homemade soft pretzels

<p><em data-rich-text-format-boundary="true">These super easy homemade vegan soft pretzels are super chewy, salty, and buttery! With an easy gluten free option and naturally dairy free, these vegan pretzels make a perfect game day snack or holiday appetizer!</em></p>

Homemade Vegan Soft Pretzels Recipe

yeast

hot water, 110F

tsp coconut sugar

4–4 1/4 cups all purpose or bread flour,

tbsp arrowroot powder

tsp sea salt

cup dairy free yogurt, room temperature

tbsp vegan butter, melted, 2 tsp coarse sea salt

cup arrowroot powder

tbsp baking powder

In a large bowl, mix the water, coconut sugar, and 1 tbsp of flour. Add in the yeast, and use a wooden spoon to mix. Cover with a towel and place in a warm area to activate for 10 minutes. It should start to bubble/foam and smell yeast-like.

Once the yeast is activated, add in the remaining of the 4 cups of flour (you can add more at the end if the dough is too sticky/tacky), arrowroot powder, sea salt, and dairy free yogurt. Use either a dough paddle on a stand mixer or knead the dough on a clean surface with extra flour with your hands. Whether or not you use the stand mixer, you’ll finish knead the dough once it’s mixed. You want to get the dough to a point where it isn’t very sticky and can easily peel off of your hands without leaving any dough (about 5 minutes). You can add more flour here if it’s still too sticky, kneading it lightly. 

Grease a clean bowl with olive oil and lightly grease the dough, place the dough ball into the bowl, and cover with a clean dish towel. Place in a very warm place (at least 85F) for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly punch down the dough and divide it into 8 even sections using a pastry cutter or large knife. Roll each section into a long strip (about 20-22&#8243; long). Take the two ends of the and twist them twice together (see photos in the blog post). Bring them towards yourself and press down into the dough to form the pretzel shape.  Place the pretzel dough onto a parchment paper and repeat for the remaining pretzels. Cover the pretzels with a clean dish towel on the parchment paper.

While the dough is rising for a second time, bring a large pot with 4 cups of water with 1/4 cup baking soda to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425F.

Once the water is boiling, use a spatula or large spoon with holes to carefully transfer one pretzel into the water. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, then transfer back to the parchment paper. You can add up to 2 pretzels at a time to the pot, cooking for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. 

Once all pretzels have been boiled and transferred to the baking sheet, lightly brush the bagels with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Place the pretzels into the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops of the pretzels are golden. 

Remove from the oven and allow the pretzels to cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Before making the dough, start to bring a large pot with 4 cups fo water to a boil with 1/4 cup baking soda. The water will start to boil as you finish making the dough.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, and sea salt. Add in the water and dairy free yogurt, and mix until the dough is thick and not sticky. If it’s still too sticky, you can add in the additional oat flour.

Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Then divide the dough into 8 even sections and roll each section into a ball. Roll each section into a long strip (about 20-22&#8243; long). Take the two ends of the and twist them twice together (see photos in the blog post). Bring them towards yourself and press down into the dough to form the pretzel shape. Place the pretzel dough onto a parchment paper and repeat for the remaining pretzels.

Once all pretzels have been boiled and transferred to the baking sheet, lightly brush with vegan butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Place the pretzels into the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops of the pretzels are lightly golden. 

Buttery soft pretzels are achievable at home with a two-stage cooking method and plenty of salt. Although there is such a thing as salt-less pretzels called “baldies,” I would suggest that they’re really not pretzels at all, but rather cruel jokes perpetrated by bitter bakers. This recipe first appeared in Season 11 of Good Eats.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

water,

sugar

salt

dry yeast

all-purpose flour

unsalted butter (melted)

baking soda

Vegetable oil,

Pretzel salt

Combine the 1 1/2 cups warm water, the sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeastSoft pretzels are always made with yeast dough and are very similar to bagels. on top. Set aside until the mixture foams, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, then oil it well. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, 50 to 55 minutes.

Heat oven to 450ºF. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with oil. Set aside.

Bring the remaining 10 cups water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, and, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place on a half-sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

One by one, place the pretzels in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return them to the sheet pans, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture, and sprinkle with pretzel salt.If you don’t have pretzel salt, coarse sea salt will do.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Soft pretzels are so much easier than you think! This recipe will take you little time and effort. Top them with salt, cinnamon-sugar, and dunk in your favorite pretzel dips.

30 Minute Homemade Soft Pretzels

(360 milliliters) warm water (lukewarm, no need to take temperature)

egg,

salt,

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. The pretzels can stick to parchment, so give it a light spray with nonstick spray or lightly grease with butter. Set aside.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed, about 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast will remain. Add salt and sugar; stir until fairly combined. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/2 cup more. Poke the dough with your finger &#8211; if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes and shape into a ball. With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 1/3 cup sections. This measurement does not have to be exact &#8211; use as much or little dough for each pretzel as you wish &#8211; the size of the pretzel is completely up to you.

Roll the dough into a rope with an even diameter. My ropes were twenty inches long. This measurement will depend how large you want the pretzels. Once you have your long rope, take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape. See above for link to visual instructions.

This fifth step is optional

Whisk 9 cups of water and 1/2 cup baking soda together in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Place a pretzel onto a large slotted spatula and dip into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. The pretzel will float. Lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pretzels.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and pour into a shallow bowl or pie dish. Dunk the shaped pretzel into the egg wash (both sides). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F (218°C). Turn the oven to broil and bake for 5 more minutes to brown the tops. Watch closely to avoid burning. I do the 5 minute broil no matter if I do step 5 or not.

Allow to cool and enjoy. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days (will lose softness).

Made these today and they came out wonderful!! Definitely making these again. Thank you, Sally!

My 17 year old son and I made the basic pretzel recipe together and they were delicious! We used the Pampered Chef  pretzel mold to help form the shape and dip into the soda bath. The broil aspect was clever. This will be our go to pretzel recipe from now on.

The dough was beautiful to work with. I used my kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook for stirring and kneading. I skipped the boiling water step and used convection bake which browned each one perfectly. Easy and delicious!

Made these today after a friend suggested them.  Put garlic butter on a couple and sea salt on the rest.  About 12 hours after I made them we needed a snack so took the last 2, topped them with gouda, roasted red pepper and prosciutto and broiled for about 3 minutes. Holy wow amazing.

These came out terrific, however they stuck to my parchment paper, which made the bottoms inedible.  What did I do wrong?

Made a batch of these today, first-time pretzel maker here.  Wow, every bit as good as the $$$ ones you buy in the kiosks.  So easy to make too.  Now I want to try making bagels.

My pretzels just came out of the oven! They are beautiful and delicious!

Just made these as instructed with the boiling (which was easier than I thought). They were great. I made them with the one cup of whole wheat flour as you show in the pictures. They're already all gone! Thanks for posting such an easy recipe for a yeast newbie like me.

Have now made these several times! So easy and the whole family loves them - such a treat for weekend brunch. I don’t bother with the boiling - they are just delicious without it and super quick! Cheers, Ali 

First time ever making anything like this and this recipe was perfect! Easy to understand and makes even a novice look good! Thanks so much!!!!

I made these and my kids loved them I’m afraid they didn’t last 3 days not even one lol 

Hi Sally!  My first attempt was a great success...I added shredded cheddar to the tops before baking ...they turned out beautifully and so tasty!
Now I am going to try with gluten free flour...let’s hope they are just as good.  I’ll let you know how that turned out.

I made a half recipe (should’ve made the full recipe)! They turned out perfect, I even eyeballed the ingredient measurements! I made them into fat sticks rather than the traditional shape. Next time I’ll make a double and freeze them. May even experiment with wheat flour (it should require a little less). Thanks!

Help! I followed the recipe exactly, but my pretzels came out burnt and rock solid. Did this happen to anyone else and/or are there any tips on what I could do so this doesn’t happen again? Thank you!

Omg!!!! This recipe was super easy to make and they were absolutely delicious!!! Definitely going to try the cinnamon sugar variation next time I make these! I was looking for something savory to bake and this just hit the spot! Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!! (like always) I love your website!

There were amazing. Both my son and husband each had one before I could cool them down. I was curious about what the baking/broil time would be if I made them half the size. Thank you again.
PS I am originally a Philly girl so appreciate a good soft pretzel.

I made these over a video call with coworkers all following along with the printable instructions and all of us struggled so much! None of us are experts, but we're all decent bakers and it still took forever. Some of us did the boil, some didn't. I don't know if at some point ALL of us went wrong, but the dough needed WAY more flour than the recipe called for. Like probably more than a cup extra. It never seemed to stop being sticky so it was difficult to roll it out and shape it. Then we all did the cinnamon sugar ones wrong because the process for those isn't written on the printable recipe version. So we assumed it was just like the salt version and did an egg wash and then dipped it in cinnamon sugar, which was quite a bubbly mess when it came out of the oven. I would maybe add the cinnamon sugar instructions on the printable. In the end, the ugly pretzels we all managed to make did at least taste really good! Some gave up on shaping them and opted to go with pretzel nuggets, which worked out well too. I honestly don't know how it went so wrong for all of us unless the printable version misses something written in the longer version above it. So basically, tastes good, not as easy as expected at all.

The pretzels turned out really well, soft and moist. I have not run into very many recipes that call for yeast but don't need to proof the dough. I just had to try and it paid off.  For the flour, I used equal amount of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, roughly 3 cups total. Very happy that the pretzels were not dense like whole wheat bread. The only change I will make for the next batch is more salt.
Thank you for this recipt.

These things were so gross.  I'm not sure if there was a missing step not mentioned but I followed it exactly and I got gross dense crappy pretzels that had that metallic taste even though I only did 20 seconds in the baking soda water.  

No idea how this recipe has gotten 4.9 stars.  Ridiculous.

Love these pretzels! Have made them with the baking soda bath and without the bath. They are amazing either way! Definitely recommend! 
They brung back all the memories of my childhood in Germany for sure!

It came ok for a first try but not letting the dough rise made them very dense ie heavy. Was more like a bagel.  

I’ll try the same recipe but let dough rise for a more light and fluffy inside.

This is a great recipe to make with the kids. I held "Home Economics" class during the quarantine and made these. For 30 minutes and no rise time,  these are really good. We've made them a few times now. Even my lil two year old was able to help in rolling them out, etc. The kids love them! Thank you.

I used to make a recipe that takes a few hours but I will probably just use this from now on. As far as I can tell they were basically the same with 1/10th of the work.

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Top 3 homemade soft pretzels recipes from across the web

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Homemade Vegan Soft Pretzels Recipe

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30 Minute Homemade Soft Pretzels

The most viewed homemade soft pretzels recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine