Skip the freezer aisle and whip up a warm batch of Easy Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites with a tried-and-tested recipe that yields perfectly chewy, pillowy soft nuggets.
This right here is the Soft Pretzel Bites recipe of all soft pretzel bite recipes. It is the king. The master. The OG. The champion. You get the idea. If you want perfect homemade pretzel nuggets, then I am so glad you have found your way here!
Now before you read the word “yeast” in this recipe and go running for the hills (or perhaps your local grocery store’s freezer aisle), allow me to calm any fears or previous frustrations when it comes to this sometimes tricky ingredient.
This recipe is fool-proof. I repeat: Anyone and everyone can make soft pretzel bites. There is no fancy twisting. There is no hard-to-pronounce chemical bath to get that glossy brown exterior. There is no kneading by hand.
There are just some good ol’ pantry items and a few simple tricks to whipping up the easiest homemade soft pretzel bites to ever hit your lips. Your biggest dilemma, in fact, will be whether you dunk these bites in mustard or cheese sauce. And that is one predicament I’d be happy to find myself in.
Why Do You Boil Soft Pretzels in Baking Soda?
I am so glad you asked! You may be tempted to skip this step, but truth be told, a soft pretzel isn’t a soft pretzel without it.
The baking soda takes the place of lye, a very strong alkali that commercial pretzels (as in, manufactured in a factory or fancy bakery) are dunked in. I prefer to steer clear of having to sport gloves and/or goggles with home baking, and luckily, baking soda is a much milder and more readily found alternative that still does the job of delivering that deep-golden color and characteristic chewiness.
Can You Freeze Pretzel Bites?
Yes indeed you can! That is, if you have any leftover. The best way to send these nuggets into a deep-chill is to bake them sans salt, let them cool completely, and then arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer. Once the nuggets are frozen solid, you can then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag and stash them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How to Reheat Frozen Pretzels
Line up your frozen (previously baked) nuggets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pop them into a 300°F oven until they’re warmed through, 12 to 15 minutes.
How to Make Cinnamon-Sugar Soft Pretzels
For all of those on Team Sweet, I’ve got just the soft pretzel coating for you. Skip the salt and instead, bathe these golden brown beauties in a bowl of melted butter after they come out of the oven and then toss them in a sealable bag of cinnamon-sugar. You are welcome!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm (110-115°F) water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for topping
- 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Vegetable oil
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, sugar and kosher salt. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and butter to the bowl and mix on low until the ingredients are combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough until it is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 3 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl. Clean the bowl, grease it with vegetable oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, dark place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and position the oven racks in the middle two positions in your oven.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper then lightly oil the paper.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot, stir together the 10 cups of water and the baking soda then bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Turn the dough onto your work surface and divide it into 6 pieces. (Do not flour your work surface.)
- Roll each piece into a rope roughly 1-inch in diameter then cut each rope into 1-inch pieces to form the pretzel bites.
- In batches, add the bites to the boiling baking soda mixture for 30 seconds then use a slotted spoon to remove them onto the oiled baking sheets.
- Brush the bites with the egg wash and sprinkle them with kosher salt.
- Bake the bites until golden brown in color, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans (between racks and turning to rotate pans) halfway through.
- Remove the soft pretzel bites from the oven and serve.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.
Love, Love your easy recipes! So many ideas!! My Hubby is a picky eater, but he has liked almost everything.
I’m so thrilled you and your husband have been enjoying Just a Taste, Sue!
Question – can you make these the day before?
Hi Felicia! These pretzel bites are definitely best when enjoyed on the day they’re baked. If you really need to make them in advance, I’d make them one day before you want to serve them and store them in sealed plastic bags, but keep an eye on the moisture and open the bags every now and then if they look like they’re getting too soft. :)
They looked good and the cosistency was good , but all we could taste was baking soda.
Hi Cyndi – It could be that you boiled the bites too long. If you boil them longer than 30 seconds your pretzels will have a metallic taste.
They stuck terribly to the parchment paper. Otherwise they tasted delicious. I’d make again but skip that part.
Hi Gregory – I’m sorry yours stuck to the parchment paper. Did you let them cool on the baking sheet? If so, they should pop right off.
Gerry F
Love ❤️ the recipe, so easy and my grandson Jaxon loves making them as !!
I’m so happy to read this, Gerry!
Totally amazing and my son loved to help! Thank you, will definitely check out your other recipes!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you and your son enjoyed making (and eating!) the pretzel bites. :)
My family and guests devoured these. Making them again for a second weekend in a row!
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you and your family (and guests!) have been enjoying the recipe, Karen!
I have instant yeast. Any chance I could use it?
Thanks!
Absolutely, Christine! You’ll just want to use about 25% less than the recipe states, and add it to the dry ingredients (no need to mix it at the beginning with the wet).
Great recipe! These turned out perfect for the super bowl 2023.
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Jenna!
Can you get to step #12 and wait a while to bake? So they will be warm for a party?
Hi Nancy! It depends on how long you’ll wait to bake them, as they’ll continue to rise/proof and you’ll risk over-proofing them!
Delicious, easy and a new family favorite!
I’m thrilled to read this, Lia!
Our Super Bowl party begins tomorrow (Friday) through Monday. My husband & I are in law enforcement and none of our friends work a M-F 9-5 job so we began prep yesterday. So…
I don’t want to say I’m lazy in the kitchen…I prefer innovative.
Rather than making a dough, I used thawed bread dough from the grocery store. I just cannot tell you just how amazing they are! I was brave enough to use some of the bread dough for full size pretzels. Again, just fantastic.(I had no clue you had to boil pretzels. You learn something new every day!)
My husband is mixing your spinach artichoke dip now. He lightly spritzed olive oil on both sides of the wonton & they are perfect.
Thank You So Much! I’m so glad I found you!
Love this, Laryssa! As a mom of four little ones, I’m all about using store-bought shortcuts in the kitchen when I don’t have the time to make something from scratch. I’m so thrilled you are enjoying Just a Taste!
Best recipe for pretzel bites! I’ve made these consistently for over a year now and by far the most requested by family and friends. Prefect directions! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Woohoo! You are so welcome, Ingrid! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe :)
Absolutely the best ones I’ve made.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Sondra!
i had to make something for a school project in a cooking class and i made these. we had to add a twist so i filled mine with cinnamon sugar before boiling and didn’t add salt on top. they were do good and soft and golden!! i’ll be using this recipe in the future
Love this! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Madi!
AMAZING!!! the fam loved them and they were so easy to make!!
I’m so happy to read this, Corinne!
These were so easy to make! I’ve already made them twice this week!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Missy!
I dont have a stand mixer but i still would love to make this.
You can mix the dough by hand, Ruthanne! It should work out without any issues (although the texture might be slightly different), you’ll just want to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
Excited to try this! Can I use rapid yeast? I already have some, and it would be great if I could use that up since I don’t make yeast recipes often at all. Thanks in advance!
Hi Tina – Yes! You’d just want to use about 25% less than the recipe states, and you just add it to the dry ingredients (no need to mix it at the beginning with the wet).