These homemade soft pretzels are soft, chewy, and golden brown, just like your favorite mall or bakery pretzels — but made right in your own kitchen.
You don’t need any special equipment or fancy ingredients — just a bowl, a little time, and a craving for something warm and homemade. I always finish them with a brush of melted butter and a sprinkle of salt, and if there’s time, a simple dipping sauce on the side makes them feel extra special.
Getting a soft pretzel any time I went to the mall was always a given. Now that I make them myself, I enjoy them more often. You are so going to love these pretzels!
If you are a cheese lover, dip them in cheese sauce, or try spicy or honey mustard. Cinnamon and sugar are to die for. You might just like dipping in butter, whatever way you choose, you can’t go wrong with these pretzels.
These homemade soft pretzels are always a hit on game day. I love serving them alongside my BBQ chicken totchos and spinach sausage bread for a spread that’s easy, comforting, and guaranteed to disappear fast.
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Soft, chewy, buttery bakery-style pretzels
- Made with simple ingredients and no mixer
- Easy enough for a cozy snack, special enough for sharing
- Delicious plain or with your favorite dips
Ingredients needed to make Homemade Soft Pretzels:
- Active dry or instant yeast
- Warm water
- Melted butter
- Sugar
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Nonstick cooking spray
Baking Soda Bath:
- Water
- Baking soda
Toppings:
- Melted butter
- Coarse salt or pretzel salt
How to make Homemade Soft Pretzels
Combine the water, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top and give it a stir. I use Red Star Active Dry Yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until it begins to foam.
Slowly add the flour and melted butter, mix on low speed until combined. Change to medium speed and blend until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil the bowl well with non-stick cooking spray. Return the dough to the bowl, turn the dough over so oiled side is facing up. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring water and baking soda to a rapid boil.
Place dough onto a lightly oiled surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces
Roll each piece into a 22-to-24-inch rope. Make a U shape with the rope.
Holding the ends, cross them over twice.
Press the ends into the bottom of the U to form a pretzel shape.
Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Carefully, place pretzel into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from water and carefully place back onto the baking sheet.
Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake until dark golden brown, approximately 12 minutes.
Why do you boil soft pretzels before baking?
This is what gives the pretzels that great flavor. It locks in the super soft interior while helping to create that deep golden exterior color. Can you skip this step? Yes, you can, but following this step is worth it!
What is the purpose of putting egg wash on the pretzel?
The egg wash gives the pretzel the perfect crispy exterior.
The best salt to use for soft pretzels is Pretzel Salt, I found mine online. If you can’t find it, you can substitute it for course sea salt. If you’re not a salt lover, just omit it.
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Crave Coarse Pretzel Salt 12 Oz Bag For Soft Pretzels – Premium All Natural Coarse Food Grade Topping – For Bagels & Breads too!Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda, 8oz, Pack of 2Silpat The Original Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Full Size, 16-1/2Reynolds Kitchens Pop-Up Parchment Paper Sheets, 10.7×13.75 Inch, 120 SheetsOXO Good Grips Silicone Basting & Pastry Brush – Small
How to store Homemade Soft Pretzels
You can store your soft pretzels in an airtight container or up to 2 days. To reheat place your pretzel in the oven at 350F and bake for five minutes. You can also microwave for a few seconds.
You can freeze the baked pretzels for up to two months. To reheat, bake frozen at 350F for 20 minutes or until warmed through, or microwave frozen pretzels until warm.
Homemade Soft Pretzel Recipe (Soft, Chewy & Buttery)
Ingredients
Soft pretzels
1 package active dry or instant yeast (2–1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water at 110F
1/4 cup melted butter (slightly cooled)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for sprinkling on counter)
Nonstick cooking spray
Baking Soda Bath
10 cups water
2/3 cups baking soda
Toppings
2 tablespoons coarse salt or pretzel salt
5 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
1. Combine water, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir and set aside for approximately 4 to 5 minutes until it begins to bubble.
2. Add the flour and melted butter, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Once combined change to medium speed for approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Dough should get smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl. (If the dough looks dry add in a couple of drops of water)
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, oil the bowl well with non-stick cooking spray. Return the dough to the bowl, turn the dough over so the oiled side is up, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats. Spray with cooking spray, set aside.
5. Turn dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each dough into a 20–24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other, twist leaving about an inch and a half free. Loop the twisted portion down to form a pretzel shape. Gently press the ends down to stick. Place on the greased parchment-lined baking pans.
6. In an 8-quart saucepan bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil.
7. Carefully place the pretzel into the boiling water, one at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water using a large flat spatula or slotted spoon. Return to the baking pan. Continue with all the pretzels.
8. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake until dark golden brown, approximately 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes before serving.
4 Responses
I’ll be making some cinnamon sugar pretzels with your recipe, thanks love
Oh great,please let me know how they turn out and feel free to share some pictures. Thanks, LoRI
I made these pretzels last week and they were a hit! I did not use the Red Star yeast so they weren’t as fluffy as Lori’s but they were still delicious! I will use Red Star next time! I made a couple with cinnamon and sugar and a couple others with everything bagel seasoning and the rest with just salt. 6 1/2 out of 8 of the pretzels were gone by the next morning ☺️ Thanks Lori for sharing a great recipe!
Hi Andrea, I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed the pretzels! Yum,cinnamon and sugar is one of my favorites! Thanks so much for taking the time to write a comment!