Soft Pretzels are both delicious and EASY! The classic tangy, chewy crust with the fluffy inside is exactly what this recipe will provide. This Soft Pretzel Recipe is fast, too! It takes less than 1 hour from start to finish.
Soft Pretzel Recipe- Easier than you’d think!
I remember making homemade soft pretzels quite a few times growing up. The insides were never quite as fluffy as they should have been though. (Don’t worry, I’ve worked out all the kinks for this brand new recipe! 😉)
When we were at the mall this past week (for the second time. That is a whole different story in and of itself, though) we walked by the Pretzel Maker. 1. Why does every mall in America seem to have a Pretzel Maker? 2. Why does the smell of fresh pretzels immediately make me salivate and forget all of my money saving habits?
Okay, kidding about the last part. I can only remember once in the past 7 years where I’ve actually given into the salivation and bought a pretzel. I was pregnant at the time and needed food though, so it is totally justified. 😉
Only this time at the mall, it wasn’t just me salivating. Chase said ‘Woah. What’s that smell??’ And that is when I knew, I needed to bust out a soft pretzel recipe. And FAST!
After a couple of test runs (all within the past few days!) I think I’ve nailed it. The dough is an absolute DREAM to work with. Guess what? They aren’t even that hard! I would say a beginner would be able to follow the instructions and be totally successful!!
Have an hour and a handful of ingredients to spare?? Let’s make some Pretzels! Ps. I now have a Pretzel Bites recipe and Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel Bites!
How to make Homemade Soft pretzels
First, let’s make the dough.
The dough is very simple. First, proof your yeast in some warm water with some sugar. If you aren’t familiar with the terminology, proofing means to activate the yeast. This is done by mixing together the yeast, warm water and some sugar (yeast feeds off of sugar and will help activate it) and letting it sit until it is nice and frothy (see photo below). If it bubbles up, you know your yeast is active and well. If it doesn’t bubble up, your yeast is dead.
The yeast could be dead for a few reasons, too hot of water, not warm enough water, old yeast, too much sugar, or accidentally using salt instead of sugar (you know I know that from experience, right?😉). Follow my exact measurements below in the recipe card and you will be golden!
As for the temperature of water, test the water on the inside of your wrist, the water should feel warm there, not hot, just warm.
After the yeast has been proofed, add in some melted butter, salt and flour. Mix for 10 minutes. The dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl at all and should be extremely smooth and elastic.
At this point, it is time to rise the dough. I like to use my Instant Pot to rise the dough quickly. If using the Instant Pot, turn the Instant Pot onto the Normal YOGURT setting and allow the dough to rise fo 15 minutes.
If you do not have an Instant Pot or don’t have the yogurt button, allow the dough to rise on the counter top until double is size. Approx. 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down. Divide into 8 equal pieces.
It is now time to prepare the baking soda and water bath. Again, I like to use my Instant Pot for this but you could definitely use your stove top!
If using the Instant Pot, place 4 cups of water with 1/4 cup baking soda in the Instant Pot and set to Sauté HIGH. If using the stove top, add the same (4 cups of water with 1/4 cup baking soda) to a large pot and turn the stovetop on to medium high. We are looking to get this water boiling.
While the water is heating up, it is time to shape the pretzels! You won’t believe how easy this is!
- roll the dough into a long rope. Approx 2 ft long.
- lay the rope into a ‘U’ shape.
- cross the ends of the ‘U’. Repeat.
- fold the ends down towards the bottom of the ‘U’.
- Pinch the ends in place.
When all of the pretzels have been shaped, dip each pretzel one by one into the boiling soda water.
Let the pretzels sit for about 30 seconds before removing the pretzels and transferring them to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Repeat with the remaining pretzels. Brush each pretzel with egg white and then sprinkle sea salt on top.
Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Allow the pretzels to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Best if eaten right away or within the hour. If the pretzels won’t be eaten within the hour I would suggest freezing them as soon as they are cool. The best way to reheat a frozen pretzel is in the oven at 425° for 10 minutes.
I like to serve the pretzels with a simple cheese sauce. I need to make and test the cheese sauce a bit more, but I’ll write down what I usually do in case you are interested. 😉
Cheese Sauce1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 cup milk cheddar cheese (grated
salt and pepper to taste
- Melt the butter and flour over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Cook for 3 minutes.
- slowly whisk in the milk.
- add the cheese, whisk until melted and combined.
- season with salt and pepper.
If you loved what you saw here, get more of it on 
More Bread Recipes
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 pkg dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 egg white optional
- sea salt optional
Baking Soda Bath
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
Instructions
- Add the warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly. If the yeast isn't bubbly, it isn't active and the pretzels will not work. Repeat this step with new yeast until it is bubbly.
- Add the melted butter, salt and flour to the stand mixer. Turn on LOW and allow the stand mixer to knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- The dough should be very soft, but shouldn't stick to the sides of the bowl at all.
- Allow the dough to rise until double. (1 hour on the counter) If using the Instant Pot, spray the liner with non stick spray and then let the dough rise in the Instant Pot on the Yogurt NORMAL setting for 15 minutes.
- After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Set aside.
- Combine the water and baking soda in either a large pot on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Bring the soda water to a boil. If using the Instant Pot, set it to Saute HIGH.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- While the soda water is coming to a boil, shape the pretzels.
- Take one piece of dough and roll into a 2 ft long rope. Lay the rope in the shape of a 'U'.
- Cross the ends of the 'U'. Repeat this step so the rope is twisted.
- Fold the ends of the 'U' down towards the bottom of the 'U' and pinch the ends to create the pretzel shape. (see image diagram in post).
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Once all of the pretzels have been shaped, gently place each pretzel (one by one) in the boiling soda water. Allow the pretzel to boil for about 30 seconds before removing and transferring to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Repeat with remaining pretzels.
- Brush each pretzel with egg white (if desired) and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake at 425° for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.
- Best eaten within the hour. If you'd like to store for a longer period of time, I suggest freezing the pretzels as soon as they are cool. Reheat the pretzels in the oven at 425° for 8-10 minutes.
Nutrition
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Homemade Soft Pretzels are both delicious and EASY! The classic tangy, chewy crust with the fluffy inside is exactly what this recipe will provide. This Soft Pretzel Recipe is fast, too! It takes less than 1 hour from start to finish.
Course Bread, Snack
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 49 minutes
Servings 8 pretzels
Calories 152kcal
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 pkg dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 egg white optional
- sea salt optional
Baking Soda Bath
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
Instructions
- Add the warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly. If the yeast isn’t bubbly, it isn’t active and the pretzels will not work. Repeat this step with new yeast until it is bubbly.
- Add the melted butter, salt and flour to the stand mixer. Turn on LOW and allow the stand mixer to knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- The dough should be very soft, but shouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl at all.
- Allow the dough to rise until double. (1 hour on the counter) If using the Instant Pot, spray the liner with non stick spray and then let the dough rise in the Instant Pot on the Yogurt NORMAL setting for 15 minutes.
- After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Set aside.
- Combine the water and baking soda in either a large pot on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Bring the soda water to a boil. If using the Instant Pot, set it to Saute HIGH.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- While the soda water is coming to a boil, shape the pretzels.
- Take one piece of dough and roll into a 2 ft long rope. Lay the rope in the shape of a ‘U’.
- Cross the ends of the ‘U’. Repeat this step so the rope is twisted.
- Fold the ends of the ‘U’ down towards the bottom of the ‘U’ and pinch the ends to create the pretzel shape. (see image diagram in post).
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Once all of the pretzels have been shaped, gently place each pretzel (one by one) in the boiling soda water. Allow the pretzel to boil for about 30 seconds before removing and transferring to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Repeat with remaining pretzels.
- Brush each pretzel with egg white (if desired) and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake at 425° for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.
- Best eaten within the hour. If you’d like to store for a longer period of time, I suggest freezing the pretzels as soon as they are cool. Reheat the pretzels in the oven at 425° for 8-10 minutes.
- Easy Crepe Recipe - January 21, 2021
- Valentine’s Day Muddy Buddy Mix - January 19, 2021
- Tortilla Folding Recipes | TikTok Tortilla Hack - January 15, 2021
Katrina Mikkelson says
My dough was sticky at the flour indicated in the recipe too. I kept adding flour until it pulled away from the sides. Probably about half a cup. I scraped down the bowl a few times. The instant pot worked well to proof them. I left them for twenty minutes only because I got distracted. The baking soda bath was a new thing for me to try. I’ve done bagels before and didn’t use baking soda. The pretzels had a great texture. We put cinnamon sugar on four of them before cooking.
I had two issues I caution people of. The kids made super fat pretzels which didn’t cook up crispy and the pretzels were gone too fast! We’ve already decided we are going to make them again tomorrow so we can practice. Only so we can practice….. Thank you so much! A great Saturday afternoon “project”.
Karli Bitner says
Thanks for the comment Katrina. I’m glad this provided with a great “project” and some family time. Keep on baking!
Carmen says
I made this recipe today , I found the dough to be sticky as well After it was in the mixer for 10 minutes. I added more flour and mixed it by hand for a few more minutes and it was not sticking anymore.
Karli Bitner says
Great idea Carmen, in some climates you have to add more flour to get the right consistency.
Ana says
Hi!
If I have fresh yeast (not dry), how many grams should I use?
Thank you!
Dan Bitner says
Thanks for the question Ana. 2/3 of an oz of fresh yeast is the same as one packet of dry yeast. Good luck baking!
Amy says
I use about .70 ounces in my last couple recipes and it was perfect.
Adreanne says
Our cheese sauce was kind if gritty? It did not have a smooth texture. I shredded the chese so it was not preshredded. Any idea what I did wrong?
Thanks!
Karli Bitner says
That is so strange! What kind of cheeses did you use?
Samantha Starr says
How much yeast is 1pkg? I am in the UK and have a tin of easy bake yeast (dried). Many thanks.
Karli Bitner says
Hi Samantha- 1 pkg is equal to 2 1/4 tsp.
Amanda says
Silly question but do you use the dough hook or regular mixer attachment???
Karli Bitner says
Hi Amanda! You’ll want to use the dough hook. 🙂
Sara says
Might be a dumb question, but put the top on the Ip for the “yogurt” time?
Karli Bitner says
Yes! Put any type of lid on while it is proofing. You can use the Instant Pot lid, just leave the vent open. 🙂
Vanessa says
I tried this recipe. Came out awesome. Would these work for pretzel buns? Same recipe but Shaped like buns and maybe baked for longer period?
Karli Bitner says
That is a great question Vanessa, I have not tried this out though. I do have a recipe for pretzel bites if you want them in a different form. If you try out the buns, let me know how it works out. Keep up the great work.
teresa says
Hi! If I dont have parchment paper should I spray the pan???
Thanks
Karli Bitner says
Yes! Definitely spray the pan if you don’t have parchment.
Nancy O'Connor says
Teresa, break down and get parchment paper, you won’t regret it. I put it off for a long time and now use it for about everything I bake. It is so much easier to get everything off the pan than with spray or grease. You will be ready to make all those holiday cookies too.
Tiffany says
Girl! We’ve made these twice now and they have not disappointing! It’s hard to beat having dough ready in under 30 minutes!
Karli Bitner says
Totally agree!! I am so glad you have loved the recipe, Tiffany!
Sierra says
Great recipe I did have to add a little more flour and I did kneed if by hand. Turned out amazing! They were gone in a matter of minutes!!!!
Karli Bitner says
Wow!! You go, girl! I am glad they were a hit! 🙂
TerraD says
If the dough comes together well prior to 10 minutes in my stand mixer, do I need to mix it the whole time? Just worried about overmixing!
Karli Bitner says
You’ll want to knead it for a while after it has come together to activate the gluten and get everything working correctly. 🙂
Nancy says
should i use self -rasing flour or plain ?
Karli Bitner says
Just all purpose flour. 🙂
Marianne says
Hi! I’d like to make this for a party coming up. Anyway of prepping these the day before or early in the morning? Thanks!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Marianne- These are best fresh out of the oven, if you need to make them before hand, I would bake them, let them cool and then immediately freeze them. Then reheat them in the oven right before serving.
Dorene Forney says
Would love to try these, but all I could find is instant yeast, how would I use instant yeast in this recipe?
Karli Bitner says
You can substitute that straight across. Yours might just end up a little fluffier and bigger.
laurice robinet says
How much instant yeast do I use? I have a bag, not packets
Karli Bitner says
2 1/4 tsp. 🙂
Veronica says
Best pretzel recipe ever! So fluffy yet chewy and crust just enough.
The steps so easy to follow. My fave pretzels are sea salt topping or cinnamon sugar
Thank you!
Karli Bitner says
I am so glad you enjoy the recipe so much, Veronica!
Donba says
My 11 year old daughter made these today and they were a hit. We also made the cheese sauce. We will be making these as they were easy to make and so yummy!
Karli Bitner says
I love that your daughter enjoys her time in the kitchen- it reminds me of myself when I was younger! Happy to hear that you enjoyed them!
Tim La Rock says
Had a hard time rolling 8 2ft rolls. Not enough dough.
Beata says
I know you suggested baking and then freezing or making these ahead but I’m wondering if these could be assembled a few hours before? Do you think these would turn out if I shaped them into pretzels and kept refrigerated (or just out at room temp?) for a few hours and then boiled and baked? I’m thinking refrigerated but then maybe boiling for say 45 seconds? Idk…I’m assuming you have not tried this but do you think it’s worth a try or no way?!
Karli Bitner says
I haven’t tried this, but I’d probably boil them and then refrigerate them for a few hours until you are ready to bake them. When you are ready to bake, just pull them out of the fridge as the oven preheats and then bake them as usual. That’s how I’d try to go about it. 🙂
Ruth Shaw says
What a great recipe! I’m going to make them soon. Do you any ideas on how to make these pretzels using cinnamon sugar(instead of topping them with salt)- like the pretzels in the malls?
Karli Bitner says
Yes! Check out my Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel Bites! You can do it the same way with the larger pretzels. 🙂 https://cookingwithkarli.com/pretzel-bites-recipe/