely to die for. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
First time making these and they came out almost perfect, because I am imperfect . I made half pretzels, and half pretzel bites size rolls. Will tweek them next time, but very impressed with making these the first time.
★★★★★
best recipe ever!!
My 5-year-old son was so disappointed this week because he missed his favorite pretzel day at Kindergarten due to being sick, and he’d been asking when it was for a week. I’m just starting to make breads without complete failure, so I was nervous since my last pretzel attempt wasn’t a great experience… but these turned out PERFECTLY! My whole family ate them (many of them) today and my son was thrilled he still got his pretzel day. These turned out so light and fluffy inside, with a very true pretzel flavor. We made half regular and half cinnamon sugar and I can hardly even pick a favorite. This will definitely be a well-used recipe in my house!! Thank you so much for giving me hope in making delicious pretzels!!
★★★★★
We’re so happy to read this, Laci! And we’re so glad your son enjoyed them.
My family loves this recipe! 10/10 perfect recipe just like all of them 🙂
★★★★★
My family loves these pretzels. They’re delicious and easy to make (and I don’t consider myself a baker). They’re soft on the inside with enough of a “crust” on the outside to give it a nice bite/texture. I’ve made these probably 10 times now and the only thing I’ve changed is the rise time. They are delicious with just 10 minutes, but today I let them rise around 1.5 hours and they were even better! I’ve never tried to measure the amount of dough for each individual pretzel. Instead, I divide the ball of dough like a pie into even pie wedges. Today’s extra rise allowed me to get 16 even pieces. It takes a little more time to roll out the wider end, but I think it’s easier than trying to measure each piece. I also do a 20 second baking soda bath. Thanks so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
This tastes great and looks adorable. I make a test batch of treble clef shapes for an upcoming school bake sale. I was really intimidated about the boiling because how would they hold their shape while I moved them, but it worked as they kind of pinned themselves together as they rose for a few minutes between shaping and boiling. My family has already eaten half of them so I’m off to bake more. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Hi Annie, treble clef shaped pretzels sound so fun! We’re so glad they turned out and we hope they’re a hit at the bake sale!
I can’t wait to try this recipe, but one question. Do you have any advice for altering to accommodate high altitude? Many bread recipes just don’t translate well at altitude, but pretzels are thick and doughy enough that it might be okay.
Hi Kelly! I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I cant even tell you how awesome and easy this recipe is! I made two batches in under 3 hours! They taste better than I’ve ever had and I swear I’m not exaggerating! I wish I could Add photos!
★★★★★
I noticed these brown best when I put the top face of the pretzels facing down in the baking soda bath, then scoop and flip onto the tray and top with salt right away. I form six at a time, then boil, place, salt and bake – then form, boil and salt the next six while the first 6 bake. Consistently great, but have to use more flour then called for. Thanks for everything!
PS – a teaspoon of garlic powder added in the dough gives a yummy flavor boost.
★★★★★
How do you measure 1/3C from the dough?? Wouldn’t a weight measurement be easier?
Hi Tristan, I’m just seeing this comment now. 1/3 cup of dough is about 75g.
This was a FANTASTIC recipe: my 5 year old and I did this without measuring the temp of the water and without a mixer and it still turned out! Thank you Sally!
★★★★★
I made these for our playoff game. The only change is I used bread flour to make it softer. I almost did some pretzel but also made bits. If you do the bites only do the bath for 10 seconds. They came out perfectly! Everyone loved them and enjoyed then a lot!!!
★★★★★
Can I use honey or agave in your Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels recipe?
Hi Jennifer, yes, either would work in place of the sugar in the dough.
I appreciated how quick these were to make, but I found the flavor and texture mediocre. I would use bread flour for more chew and a little more salt in the dough if I made them again.
★★★
Can I use this recipe for pretzel buns? Love your dessert recipes! Have many favorites. Please respond. Thanks
Hi Nee, We recommend our pretzel rolls for this. Enjoy!
Question, if I use instant yeast do I still need the warm water?
Yes, follow the same recipe instructions. Enjoy!
My family loved this recipe! This was the first time I made homemade pretzels. I was a bit apprehensive that they would turn out great, but they exceeded our expectations! My nephew who is a picky eater even loves them. Will definitely make them again. Sally never disappoints!
★★★★★
Great recipe! So easy and my pretzels turned out perfectly!
★★★★★
Came out perfect.. Did baking soda bath for 20 sec. By timer… Amazing so easy.. Had my little helper at the counter rolling out his own… Fun for him too
★★★★★
This is a great recipe. I made these ahead of time and put them in the fridge for a few hours, but they continued to poof. Unfortunately, they ended up looking like pretzel rolls instead of pretzels. I would bake them right time. Otherwise, they tasted like pretzels.
★★★★
This recipe is just amazing! Came out perfect the first time, gonna use it again tomorrow!!
★★★★★
Amazing recipe. I cut into pretzel bits and and instead of topping with salt, I coated with butter and tossed with cinnamon sugar at the end when they came out of the oven. Literally perfect pretzel bits!
★★★★★
Loved these so much! I did use the water bath and they came out perfect! I made these with my 4 year old Granddaughter and not only were they easy to make , they gave her a great chance to create shapes with dough!. It only took 10 minutes to bake in a convection oven and a great twist was to brush with melted butter and dipped some of them in cinnamon and sugar. Great Recipe, will def be using often!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Did you put melted butter & cinnamon on the pretzels as it bakes?