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.
Print
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
BEST pretzel recipe I’ve found in my 14 years of searching! I used the pretzel recipe exactly as printed, and have made these using both the baking soda bath and the lye bath methods.. both restults are delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
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!