This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These buttery soft pretzel bites are quick and easy to make and irresistibly delicious — especially with some hot cheese dip or honey mustard!
So many of you have made and loved my homemade pretzel recipe over the years. But 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! ♡
This bite-sized version of the recipe is even quicker and easier to make, with all of the same, buttery, crispy goodness in each bite. They have the perfect ratio of crispy golden exterior to soft and chewy center. They’re perfect for sharing and snacking. And best of all, this recipe comes together easily in about an hour with basic pantry staples — no stand mixer required!
Here in our house, we’re partial to traditional buttery pretzels sprinkled with chunky pretzel salt and paired with my favorite beer cheese dip, but feel free to customize your batch however you’d like! You could top the pretzels with everything from cinnamon sugar to everything bagel seasoning, asiago cheese or herbs. You could dip them in everything from ranch dip to honey mustard, white queso, marinara or garlic butter. There are endless ways to enjoy these pretzel bites, so have fun experimenting with your favorite combinations!
So whether you’re planning a game day spread, need an easy party appetizer, or you’re just craving a fun homemade snack, these buttery soft pretzel bites are guaranteed to hit the spot. Let’s start baking!
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 each bite extra tender and adds a subtle hint of sweetness. But if you’re avoiding dairy, water works perfectly well as a substitute.
Sugar: I use brown sugar in this recipe for its warm molasses-like flavor, but white granulated sugar or coconut sugar would work well too.
Sea salt: We will use fine sea salt to season the dough. Then I highly recommend sprinkling the top of each bite with pretzel salt (or coarse sea salt) for an extra salty crunch.
Yeast: One packet of active dry yeast is all you need to help the dough rise. As always, be sure that your yeast is fresh and blooms properly in the first step before you proceed with the recipe — this is essential for success!
Flour: Regular all-purpose flour works beautifully in this recipe to give the pretzels a soft and chewy texture. You’re welcome to substitute white whole wheat flour if you would like, but the pretzels will be slightly more dense.
Butter: Melted butter adds richness to the dough and gives each bite a golden, buttery finish when brushed on top after baking.
Baking soda: Yes, 1/3 cup of baking soda is correct — this amount is essential for the boiling water bath, which gives the pretzels their classic golden crust.
Egg: Finally, we will whisk one egg with water to make an egg wash, which gives each bite a lovely shine and helps the salt to stick.
How To Make Soft Pretzel Bites
Detailed step-by-step instructions are included in the recipe below, but here are a few extra tips to keep in mind when making homemade pretzel bites:
Use fresh yeast. As mentioned above, be sure to check the expiration date on your packet of yeast before beginning the recipe. Then watch to ensure that it blooms in the first step. If it doesn’t foam up, that means the yeast is inactive and the dough will not rise properly, so it’s best to stop and start over with a fresh batch of yeast.
Don’t skip the baking soda bath. This step is essential for achieving the iconic golden, chewy pretzel crust on each bite. (Otherwise, these will just taste like basic little bread bites.) Just a 30-second dip does the trick!
Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet. Give the dough bites plenty of space so that they have room to puff up and brown while baking. You can either use one large baking sheet or two smaller sheets.
Be generous with butter. A good brush of melted butter adds so much flavor to these pretzel bites right out of the oven! Highly recommend.
Serve immediately. Homemade pretzels are always best served right away, especially while they’re still warm and pillowy soft.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few fun ways to customize this pretzel bites recipe:
Add toppings: Sprinkle your pretzel bites with cinnamon sugar, everything bagel seasoning, grated cheese (Asiago, Parmesan, etc), garlic powder, Italian herbs, a thin slice of jalapeño, or whatever else sounds good.
Add herbs to the dough: Mix your favorite fresh or dried herbs into the dough itself, such as rosemary, thyme or oregano.
Stuff the bites: Stuff the bites with a chunk of cheese, peanut butter, Nutella, etc.
Make it vegan: To make vegan pretzel bites, use your favorite non-dairy butter and water in place of milk.
Dips To Serve With Pretzel Bites
If you are looking for some delicious dips to serve with your pretzels, consider one of these favorites:
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.
Mix the dough. Whisk together the warm milk and sugar 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 foam up and activate.
Knead the dough. Add the flour, melted butter and salt. 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) use a stand mixer with a dough hook 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.
Prep oven, baking sheet and boiling water solution. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside. 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. 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 spider 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. Transfer the pretzel bites to the parchment-lined pan, spaced out so that they’re not touching, and repeat with the remaining pretzel bites.
Add egg wash and salt.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 the baking sheets to a wire cooling rack.
(Optional: Brush with extra butter.) If you would like your pretzel bites to taste extra buttery, brush them immediately with extra melted butter.
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!
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 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.
Ummmmmm did anyone leave out the baking soda since it was never told when to add?!!! Kinda annoyed …this super simple just turned into having to redo it .. let’s hope the tast measures up
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.
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.
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.
Ummmmmm did anyone leave out the baking soda since it was never told when to add?!!! Kinda annoyed …this super simple just turned into having to redo it .. let’s hope the tast measures up
Step 5
Step 5?