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These buttery soft pretzel bites are quick and easy to make, customizable with your favorite seasonings, and irresistibly delicious — especially with some hot cheese dip or mustard!
After showing you yesterday how to make my favorite homemade buttery soft pretzels, today I wanted to pop back in with a quick tutorial on how to make soft pretzel bites!
Because as much as I love traditionally-shaped pretzels, I have to say that these cute little pretzel bites are what I tend to make most often in my kitchen. I’m especially partial to these bite-sized shapes because (a) they’re just adorable and perfect for sharing (b) I love that they have more of that crispy golden crust in each bite, and (c) most importantly, they are perfect for dunking in all of your favorite dips!
As I mentioned yesterday, I also love this particular homemade pretzel recipe because it’s easy to make without a stand mixer in just around an hour or so. And bonus, you likely already have all of the ingredients ready to go in your kitchen. That said, feel free to get creative and play around with different toppings if you would like — I especially love making pretzel bites with everything bagel seasoning or some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top — but really, the sky’s the limit when it comes to possible toppings, seasonings, and accompanying dips. You do you. ♡
Ok, let’s make some pretzel bites!
Soft Pretzel Bites Ingredients
To make this homemade soft pretzel bites recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Milk (or water): I prefer to use cow’s milk as the base of this pretzel dough, which makes it extra tender and adds a subtle touch of sweetness. But if you prefer not to eat dairy, you are welcome to just use water instead.
Sugar: I used brown sugar, but white granulated sugar or coconut sugar would work too.
Coarse sea salt: Which we will use in the dough and also sprinkle on top. (Or you are welcome to sprinkle actual pretzel salt on top, if you prefer.)
Flour: I went traditional with this recipe and used regular all-purpose flour. But you could sub in white whole wheat flour if you would like to make these a touch more healthy.
Butter: Which we will use in the dough and also brush (extra) on top of the pretzel bites after baking.
Baking soda: Which we will add to a pot of boiling water to give the pretzel bites a quick dunk before baking.
Egg: And finally, you will need one egg, which we will whisk together with water to make a quick egg wash to brush on the dough before baking.
Detailed ingredient amounts and full instructions listed in the recipe below.
How To Make Soft Pretzel Bites
To make this soft pretzel bites recipe, simply…
Mix and knead the dough. Whisk together the warm milk, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Then sprinkle the yeast on top and wait about 5 minutes for it to get foamy and activate. Add the flour and melted butter. Then either use a wooden spoon to combine the dough, and knead it by hand for about 4 minutes until smooth. Or if you are using a stand mixer, use the dough hook to knead it for about 4 minutes until smooth.
Let the dough rise. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled.
Prepare the boiling water solution. Combine the water and baking soda in a stockpot or very large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Form the pretzel bites. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into an even 3/4-inch rope. Use a knife to cut the rope into your desired size of pretzel bites (mine were each about 1-inch long).
Boil the pretzel bites. Very carefully, use a spatula or a large wire strainer to transfer the pretzel bites into the boiling water, about a dozen a time, for about 30 seconds per batch. Use the spatula to transfer the pretzel bites to the parchment-lined pan, and repeat with the remaining pretzel bites.
Add egg wash and salt. Finally, brush the top of each pretzel bite with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt (or pretzel salt).
Bake. Bake until the pretzel bites reach your desired level of golden brown color, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Serve warm. These pretzel bites taste best the day they have been baked, and even better hot out of the oven. So serve warm — brushed with extra melted butter if you would like — and enjoy!
Possible Variations
Want to customize your homemade pretzel bites? Feel free to…
This delicious homemade soft pretzel bites recipe is easy to make in about 1 hour with ingredients you likely already have on hand. See notes above for possible variations you can make too.
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115°F) milk*
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt*, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for brushing
9 cups water
1/2 cup baking soda
1 large egg (whisked with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
Mix the dough. Whisk together the warm milk, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Sprinkle the yeast on top, and wait 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Knead the dough. Add the flour and melted butter. Then either (a) use a spoon to mix everything in until combined, and then use your hands to knead the dough for about 4 minutes until it is smooth, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky or (b) if using a stand mixer, place the dough hook on the mixer and mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until the dough is smooth, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
Prepare the boiling water solution. Combine the water and baking soda in a stockpot or very large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Form the pretzel bites. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into even 3/4-inch wide ropes. Use a knife to cut the rope into individual pretzel bites, about 1-inch long each.
Boil the pretzel bites. Very carefully, use a spatula or large wire strainer to transfer the the bites into the boiling water, about a dozen or so at a time time, for about 30 seconds per batch. Use the spatula to transfer the pretzel bites to the parchment-lined pan, and repeat with the remaining pretzel bites.
Add egg wash and salt. Finally, brush the top of each pretzel bite with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
Bake. Bake until the pretzel bites reach your desired level of golden brown color, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
(Optional: Brush with extra butter.) If you would like your pretzel bites to taste extra buttery, brush them with extra melted butter just before serving.
Serve warm. These pretzel bites taste best the day they have been baked, and even better hot out of the oven. So serve warm and enjoy!
Milk: I used 2% cow’s milk for this recipe, but any kind of dairy milk, unsweetened almond milk or oat milk would also work. Or you are also welcome to just make this recipe with water instead of milk.
Salt: I just used basic coarse sea salt in this recipe. But feel free to sprinkle the pretzel bites with actual pretzel salt, if you prefer.
I’d say….. YES Instead of leaving the dough sit on the counter to rise; place in a large container with a snug lid. Place in the coldest part of your refrigerator and just check it before bed or when you get up. This very slow rise will result in a slightly sourdough flavor because of the very slow rise. So, make this in the evening to get the longest time until you need to work it.
Where exactly does the warm mik come in? The recipe listed does NOT call for milk anywhere. I assume there was a typo in the first instruction… “whisk together warm water, sugar and salt…” and this “warm water” should be the milk?
Jill B. —
I assumed that you can substitute the warm water for warm milk and vice versa. I used warm milk for my pretzels and they turned out fine.
Jack —
see her notes. water can be sub for milk if you do not have milk
Anna —
Also confused. 9 cups of warm water??? Did you figure this out?
Linda —
Its in the first step. You can use either milk or water. I have found both to work great. And to answer the question about the 9 cups of water, that comes in while you boil the pretzels in the baking soda water solution.
msgtdoug —
For Anna… the water is used with the baking soda to give the pretzels their shiny brown exterior and unique taste. In olden times, they used to use lye… which isn’t really good for your intestines.
Sabrina —
Warm milk is #1 in the ingredients list also #1 in instructions.
My 8 yr old granddaughter and I made these today. O M G!! They were so easy and delicious,she did most of the work and was so proud of herself!! Thanks for posting!!
It’s really good ! I’m a beginner at baking and this worked out so well! It’s super easy and it tastes delicious! My family loved it! I raised the dough for about an hour though. Thank you so much for posting! I’m definitely making this again.
I am stuck. We tried to activate the yeast two separate times (with new yeast). I just bought it today so I know it isn’t old. What could I be doing wrong. The second round we kept going but our dough didn’t rise at all.
Ugh
Honore' —
Are you using instant yeast? Probably so, which is fine, however instant yeast doesn’t proof or show signs of being “active”. It always works though!
ava —
make sure the water is super warm otherwise the yeast won’t activate
Brandy —
If the liquid is too warm (130° or higher) you’ll kill the yeast and it won’t proof. Also if it’s too cool it takes longer to activate.
I made these for my family. They were gone within minutes! Best pretzels I’ve ever made. The recipe was super easy for someone who isn’t experienced with making dough. In fact this is my first time making pretzels. I did not xpect them to turn out this well! Better than frozen pretzels and Auntie Annes.
Oh, DARN! I followed the directions as stated, adding the (9 cups of) warm WATER to the dough. I’m sure a more experienced cook would have caught the obvious mistake, but unfortunately I have lost my one and only pack of dry yeast to the error. :( If you have a chance, please edit the 2nd sentence under instructions to say “warm milk” instead of “warm water”.
Thanks for the inspiring recipes! My first foray in the kitchen was a bust, but I will keep at it!!
Wow! Ive been doing lots of baking recently, and as of a few months go had never worked with yeast. This was the first recipe I made with yeast, and it went so well and was surprisingly easy!! Since then, I have made many other recipes with yeast and just finished making this recipe for the 5th time. These are the best pretzels I have ever had. They are perfect and so easy. I have baked these for many social events, and everyone loves them. I have even sent many people a link to this recipe as they love it so much. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. Will continue making it again and again in the future! If you haven’t made these pretzels yet, please do. They are seriously life changing!
Quick question….all mine stuck to the parchment paper!!! I peeled off the tops and from what I could taste….they are delicious!! Any ideas on how to make them not stick to the paper or did I do something wrong??
In reading her instructions, also read the notes first.
When you mix the brown sugar and salt and add the warm milk and mix (you pour the yeast on top and let it sit. (Although the recipe calls for a few minutes I let mine sit for a little longer and worked out perfect. If you are not going to make as many than you use 1/2 the measurements for your ingredients. This was fantastic! Home working with the Pandemic! Keep cooking and sharing!
Can this be made with fresh yeast instead of dried? I find it hard to find dried yeast here, but the little fresh yeast blocks are readily available. If so, how much yeast is required? Same amount? Thanks!
#KYGirlinGermany
These came out SO good! So tasty and perfect texture!!
The only issue I ran into was the pretzels sticking to the parchment paper when trying to take them off after baking. Any suggestions to avoid the issue?
Hi! I’m planning on making these for NYE, but I don’t have a kitchen thermometer. I want to make sure my milk is the right temperature to activate the yeast, any suggestions on how to get the right temp range without a thermometer (is it a simmer? Warm to the touch? Hot?) thanks in advance!
This recipe is fantastic. I just made these as twisty sticks for new years tonight and then used the last quarter as bagels for the morning. Gonna get my beer-cheese on shortly. Thank you so much and i hope you have a wonderful new non-2020 year!
Delicious and easy! I was intimidated by pretzels, not any more!!! This is a perfect recipe. Just make sure your milk is warm enough (I lost my first batch-totally MY fault.)
Just made this recipe and they turned out beautifully! I was a little worried because my dough seemed tough after kneading and didn’t rise much. But they turned out great – they look just like pretzels and taste fantastic! Had them with the beer cheese recipe listed above.
Look no further for the best pretzel bite recipe! This is the best one out. These taste like they’re from the pretzel shops at shopping malls. When they were done baking I brushed with butter and sprinkled a tiny bit of garlic powder, so good!
so good! would probably change temp to 425 next time because my oven is super old and runs hot but other than that the recipe was perf! we made regular salted pretzels, garlic & parmesan, and cinnamon sugar flavor. they were amazing!!
I am following the recipe exactly but it is super dry, I am kneading by hand and it is so stiff and dry that it hurts to knead. It is flaky and won’t come together. I have had this issue before when working with bread so I just don’t know what I am doing wrong. It seems like it needs more liquid but nobody else seems to have this issue.
Lady —
Did u let you yeast activate and was your milk/water warm enough?
I have made these twice in the last couple of weeks, and they are kid and adult approved! The recipe is easy-to-follow, and the result is perfectly delicious pretzel bites!
I’m sorry for the bad review, I love your other recipes but this was just horrible. I followed the recipe to the letter and it was to chewy on the inside but burnt on the bottom.
I haven’t finished these yet so now sure how they will actually turn out. It my dough just seems super dry :( I added everything as directed so we will see I’m just used to bread doughs which tend to be a bit sticky and I always have to add a bit more flour
Great recipe and easy to follow. I’ve tried other recipes but this one actually tastes and feels like the real deal. I opted to use milk which made the finished product even most soft and cheery. May have also helped with the deep golden brown finish.
Give it try, you won’t be disappointed!!!
perfect every time and sooooo delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Is there a way to preserve & reheat or maybe a stopping place where I could freeze them to make some later? Even at 1/2 it is more than I often need (believe me, we could easily eat them all but…) and I would love to be able to have them on hand for company.
Thanks!
Thank you for posting this. After trying three different recipes on Pinterest, I almost gave up thinking these were just something I couldn’t make. I gave it one more try and I am so glad I did. They were so easy to make and came out great.
With two of my grandsons (age 7 and 8) helping me, this took about two and a half hour this morning. The whole family is extremely happy with the results.
Can this dough be made a day in advance?
I’d say….. YES Instead of leaving the dough sit on the counter to rise; place in a large container with a snug lid. Place in the coldest part of your refrigerator and just check it before bed or when you get up. This very slow rise will result in a slightly sourdough flavor because of the very slow rise. So, make this in the evening to get the longest time until you need to work it.
Made these for our Super Bowl party. Super easy. Super delicious!! Thanks for another awesome recipe ??
These were a big hit at our Super Bowl party! We used TJ’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning. Thanks, Ali :)
Thank you for sharing this. www.omly.in
Where exactly does the warm mik come in? The recipe listed does NOT call for milk anywhere. I assume there was a typo in the first instruction… “whisk together warm water, sugar and salt…” and this “warm water” should be the milk?
I assumed that you can substitute the warm water for warm milk and vice versa. I used warm milk for my pretzels and they turned out fine.
see her notes. water can be sub for milk if you do not have milk
Also confused. 9 cups of warm water??? Did you figure this out?
Its in the first step. You can use either milk or water. I have found both to work great. And to answer the question about the 9 cups of water, that comes in while you boil the pretzels in the baking soda water solution.
For Anna… the water is used with the baking soda to give the pretzels their shiny brown exterior and unique taste. In olden times, they used to use lye… which isn’t really good for your intestines.
Warm milk is #1 in the ingredients list also #1 in instructions.
In Step 1
My 8 yr old granddaughter and I made these today. O M G!! They were so easy and delicious,she did most of the work and was so proud of herself!! Thanks for posting!!
It’s really good ! I’m a beginner at baking and this worked out so well! It’s super easy and it tastes delicious! My family loved it! I raised the dough for about an hour though. Thank you so much for posting! I’m definitely making this again.
Awesome recipe for days at home “social distancing” ourselves. Made a dip of Hellman’s, Grey Pupon, yellow mustard, and honey. Delicious and fun!
I am stuck. We tried to activate the yeast two separate times (with new yeast). I just bought it today so I know it isn’t old. What could I be doing wrong. The second round we kept going but our dough didn’t rise at all.
Ugh
Are you using instant yeast? Probably so, which is fine, however instant yeast doesn’t proof or show signs of being “active”. It always works though!
make sure the water is super warm otherwise the yeast won’t activate
If the liquid is too warm (130° or higher) you’ll kill the yeast and it won’t proof. Also if it’s too cool it takes longer to activate.
I made these for my family. They were gone within minutes! Best pretzels I’ve ever made. The recipe was super easy for someone who isn’t experienced with making dough. In fact this is my first time making pretzels. I did not xpect them to turn out this well! Better than frozen pretzels and Auntie Annes.
Oh, DARN! I followed the directions as stated, adding the (9 cups of) warm WATER to the dough. I’m sure a more experienced cook would have caught the obvious mistake, but unfortunately I have lost my one and only pack of dry yeast to the error. :( If you have a chance, please edit the 2nd sentence under instructions to say “warm milk” instead of “warm water”.
Thanks for the inspiring recipes! My first foray in the kitchen was a bust, but I will keep at it!!
Oh nooooo, I am SO incredibly sorry about that typo. Fixed now, but I’m so sorry that you lost that batch. :(
delicious
Enjoyed same day they were made but not great the next day. Any suggestions to recrisp them..time in oven. Temperature..broiler..???
I want to give them as a snack to some folks but cant in this condition..
Can you freeze the dough and make only half a recipe?
Great recipe !! They were a big hit :)
Can these freeze okay ? What do you recommend for storage . Thank you
soo good!
Wow! Ive been doing lots of baking recently, and as of a few months go had never worked with yeast. This was the first recipe I made with yeast, and it went so well and was surprisingly easy!! Since then, I have made many other recipes with yeast and just finished making this recipe for the 5th time. These are the best pretzels I have ever had. They are perfect and so easy. I have baked these for many social events, and everyone loves them. I have even sent many people a link to this recipe as they love it so much. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. Will continue making it again and again in the future! If you haven’t made these pretzels yet, please do. They are seriously life changing!
These turned out good. Put parmesan on some… yummy!
Quick question….all mine stuck to the parchment paper!!! I peeled off the tops and from what I could taste….they are delicious!! Any ideas on how to make them not stick to the paper or did I do something wrong??
Thanks in advance
Can you freeze the made pretzels or unmade dough
Could you freeze these before or after baking?
In reading her instructions, also read the notes first.
When you mix the brown sugar and salt and add the warm milk and mix (you pour the yeast on top and let it sit. (Although the recipe calls for a few minutes I let mine sit for a little longer and worked out perfect. If you are not going to make as many than you use 1/2 the measurements for your ingredients. This was fantastic! Home working with the Pandemic! Keep cooking and sharing!
Blessings
Can you use gluten free flour?
Can this be made with fresh yeast instead of dried? I find it hard to find dried yeast here, but the little fresh yeast blocks are readily available. If so, how much yeast is required? Same amount? Thanks!
#KYGirlinGermany
Can I freeze the dough for future use?
These came out SO good! So tasty and perfect texture!!
The only issue I ran into was the pretzels sticking to the parchment paper when trying to take them off after baking. Any suggestions to avoid the issue?
Could you please tell me about how many pieces this makes?
Can this dough be made in a bread maker?
Hi! I’m planning on making these for NYE, but I don’t have a kitchen thermometer. I want to make sure my milk is the right temperature to activate the yeast, any suggestions on how to get the right temp range without a thermometer (is it a simmer? Warm to the touch? Hot?) thanks in advance!
This recipe is fantastic. I just made these as twisty sticks for new years tonight and then used the last quarter as bagels for the morning. Gonna get my beer-cheese on shortly. Thank you so much and i hope you have a wonderful new non-2020 year!
I used gluten free flour and they came out great!
Delicious and easy! I was intimidated by pretzels, not any more!!! This is a perfect recipe. Just make sure your milk is warm enough (I lost my first batch-totally MY fault.)
These are SO delicious and easy! This will be a new Christmas tradition for us to make every year. Thank you!
Just made this recipe and they turned out beautifully! I was a little worried because my dough seemed tough after kneading and didn’t rise much. But they turned out great – they look just like pretzels and taste fantastic! Had them with the beer cheese recipe listed above.
Can everything prior to boiling and baking be done and stored in the fridge for a few hours prior? Thanks in advance!
So easy to make and super delish!!
This is my go to pretzel recipe! I’ve given it out to countless people. I’ve used it for bites, pretzel dogs, and pretzels!
My partner can’t get enough of them!
Do I could make these into reg big pretzels or pretzel buns too?
Look no further for the best pretzel bite recipe! This is the best one out. These taste like they’re from the pretzel shops at shopping malls. When they were done baking I brushed with butter and sprinkled a tiny bit of garlic powder, so good!
so good! would probably change temp to 425 next time because my oven is super old and runs hot but other than that the recipe was perf! we made regular salted pretzels, garlic & parmesan, and cinnamon sugar flavor. they were amazing!!
I am following the recipe exactly but it is super dry, I am kneading by hand and it is so stiff and dry that it hurts to knead. It is flaky and won’t come together. I have had this issue before when working with bread so I just don’t know what I am doing wrong. It seems like it needs more liquid but nobody else seems to have this issue.
Did u let you yeast activate and was your milk/water warm enough?
I have made these twice in the last couple of weeks, and they are kid and adult approved! The recipe is easy-to-follow, and the result is perfectly delicious pretzel bites!
This was an amazing recipe! Lots of work that I didn’t realize I was getting into, but totally worth it! ?
I don’t have a 0.25 pack of yeast I have the big block of yeast do I add a teaspoon of it?
1 packet of yeast contains 2 1/4 tsp.
I’m sorry for the bad review, I love your other recipes but this was just horrible. I followed the recipe to the letter and it was to chewy on the inside but burnt on the bottom.
Very good pretzel bites!
Hiya, this is marked on the vegan page but contains egg
I haven’t finished these yet so now sure how they will actually turn out. It my dough just seems super dry :( I added everything as directed so we will see I’m just used to bread doughs which tend to be a bit sticky and I always have to add a bit more flour
Can you make a day ahead and bake next day
Great recipe and easy to follow. I’ve tried other recipes but this one actually tastes and feels like the real deal. I opted to use milk which made the finished product even most soft and cheery. May have also helped with the deep golden brown finish.
Give it try, you won’t be disappointed!!!
perfect every time and sooooo delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Is there a way to preserve & reheat or maybe a stopping place where I could freeze them to make some later? Even at 1/2 it is more than I often need (believe me, we could easily eat them all but…) and I would love to be able to have them on hand for company.
Thanks!
Thank you for posting this. After trying three different recipes on Pinterest, I almost gave up thinking these were just something I couldn’t make. I gave it one more try and I am so glad I did. They were so easy to make and came out great.
With two of my grandsons (age 7 and 8) helping me, this took about two and a half hour this morning. The whole family is extremely happy with the results.