Soft Pretzels
These are the absolute best Homemade Soft Pretzels! They’re fluffy and buttery, baked up just like the ones you get at the mall, but made from scratch with no preservatives. The dough is very easy to make, and even kids can easily work with this recipe. Make this whole recipe in one hour!
Once you try these homemade soft pretzels, you will never bother with those mall pretzels ever again.
I used to love Auntie Anne’s and Wetzel’s Pretzels, and waited in some pretty long lines upon smelling that darned cinnamon sugar and butter wafting over from like 100 feet away, but these are SO much better.
Plus, it only costs a buck or two to make a WHOLE TRAY instead of just getting one kind of pretzel. Not to mention there aren’t any artificial ingredients or preservatives when you make them yourself. And all the ingredients are the simple ones that you’d expect, like flour, yeast, water, and salt.
Tips for Best Results
Use instant rise yeast – At the grocery store you can buy “active dry yeast” or “instant rise yeast” (sometimes also called “quick rise yeast”). They are the same price, and I always recommend the instant rise, which is what we’ll use here.
Make sure the yeast is fresh – Yeast does expire, so make sure those packets haven’t been hanging out in your pantry for too long. Check the date, and try to use newer yeast.
Be patient – This entire recipe, even with rise time, should generally take an hour, which is really fast for bread. However, if your kitchen is cold and the dough has not doubled in size during the 30 minute rise, give it another 15 minutes.
I love prepping a fresh batch of these easy homemade soft pretzels on football game-watching days, along with a fresh pan of Buffalo Chicken Dip and Baked Chicken Wings. So good!
More Flavor Options
The default here is to simply brush with butter, and enjoy these soft pretzels “plain” with butter and salt. However, here are a few more flavor ideas.
Cinnamon Sugar – In my 100% Whole Wheat Version of these pretzels, I share a cinnamon sugar coating that is wonderful.
Garlic Parmesan – Use the sauce from my Garlic Parmesan Wings for brushing the outside, for an extra flavorful garlic parmesan butter.
Buffalo – When the pretzels come hot out of the oven, brush with Buffalo Wing Sauce and serve with Blue Cheese Dip.
Orange Honey Butter – When hot out of the oven, brush the pretzels with Homemade Orange Honey Butter.
Step by Step Overview:
I have a full video on how to make the pretzels, as well as a quick visual photo overview.
Start by making a simple yeasted dough, made with flour, water, instant yeast, salt, and sugar, then shape it into a ball.
You can make the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer, using the dough hook attachment, or you can make it by hand!
Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes in a warm place, to let the dough rise and double in size.
The yeast will work its magic and create these gorgeous bubbles that will give us the rise and fluffy texture we want.
Make-ahead option
If you wish, you may keep the risen dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Make sure to cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
When ready to bake, simply proceed with the recipe as usual, cutting and rolling the pretzels.
Divide up the dough into 8 equal pieces, then roll each one into a long rope.
Shape the thin ropes into pretzels by looping the rope through the hole above.
The ends of the rope should end up on the bottom. See the video as needed.
Dip each pretzel into a baking soda bath, which is simply warm water with baking soda. This provides flavor, and will also brown the baked pretzels, much like an egg wash makes baked goods golden brown on the outside.
Then finally, sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt, and send them into the oven on a prepared baking sheet that’s either greased, covered with parchment paper, or covered with a silicone mat.
Let the Excess Water Drip Off
Let the excess water drip off the pretzels before putting each piece of dough on to a large baking sheet. You don’t want the pretzels to be too wet, or they may stick to the tray, even if it’s greased.
You may also place the pretzels on parchment paper or a silicone mat to ensure this isn’t an issue whatsoever.
Bake the pretzels until golden and puffed, then brush with melted butter while hot, or any other sauces or coatings you’d like.
See the box toward the beginning of the post for flavor ideas, but I think the best soft pretzels simply have butter and a good coarse salt, with cinnamon sugar being a close second. I love getting to appreciate their flavor and chewy texture.
How to Serve
These are great hot out of the oven, either with plain butter and salt or one of the flavor options I suggested above.
You can also try serving with Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce, marinara sauce, honey mustard, or even Basil Pesto.
For something sweet, try the icing on my Overnight Cinnamon Rolls or homemade Caramel Sauce.
More Snacks that Pair Well
If you’d like to make a nice spread of homemade snacks with these pretzels, I recommend Buffalo Garlic Knots, Homemade Corn Dogs, and Jumbo Garlic Knots.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños, Homemade Mozzarella Sticks, and Homemade French Fries are also fantastic.
Tips and FAQ
Let cool completely, then keep at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 2 months.
Yes, in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them cool first before freezing.
Warm in a 300F oven for 5 minutes. Add an extra 3 minutes if reheating straight from frozen.
Yes, keep the risen dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2.25 tsp instant or "quick rise" yeast
- 1 cup warm water 110 degrees F
- 1 tsp sugar
- 12.5 oz all purpose flour, by weight (2.5 cups, if measuring)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- oil for greasing the sheet pan
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer*, and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. This indicates the yeast is alive and working. Add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook by hand for a few seconds to roughly combine, then fit the hook and bowl on the mixer and knead on medium low for 5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.
- Cover the dough and let rise for 30 minutes, until doubled in size. If your kitchen is cool, you made need closer to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450F, and lightly grease a baking sheet with oil. You may also use parchment paper or a silicone mat to prevent sticking.
- Place the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (just cut it with a knife or bench scraper).
- Whisk to combine the warm water and baking soda and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. FYI it’s not going to dissolve completely, and that’s okay.
- Roll each of the eight pieces into a long rope, and shape each one into a pretzel (see the step-by-step photos on the blog post to see how to do this). Dip each pretzel into the soda wash and place onto the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, then let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 10 minutes until the pretzels are golden brown. Brush the pretzels with the melted butter while they are hot out of the oven. Enjoy while they are hot, and keep in mind these don’t taste as amazing the next day. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated in December 2017. Originally published 2011.
450 Comments on “Soft Pretzels”
Yum! The first time I made these they landed so close bit not quite to what I was dreaming of snacking on, so I played around a bit. I used active dry but not rapid rise yeast, added a splash of olive oil to the dough and after the first rise I kneaded for 5 min before letting the dough rise again, I also cranked my oven up to 500, and didn’t let them rest before baking. The result was slightly more complex and chewy. I’ve tried and played with several pretzel receips and none were anywhere as good as this one for a base.
Hi…I was just curious although these pretzels were simple to make and quite yummy…so everyone in my house said…all nine of us…mine came out really dry. I followed the recipe step by step….just wondering if you could shed some light as to why they came out that way. I will for sure make them again and thanks for the recipe!!!!!
Hi Debbie, I think they were overbaked. Do you have an accurate oven thermometer? Your oven might run hot, I’ve heard of these being done in 6-7 minutes instead of 9-10. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can measure their temperature and be sure. Once they reach 180 degrees F they’re done.
Making these for a second time this afternoon! They are DELICIOUS!!! Last time my pretzels stuck really bad to the pan (I oiled it, but maybe not enough). They came off with some work and still tasted great. Could they be baked on a pizza stone?
Hi Meredith, baking them on a pizza stone would be wonderful. I think it would make them extra fluffy, just like it does with pizza!
Heyyy I baked it for 20+ mins and it didn’t turn golden brown like urs. It lOok pale that’s why I baked it longer… Do you know whats my mistake?
Btw after dipping them into baking soda with warm water I don’t leave it out for 10 mins but instead pop it straight into the oven. Is that why?
My guess is it’s because they didn’t rest for 10 minutes. The longer baking soda soaks the dough, the browner the dough will turn out. I would re-try it with the 10 minute rest. Or if you want them to have even more color, soak them in the baking soda wash for longer.
Dips? I found a beer cheese recipe but wasn’t a fan do u have your own?
I’ve never done a dip for pretzels before, unfortunately.
Hi Joanne!
Would there be any difference if I didn’t grease the sheet before baking? Would they stick really bad and not be good anymore or would they still be ok?
Thanks,
Kate
Hi Kate, it’s not a big deal. You might have to scrape it off with a spatula but it will turn out okay =)
Hi Joane. You mentioned that you could mix the dough with a wooden spoon instead of using the stand mixer. Does that mean I could also mix the dough by hand in lieu of the mixer kneading it? I ask because I don’t have any mixer except those little hand-held mixers…
Thanks for your time!!
Judy
Thank you for posting this! I made these tonight and they turned out great!
That’s great Cheryl! Happy baking =)
Just made these and wow wow wow!! So good and super easy. Thanks for sharing!
I am completely addicted to the pretzels in the mall. I was recently introduced to Pinterest (not certain what a Blog is) . I pinned a pretzel recipe that required boiling them first in a baking soda solution. Can you tell me what the reason for that is? You simply dip them in, which seems much easier and quicker. The other recipe also called for bread flour. I did go out and get some. Haven’t made that recipe yet. Just found yours 🙂 I’m going to try it tonight with a cheese dip made from velveeta and jalapenos. I live at the coast and we have soft water, will that make a difference in the end result? I’m very very new to bread making of any kind, actually this will be my second attempt 🙂 . thank you.
Hi LeDena, don’t be intimidated by bread, just make sure you don’t kill the yeast with too hot water and you should be fine. The boiling thing is what they do with bagels. Boiling sets the crust and the longer you boil it, the chewier the crust becomes. The pretzels don’t rise as much if you boil them first, so honestly I wouldn’t bother doing that here.
I think boiling in the baking soda water is what gives a pretzel it’s taste. Does this recipe still taste like a pretzel? I’ve made pretzel rolls and did the soda water bath and that it what gave them that characteristic taste. Yours look delicious and I am anxious to try them too!
Actually, typical pretzel recipes call for boiling in a water and baking soda for approx 30 sec. to a minute and it is akin to the alkali solutions that were part of the traditional method in Germany. I find that if I skip this step there is a distinct taste difference and it misses the intense pretzel aroma you get when you bake them after boil/dipping. I’m pretty sure this recipes can just be amended to include this quick step before baking.
Thanks!
I wanted to know-since most moms are also working moms-could this be done with frozen dough? There is a whole wheat dough as well which I would probably use. I love the pretzels and wonder is if it’s possible to add small pieces of apple or raisins to assist nutritionally? I thank you for the receipe, I do enjoy “from scratch” too!
Hi Joi, How do you plan to freeze the dough, store the big ball of frozen dough, then thaw, shape, and bake? That would work just fine. Or are you wanting to pre-shape and bake from frozen? I haven’t tried the latter so I’m not sure how it would go…the yeast usually puffs the dough out a bit as it comes back to room temperature so that might be missed. Also, adding raisins would be fine, just throw however much you want into the dough as it’s mixing. I haven’t tried pieces of apple before but that might work too.
I tried this a few days ago and the results were GREAT!
Is there any reason you have the dough rise in a ziploc bag instead of in the bowl? Does sealing the bag make a difference?
Hi, I am excited to try these pretzels and was wondering if they freeze well, because you say they do not go well the next day? Thank you!
Hi Jeanne, bread dough in general freezes well, and this recipe definitely applies. You will have to let the dough come back up to room temperature before baking though, and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours for the yeast to wake up again and give the dough rise. I had someone recently who said she thought it tasted great the next day, so I guess it varies! You could either freeze or just bake ahead and reheat.
this recipe was great. My husband loved itQ
Joanne! These were scrumptious! My boyfriend and I made them last night, and we don’t think we could’ve had better pretzels! We’ve been meaning to make homemade ones for awhile, so I was so happy to stumble upon your tasty-looking recipe via Pinterest. Not only do they look tasty, they ARE! So happy when it works out that way! Thank you so much for this great recipe that I will be adding to my cookbook! :0) AND I’m a huge whole wheat fan, so we’re planning on making the cinnamon and sugar pretzels this weekend! Whoo hoo! Can’t wait to taste those (Can you tell I’m pretty pumped yet?)!
P.S. I wanted to let you know that I think you’re a little too harsh on yourself to say these don’t taste very good the day after they’re made… We had 2 leftover and decided to try a bite of one this morning. I was ready for it to be hard and dry, but it was STILL tasty! Bravo, sister, bravo! :0)
Hi Danielle, I’m so glad!!! And thanks for the comment about it tasting good the next day. I think I’m probably too picky…but I just love them fresh out of the oven! They’re all hot and puffy =)
Joanne! These were scrumptious!! My boyfriend and I have been meaning to make homemade pretzels for quite some time, and I stumbled upon your recipe via Pinterest… And I am SO thankful I did! Your recipe was awesome! AND I’m a huge whole wheat fan, so we’re going to try your cinnamon and sugar ones this weekend! :0)
P.S. We had 2 pretzels leftover that we couldn’t finish last night… I was bummed because you said they don’t taste as good the second day, but I thought I’d give them a try anyway… They were STILL tasty!! Bravo, my dear! Can’t wait to check out more of your recipes!
i would like to make these Pretzel as a treat for myself for classes ending. i saw i need coarse sea salt for the topping but is that also needed for the dough or do i need fine sea salt?
Hi Chloe, if you have it, use fine sea salt for the dough. I put coarse sea salt for the top since it’s “traditional” to have a chunky salt on pretzels, but it’s okay if you don’t want to put any salt on top. It’s more of a textural thing to have the crunchy sea salt on top (since the dough is already seasoned). Hope that helps, let me know if you have more questions.