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 originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips. This recipe previously called for an egg wash before topping with salt, but that step is now optional as the pretzels can be salted while they are still wet from the boiling step. The written recipe below reflects that small change.
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!
One reader, Ali, commented: “Made these for the Super Bowl. I was nervous because I have very little experience with yeast and my last attempt at a yeast recipe turned out terribly. Much to my relief, these were so easy and turned out DELICIOUS! I will absolutely be making them again. I especially loved how short the rise time was… no need to start the process the night before or even hours before. Thank you! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Connie, commented: “So easy and delicious! I put off making these because I thought they would be more involved, but they were so simple! I made half with salt and half with cinnamon sugar, and these will be on all my party menus! ★★★★★”
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, soft 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. Review my How to Knead Dough video tutorial if needed before starting the next step.
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!
Make-Ahead Tip
If you are making pretzel bites 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 pretzel bites in an airtight container or bag, it doesn’t take long before you’ll notice water droplets forming inside and the pretzel bites become soggy and wrinkled. Yuck!
If you won’t be serving the pretzel bites 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 pretzel bites 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 minutes, or until warmed through.
Same goes for freezing homemade soft pretzel bites: wait to top with salt until you’re ready to serve them. Cool the unsalted baked pretzel bites completely, then freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen pretzel bites (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
More Appetizers & Snacks
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- Garlic & Bacon Spinach Dip
- Sweet Potato Skins
- Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces
- Crab Dip
- Homemade Artisan Crackers
- Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Stuffed Jalapeños
- Honey BBQ Popcorn Chicken
- Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
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 (360g/ml) warm water (lukewarm; 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 cooled
- 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 (2.1L) 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 and a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.) 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 (30g) 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 switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full 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.
- 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 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: If planning to freeze baked pretzel bites, 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 pretzel bites (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes or until warmed through, or microwave frozen pretzel bites 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 pretzel bites while still cold, but allow some extra time, about 1 hour, for the pretzel bites to puff up before continuing with 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 | Coarse Salt
- 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 7. 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 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.
- 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’ve made this recipe several times and every time it’s a hit. I even made a low sodium version by omitting the salt in the dough, skipping the salt sprinkled on the outside and reducing the backing soda by 1/2 in the baking soda bath and they STILL come out perfect and delicious!! We love dipping them in a honey mustard. Our neighbors also loved them.
What a great recipe! I have been thinking about these for ages. Going back to work after a long time off and I’m one of the ‘treat’ makers in the department. I think they will love these! I made a double batch. just an FYI for anyone else, make sure you have time to get through the soda bath, before say dinner interrupts you! My second batch was over proofed and wildly mis shaped! But still tasty! Thanks for yet another winner Sally!
Hi, I want to make these but I was wondering if there was a difference between using brown sugar or granulated sugar and regular flour and bread flower, since your recipe and notes say you can use either – I just want to know which ones would ultimately be better to use?
Hi Vanessa! We usually use all-purpose flour here. The sugar is such a small amount, it really doesn’t matter.
Okay, thanks a bunch 🙂
Youre recipes are always so good.
Thank you, Sophia!
I have never tasted a better pretzel hid recipe. It was by far the best soft pretzel recipe ever! Took me less than 2 hours start to finish. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!!!
Hey Sally, how far in advance can these be made/stored? I’d like to make it for a work event but I’m nervous about them going stale overnight. TIA!
Hi Coral, These will be good 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.
Can I premake the dough and leave it in the fridge until I want to make them?
Hi J, The prepared pretzel dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months.
Made these for a memorial day party and they practically flew off the tray. Guests said they were the best pretzels they ever had!
Usually when I follow your recipes they come out so good. This time. Not so much they came out white almost bread like instead of the fluffy brown pretzel it should have been
Hello Sally!
I plan on serving these at a party tonight. My plan is to do all the steps until they’re boiled and follow your note that the boiled bites can be refrigerated until being ready to be baked.
Do I need to let them come back to room temperature before I bake them or can they be baked straight from the fridge?
Hi Fleur, you can bake the soft pretzel bites directly from the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Hey Sally, do you perhaps have a version of this recipe that uses lye instead of baking soda? Trying to make it a bit more pretzel tasting. Thanks, Ben 🙂
Hi Ben! We haven’t tested these pretzel bites with lye. Let us know if you do!
I’m excited to try this recipe! Is there a way to make it gluten free using bob mills flour
Hi Esther, we haven’t tested that substitution, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give it a try!
Needed something to take to a house warming party. These pretzels make the perfect finger food. The recipe is very easy to follow, and the pretzels turned out just like the picture. A first for me, and more importantly they taste great! Thank you for such easy to follow recipe.
These were perfect!!! I had to bake for at least 20-25 mins, but the flavor is on point.
My first time making any kind of pretzels, even after baking Bread for nearly 50 years
Today was the day for your recipe for Pretzel Bites. I Loved These
So easy and so delish.
I could have eaten the whole tray
Thank you for this Fabulous recipe
I just made these. I made one piece a full pretzel and they all came out great! I have never made pretzels before. My son LOVES pretzels so I decided to try to make them myself and they were a success! I have no need for store bought now!
My family devoured the pretzels! I made 1/2 with cinnamon and 1/2 with salt. Our pickiest eater even commented that they were better than his favorite mall pretzels! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Yum! We made this today for lunch with wings. Everyone devoured them. Followed the recipe exactly. First time we ever made pretzel dough. This one’s a keeper. We made the beer cheese sauce also. Also delicious.
Are your recipies made for high altitude baking?
Hi Lori, unfortunately, our team has no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
These were delicious! I’m a teacher and it’s my week to bring snacks to our weekly team meeting, they were an instant hit! They totally hit the spot and are perfect for sharing!
The absolute best soft pretzel recipe!
Attending a Bach celebration tomorrow and goodies were requested. What to make to celebrate a German composer? Decided on soft pretzels and beer-cheese dip. I make the best cheese dip but never made pretzels before. Found your recipe and eh voila – I made pretzel bites! Thank you for all compliments I receive tomorrow!
Just realized why my beer cheese-dip is the best – it’s YOUR recipe!
This recipe is super easy and delicious!
Definitely will be back for more delicious recipes
These are delicious! And they were super easy to make. I was so surprised! Maybe I’ll try bagels next. Mine were a little too salty. I think next time I’ll try just using 1/4 cup of baking soda.
Wow! I can’t get over how good these are! I’ve tried making pretzels before and they’ve never turned out well. These are restaurant quality for sure.
Best soft pretzels ever. Thanks
I loved this recipe! Super easy to do and can supplement gluten free flour instead of regular flour 1 for 1!
I love so many of your recipes! You are always my first stop when looking for any type of baking idea! I recently used your pretzel recipe and turned them into pretzel snakes for my Indiana Jones movie night! They were a huge hit with my kids, and I just shared a link to your recipe on my movie night blog here: https://magpietayleetot.com/blogs/magpietayleetot-crafts-parties-and-more/indiana-jones-family-movie-night
These pretzel
Bites were delish! Easy recipe! Soft and tender pretzels. I made the cinnamon sugar and the salt my family loved both. Thank you for this great recipe!
Thinking of making them with my students in the classroom but don’t have a mixer. Any tips for mixing by hand?
Hi Bee, If you do not have a mixer just use a regular large mixing bowl for the first step. You can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface. Hope your students enjoy these!
These are so good! I don’t have a stand mixer, so I just stirred it well in the bowl and then kneaded it for two minutes on a mat. We ate them warm right out of the oven with some beer cheese and some honey mustard. I’m definitely keeping this recipe.
This was such an easy way to make a great snack!
I have never made a pretzel in my life and these came out perfect! My husband who is a huge pretzel lover said they are better than the movie theater bites which made me very happy! I was so happy that they really taste like a pretzel thanks to the baking soda bath. I used all the flour, let my dough rise for 30 mins and I did 10 seconds or less on the bath. The only substitution I made was I used earth balance dairy free butter which has salt so I used 1/2 tsp salt instead of the full tsp! Ones shocked how easy the dough was to work with! (I used a stand mixer)