Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
Updated October 13, 2019
Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites-these little pretzel bites are fun to make at home and are great for parties and game day!
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 are perfect for parties, snacking, and game day. We are making them for the big game on Sunday and I can’t wait.
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
This is the original photo from 2010. New photos are by Sarah Fennel from Broma Bakery.
Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (I love my KitchenAid)
- Cooling Rack (these Goldtouch ones are so pretty!)
Ingredients
Soft Pretzels:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 3 ounces unsalted butter melted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 ½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil
- 3 quarts water
- 1/3 cup baking soda for boiling the pretzels
- 1 whole egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
- Coarse sea salt
For the cheese sauce:
- ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
- 8 ounces Cheddar cheese grated
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
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Soooo good, easy after trying once. Tastes exactly like pretzels and after never trying anything like this, I was excited… yum!!
How many preztle bites does this recipe make? I didn’t see where it said how many are in a serving. Thanks!
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces
Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape
Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites.
Should be a total of 176 bites (8×22)
It makes 10 servings!
LOVE these so much! Best ever! Makes a lot.
Can I make these a day ahead? Will they stay fresh in an air tight container?
Can you freeze these after they are baked?
Can you cut into bites and freeze before cooking.
good toast!
OMG!! So freaking good, thank you so much for sharing. This goes in our must do finger food night box!!
Loving them in Minnesota
These are incredible!! Made them during the holidays and was asked to share the recipe because everyone LOVED them! Will definitely be making these again – Thank you!
How much vegetable Oil does it call for
I made these for our New Year Party and OMG! These were a huge hit! They are so good.
I actually did them in am air fryer. 390* for 6 minutes. Flip at 3 minutes.
This makes such a large quantity. Can they be frozen and baked as needed?
yes!
First time ever making pretzels and they turned out pretty good! I was a little worried because they didn’t take very long to come together when I used my mixer, so I assumed I did something wrong! But they turned out great.
Made according to directions but the bites stuck to the pan. I tried greasing and still stuck
Might use parchment paper next time.
I had this problem I now use parchment and spray. You can also try not leaving in baking soda solution a little less
Just double checking that the butter is 3 oz, so 6 Tbsp of butter?
Yes!
sup im a minor and i looking to talk to you about pressing some dough
Could the dough be made in a bread machine?
I was too impatient to find my brown sugar, but regular worked just fine. My pretzels turned out amazing! I ended up balling them up because I don’t have much counter space and it still worked out compared to the original instructions. Success!
Glad you loved them!
Can you provide mixing directions for those of us who don’t have dough hooks, i.e., how long to mix, how long to knead?
I made these tonight and the whole family loved them! Used parchment paper so they didn’t stick. Will definitely make more than one batch next time!
Maria, I love everything on your website and this recipe is no exception! I was intimidated since I’ve had issues with rising dough recipes personally. But this was amazingly easy, turned out beautifully and tasted even better!
Just made these and they turned out perfect. Followed the recipe exactly except used oat milk instead of an egg wash (didn’t have any eggs) and they were great. Will for sure make again.
just made your pretzel recipe dough rising, looking at comments I realized I put 3 tablespoons instead of 3 oz butter hope they come out ok
Can they be frozen? and at what stage in the recipe. Thank you
Sounds like a great recipe. Too bad you don’t reply to the quests that have been asked if you on this board. I’ve had the exact thoughts as your other readers, therefore, I don’t think I’ll care to try your recipe at all. Interesting read though.
Nah she’s just ignoring whiny jerks like yourself lol
Made these this past weekend, testing the recipe in hopes of making them for an upcoming afternoon Christmas party. They turned out great but were really chewy the next day. Can I make them a day ahead up to the point of baking and do that step the day of the party?
Hi,
I don’t have a dough hook for my mixer. Can I use the beaters?
Sure!
Made these and it was fun! Will save the recipe and make again.
I added everything bagel seasoning to some and used Icelandic lava salt too!! (I brought the Lava salt back with me when we went to Iceland).
Nice!
I was so nervous to try this recipe (yeast and I have not always worked well together) but this was SO EASY! They taste great too! This will be a new tradition at New Year and for the Super Bowl. Thanks!
This recipe is a keeper! Soooo good. My kids and I absolutely loved it.
Thank you
Can these be made earlier in the day ? I always want to make these but seem time consuming at the last minute.
I agree, have never tried making something like this. Came out awesome!
Have made this recipe a few times and everyone loves them. It takes some planning, but very easy. Since it’s a big batch, we bake and freeze them on a sheet pan and then put in a bag for storage. If you take them out a few hours before you want them, they defrost great. No need to reheat.
Does anyone have the macros for this recipe?
Can you make the dough ahead of time, freeze it, and then pull it out and bake it? If you can, would you freeze them before the baking soda bath or after, and is there anything else that would change?
Hi, I’m making a food column for my school. I’m writing about pretzels and I was wondering, how did you start making pretzels? — I didnt use your recipe but I’m looking foward to trying it soon!
Could I omit the egg for an egg allergy?
I haven’t tried it. Maybe try a flax egg?
Wow these are excellent. I was a bit leary to make to bring to a party, but gave it a go. I must say that I thought they were time consuming to make. Now that I have made them once, the procedure will go much quicker. I had to go step by step which were very well explained. Everyone loved them and couldn’t believe I made, since most people bring the premade tray bought at the store. I will make over and over now that I have it down. I do not have a bread mixer, so I kneaded the dough by hand. Very easy to work.
So glad you loved them!
Can I use whole wheat flour with this recipe and if so what adjustments would I need to make?
Thanks
Sure, the pretzels will have a slightly different texture and flavor, but if you like whole wheat flour it should be fine.
can you use a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer? Won’t have a bread attachment.
Yes, that should be fine. Knead by hand too!
Can these be made the day before?
They are best fresh, but yes!
I’m curious if you’ve ever tried an overnight rise in the fridge? I’d like to try them for tomorrow but let the dough rise overnight.
I have been looking for this recipe ‘forever’!!! So happy I found it. So delicious!
Glad you love the pretzel bites!
I’d love to try these, but can you tell me at what stage could I freeze them? Or tips for make ahead? Do I bake as I need them?
Has anyone tried GF flour?