Pretzel Bites (3 Ways!)

Ingredient Notes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

For the Pretzel Base

• Honey or Light Brown Sugar: Adds a subtle sweetness to the dough and helps the pretzel bites brown well in the oven. The natural sugars caramelize as they bake, creating that classic deep golden pretzel color without making the dough sweet.
• Instant Yeast or Active Dry Yeast: Leavens the dough and helps create a soft, fluffy interior with a classic chewy-but-tender pretzel exterior.
• All-Purpose Flour: Provides the ideal balance of structure and tenderness. Using the spoon and level method to measure, start with 4 cups (500 grams) and gradually add more until you reach the necessary texture for perfectly supple dough. (You’ll learn more about this later in the recipe instructions!)
• Whole Milk: Adds richness and softness to the dough, creating a more tender bite than water alone. The fat and lactose help soften the crumb and enhance browning, making these pretzel bites extra pillowy inside.
• Vegetable Oil: You’ll use a light coating of vegetable oil to grease the bowl before you leave the dough in it to rise. The oil helps prevent the dough from sticking and drying out as it rises.
• Baking Soda: Quickly soaking the bites in a baking soda bath is what transforms the dough into true pretzel bites. It raises the dough’s pH, which firms up the outside of the dough before baking, helping the bites hold their shape and develop a chewy crust while staying soft and fluffy inside.

For the Flavor Toppings

• Egg: Brushing the pretzel bites with egg wash before baking creates a glossy finish and helps toppings stick. It also contributes to a richer color and bakery-style appearance.
• Pretzel Salt: Is coarse, crunchy, and slow-melting, giving you those iconic salty bursts without dissolving into the dough. It’s essential for classic pretzel flavor and texture (I promise, it’s worth it to use pretzel salt instead of regular salt! I used this one!)
• Melted Butter: Brushing the pretzel bites with melted butter right after baking adds flavor, shine, and that irresistible soft finish. It also helps the cinnamon sugar topping adhere and gives the bites a rich, bakery-style feel.
• Everything But the Bagel Seasoning: Adds savory crunch and bold flavor with sesame, garlic, and onion. Bites with this seasoning pair perfectly with cheese sauce or mustard.
• Granulated Sugar & Ground Cinnamon: Sweet, warm, cozy flavor that clings to the buttery exterior of the pretzel bites, for a soft, dessert-style treat.

Step by Step Directions

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

Expert Tips

• Weigh your flour: Starting with 500g (~4 cups) helps prevent dense dough and keeps the pretzel bites soft and fluffy. 
• Window pane test: You’re looking for a dough that is soft, slightly tacky, and passes the window pane test. Pinch off a small piece of dough, about the size of a golf ball. Hold it gently between your thumbs and fingers. Slowly stretch it outward. Keep rotating the dough, letting it stretch thinner and thinner. You’re looking for thin, almost see-through dough that doesn’t rip. If it does rip, knead a few minutes longer and add more flour if too sticky.
• Knead on the counter: Knead the dough on the counter for the last minute (or so) of the kneading process. Sometimes mixing bowls miss small dry patches or streaks of flour along the sides, which means parts of the dough never fully hydrate or develop gluten. By turning the dough out onto the counter and giving it a quick hand-knead, you ensure every bit of dough is smooth, cohesive, and perfectly kneaded and help to strengthen the gluten further.
• Don’t skip the baking soda bath: This is what gives pretzel bites their signature flavor, chewy exterior, and deep golden color. Without this step, they are just regular bread bites.
• Watch the bath time: 15-20 seconds creates the classic pretzel chew. Bathing beyond 30 seconds can lead to a bitter or metallic taste.
• Use silicone baking mats: In my recipe testing, the pretzel bites stuck less to the silicone baking mats compared to parchment paper.
• Brush with butter while warm: This helps the butter soak in, adds flavor, and gives the bites that bakery-style shine. 

Pretzel Bites Variations

This recipe is written including 3 different variations of pretzel bites: traditional salt, everything but the bagel, and cinnamon sugar. If you’re looking to mix things up even more, give one of these options a try! I haven’t personally tested all of these, so if you try any, please let me (and other readers!) know how it went in the comments below.

• Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Bites: Sprinkle shredded cheddar over the egg-washed bites before baking. Finish with a brush of butter and a pinch of flaky salt.
• Garlic Butter Pretzel Bites: Skip toppings before baking (like you do with the cinnamon sugar bites). After baking, brush with melted butter mixed with garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic) and parsley.
• Parmesan Herb Pretzel Bites: Top egg-washed bites with grated parmesan and Italian seasoning or rosemary before baking.
• Jalapeño Cheddar Pretzel Bites: Add finely diced pickled jalapeños and shredded cheddar on top of the bites before baking for a spicy kick.
• Pumpkin Spice Pretzel Bites: Follow the instructions for the cinnamon sugar pretzel bites, but mix pumpkin spice with the sugar instead of cinnamon, for a fun seasonal twist!
• Chocolate Sugar Pretzel Bites: Add cocoa powder to the cinnamon sugar mixture for a chocolatey twist.

Dip Ideas for Pretzel Bites

If you’re looking for some delicious dip ideas for these soft pretzel bites, I’d recommend:

• Warm cheese sauce
• Honey mustard
• Dijon mustard (or the dipping sauce from my Cuban Sliders recipe would be delish!)
• Beer cheese
• Chocolate ganache or fondue dip
• Vanilla glaze or cream cheese dip (or try my Cannoli Dip if you’re feeling adventurous!)

Storage / Freezing

These bites are best enjoyed fresh, as it’s hard to recreate their texture after refrigerating or freezing. But if you do need some tips, here’s what I recommend:

• Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Skip the fridge: Refrigeration dries out pretzel bites.
• Reheat (oven): Warm at 350°F for 5–8 minutes until heated through, then finish with butter and toppings.
• Reheat (air fryer): Reheat pretzel bites in the air fryer at 325°F for 2–4 minutes, shaking halfway through. Brush with butter and add toppings after reheating for best texture and flavor.
• Freeze (baked): Cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Best tip: Freeze bites plain (before butter or cinnamon sugar) for best texture. When ready to enjoy, bake frozen pretzel bites at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until heated through. Then brush with melted butter after reheating. Add pretzel salt, everything bagel seasoning, or toss in cinnamon sugar just before serving

FAQs

January 2026 Baking Challenge

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Pretzel Bites (3 Ways!)

Prep: 35 minutes mins

Rise Time: 1 hour hr

Cook: 12 minutes mins

Servings: 60 bites

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My homemade Pretzel Bites are everything you love about soft pretzels, but in a fun, bite-sized form that’s great for dipping. They bake up soft on the inside with a golden, chewy exterior and can be finished three delicious ways, making them perfect for parties, game day, or anytime you’re craving warm pretzels at home.

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Ingredients

Pretzel Dough

• ▢ 1 ½ cups water (warmed to 110°F)
• ▢ 2 Tbsp. honey or light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast or active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp. = 1 packet or ¼ oz or 7 g)
• ▢ 4 – 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled; start with ~4 cups (500g) and add more as needed)
• ▢ 2 ¼ tsp. kosher salt (or 1 tsp. table salt)
• ▢ 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. whole milk
• ▢ vegetable oil (for greasing bowl)

Baking Soda Bath

• ▢ 9 cups water
• ▢ 1/2 cup baking soda

For Everything Bagel Pretzel Bites and Salt Pretzel Bites:

• ▢ 1 egg (beaten; for egg wash)
• ▢ pretzel salt
• ▢ Everything but the Bagel seasoning
• ▢ 2-4 Tbsp. melted butter (for brushing after baking)

For Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites:

• ▢ 4 Tbsp. melted butter
• ▢ 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ▢ pinch salt

Get Recipe Ingredients

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Instructions 

• Bloom the yeast: In a stand mixer bowl, add the warm water and honey or brown sugar and whisk to combine. Sprinkle the yeast on top, give it a gentle stir and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Start Timer
  1 ½ cups water, 2 Tbsp. honey or light brown sugar, 2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast or active dry yeast
  
• Make the dough: Add the flour (starting with 4 cups), salt on top of the flour, followed by the melted butter and milk. Mix with a dough hook on medium speed for ~5 minutes. Start Timer You’re looking for a dough that is soft, slightly tacky, and passes the window pane test.

  Window pane test: Pinch off a small piece of dough, about the size of a golf ball. Hold it gently between your thumbs and fingers. Slowly stretch it outward. Keep rotating the dough, letting it stretch thinner and thinner. You’re looking for thin, almost see-through dough that doesn’t rip. If it does, knead a few minutes longer and add more flour if too sticky.

  Pro tip: Knead the dough on the counter for the last minute (or so) of the kneading process. Sometimes mixing bowls miss small dry patches or streaks of flour along the sides, which means parts of the dough never fully hydrate or develop gluten. By turning the dough out onto the counter and giving it a quick hand-knead, you ensure every bit of dough is smooth, cohesive, and perfectly kneaded and help to strengthen the gluten further.
  4 – 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ tsp. kosher salt, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 Tbsp. whole milk
  
• Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Place dough ball in prepared bowl, cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until the ball has doubled in size, usually 60-90 minutes. I like to use the proof setting on my oven! Start Timer
  vegetable oil
  
• Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F and make sure the rack is positioned in the center. Line a few baking sheets with silicone baking mats. (You can use parchment paper, but I’ve found the bites tend to stick on it, so silpat/silicone baking mats really are the MVP here)
• Shape pretzel bites: Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, divide into 4 portions. Shape each portion into ~20-22 inch logs. I like to lift each piece up when shaping and let gravity assist, being as gentle as possible with the dough. Use the bench scraper again to cut the bites into ~ 1 ½ inch bites.
  
• Prepare baking soda bath: Bring 9 cups of water to a boil. Slowly and carefully add in the baking soda. It will fizzle/foam and bubble when you add it in so be sure to only add in a little add a time. Reduce to a gentle simmer (you don’t need a full on rolling boil)
  9 cups water, 1/2 cup baking soda
  
• Boil the bites: Carefully place ~10 bites at a time in the baking soda bath for just about 20-25 seconds, give them a gentle stir to make sure they’re getting coated well and aren’t sticking to one another. Using a spider strainer or slotted spoon, lift the bites out and place on the silicone-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining bites.

  Pro tip: Anything over the 30-second mark can risk the pretzel bites tasting bitter, metallic, or soapy. You can aim for 15 seconds for more classic pretzel chew, the 20 second mark has a deeper color and is slightly chewier.

  Note: After the baking soda bath, the bites should hold their shape, look smooth, not collapse or wrinkle, and look slightly puffed. If they look very saggy or deflated, it could mean the rise time wasn’t long enough or dough wasn’t kneaded enough. They should hold their shape at this point.
  
• Egg wash & salt or everything bagel seasoning: Decide how many bites you want with salt and/or everything but the bagel seasoning. Once out of the baking soda bath, brush those bites immediately with egg wash. Sprinkle generously with pretzel salt and/or everything but the bagel seasoning. (The cinnamon/sugar bites get baked plain, so no egg wash is necessary for those.)
  1 egg, pretzel salt, Everything but the Bagel seasoning
  
• Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes until deep golden brown. I also like to rotate the tray halfway so ensure even baking. Once out of the oven, brush with melted butter to give them a gorgeous shine! Start Timer
  2-4 Tbsp. melted butter
• For the cinnamon sugar bites: Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and pinch of salt in a bowl. Once the bites are out of the oven, dip a bite in melted butter and then toss in the cinnamon/sugar/salt mixture. Set bake on a baking sheet and repeat. Use more melted butter or cinnamon/sugar as needed for how many bites you have. ENJOYYY!
  4 Tbsp. melted butter, 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar, 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, pinch salt
  

Equipment

spider strainer

bench scraper

silicone baking mat

Notes

• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Skip refrigerating any leftovers, as it can dry out the pretzel bites.
• Freeze baked pretzel bites in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
• Check out this section for additional pretzel bites flavor variations!
• Check out this section for some fun dip suggestions for your pretzel bites!

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

© Author: Tawnie Graham of Kroll’s Korner

📸 Photography by Creating Kaitlin