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We love this recipe for Homemade Soft Pretzels. Many pretzel recipes require you to boil the pretzels. This recipe calls for baking only- with plenty of butter- to create the most delicious, soft and buttery pretzels ever!
RecipeBoy Brooks first made this recipe way back in 2014 when he was just 13 years old. I didn’t help him much with this recipe at all. So it’s easy enough for a kid to make without any trouble. And he really loved making these too. Who wouldn’t love a homemade soft pretzel? I’ve saved his original photos for this post. He sure was a cutie!
This recipe comes from the cool kid’s cookbook: KIDS COOKING MADE EASY- FAVORITE TRIPLE-TESTED RECIPES. There are a ton of cool recipes from this cookbook! They are easy to make and even the pickiest eaters will find something to eat in here. We love to share kid’s cookbooks around here, and this one is a good one.
Ingredients Needed:
- instant dry yeast
- warm water
- granulated white sugar
- all purpose flour
- salt
- baking soda
- coarse salt
- butter
✏️ How to make Homemade Soft Pretzels:
The full printable recipe is at the end of this post.
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar. Add in the flour and salt and knead until smooth (you can use your hands, or you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this part).
- Grease a second bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough into the bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Note that RecipeBoy Brooks is being silly with his lacrosse stick and the risen dough!
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line 2-baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. It’s easiest to do this by dumping the dough onto a floured surface, shaping it into a circle and then cutting it into 8 equal pieces.
➡️ Tips for making pretzels:
- Use recently purchased yeast. Old yeast will not work in allowing the dough to rise!
- In this recipe, we dip the pretzels in a water bath with baking soda before baking. This step gives the pretzels their signature brown and shiny crust. We find that there is no need to boil the pretzels in water with this recipe!
- Give the pretzels enough space to expand while baking. Overcrowding can cause them to bake unevenly.
- Soft pretzels served warm, right out of the oven, will be the best!
- Serve soft pretzels with mustard, cheese sauce, or any other dipping sauce of your choice.
Roll each part into a rope about 24 to 26 inches long and form into a pretzel shape. Traditional pretzel shapes are achieved by forming a U-shape, then crossing the ends over each other and pressing them into the bottom of the U. In a shallow bowl, combine water and baking soda. Submerge each pretzel in the water and then place on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt. Let the pretzels rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
✔️ How to Store Soft Pretzels:
Allow the pretzels to cool completely to room temperature before storing them. This prevents condensation from forming inside the storage container, which can make the pretzels soggy. Place the cooled pretzels in an airtight container or a zip-top plastic bag. Make sure to seal the container tightly to prevent air from getting in, which can cause the pretzels to dry out. Soft pretzels can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you need to store the pretzels for longer than 2 days, you can refrigerate them. Place them in an airtight container or bag and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Before serving, you can warm them up in the oven to refresh them.
✔️ How to Freeze Soft Pretzels:
Soft pretzels also freeze well. To freeze them, wrap each pretzel individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes before serving to refresh them.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush each hot baked pretzel with melted butter immediately after taking them out of the oven.
❤️ What We Love About This Recipe:
- They are such a delicious snack- especially when served warm!
- Soft pretzels make me think of carnivals and pretzel carts. They’re always good when you buy one from a cart, but they’re so much more amazing when you make them homemade.
- They are easy to make, and it’s fun to experiment with different toppings and dippers.
More Homemade Snack Favorites:
How to Make Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1½ cups warm water (about 105 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
CRUST:
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- coarse sea salt or kosher salt
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar. Add in the flour and salt and knead until smooth (you can use your hands, or you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this part).
- Grease a second bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough into the bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line 2-baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a rope about 24 to 26 inches long and form into a pretzel shape (see the link in my the post for detailed instructions on how to shape a pretzel).
- In a shallow bowl, combine water and baking soda. Submerge each pretzel in the water and then place on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt. Let the pretzels rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush each hot baked pretzel with melted butter immediately after taking them out of the oven.
Nutrition
This recipe comes from RecipeBoy.com
Great job Recipe Boy! The pretzels look so yummy!
could you add cheese on top ??
Maybe! Or a cheese dipping sauce.
Cannot wait to try this out!
I love pretzels! I made pretzels as a kid. I will be making this recipe with my boys. Thanks!!
How many packets of the dry yeast to make the required amount? Silly question, I know, but need to make the shopping list. Thanks!
I opened two and measured from there.
you can also buy the yeast ina jar and measure it out
Or you can actually keep them fat so they make the “blob” and cut them down the center and use as a bun! Pretzel roll buns are awesome!
Great idea!!
You could sprinkle them with parmesan cheese or a sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Yum, these look so tasty!
I LOVE soft pretzels! I think my kids would have so much fun making these… and eating them, of course.
You rock young man.
We made and experimented putting cheese in the middle of little pieces of the dough as well as the full size pretzels and turned out so great.
Thank you for the recipe
You’ll have to remember to take this recipe with you to college. I used to make these when I was in college and sell them so I’d have some extra cash. My pretzels were known throughout all the dorms, and when I was making them in the lounge word travelled fast! 🙂
My #1 Fave. Snack – Dipped in Mustard. Yum!
Love the Pic. of you beating down the dough!
I will try this! I love Philly soft pretzels and have high hopes. One question — for the water bath before baking, your recipe says baking powder, but the link to the other “how to” post calls for baking soda. I think soda is correct….?
Oh man, you are totally correct- it is definitely baking SODA. My apologies- the recipe was changed to reflect that. Thanks.
I made soft pretzel bites over Christmas. They were great when they were warm but they were NASTY when they got cold. I posted the recipe along with a cheese sauce recipe on my blog.
Yum.. They look great Brooks. Must be great after a Lacrosse game I bet too. Hope your team is doing well.
P.S. ok ok we didn’t get to play in the BCS or Rose bowl but we won the Alamo bowl. 🙂
This is the easiest recipe and turns out perfect every single time!! Yours look delicious Brooks! Kudos to you, I know you sampled them first right? Just to make sure they were good? You did an awesome job!
These look great! I’m going to make these I bet I can convince my nine year old to help out on this one 🙂
Wow, way to go, Brooks!
I can’t wait to try these. 🙂 They look great and I LOVE pretzels. YUMMY! I’m going to try this tomorrow. Thanks for the share!
If I wanted to make these mini for the superbowl how long wouldn I bake them?
No idea just keep an eye on them. 🙂
These sound awesome! Can’t wait to give them a try! I see baking these with the grandbaby when she’s older!
Oh yummy, these look amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
These are awesome! I tried my first batch last weekend, they were a hit with all my kids and my husband! Made a double batch today and first batch is in the oven, kids helped and can’t wait to eat them. Def. recommend this recipe to anyone! Simple, easy and most people have all these ingredients at home already!
What are the modifications for making these in higher-altitude?
Well, I am in high altitude. No adjustments are needed.
Just tried these and loved them! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
I came across your website awhile ago while I was browsing online. My kids and I tried these soft pretzels (in fact, we’re eating them right now). 🙂 They are so good and you gave good instructions and pictures! Thanks! It’s fun reading thro your blog. We like how you write… like saying you could use this pretzel dough for carpet. 🙂
I love these pretzels, thanks for sharing the recipe on Pinterest. I made a double batch so my guests would get some.
Loved these! Made them today and they were a big hit. Simple easy to follow instructions, hardly any rise time, and that buttery topping made them perfect! Added some broccoli and cheddar to some-out of this world!
I made these for the Super Bowl and they were great! Very easy and the best soft pretzel recipe I have tried. Thanks for another great recipe.
Great job on everything you do. Everything I’ve tried has been great. Keep it up Recipe Boy! Loved the homemade butterfingers!
Live your passion.
I made these today and they were wonderful. I used my bread machine and put it on the Dough Cycle. I am definitely making these again and I sent the link to your site to my daughters and one of my son-in-laws. My husband said they were the bomb LOL!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and for the awesome pics.
These were super yummy! I’ve tried (using a different recipe) making them before but they didn’t turn out like how i wanted. These turned out perfectly! thanks for the recipe 🙂
hi! can I substitute baking soda to baking powder? can’t wait to try this! been looking for the perfect recipe. instead of putting salt, can I dunk the pretzel in cinnamon sugar? THANKS!
Use baking soda.
My two little boys and I had a wonderful time making these and just as much fun eating them! It’s great for them to see your step-by-step photos to help them follow the directions. We look forward to trying many more of your recipes! Thanks for taking the time to share your passion.
Holy cow these were so easy and very yummy! The dough sat to rise while we finished dinner. Then everyone rolled up their own dessert. We made half with salt and the other half we shook them in a bag with cinnamon and sugar. We are going to try to make cheese logs with this recipe next weekend. This was an awesome find!!!
These are now my go to soft pretzels. It’s so nice to not have to boil them! They turn out perfectly every time. Lately I’ve taken to making sticks out of them and filling them with cream cheese or peanut butter. Simply wonderful. Keep cooking!
I’ve used your recipe a couple of times now, everyone loves them! I’m going to make them again today as sticks and filling them with cheese and jalepeno. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe- it turned out perfectly! delicious
I found this recipe on Pinterest and will be trying it out today. I can’t wait…they look awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Very easy to make!! Thanks for sharing, only problem I had was they all stuck to the parchment paper 🙁 maybe I should have sprayed it with non stick cooking spray!! Lesson learned 🙂 also very good with nacho cheese!!
One other thing they kinda had a biscuit like consistency….any advice on how to lighten them up so they aren’t so thick??
Allright the munchkin and I are making them now.
I will let you know how they turn out.
Sincere thanks for the easy recipe. Kiddos and I made them tonight and gobbled them all up as soon as they cooled a little bit. Tasted just like the ones from the pretzel store. No more paying thru the nose for these goodies 🙂
I cooked and baked with my boy and now with my grand kids all 10 of them this will be the new to go for recipe. I love pretzels. Nice to see a young man in the kitchen. Great job.
Made these today…so easy to make and delicious. .thank you for sharing. .
OMG! These were amazing and super easy to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Do you know if the pretzels can be frozen?
Hmmm I’m not quite sure. They are soft pretzels so they are best served hot. Maybe you could freeze them and then just microwave them when you are ready to eat. Try it out and let me know how it works! 🙂
I made these today and they were great. I used one packet of yeast and they came out perfect. Thanks for sharing the receipe.
My girls are going to LOVE this! Who knows, we may even sneak some in to our local movie theater this weekend. I know it would be a whole lot better than candy….and cheaper. Thanks for sharing Recipe Boy!
I made these today and they came out amazing. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Oooh I never thought about making pretzels before, and these don’t look too difficult to make. Thanks for sharing, I’m going to try this sometime. I’m always looking for new ideas :).
Delicious buttery bread stick but didn’t taste at all like a pretzel.
Dough did not rise and I followed the recipe to a T. :((((
How many does this recipe make? And do you have a page or something recipeboy?
All of the details of the recipe are at the end of the post.
Thanks so much! I use your recipe to make pretzel dogs and freeze them for my daughter’s lunch.
That sounds amazing!
I made it so many times great recipe. Thanks for sharing, but have a question can I make the dough ahead and put it in the fridge and bake it in the morning?
I’m not sure!
Loved the recipe, just use flour on your hands when removing the dough from the mixing bowl. It is sticky. Keep up the good work, loved the recipe.
How did you keep the pretzels fresh and/or warm until you got to the movies?
For the pretzels, can I make them in advance and freeze until ready to bake?
Thanks in advance…
I have not tried that, so I’m not sure.
I have frozen similar pretzels they were great reheated in the toaster oven. Hubby loves them.
Can I put chopped pepperoni in the dough before it rises? Would it change anything about the finished product?
Might be good!
I LOVE a good pretzel…. OMG I saw this recipe and they looked so easy, so I thought why not. Turned out they were super easy (in my kitchenaid), and your little video showed me how to twist them, and that too was super easy. I followed the recipe to the letter and let me tell you, they’re the best pretzels I’ve ever eaten. So flavourful, soft, salty, buttery and one tasted like another one so I had 2 for dinner! 😉
I will make some with fresh grated parm on top… I mean you could put anything on these, they’d be delish dipped in a honey mustard sauce.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. 🙂
havent had a decent soft pretzel in years
This is an AWESOME recipe! My whole family loves these.
I came across your recipe on Pinterest and tried it out last night for my daughter and her friends who all came home from college for the holidays. They sort of did look like pretzel blobs when they came out because I didn’t make the ropes thin enough, but they were awesome! Everyone loved them.
DELICIOUS recipe ! only change I made was to boil them prior to baking.
Add baking soda to a large pot of water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil each pretzel for 30 seconds per side.
Substituting brown sugar for white is really good. Pampered Chef has a utensil now for shaping soft pretzels.
Are you able to use active dry yeast in this recipe instead of the instant dry yeast? I dont know if that makes a difference.
I’m not sure- might help to google the question and see what the difference is!
I made this dough twice with the exact measurements, temps, and time frames listed in this recipe twice and both times it came out dry and crumbly once mixed and didn’t rise, it didn’t look anything like the dough in your video. It looked like 4 cups was way too much flour but I added it all at once just like in your video. I used Fleischman’s quick rise yeast. Anyone have any idea why it isn’t coming out? I was super frustrated by the end of the second go.
WOW this is such a great recipe. I have made several different recipes for pretzels but this one ROCKS. The best I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for such a great and easy recipe.
Easy recipe! Made them with my grandchildren! 3 tblsp of yeast? I thought they smelled yeasty… was that a misprint?
Ugh, yes. We just transferred that recipe into a new format– should be 3 teaspoons. Sorry!!
Made these today with my sons. They turned out awesome! They were so simple and easy. Will definitely make these again!
I loved it! This recipe was easy to follow, very clearly written. I had delicious soft pretzels in an hour! I need to work on my shaping technique but that will come will practice. Thank you Recipe Boy❣️❣️❣️
Made them they look so pretty