These honey mustard pretzel pieces are crunchy, boldly seasoned, and dangerously snackable. If you love the store-bought version, this homemade take delivers even more flavor with sweet honey, tangy mustard, and savory onion in every bite.
Today’s totally snack-able honey mustard pretzels are extremely easy to make with basic ingredients. The flavored pieces bake low and slow so the coating dries and clings to every nook and cranny. The result? Crunchy, flavorful pretzel pieces that will have you reaching back for more… and more… and more. (We speak from experience!!)
Like these regular seasoned pretzels, they’re perfect for game days, parties, road trips, holiday snack boards, or simply keeping a jar on the counter for anytime snacking.
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces
- Fresh and bold homemade flavor—better than store-bought!
- Makes a big batch with minimal effort.
- Sweet + savory balance: honey, Dijon mustard, and onion work wonderfully together.
- You can use hot honey for an extra kick!
- Make-ahead friendly; stays crisp for 1–2 weeks.
Best Pretzels to Use
You can use most any hard pretzels here, but we especially like the thicker kinds (for maximum crunch!), like the sourdough hard pretzels pictured here. Break them up into bite-size pieces before coating them. Pretzel rods, the kinds labeled “old-fashioned,” or honey wheat braided twists would all be good to use, as well.
Flavoring Ingredients You Need & Why:
- Oil (Vegetable or Olive): The oil acts as the glue that helps the seasoning mixture cling to every nook and cranny of the pretzels. It also promotes even baking and that irresistible crisp coating once the pretzels are toasted. I usually use olive oil.
- Honey: Honey brings sweetness and depth, but more is not better here. During testing, we found that too much honey made the pretzels extremely sticky and heavy, so we scaled it back to just the right amount: enough for flavor without sacrificing texture. Hot honey is a fun option if you want a subtle kick of heat.
- Brown Sugar: Once we reduced the honey, a little brown sugar stepped in to keep the sweetness balanced.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon provides that classic tangy, slightly sharp mustard flavor and forms the backbone of the seasoning.
- Ground Mustard: You need both Dijon mustard and ground mustard, yes! Ground mustard adds a deeper, more concentrated mustard flavor that really makes these pretzels taste like honey mustard. (Not just “honey with a little mustard.”)
- Onion Powder: A key flavor in the store-bought version, and in today’s recipe as well! Onion powder adds savory depth and makes the entire seasoning taste complete. Don’t skip it because the flavor difference is noticeable.
- Salt: A small amount seasons the coating and keeps the sweetness in check. The pretzels themselves are already salty, so this just ties everything together.
In Photos: How to Make Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces
Whisk all the ingredients for the honey mustard coating together until emulsified:
Pour it over the pretzel pieces and stir or toss to coat:
The key is baking at a low temperature and stirring every 15 minutes. This gives the pretzels time to dry out and crisp evenly while the honey mustard coating sets.
Cool completely. Don’t skip the cooling step because these crisp up even more as they cool. Because of the honey, expect them to still be *a little bit sticky* even once completely cooled. (Finger-lickin’ good!)
These pretzel pieces make an easy homemade gift (if you want to share!). Once fully cooled, package them in jars or bags, tie with ribbon, and add a handwritten label. They also disappear quickly on snack boards next to cheese, nuts, and olives.
Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10-12 cups
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These honey mustard pretzel pieces are crunchy, bold, sweet, and tangy in every bite. Coated in a perfectly balanced honey-mustard seasoning and baked until crisp, they’re an easy make-ahead snack that disappears fast.
Ingredients
- 12–16 ounces (340–454g) hard pretzels (about 1 bag, such as sourdough-style)
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) oil (vegetable or olive)
- 3 Tablespoons (63g) honey (try hot honey for a bit of a kick!)
- 1 Tablespoon packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (32g) Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard (powder)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Optional, for topping: coarse or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, honey, brown sugar, Dijon, ground mustard, onion powder, and salt until emulsified.
- Break the pretzels into pieces. Place them in a large zipped-top bag or in a large bowl. Pour the honey mustard mixture over the pretzels. Shake or stir thoroughly; you want every piece coated very well.
- Spread the pretzels onto the prepared baking sheet. If they don’t all fit in a single layer, use two lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with coarse or flaky sea salt, if using.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- Store completely cooled pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1–2 weeks. If they soften slightly, spread on a baking sheet and warm in a 300°F oven for a few minutes to re-crisp.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: The pretzels are noticeably tastier prior to freezing; however, if you are in a pinch, you can freeze them once cooled after step 5. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 8–10 minutes to re-crisp.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Whisk | Liquid Measuring Cup | Glass Mixing Bowl
- Best Pretzels to Use: Choose a thick variety of hard pretzels for maximum crunch. The pretzels pictured here are sourdough hards; you could also use pretzel rods, honey wheat braided twists, or large old-fashioned pretzel twists.
- Oil: Vegetable or olive oil both work. The oil helps the seasoning cling and promotes even toasting. I usually use olive oil. Avocado oil would work, too, but the pretzels may be green from the color!
- Mustard: You need both Dijon mustard and ground mustard. Together they create the bold, classic honey mustard flavor.
- Onion Powder: Essential for savory depth and overall flavor; I do not recommend skipping it.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These absolutely addictive. The perfect happy hour snack.
Can I use waffle pretzles for this recipe? The Hard pretzles are too hard for me. I have rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes it effects my jaw.
Hi Sandy, You certainly could, just keep in mind the smaller the pretzels (and less surface area), the less the pretzels will hold onto the coating.
Good flavor, but I just can’t get them crunchy! This is my second time trying this recipe. Any suggestions?
Hi Roxanne, happy to help troubleshoot! What type of pretzels are you using?
Have you tried these with gluten free pretzels?
We Kristin! We haven’t, but imagine it should work just fine. Let us know if you try!
I was super excited to make these but was disappointed in the final results. They were very mild in flavor; not enough mustard and honey as I expected.
As a kind of seasoned pretzel snack, they were still delicious to eat but as honey mustard pretzels I think they missed the mark.
Sorry but not enough honey and definitely not enough mustard. Disappointed. Yes I followed the recipe
Amazing and Addicting! First batch disappeared, (I take almost full credit for that)! Will be making more soon. Thank you Sally for another delicious and easy treat!
Wondering about leaving out the honey or do you have a recipe for just mustard pretzels. My daughter doesn’t like honey mustard and used to buy mustard pretzels from a company that is no longer in business
Hi Susan, I don’t recommend simply leaving the honey out, since it helps the seasoning stick and balances the mustard. However, for a more classic savory mustard pretzel, you can cut the honey in half and increase both the Dijon and ground mustard slightly.
Could I also add nuts?
Hi! I’m sure you could, as long as you are using large pretzels to soak up the coating.
I’ve been vegan for 8 years and honey mustard pretzels are one the things I cannot find vegan so I made this recipe with maple syrup instead of honey and omggggg it was so perfect and delicious!
Really great and easy. I added more mustard (both).
A jalapeño version would be good too?
I made these today, following the recipe exactly, and they are good, but not very “mustardy”. I wonder if my ground mustard is too old.
I just made these this afternoon! The recipe is so simple and easy! What a delicious treat!
These are incredible! I used Snyder’s Sourdough pretzels. Can’t stop eating them.
I would like to actually make the hard pretzels from scratch, so I can control what is in them. I would love a recipe for making those, then I really want to try this seasoned snack recipe!
Hi Dawn! What a great suggestion. I’ve never made homemade hard pretzels (just soft pretzels). But it’s a great one to add to the list!
Is the ground mustard the stone ground wet mustard or the ground mustard powder?
Hi Nancy, it is the powder, ground mustard powder. I will be sure to clarify!
I was really excited to see this because I love the hard pretzels but I thought it was going to actually be a recipe to make my own hard pretzels. I made the soft pretzel nuggets last week and wondered if just cooking them longer would get them to be the hard pretzels.
I made the pretzels as directed and found the flavor to be good but too mild. If I were to increase both the mustard powder and onion powder by half would there be enough of the wet ingredients to fully absorb them?
Hi Lois, yes, you can absolutely increase both the ground mustard and onion powder by about 1/2 teaspoon each, and there will still be plenty of the honey-mustard coating to absorb the extra dry ingredients.
I agree with most of the comments regarding the mild flavor. However, they are really good! I will definitely add more of the mustards next time. Also think using hot honey would be really good!
Could you use regular small pretzels? Just the old original ones?
The smaller the pretzels (and less surface area), the less the pretzels will hold onto the coating. Thick pretzels are ideal.
I made a batch with both unbroken waffle-shaped pretzels and snapped med-thickness pretzel rods. I used the max ratio (i.e. 12oz of pretzels) but still found myself wanting a bit of a stronger flavor. I’ve considered using a higher coating-to-pretzel ratio next batch but using a more proper pretzel (and probably more flavorful mustard) could also help here.
Can you use gluten free pretzels?
Absolutely, such as the GF pretzel rods!