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, 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.
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
- Roasted Garlic & Bacon Spinach Dip
- Sweet Potato Skins
- Crab Dip
- Stuffed Jalapeños
- Honey BBQ Popcorn Chicken
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.) 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 beat on low speed for an additional 2 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes. 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
- 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.
Keywords: soft pretzel bites
I made two batches, one right after the other, but used the same water/soda bath. The second batch turned out exactly the same as the first.
★★★★★
I am a high school teacher and looking to make these in class but we have block scheduling so I see them every other day. Looking at the recipe it says the dough can be refrigerated for one day so I worry how it will be after two. They will not have time in class the first day to do the whole thing probably just through the dough stage and then day two shape/bath/bake.
Any suggestions. I worry about freezing the dough to then thaw it a day later if it will work or not.
Hi Autumn! I hope this isn’t too late of a response, but I’m sure the dough would be fine refrigerated for up to 2 days if absolutely necessary. I wouldn’t freeze it for that short amount of time.
Great recipe, they turned out very tasty! One thing I would mention is that if you use salt topping on them this can lead to them getting soggy very quickly when stored. I made a batch and they all had a pretty unpleasant surface texture the next day despite that being their only topping. I think the salt attracts moisture to the surface. I’d recommend making plain ones or reheating them to add toppings if you intend to eat them later than day-of
★★★★
I JUST finished making these, and they were so easy and so good! We live in a city known for soft pretzels, and after my husband’s first bite, he said he’s never buying pretzels again!
Thanks for the tip on why we need to watch the boiling time. I can tell on a couple of my first ones that I left them in a bit too long, but the rest were perfect!
★★★★★
Help please! This recipe came together pretty easily and the taste and texture is good. My problem is they stuck! I used parchment paper for the first batch and left them on it to cool. Parchment paper was completely stuck to pretzels! Second batch I tried to remove immediately – still stuck to parchment. Third batch I sprayed parchment paper with Pam – some came off fairly easily and some were completely stuck. My dough was still a bit sticky when I rolled them out, but seemed fine after the water bath. I would really like to make these again because they taste really good, but don’t want to if they all stick to whatever I bake them on. Thank you for any and all help!
Hi Julie! Are you using parchment paper? Wax paper isn’t suitable for baking. Silicone baking mats will work great for these soft pretzel bites as well!
I did use parchment paper. Now I’m wondering if they were too wet from the water bath and that’s why the paper baked into the pretzel. Guess I’ll have to make another batch to find out! Thanks for the tip about silicone baking mats. I need to invest in a couple of those.
This recipe was great, but there was one problem. When the pretzel bites were finished baking, they tasted very bitter. I don’t know if I did something wrong on the baking soda bath step. But it looked and smelt AMAZING!!
★★★
Wow! I loveeee soft pretzels but have always been intimidated to make them myself. The detailed directions and video of this recipe gave me the courage to try, and they turned out amazing. Mine were a bit pale which I think was because my baking soda bath was boiling over so I turned it down, but it maybe cooled off too much.
I halved the recipe but for the measurements that were harder to divide in half – I used 1.25 teaspoons of yeast, 8 grams of melted butter, 1.5 tsp of sugar. (I used to have a half-tablespoon measuring spoon but it got lost while moving recently)
★★★★★
Could the bites be stuffed?
I’m sure they could, no problem. Let us know what you try.
I made them today and my husband proclaimed them delicious! I plan to make these foe an upcoming party. I was wondering if they could be frozen after parboiling. Making ahead would help the party prep. If freezing after water bath isn’t a great idea, I plan to bake for a few minutes, freeze and then toss in oven or air fryer that day. Have you frozen after parboiling?
Hi Pat, here are the freezing directions for this recipe: 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.
Yes, I saw the freezing instructions. But as with most most baked products, fresh baked is best. Hence my questions about freezing after parboiling rather than after baking. Thank you.
I’m going to make these in the near future but I have a question. Is it OK to use salted butter instead of unsalted when making the dough?
Hi Debbie! Yes, that will be fine here.
Hi Sally,
First of all I want to give this recipe a 1000 stars!!! SO GOOD!!!
Second, I have a question to ask you. This year for high school I have a entrepreneur project for economic class and we have to start our own businesses( selling small desserts) I was wondering if you happen to know of a recipe that would work for this kind of project? Your website is my favorite! Thanks
★★★★★
Hi Raliee, we’re so glad you enjoyed these pretzel bites! Cookies are usually a great choice for bake sales and projects like you mention. Let us know what you decide to try!
These pretzels are super easy to make and a household favorite. Cinnamon sugar is our favorite. Better than Auntie Anne’s and Wetzel Pretzel! Thank you for sharing this recipe Sally!
★★★★★
These are amazing! We always devour them!!! I’m planning on making a few batches to freeze and then enjoy as night time snacks when I’m post partum hungry after baby comes in 1.5 weeks! They freeze so well. Pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm/crisp up and they taste just as good as fresh without the mess lol! Dipping them in nacho cheese sauce is our favourite!
★★★★★
Great instructions and easy to follow! The Pretzel bites were delicious.
Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
This recipe is a total winner. It is written really well with good instruction – I followed it almost exactly, the only difference being I did use the egg wash before putting on the salt/popping in the oven. The bites turned out incredible. Perfect pretzel brown colour, texture and taste. I brought them to a potluck with the cheese sauce (recipe listed here) and they were a huge hit.
I did end up using the high end of the flour measurement as listed (measuring in grams with a kitchen scale, not using dry measuring cups). The dough was quite sticky at first, even using a stand mixer. It was also pretty forgiving though, as I was pretty clumsy in rolling out the ropes (probably over-kneaded), but the texture of the bread still came out perfect.
For the water/baking soda bath, I left the bites in at the longer end of the time estimate, I preferred them quite dark in colour (like a deep brown mall or ballpark pretzel).
I then used an egg wash mix of one egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Brushed it over the bites after they came out of the water bath, sprinkled coarse kosher salt on top (enough to cover the surface area), then put them in the oven.
I used a gas oven and cooked them at the suggested temperature for 13 minutes.
Awesome recipe.
★★★★★
This recipe is AMAZING! We went to the mall the other day and my kiddos got some pretzel bites and after that, I was on a mission to make even better ones for them. These were exactly what i was looking for. We made half of them salted and half of them with sugar & cinnamon. We loved both! They were beautifully browned and chewy!
★★★★★
These were surprisingly easy to make and really delicious. These were so good, had to say thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
This was a fun recipe and they turned out great! This will be a go-to in the future for sure. I also made Sally’s beer cheese dip, highly recommend it!
★★★★★
The recipe calls for 3-4 cups of flour but the instructions only mention 3 1/4 cups. Please clarify
Hi Jamie, First you add 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. If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Hope that helps!
If i am doubling this recipe, will i need to double the baking soda bath?
Hi Aveline, For best taste and texture, we highly recommend making separate batches of dough rather than doubling the recipe.
Perfect! These were really easy to make and came out really well. The only problem was that after my family sampled them all we didn’t have enough left over for the party we were planning and had to make another batch. Good problem to have for a recipe!
★★★★★
Made these for a party and they were gone within minutes. Bought some fancy mustard (dill pickle mustard, stout mustard and pale ale mustard) to dip but honestly they are so yummy you don’t even need to dip them into anything.
★★★★★
Thanks Sally! Love this recipe! Tried it for the first time and it turned out perfectly. Made the spicy nacho cheese sauce and we love it too! When we find recipes we like, we call them company worthy, and this one is definitely company worthy! I will be making this for friends to enjoy! Thanks again for the great recipes!
★★★★★
I’ve made these a bunch of times. Absolute hit in my house. We no longer buy pretzels from Auntie Anne’s we make them from scratch and devour them the same day!!!
★★★★★
These pretzel bites were delicious! However after spending the night in a ziploc bag, the texture got tougher and the sugar on the cinnamon sugar ones melted and made a sticky mess. Do you have any further recommdations for storage? I’d like to make these for a gathering and bring them in little cellophane bags, but I’m not sure how well they would last? Thanks!
Hi Sam! Cinnamon sugar pretzels are best served that day because due to the melted butter topping, they become soggy after a few hours. If you’re making them for a gathering, we’d recommend doing plain or salted pretzels instead — they will lose a little softness over time but to reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes. Hope this helps!
Just made these. Amazingly easy with my dough hook. But watch flour. I only used 3 1/4 cups total (bread flour). Made some with salt, some with garlic mix, and best with cinnamon sugar.
★★★★
They were so pretty easy my eleven year old made them they were so good
★★★★★
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Just made it for my kids for breakfast in school.
Each one with their own topping.
★★★★★
I am SO bummed! My yeast expired 2 months ago, but I tried it anyway. 2 packets later, still no foam!
I will try again with new yeast later in the week. But meanwhile, no pretzel bites for the party tonite!
So good. My son and I have made these twice. We also make the beer cheese sauce to dip them in. Thank you.
★★★★★
Just wanted to say that although you say don’t use whole wheat flour, I’ve been subbing some whole wheat for regular in other recipes and experimented with this one as well. I works well to sub one cup of the regular flour for whole wheat. I did not need the extra 1/4 cup of flour in the mixing stage. I used active dry yeast (not instant) and the egg wash. Turned out perfectly baked, super soft, and very yummy!
I love how detailed and how you explain everything in your recipes. It’s very helpful for beginner bakers like me.
I’d never made yeast baked goodies without a breadmaker so was a little nervous. Thankfully it came out not too bad. I think I’d need to put the dough in the water bath a bit longer as I couldn’t really get that bicarb taste. After rewatching the video again, I probably need to bake it longer too.
Another issue is, I can’t remember how many I ate while I covering other bites with cinnamon sugar. It doesn’t taste like a pretzel for now but more like cute tiny bread. Hopefully when I try again, it’ll be ok.
★★★★★