Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites | Pretzel Bite Recipe (2024)

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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:

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  • BBQ Chicken Pizza
  • Slow Cooker Vegan Sweet Potato Chili
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  • 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

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Review

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

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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.

What is the secret solution for Auntie Anne's pretzels? ›

Brown Sugar- brown sugar is what Auntie Anne's pretzels, use for their pretzel dough. Salt- use good quality sea salt. Baking powder- works as a dough conditioner for these soft homemade pretzels. Basic Alkaline wash- is a simple baking soda and water solution made for dipping pretzels in.

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.

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? ›

Unless they've been made with a whole grain flour such as rye, most pretzels are not very nutrient-dense, meaning they don't contain many beneficial nutrients relative to their calorie content.

What is the best salt for homemade soft pretzels? ›

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 kind of salt is used on soft pretzels? ›

Pretzel salt, also known as Coarse Food-Grade Salt, is a white, large-grain soft compressed salt that is perfect as a topping or coating soft baked pretzels and other baked goods. The uniform, flat, rectangular-shaped particles adhere well and do not melt during baking.

How to store homemade pretzel bites? ›

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.

What are the ingredients in Auntie Anne's soft pretzels? ›

ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, BROWN SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: DOUGH CONDITIONERS (WHEAT FLOUR, MALT BARLEY FLOUR, ASCORBIC ACID, ENZYMES, SALT, VEGETABLE PROTEIN [CORN-BASED]), YEAST, CALCIUM ...

What does baking soda do for soft pretzels? ›

Furthermore, we've introduced the baking soda bath. While it sounds strange, this step is what gives pretzels that iconic flavor, chewy texture, helps deepen their golden color in the oven, and locks in the super soft interior.

How do you make pretzel bites soft again? ›

Using the microwave
  1. Place your pretzels on a microwave-safe plate.
  2. Lay a damp paper towel over your pretzel.
  3. Place it in the microwave for 15 seconds and then check to see how warm your pretzel is.
  4. If it's not warm enough, cook it for another 15 seconds.
  5. Allow your pretzel to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!
Oct 4, 2021

Should homemade soft pretzels be refrigerated? ›

Storing Freshly Baked Soft Pretzels

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 do you eat with soft pretzel bites? ›

The best side dishes to serve with soft pretzels are spinach artichoke dip, broccoli cheddar soup, hummus, dulce de leche, smoked cream cheese, tzatziki sauce, strawberry jam, chocolate fondue, quinoa salad, mustard sauce, pizza dip, caramel sauce, pimento cheese, chicken salad, guacamole, and beer cheese dip.

Are pretzel chips baked or fried? ›

Dip or no dip, Snack Factory Original Pretzel Crisps are flat-out delicious. 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.

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.

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