Try this easy soft pretzel recipe for delicious, chewy pretzels that taste and smell like they’re straight out of the gourmet pretzel shop! You can even make these pretzels gluten-free!
One of the questions I get most often is “What do you guys eat for snacks?”
Unfortunately, my answer is quite plain and not very exciting: fruit.
Since starting our real food journey several years ago, snacking has shifted quite a bit from the boxes and bags we used to turn to, and we mostly keep it simple.
When the family snacks, 8 times out of 10, it’s fruit. The ninth and tenth times might be carrot sticks, homemade pickles, a homemade granola bar, or even dried fruit, but I admit – those aren’t very exciting either.
I do love tortilla chips. So, I make my own, which are much tastier than their store-bought counterparts.
Like me with tortilla chips, Mr. Crumbs has a secret crush on soft pretzels. Just a couple of months ago, he asked me to get him some.
I can’t deny a simple request for pretzels. But instead of the store-bought option, my alternative is simple: learn to make them myself.
HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS
Soft pretzels are a classic snack that might seem hard to make! Trust me, they’re not hard at all! This recipe is amazing because:
- It’s so easy! With simple real food ingredients, these pretzels are fun to make, and they come together quickly.
- Healthier. You’re using real food, so you’re not consuming the unhealthy sweeteners and preservatives found in store-bought pretzels.
- Delicious! This soft pretzel recipe has the traditional pretzel smell and taste plus an irresistible soft and chewy texture!
- Versatile. You can use any all-purpose flour to mix up the pretzel dough. For people with gluten sensitivities, these pretzels can even be made gluten-free!
WHAT MAKES PRETZEL DOUGH DIFFERENT?
When it comes to pretzels, there’s a different style for everyone:
- Hard or soft
- Sourdough or yeast
- Plain or salted
- Flavored dough or rolled in a topping
- Philadelphia-style, bites, or rods
This particular homemade pretzel is soft and chewy, moderately salty (which can easily be modified to your liking), and smells deliciously like the pretzels from gourmet shops.
I’m seriously not exaggerating on the smell or the delicious part either. This entire batch of pretzels was devoured in mere minutes. I consider myself lucky to have snagged one for myself and taken a few photos before they disappeared.
Gluten-free folks will be happy to know that I have tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour. It’s perfect for substituting in recipes that traditionally call for wheat flour and you won’t notice the difference. The five taste testers of this pretzel sure didn’t.
Regardless of whether you’re dealing with gluten sensitivities or you don’t have any dietary restrictions, this recipe makes it official – snack time is back on, and it’s fun!
SOFT PRETZEL RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Warm water
- Honey
- Salt
- Active dry yeast
- Oat flour (make your own here)
- All-purpose flour (make this pretzel recipe gluten-free with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour)
- Butter
- Water
- Baking soda
- Egg yolk
- Kosher salt, for sprinkling
- Olive oil, for brushing
Psst! I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen for your salt! You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Save your pretzels from plastics! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PRETZELS
Step 1. Combine water, honey, salt, and yeast in a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow the yeast to bloom.
Step. 2 Add the oat flour, all-purpose flour, and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon, or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, until the ingredients are well combined. Knead dough by hand, or with a stand mixer, for about 5 minutes.
Step 3. Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise for 1 hour. (Note: You will not see a noticeable rise.)
Step 4. Preheat oven to 450F. Line a large baking sheet, or two smaller baking sheets, with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Brush lightly with olive oil.
Step 5. Combine the 5 cups of water and baking soda in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
Step 6. Meanwhile, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Knead each piece of dough in your hands, until the dough is soft and pliable.
Step 7. Roll each piece of soft pretzel dough into a rope 10″-12″ in length.
Step 8. Make a pretzel shape. Make a U-shape with the dough and cross the ends over each other twice to twist. Fold the ends downward and press gently into the bottom of the U-shape. Place the pretzels onto the prepared baking sheets.
If the twisted pretzels are challenging, make soft pretzel sticks or soft pretzel bites!
Step 9. Working with 1-2 pretzels at a time, add the homemade pretzels with a slotted spoon to the boiling water for 30 seconds.
Step 10. Return the boiled pretzels to the baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Step 11. Bake until golden brown, 13-16 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Store extra pretzels in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
ADDITIONAL SOFT PRETZEL RECIPE TIPS
- Do not substitute granulated sugar for the honey. This dough needs the extra moisture from the honey, otherwise the homemade pretzels will crumble as you roll your ropes.
- Do not skip the parchment paper brushed with oil. After three batches of pretzels that stuck like mad to a very well-seasoned cookie sheet, this was the only method that worked for no-stick pretzels.
- If making the gluten-free version, there will be no natural elasticity. If the dough breaks while you’re shaping the pretzels, simply squish it back into a ball, knead for 5-10 seconds, and try again.
- Stick to only 30 seconds in the baking soda bath to avoid a metallic taste in your finished pretzels.
- This pretzel recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. You can either bake and store the pretzels in an airtight container or freeze them individually. Thaw and reheat in an oven or toaster oven. You can also freeze the raw dough to bake later. Thaw the pretzel dough completely and bake as instructed.
TOPPINGS FOR PRETZELS
Of course, salt is traditionally used on soft pretzels. Some people like to dip them in mustard or even hot cheese sauce. But guess what? You can also make them as a yummy, sweet snack!
- For a cinnamon sugar topping, mix ½ teaspoon of cinnamon with ¼ cup granulated sugar and melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. Brush the freshly baked pretzels with melted butter, then roll them in cinnamon sugar. Try not to eat them all (unless no one is looking)!
- For an almond topping, use Honey Roasted Almonds. Chop roasted almonds into small bits, brush freshly baked pretzels with melted butter, then roll or sprinkle in almonds.
PRETZEL RECIPES FAQS
What is the difference between German and Bavarian pretzels?
German pretzels and Bavarian pretzels have a slightly denser dough than American pretzels and usually contain some sort of malt syrup or beer. This pretzel recipe is closer to a New York or Philadelphia pretzel, which are lighter and fluffier but differ in the shape in which they’re twisted.
Why baking soda for soft pretzel recipes?
There’s a bit of science involved here, but basically, the quick baking soda bath raises the pH of the pretzel dough, which helps with the golden-brown color of the pretzel, and also gives it some of that distinct pretzel flavor and smell.
Are pretzels deep-fried or baked?
These yummy homemade pretzels are baked in the oven for the perfect chewy texture.
MORE EASY SNACK RECIPES
- 25+ Real Food Snacks
- Healthy Homemade Lunchables
- No-Bake Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Homemade Cheez-Its
- Homemade Fruit Leather and Fruit Roll-Ups
- Healthy Homemade Hot Pockets
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crush Inflation Challenge!
Sign up for my FREE Crush Inflation Challenge and learn simple strategies to save money, even with rising food costs!Easy Soft Pretzel Recipe
Try this easy soft pretzel recipe for delicious, chewy pretzels that taste and smell like they’re straight out of the gourmet pretzel shop! You can even make these pretzels gluten-free!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water (105-110F)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅛ tsp active dry yeast
- ¾ cup oat flour (make your own here)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour*
- 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
- 5 cups water
- ⅓ cup baking soda
- 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp water, whisked together for an egg wash
- coarse Kosher salt, for sprinkling
- olive oil, for brushing
Instructions
- Combine water, honey, salt, and yeast in either a medium mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow the yeast to bloom.
- Add the oat flour, all-purpose flour, and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon, or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, until the ingredients are well combined. Knead dough by hand, or with a stand mixer, for about 5 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise for 1 hour. (Note: You will not see a noticeable rise.)
- Preheat oven to 450F. Line a large baking sheet, or two smaller baking sheets, with parchment paper. Brush lightly with olive oil. Set aside.
- Combine the 5 cups of water and baking soda in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Meanwhile, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Knead each piece of dough in your hands until it is soft and pliable.
- Gently roll each piece of soft pretzel dough into a rope 10″-12″ in length.
- Make a U-shape with the dough and cross the ends over each other twice. Fold the ends downward and press gently into the bottom of the U-shape. Place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Working with 1-2 pretzels at a time, boil the pretzels in the baking soda bath for 30 seconds. Turn the pretzel over after 20 seconds if it is not fully submerged.
- Return the boiled pretzels back to the baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle liberally (or to taste) with coarse Kosher salt.
- Bake until golden brown, 13-16 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
* If you don’t have this flour, you may substitute any type of flour you have on hand.
- Do not substitute granulated sugar for the honey. This dough needs the extra moisture from the honey, otherwise they will crumble as you roll your ropes.
- Do not skip the parchment paper brushed with oil. After three batches of pretzels that stuck like mad to a very well seasoned cookie sheet, this was the only method that worked for no-stick pretzels.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
- This recipe is best right out of the oven, but for future enjoyment, consider freezing individually and reheating in an oven or toaster oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 184
Talia
HI there!
I’m wondering if you know of a replacement for yeast. I’m gluten-free and yeast-free (food allergies are hard!), which makes dough of any kind a real challenge.
Tiffany
Hi Talia! You’re going to want to either look at yeast-free recipes that rely on baking soda for rise (which will be dense, heads-up) or make GF sourdough.
Denise Schuler
Can you use any other sugar beside honey?
Karen @ Team Crumbs
Hi Denise,
You could try maple syrup. Let us know how it comes out. 🙂
Kathleen
Just tried this out, and currently awaiting their doneness in the oven! I spent too much time trying to shape them into traditional pretzels which never worked, at all. Transferring them to the boiling water left them in pieces so now they are pretzel nuggets. My favorite anyway! Hope they turn out well and tasty. How did the rest of you manage to keep the shapes?? Thanks!
Tiffany
Keeping the shape isn’t easy, Kathleen, but making them smaller than you think they’d be helps. But there is NOTHING wrong with nuggets or rods! ♥
Jen
How can I cut this recipe down to only make 2 pretzels? I live by myself.
Tiffany
I’m not sure Jen; hopefully someone else can chime in with their experience!
Kim
Made these today with my daughter and shed a tear after the first bite…these are just like the pretzels I used to get at the mall!! I actually used the Bob’s Mill pizza crust flour as I cannot have oats. First time in years I have enjoyed something this much. Yay!!
Kate
My GF kids (only 2 of my 6) and I were so excited to make and eat these! Just want to make sure the 1 CUP of baking soda in the water wasn’t a typo. They all tasted very much of the baking soda, the cinnamon sugar ones did a better job of masking it, but I could still taste it. Thanks for your help!
Tiffany
Hi Kate!! I just reviewed the recipe and it says 1/3 cup… did I mis-type it somewhere?
Meghna Lamore
Has anyone tried making the dough in a bread machine? I use mine for everything from pizza dough (from a non-bread-machine recipe) to your buns recipe to actual loaves of bread, and I should very much love to use it for these, too…
Alexis
Hi! If we can’t have dairy – for the butter would ghee or coco oil work? Thanks!
Tiffany
I haven’t tried it myself Alexis, but ghee should work well.
Lisa
I made these this evening. I used sprouted gluten free flour (oat, rice, sorghum and tapioca starch). They were delicious and not terribly hard to work with. I did add xantham gum to mine to make it more pliable and that worked well. I made some in the traditional pretzel shape, but I ran out of time, so did the rest of the batch in rods. I think I actually liked the rods better! Getting ready to make some lacto-fermented mustard to go with them next time 🙂
NicoleS
Have you tried making your own tortilla chips from tortillas (soft taco shells in the refrigerator section)?
My cousins cuts the whole stack w/ her pizza cutter & bakes them.
Laura
Quick question….
If you CAN’T have gluten how can you have oat flour?
Gluten free and grain free for me.
Mindy
Oats are gluten free, from my understanding.
Tiffany
Oats themselves are GF, but they need to be certified GF if cross-contamination is an issue (since they can be processed in facilities that handle gluten).
Susan
Okay, I need help. I’m not used to gluten-free baking (planning to do a Lenten-pretzel-making-playdate with friends who are gluten-dairy-free). I ran a test batch this morning (with Earth Balance stick instead of butter and only a half-batch) — the dough was so crumbly that I had to add water just to get it to stick together. And I couldn’t roll them out into ropes at all — had to “pinch” them into shapes (though I may have been trying to make the ropes too thick, since I’m used to making wheat-based pretzels). I’ve gone over and over the recipe and I think I had all the amounts correct. Any hints or tricks I”m missing, other than more practice with gluten-free baking?:) They taste fine (though do not look pretty — yours are beautiful!), I just want to figure out what I’m doing wrong before I’m trying to walk little ones through rolling and shaping. Thanks so much! (and thank you for the recipe, too.:)
Tiffany
Hi Susan! I remember two secrets to avoiding the crumble was a) don’t skimp out on the honey, and b) be sure you roll the dough in your hands before rolling into pretzels. I actually discovered this on accident, when I kept messing up the shape, lol. Kneading in your hand for about 30 seconds BEFORE shaping made the dough pliable enough to shape and hold without it crumbling. Imagine you’re making play-doh. 🙂
These would be considered thinner pretzels, if you’re used to making thick with wheat. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d recommend this shape if you’re working with little ones. Maybe let them do the kneading in their hands and rolling into sticks (for pretzel rods) or into another shape, like a circle? The dough is sensitive when you’re trying to tuck under, and I don’t know if little hands would be able to pull it off. Then again, if they’re tasting okay, that could be part of the fun too. 😉
Susan
Oh, wow, thanks for the quick reply. Because of the symbolism aspect for Lent and the like, I want to try to stick with the traditional shape, knowing we may end up throwing up our hands in exasperation, anyway, lol, and just enjoy whatever shape comes out of the oven. And it probably would have helped if I had not been in the perpetual hurry and tried to shortcut the time on kneading each individual ball, eh? Thanks so much for taking the time to share your hints. . . and I’ll try, try again.:)
Jean
My 7 year old and I made these this week. It was my first try at a Crumbs recipe (taking baby steps – I had only all purpose flour on hand) and they turned out perfect. We had fun making them and eating them! Can’t wait to try more recipes and get going on a meal plan. Thanks for your website!
Tiffany
You’ve reminded me that I can make this during our challenge – we have plenty of flour! I’m so glad you and your child enjoyed these. Warm, fresh and slightly gooey from the oven… Mmmm… Welcome to Crumbs Jean! I hope to see more of you and get to know you better ! 🙂
Holly B.
Glad to see what happens when using a.p. flour. I will definitely try these!
Audrey
I’m so glad that you’re being sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. They’re my go to for specialty baking goods (from shredded coconut to rye flour to xantham gum). For most items, the price is absolutely worth it. Now if only I could get my local grocery store to consistently stock Bob’s Red Mill rye flour, I’d be a happy camper.
I’m making these this weekend. I’m so excited.
Tiffany
Me too Audrey, they have some truly amazing products and I appreciate how they care about them too. I hope you enjoy the pretzels!
Jessica
Does the 1 to 1 flour you’re referencing have a gum already in it (xanthan or guar or something)? I have the BRM all purpose baking flour…no binder or gum already in it.
I was just diagnosed with a wheat allergy and I am SO excited to make these this week! Thanks!
Tiffany
You’re most welcome! Sorry for the late reply, but you can read the ingredients here: http://www.bobsredmill.com/Gluten-Free-1-to-1-Baking-Flour.html
Michelle
Do you think this would work with White Rice flour?
Tiffany
Hi Michelle! I’m going to say maybe. It definitely needs the oat flour. I tried a recipe using only the 1-to-1 flour (which is mostly rice flour) and it was a bit too dense for a pretzel. You might try 30% oat and 70% rice and see if that works. Remember to not skip the honey and a smaller, skinny pretzel might be the best result (too thick and it’ll just taste chewy instead of fluffy). A dash of baking powder & baking soda might be worth a shot too, maybe 1/4 tsp soda and 1/2 tsp powder?
Tiffany
You’re most welcome – enjoy!
Helen
yum! So often they have egg IN them which doesn’t work for us, so we will have to try these. For ‘oat flour’ can we just grind up oats? I forget 🙂
Ah, snacks. A struggle, here. I let them have crackers or Annie’s bunnies and squeezies for snack. I want to switch over as Calvin does like raw apples…and then most times I know if he is truly hungry or not by offering fruit 😉 I just struggle as Annie is 18 months and so cheerios (organic, unsweetened ones) are really truly easy…
Tiffany
Yes, just grind up oats in your blender. I remember the cheerio days all too well. Remember, there’s give and take for each season! 🙂 But these soft pretzels should work for her to gum on, since they’re soft… you could do the sticks (if she holds) and let her gnaw.
Alexandria Sween
I asked my husband, who LOVES your meal plan, about these little babies. His answer was, “Yes please!”
Tiffany
LOL – Well I hope he loves them as much as we do! 🙂
Kate
I’d like to make these but can’t use oats. How do you think the recipe will work by adding more bobs flour and not using oats?
Karen @ Team Crumbs
Hi Kate!
Although we haven’t tested it, it should work out fine without the oat flour, but with more Bob’s. Let us know how it comes out! 🙂
Dena Norton
These are so cute! I have to admit, I saw the title and began feverishly scrolling, hoping for some cinnamon-shuuuuugaaaah!! That version will definitely be a hit with my cinnamon loving family! 🙂
Tiffany
Oh man Dena, they really are good. I may or may not have licked the extra cinnamon sugar. 😉
Dena Norton
Hey, “don’t waste the crumbs, right??” 😉