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
Hey! I followed your recipe to a T (except I hand-mixed and hand-kneaded the dough) and ended up with extremely sticky dough, impossible to work with. I ended up having to add more flour and let it rest for ~30 minutes before being able to work with it. It also was not super stretchy and the pretzels ended up coming out as big blobs even though I shaped them. What did I do wrong?
Hi CRS, there are quite a few factors that can do into the consistency of dough, down to even the weather and humidity in the air. If you wish to try these again, there’s nothing wrong with adding a bit more flour to help the dough come together into a workable consistency. If the dough seemed to lack elasticity, it’s possible it was over-kneaded a bit. That can cause the dough to become tough and dense. Thank you for giving these a try!
I need to make about 100-120 soft pretzels for a wedding cocktail hour. Any tips on making that many? Can the recipe be doubled, or is it better to make ten separate batches? Can they be made a few days in advance without sacrificing flavor and texture, and if so what is the best way to store them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I’m the mother of the bride so the less I have to do the day of, the better!
Hi Ann, for best results, we recommend making separate batches. See recipe Notes for make ahead instructions. We hope they’re a hit!
We love this recipe, this is the second time I made these. I can’t figure out how to get the pretzel shape and instead cut them into pretzel bits and my family enjoys the pretzel bits. I also made a mustard dip and they taste excellent with or without the dip. The recipe makes a lot of pretzel bits and I will be making them again soon since they were gone so quickly. Thank you!
Turned out like store bought ones, family adores them! Thank you
This recipe turned into the biggest disaster with super sticky dough! Also, I had to lengthen my cooking time as after 15 minutes they were still raw.. cooked for around 30min only for a terrible consistency inside, doughy. Oh well!
Hi Stephanie, there are quite a few factors that can do into the consistency of dough, down to even the weather and humidity in the air. If you wish to try these again, there’s nothing wrong with adding a bit more flour to help the dough come together into a workable consistency. Thanks for giving these a try!
Can I put the frozen, shaped pretzels right into the baking soda bath? If not is there a particular reason?
Hi Lexine, yes, you can place the shaped, frozen pretzels right into the baking soda bath.
these were delish & so easy!!! can’t wait to make again- however my pretzels came out a bit dense as oppose to airy & fluffy- what did i do wrong??
Hi Shayne, soft pretzels are supposed to be pretty dense, it doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong! Did yours look like the photos?
Great recipe, very tasty! We had to put it a lot more flour than the recipe stated to get the dough to a kneedable state. Is there any reason why we would need to do this? Thanks!
Hi Charlie, there are quite a few different factors that can go into the consistency of dough, even down to the temperature and humidity in your kitchen. Not a problem to add a bit more flour as needed to bring it to a kneadable consistency. We’re glad they were a hit!
I loved it. It was easy to make and shape. I will definitely make it again.
I love all of your recipes! This pretzel recipe was soo good, In one day my children and husband (who doesn’t really like pretzels) ate the whole batch! Thank you so much for providing families and individuals with delicious recipes, because we all know if it is on your website it must be amazing.
These were great! I seasoned half recipe w/ salt and the other half with cinnamon and sugar. I preferred the salt one better. My granddaughter asked “where’s the cheese sauce” Ok. Next time! I have to work on the shaping as mine looks more like buns but still were yummy!
Thanks for the recipe!
This was AMAZING. I followed it exactly and it came out perfectly, as good as any pretzel I’ve ever eaten!!!
Such a delicious and EASY recipe!
I have made this so many times and everytime, they never last. My family devours them. Also made pretzels dogs using this recipe. Such a hit! Just wrapped the pretzel dough around a hot dog (cheddar dogs, even better!) and then dipped in baking soda bath and baked. Sally’s is my go to site for recipes and this one did not disappoint. Thanks for sharing!!
Came out perfect at 7900 ft high altitude without changing anything. Super soft & crispy shell outside. Delicious
Love all your recipes. You are my baking go to guru!!!
Any suggestions on how to alter the recipe if I use less dough per pretzel to make smaller pretzels? Any alterations in soda water bath timing? Bake time would obviously be less.
Hi Sherry, you can slightly shorten the baking soda bath (depending on how small you make them—we only do about 10-15 seconds for these pretzel bites) and yes, you’ll want to shorten the bake time as well. Hope you enjoy the pretzels!
These are perfect. I’ve made so many different flavors. Sea salt, garlic salt, sesame seasoning, pizza chesse and next I’m going to try drizzled choc with a dash of sea salt. All of your recipes are amazing. You are definitely my go to site for recipes. Thanks for all you do
What can be used in place of the baking soda for the bath?
Hi SD, if you don’t have baking soda, you can skip the bath but the pretzels will lose their signature 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.
This is a delicious recipe! My comment for future recipes is to put the oven degrees. “Hot oven” could mean anything to me.
Maybe you didn’t “jump to the recipe “. The actual recipe tells you the ingredients and method, including the oven temperature.
The best pretzel ever. Can the dough be doubled? I’ve bought the frozen ones for years. Never again. I make at least one to two dozen a week. My husband Mark and I like those be
Hi Mary Lee, for best results, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling.
Love this recipe! I will definitely try it again.
My first three came out exactly as pictured, but for my later batches, the pretzels stretched when I tried to move them from the counter to the baking soda bath and then didn’t rise as much. Still tasty.
I’m wondering if they stretched from sitting out in the warm kitchen too long. And if they didn’t rise b/c they were so stretched or because I rolled them out a little more aggressively than the first batch.
Hi, I’m wondering if I can use this recipe, but make the pretzels half size?(for a total of 24 pretzels) Making them for my child’s first birthday party and don’t need them to be too big 🙂
Hi Kate, You can make smaller pretzels if you wish. We are unsure of the exact bake time you will need but keep your eye on them and bake until golden brown.
These were top-notch! The flavor and texture far exceeded my expectations. his is the fourth recipe of yours that I’ve tried, and each one was easy to follow with results that had people’s mouths watering in anticipation for second and third helpings. I’ll need to double this recipe next time to keep up with demand…thank you!
These pretzels were so good and I can’t wait to make them again. Delicious!
The pretzels were delicious and soft. The best I’ve ever had. Will be making these each weekend.
This recipe turned out perfect for me. I followed all the instructions as mentioned in the recipe and it turned into soft chewy delicious pretzels! This is going into my family recipe book 😉
I LOVE THIS RECIPE; THIS IS THE PERFECT SAVORY SNACK. I MADE THESE AS A WAY TO CALM DOWN AFTER SCHOOL AND THE TWO HOURS OF WORK WAS TOTALLY WORK EVERY BITE.
Is the dough supposed to double or rise?
Hi Milly, the dough won’t double but just slightly rise.
I have made this recipe before and they didn’t last an afternoon. I was wondering if I wanted to make pretzel bites I would use the same recipe but just not do the twisting part. Would it still work?
Hi Lydia, yes, here is our pretzel bites method!
I loved this recipe so much! It was so delicious and easy. I did both a normal salted pretzel and a cinnamon and sugar one. The baking soda water definitely was the way to go. The whole family loved them.
Can I use whole wheat flour in this recipe? I am afraid to substitute but I also am trying to increase the fiber in our diets. Thank you!
Hi Laura, we wouldn’t swap for all whole wheat flour. You could try swapping half of the flour for whole wheat flour, but the pretzels still may taste a bit heavy and dense.
Could I use oat flour?
Hi Marie, We would stick with all purpose flour for best results, it would take some testing to use a flour with different baking properties.
I loved this recipe! The pretzels were a big hit at a get together I attended. I had issues getting to dough to roll out to over 20 inches. I ended up with pretzel buns more or less. Do you have any to get the dough to roll out?
Hi AH, if you find the dough is shrinking back, stop and cover it with a clean towel and allow it to rest for a few minutes. This will relax the gluten and they should roll out much easier after that. So glad you enjoyed the pretzels!