This homemade soft pretzels recipe has been one of our favorite snacks for years! The pretzels are chewy, flavorful, and easy to make with 8 ingredients.
This easy soft pretzel recipe has been a favorite in our house for years now. These homemade soft pretzels have a delicious chewy texture and a perfect pretzel flavor thanks to a quick baking soda boil. They’re a fun cooking project anytime, but we especially love to make them for parties and game days—they’re always a crowd-pleasing snack!
Jack and I shared the first version of this recipe way back in 2014. We’ve since updated it to yield a larger batch (these pretzels go quick!) and a smoother dough that’s easier to work with.
Whether you take your pretzels with melted butter, honey mustard, vegan cheese sauce, or plain, we think you’ll love these. Keep reading for our best tips and step-by-step instructions!
Ingredients in this Pretzel Recipe
This soft pretzel recipe starts with 8 simple ingredients:
- All-purpose flour – Because flour is the main ingredient in this recipe, measuring it accurately is important. Whatever you do, don’t scoop your flour up directly with your measuring cup—you could accidentally use too much. Instead, weigh your flour (you’ll need 563 grams) or use the spoon and level method.
- Granulated sugar – It adds sweetness to the pretzel dough. Maple syrup works well too.
- Active dry yeast – It helps the dough rise. Instant yeast also works here, but I still recommend proofing it to make sure that it’s fresh.
- Melted butter or neutral oil – It adds richness to the dough, making the pretzels chewy, moist, and flavorful.
- Water – You’ll add some to the dough for moisture and use the rest for boiling the pretzels.
- Baking soda – You’ll add it to the boiling liquid to give the pretzels their characteristic golden color and malt-y flavor.
- And sea salt – Season the dough with fine sea salt and sprinkle coarse sea salt over the pretzels before baking!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Soft Pretzels
You can find the complete soft pretzel recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. But first, here’s an overview of how it goes (step-by-step shaping photos included!):
Start by making the pretzel dough. Proof the yeast with the water and sugar, then combine the yeast mixture with the flour, fine sea salt, and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the dough is stretchy and fairly smooth.
A couple tips:
- No stand mixer? You can also knead this dough by hand.
- Check the dough after 3 minutes. If it seems very dry and isn’t coming together, knead in 1 tablespoon of water.
Next, let the dough rise. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to form it into ball, then transfer it to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside to rise until almost doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
How to Shape Pretzels
After the dough rises, you’re ready to shape the soft pretzels. I’ll admit, shaping pretzels can seem a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, I promise it’s easy!
First, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Next, roll one into a rope that’s 18 to 20 inches long.
Then, form the rope into a U-shape (pictured above).
To make the pretzel’s twist, cross the ends of the dough over each other, leaving a wide loop of dough underneath them.
Twist the ends around each other again.
Finally, fold the twist down into the center of the dough loop to create a pretzel shape. Repeat the shaping process with the remaining pieces of dough!
Boiling and Baking
You’ll round out this soft pretzel recipe by boiling and baking the pretzels.
Boiling the pretzels in a baking soda bath gives them their signature pretzel flavor, golden brown color, and seals in moisture in the dough. Here’s how we do it:
Bring 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons baking soda to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 pretzel to the baking soda bath and cook for 30 seconds.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pretzel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with coarse salt, then use a sharp knife to cut a 4-inch slit at the bottom of the pretzel (this will allow steam to vent in the oven).
Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
Bake the pretzels at 450°F until golden brown and lightly crisp, 14 to 16 minutes. Enjoy!
How to Store Soft Pretzels
We love these homemade soft pretzels warm from the oven, but they’re delicious left over too.
Allow to cool completely, then seal the cooled pretzels in an airtight container or bag.
Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More Baking Recipes to Try
If you love these homemade soft pretzels, try one of these easy baking recipes next:
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
For the pretzel dough
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 (¼ ounce) package active dry yeast, or 2¼ teaspoons
- 1½ cups warm water, plus more as needed
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (563g)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ cup neutral oil or unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
For the poaching water
- 6 cups water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
Instructions
- Prepare the pretzel dough: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, yeast, and water. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until foamy. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with a dough hook, place the flour, salt, oil, and the yeast mixture. Mix on medium-low speed for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the dough is stretchy, fairly smooth, and well-formed around the hook. If the dough is very dry after 3 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of water.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead to form into a ball. It’s ok if it’s slightly sticky, but if it’s too sticky to handle, knead in a little more flour. Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean (not floured) work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll one piece of dough into an 18- to 20-inch rope. Grab the ends of the dough rope to make a U shape. Cross one of the ends of the rope over the other, leaving a wide loop of dough below them. Then, wrap the dough ends around each other again to create the pretzel's twist. Fold the twist towards you, into the center of the dough loop, to make a pretzel shape. (See step-by-step photos above). Place it on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Prepare the poaching water: In a large pot, combine the water and baking soda and bring to a boil. Drop one pretzel at a time into the pot and boil for 30 seconds. Lift out using a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheet. While the dough is still wet, sprinkle with coarse salt. Use a sharp knife to cut a 4-inch slit along the bottom of each pretzel to allow steam to vent as it bakes. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until lightly crisp and golden brown.
Notes
adapted from Alton Brown
I was looking for a homemade soft pretzel recipe and found this one. It is absolutely delicious. I didn’t have maple syrup and use a small amount of sugar and my family loved them. Thank you so much for this recipe. This is my new favorite recipe.
I love this recipe and make it multiple times a week now. My kids love them as written, but I recently started making half the recipe as pretzels, and the other half as bagels topped with pizza sauce and cheese. They’re usually devoured within a day or two!
Yum :). I’m so glad your family has been enjoying them!
I added extra flour, but the dough still was EXTRA sticky. What could be the issue?
These are the best pretzels I’ve ver made. So delicious and soft on the inside. Definitely a keeper!!
I’m sorry if I missed the answer to this in the post, but can the dough be refrigerated at the rising step? Either at the time of rise, or just after? Hoping to make this ahead and have the dough ready for Christmas Eve baking. We love these pretzels!
Hi Amanda, after forming, you can cover them on a baking sheet with plastic wrap (brush a little oil on the tops so it doesn’t stick), then refrigerate. The next morning, take them out and let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Hope that helps!
I forgot to score the pretzels so they came out a little weird looking, BUT they taste amazing!! Will absolutely make again.
I’m glad they tasted good!
I love this recipe and use it every time I make soft pretzels. The results are so much better than store-bought frozen pretzels and reheat easily.
I don’t understand where the “4-inch slit at the bottom of each pretzel” … do you mean pick it up and cut the other flat side? do you mean somewhere near where the two ends come? There is no photo to show this.
Hi, is there a way to store these after baking so they retain their initial crunchy exterior? Thank you
Hi Win, I would probably freeze them and then reheat them in the oven (or a toaster oven).
Can you use gluten free flour in this recipe? Thinking of making them for a family dinner!
Hi, we haven’t tested gf flour here, so I’m not sure how it would work. Because the flour is the main ingredient here, you might want to look for a recipe that was specifically developed to be gluten-free.
Why do you cut a slit in the bottom?
Hi, the slit gives the pretzels a place to expand and vent air as they bake.
The BEST recipe for homemade soft pretzels!!! I never look to another recipe for soft pretzels because nothing ever tops this one. Not only delicious but so easy to make, fool proof. I end up making them weekly sometimes because they never last long enough in the house. I freeze any extras and they warm up perfectly in the microwave.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Just made them, they were very easy. Half the batch with salt and the other half with cinnamon sugar. Thank you for the recipe.?
If I want to use the barley syrup instead do you know how much I should use? Also I’ve read that east coast bagels also have the barley syrup in the boiling water…
Hi Suzy, you should be able to replace the maple syrup with the barley syrup just fine.
I made these pretzels for our holiday gathering, and they turned out great! I got my grandkids involved in with putting the ingredients in the bowl and my 6 year old granddaughter helped rolling the dough.
Hi Sharon, I’m so glad they were a hit!
I’m obsessed, these are so good, thank you! I tried the regular recipe, and today I’m experimenting with rye flour ?
I’m so glad you loved them! Let me know how the rye flour goes 🙂
Could I make these into little bites?
you could! I might watch the baking time, depending how small you make them.
Absolutely amazing! Dough is silky smooth and so easy to roll. Delicious. We made regular and common sugar. I would highly recommend!
Wish I could leave a picture of how beautiful they turn out!
I’m so glad you loved them! Tag me on instagram with your photo, I’d love to see! @loveandlemons
These soft pretzels are PHENOMENAL!!!!! They taste exactly like east-coast pretzels, but way better at the same time. I halved the recipe, and it worked well, I’m just sad that I didn’t make 8, because they are already half gone-haha!! I HIGHLY recommend this recipe, you will NOT be dissapointed!!!!!!!!
Hi, could you make this recipe into pretzel buns/rolls? If so, any suggestions
I made these today as a surprise for my son who rode the school bus for the first time and we both loved them. They were perfect!
The only thing is, I found the ends lifted up. so, please provide advice for how to keep the ends of the pretzels stuck down, and what to do if they lift up after boiling.