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Learn how to make the most delicious, hot and buttery soft pretzels with this simple homemade pretzel recipe! They’re easy to make in about 1 hour with ingredients you likely already have on hand and taste SO good.
Anyone else still go a bit weak at the knees when you walk by those soft pretzel stands at the mall or the airport?!
Oh man — I totally do. ♡♡♡
I mean, I know it’s no longer the 90s, and I’m no longer roaming the mall for hours and hours with my friends, spending all of our allowances on Auntie Anne’s and Orange Julius and Sam Goody. But whew, I feel like my nose can still smell those hot and buttery soft pretzels from a mile away. And the moment I do, any willpower that remained to avoid buttery carbs for the day instantly, completely and deliciously vanishes.
I absolutely adore a good, freshly-baked, hot-and-buttery soft pretzel…and always will!
That said, as delicious as the famous restaurant version may be, it’s actually incredibly quick and easy to make your own insanely delicious soft pretzels at home! You likely have all of the ingredients you’ll need in your kitchen already, and there’s no stand mixer required (unless you would like to use one). I also love this specific recipe because it only takes about an hour to make from start to finish. And once you pull that tray of hot and buttery soft pretzels out of the oven, I’m telling you — there’s absolutely nothing better.
Let’s make some homemade pretzels together!
Buttery Soft Pretzels | 1-Minute Video
Homemade Pretzel 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 Pretzels
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 pretzels:
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 pretzels plenty of space so that they have room to puff up and brown while baking.
Be generous with butter. A good brush of melted butter adds so much flavor to these pretzels 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 homemade pretzels recipe:
Add toppings: Sprinkle your pretzels 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.
Make it vegan: To make vegan pretzels, use your favorite non-dairy butter and water in place of milk.
Dips To Serve With Soft Pretzels
If you are looking for some delicious dips to serve with your pretzels, consider one of these favorites:
This homemade soft pretzel recipe is easy to make in about 1 hour with ingredients you likely already have on hand, and they taste insanely good! 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 pretzels. 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 20-inch* rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, then cross the ends over each other and press then onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
Boil the pretzels. Very carefully, use a spatula to transfer the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time, for about 30 seconds each. Use the spatula to transfer the pretzel to the parchment-lined pan, spaced out so that they’re not touching, and repeat with the remaining pretzels.
Add egg wash and salt. Finally, brush the top of each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
Bake. Bake until the pretzels 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 pretzels to taste extra buttery, brush them with extra melted butter just before serving.
Serve warm. These pretzels taste best the day they have been baked, and even better hot out of the oven. So serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe calls for 2 tablespoons melted butter plus extra to brush on top. When do you add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the dough? Did I miss it somewhere? Sounds like the perfect Super Bowl recipe.
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! Would you have any directions for freezing a batch and then baking when needed? I have a son who loves these after school and your recipe is much healthier than the frozen boxes at the grocery store. Can’t wait for the beer cheese recipe! My favorite. Thanks so much!
Erin
Could you do pretzel bites? We love Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzel bites.
Peter —
Made them last night. Came out perfect the first time, which is rare in baking. Recipe seemed very forgiving. I brushed the melted butter at the end because I don’t like them hard. Indeed they were fluffy and scrumptious. Also made the beer cheese dip, which came out with perfect texture. Thank you!
I made these twice. Twice , i was not happy with the waythey turned out. They taste like bread with butter, thats all. No big deal. I will keep looking for that great pretzel recipe…..
I made these today and they taste very good! I highly recommend brushing some melted Irish butter when they come out of the oven. I used Morton’s kosher salt and it tastes just fine!
I had a few issues… rolling them out did take me some time, and trial and error. I wanted them to be as thin as Auntie Anne’s but these did not stretch that easily. You kind of have to work quickly rolling them.
Also all the pretzels stuck on the parchment paper. They only came off because the bottom outer layer ripped off. That was very unfortunate. However, I’m already halfway through my second pretzel.
I think these are worth making again and I will try to fix my issues. They satisfied my craving!
Love this! I did find that my dough worked better with only 4 cups of the flour, otherwise it was a bit stiff to knead.
I’ve also found that sprinkling a bit of cornstarch on your parchment paper (similar to when making bagels) is a good way to prevent them sticking as much- for those experiencing this issue.
I didn’t have the we issues as others. I thought the dough was amazing and easy to work with. The only thingsm I may have done differently is that I added the flour a little at a time and not all at once. I just added the flour as was necessary, as you should do with any dough because it is highly influenced by its environment.
Loved the recipe and will be making again!
These were amazing and easy. Covered some in smoked salt and everything bagel seasoning and left half plain for cinnamon sugar. Thanks for the great recipe!
So I’ve made this my pretzel dog recipe. We have it at least once a week which has given me time to improve to near perfection! I heat the oven to the lowest setting then turn it off; that’s the warm place where I let the dough rise. I flatten the rope and roll the hot dog in it. I let it bake for about 15-20 minutes. It’s my family’s favorite and now my Sunday tradition!
Joana Reinhart —
Oh I also lightly sprayed the parchment paper to prevent sticking.
I understand that boiling the pretzel before Baking makes the pretzel chewy. Love it! But, I can taste the baking soda after they are baked. Can I reduce the amount of baking soda in the water? Fun to make-Thank you!
Love this recipe! I’m never able to work in that much flour mixing with my hands, so I add a little at a time. Also, generously oil the parchment paper to prevent sticking!
Hi, thanks for the great recipe. Wanted to make sure if we are supposed to boil this 30 seconds on each side or 30 seconds total? The recipe says “Very carefully, use a spatula to transfer the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time, for about 30 seconds each” but maybe the word ‘side’ is missing at the end?
My first attempt at this recipe, and although it took longer than an hour, the pretzels turned out amazing! Chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. And they look good too! I’m impressed with myself and thankful I came across your recipe!
Recipe calls for 2 tablespoons melted butter plus extra to brush on top. When do you add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the dough? Did I miss it somewhere? Sounds like the perfect Super Bowl recipe.
Whoops, sorry there was a typo in there! It should be fixed now. The melted butter is added at the same time as the flour. :)
These look amazing! I need to try this asap!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.com
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! Would you have any directions for freezing a batch and then baking when needed? I have a son who loves these after school and your recipe is much healthier than the frozen boxes at the grocery store. Can’t wait for the beer cheese recipe! My favorite. Thanks so much!
Erin
Do you think you could make this with gluten-free flour?
Could you do pretzel bites? We love Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzel bites.
Made them last night. Came out perfect the first time, which is rare in baking. Recipe seemed very forgiving. I brushed the melted butter at the end because I don’t like them hard. Indeed they were fluffy and scrumptious. Also made the beer cheese dip, which came out with perfect texture. Thank you!
Ali, why are pretzels boiled before baking. Is this a necessary step?
The boil is what gives it that unique chewy flavour (like bagels which are also boiled before they are baked) and set it apart from other breads.
Yes, It sets the future crust & makes it chewy inside & crispy outside, like a good bagel…
These look so good. I’m trying to figure out my Super Bowl menu. These would impress everyone!
I made these twice. Twice , i was not happy with the waythey turned out. They taste like bread with butter, thats all. No big deal. I will keep looking for that great pretzel recipe…..
These were SO good! The extra butter on top totally made them taste like Auntie Anne’s too. ?
I loved these!! I did however find the dough really hard to roll out…did I do something wrong maybe?
I made these today and they taste very good! I highly recommend brushing some melted Irish butter when they come out of the oven. I used Morton’s kosher salt and it tastes just fine!
I had a few issues… rolling them out did take me some time, and trial and error. I wanted them to be as thin as Auntie Anne’s but these did not stretch that easily. You kind of have to work quickly rolling them.
Also all the pretzels stuck on the parchment paper. They only came off because the bottom outer layer ripped off. That was very unfortunate. However, I’m already halfway through my second pretzel.
I think these are worth making again and I will try to fix my issues. They satisfied my craving!
Love this! I did find that my dough worked better with only 4 cups of the flour, otherwise it was a bit stiff to knead.
I’ve also found that sprinkling a bit of cornstarch on your parchment paper (similar to when making bagels) is a good way to prevent them sticking as much- for those experiencing this issue.
Thank you for this recipe! Beautiful! ❤️
When it’s all said and done, these were great! Tasted wonderful! That being said, the dough was tough to roll out. We will make these again.
PS- typo in step 1. It says to add water when it should be milk.
I didn’t have the we issues as others. I thought the dough was amazing and easy to work with. The only thingsm I may have done differently is that I added the flour a little at a time and not all at once. I just added the flour as was necessary, as you should do with any dough because it is highly influenced by its environment.
Loved the recipe and will be making again!
These were amazing and easy. Covered some in smoked salt and everything bagel seasoning and left half plain for cinnamon sugar. Thanks for the great recipe!
So I’ve made this my pretzel dog recipe. We have it at least once a week which has given me time to improve to near perfection! I heat the oven to the lowest setting then turn it off; that’s the warm place where I let the dough rise. I flatten the rope and roll the hot dog in it. I let it bake for about 15-20 minutes. It’s my family’s favorite and now my Sunday tradition!
Oh I also lightly sprayed the parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Love these pretzels
I understand that boiling the pretzel before Baking makes the pretzel chewy. Love it! But, I can taste the baking soda after they are baked. Can I reduce the amount of baking soda in the water? Fun to make-Thank you!
Delicious! It was a bit difficult to roll out the dough in consistent lengths, but tasted amazing!
Love this recipe! I did find it difficult to encorporate that much flour, so add a little at a time.
First time making pretzels and these were easy and delish!! Total hit in our house. Making them again today! Thank you for another great recipe!
Love this recipe! I’m never able to work in that much flour mixing with my hands, so I add a little at a time. Also, generously oil the parchment paper to prevent sticking!
Hi, thanks for the great recipe. Wanted to make sure if we are supposed to boil this 30 seconds on each side or 30 seconds total? The recipe says “Very carefully, use a spatula to transfer the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time, for about 30 seconds each” but maybe the word ‘side’ is missing at the end?
My first attempt at this recipe, and although it took longer than an hour, the pretzels turned out amazing! Chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. And they look good too! I’m impressed with myself and thankful I came across your recipe!
I should have rolled these out more to make them thinner, but they were still amazing! Salty, buttery goodness!