Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read mydisclosure policy.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites-these little pretzel bites are fun to make at home and are great for parties and game day!

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (1)

Today, I am throwing it back. I am sharing the most popular recipe on our site, Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites.We shared this recipe on our blog in 2010 and it has been a HUGE hit. HUGE! Seven years later and it is still number one. Have you tried these soft pretzel bites? They areperfect forparties, snacking, and game day. We are making them for the big game on Sunday and I can’t wait.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (2)

We love making homemade pretzels, the big ones, but there is something extra fun and special about the bites. They are the perfect party food!The pretzels are soft, chewy, salty, and so good dipped in cheese sauce!

We get a lot of questions about the baking soda in the recipe. There is a ⅓ cup, yes a ⅓ cup, but the baking soda doesn’t go IN the pretzels. It is for boiling the pretzels in water. Make sure you add the baking soda VERY slowly because it will bubble up. We don’t want anyone to get burnt.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites are fun to make and fun to eat! Make them for your next party or game day! Your guests will have so much fun dipping and snacking! Enjoy!

Looking for more game day favorites? Check out our favorite recipes:

  • Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Smoky Bacon Chili
  • Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos
  • Garlic Knots
  • Mexican Layer Dip
  • Buffalo Chicken Nachos
  • Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges
  • BBQ Chicken Pizza
  • Slow Cooker Vegan Sweet Potato Chili
  • Queso Dip
  • Sweet and Salty Marshmallow Popcorn
  • Dad’s Spicy Chili

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (3)

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (4)

This is the original photo from 2010. New photos are by Sarah Fennel from Broma Bakery.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (6)

Vegetarian

Pretzel bites are fun to make and fun to eat!

4.65 from 509 votes

Print

Save Recipe

Review

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 18 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Ingredients

Soft Pretzels:

For the cheese sauce:

Instructions

  • For the Pretzels: Combine the 1 ½ cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

  • Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

  • Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

  • Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and carefully add the baking soda. It will boil over, so add slowly and be careful!

  • Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 ¼ to 4 ½ ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

  • Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce.

To make the cheese sauce:

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

*If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don't measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcal

Keywords homemade pretzels, pretzel bites, soft pretzels

Have you tried this recipe?

Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are pretzel bites made of? ›

Dough for Soft 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.

How do you get salt to stick to pretzel bites? ›

Lightly spray (mist) the tops of the pretzels with cool water from a distance of at least at least 18”. You don't want to soak the skin, just moisten it. LIGHTLY Sprinkle the Pretzel Salt provided to have a small amount on each pretzel. You can re-use any salt that falls off onto the sheetpan after your baking process.

How do you keep homemade pretzel bites fresh? ›

Let pretzel bites cool completely. Place them on a baking sheet so they are not touching and freeze until solid, about 1 hour (this flash freezing prevents them from sticking to each other). Place in a large freezer bag or smaller plastic bags for individual servings. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Is pizza dough and pretzel dough the same? ›

Pretzel doughs are typically made with 40 to 45% dough absorption, while pizza doughs are typically made with around 55% dough absorption. Dough absorption is the amount of water added to the dough expressed as a percentage of the flour weight. Check out the RECIPE BANK for some dough formulas and procedures.

What is the secret ingredient which makes a pretzel taste like a pretzel? ›

But it's the distinctive "pretzel" flavor that makes this bread extraordinary. That comes from dipping the shaped dough in an alkaline solution — traditionally a small amount of food-grade lye dissolved in water — before baking.

Are soft pretzel bites healthy? ›

Soft pretzels and flavored pretzels are usually higher in calories, salt, sugar, and fat than hard pretzels, so you may want to limit your intake of those varieties.

What is the best salt for homemade soft pretzels? ›

Ideally, you would use pretzel salt when making pretzels. But this type of salt is not always easy to find in the store. That's why many people turn to kosher salt instead. And indeed, these two types of salt have a lot in common.

What kind of salt is used on soft pretzels? ›

WHITE PRETZEL COARSE SALT. An intensely white and clean salt that provides visual and textural appeal to soft pretzels, breadsticks and other topical applications as well as seasonings and rubs.

What can I use instead of pretzel salt? ›

Substitute another coarse salt if you can't locate it, but stay away from fine table salt — the fine grain can melt into the pretzel as it bakes, and you won't get the same wonderful “crunch” you get with coarse salt. You can also try one or a combination of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, poppy and sesame.

How do you keep soft pretzel bites warm for a party? ›

Simply wrap all the pretzel bites tightly in foil, sealing the edges together, then place in your oven on “keep warm,” or 170F.

Can you buy premade pretzel dough? ›

It's easy to make fresh baked pretzels with Baker Boy's 5 oz. Pretzel Dough. The 8.5” frozen dough pieces can be thawed, rolled and formed to create any shape of pretzel.

How do you keep soft pretzels soft overnight? ›

Individually Wrapped: Wrap each pretzel in plastic wrap to protect against dry air. Room Temperature for Short-Term: Store them in an airtight container at room temperature if enjoying within a couple of days. Refrigerate for a Little Longer: Wrapped pretzels can be refrigerated for up to a week.

What makes pretzel dough taste different? ›

They're Boiled, Not Baked.

The dough is first shaped into a long rope and then boiled in water before being baked at a higher temperature than bread. This process creates a distinctive pretzel shape and gives them their unique taste.

What does baking soda do to pretzels? ›

Like lye, baking soda is an alkaline substance, and when mixed with water and brushed over the pretzel dough, it changes the pH of the dough and gelates the surface starch. In the oven, the starch gel hardens and the alkaline baking soda makes browning happen fast.

Do you have to boil pretzels before baking? ›

Like bagels, pretzels are made in boiling water prior to baking to give them their snappy outsides and chewy insides (messy!). Soft pretzels must be boiled, or dipped in a baking soda bath (or lye if you're gusty and strict with your pretzel traditions). THEN, they can be baked.

Are pretzel chips baked or fried? ›

These thin, crunchy pretzel chips give you the best part of traditional pretzels without the doughy center. They're perfectly salted and baked just right for a satisfying crunch in a slim shape. Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps are made with quality ingredients and are Non-GMO Project Verified.

How fattening are pretzel bites? ›

Super Pretzel Soft Pretzel Bites (5 bites) contains 31g total carbs, 30g net carbs, 0.5g fat, 4g protein, and 140 calories.

Is Auntie Anne's real pretzels? ›

Yes, "Auntie Anne" Beiler founded Auntie Anne's in 1988. She and her husband, Jonas, opened a farmers market stand that originally sold many different snacks, including pretzels and her Old-Fashioned Lemonade. After a little experimentation, the dough our company uses for all of our fresh pretzels was born.

Are Auntie Anne's pretzel dogs beef or pork? ›

Pretzel Dog Packages

Our classic Auntie Anne's Pretzel dough wrapped around a Nathan's Famous®, all beef hot dog.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kerri Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6184

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kerri Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1992-10-31

Address: Suite 878 3699 Chantelle Roads, Colebury, NC 68599

Phone: +6111989609516

Job: Chief Farming Manager

Hobby: Mycology, Stone skipping, Dowsing, Whittling, Taxidermy, Sand art, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.