These homemade soft pretzel bites are fun for the entire family! Easy to make with only 4 simple ingredients, they taste just like your favorite mall soft pretzels, only better!
And when I say easy, I really mean it. We are using refrigerated pizza dough to make these easy pretzel bites.
That’s right – no pretzel dough from scratch! While I love a classic pretzel recipe, I’ve been amazed by this shortcut and now I use it all the time.
Making these bite-size snacks is a fun activity to do with kids, friends and family. And whatever you do, don’t skip the beer cheese sauce!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these homemade pretzel bites:
- Refrigerated pizza dough
- Butter
- Sea Salt. If your grocery store carries pretzel salt, use it! Pretzel salt is not that easy to find, so I recommend using coarse or flaky sea salt. Kosher salt is too salty.
- Baking Soda
How to Make Soft Pretzel Bites
Portion out the Dough
Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal portions. Then, roll each portion into a long rope.
Now, cut each rope into equal pieces, about 1 inch long.
Make the Baking Soda Bath
Grab a shallow bowl and dissolve the baking soda in boiling water. If you prefer to do this on the stove, you certainly can.
I have an instant hot faucet in my kitchen, so I just pour the warm water and baking soda into a bowl and do it that way.
Now, dunk the dough pieces into the baking soda solution using a slotted spoon and remove them onto a baking sheet.
Bake the Pretzel Bites
It will only take 10 minutes in the oven for these yummy pretzel bites to reach a beautiful golden brown color.
Coat the Pretzel Bites in Deliciousness
While the pretzels are still hot, coat them in melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Serving Suggestions
These buttery pretzel bites are the perfect party food! Enjoy them as a game day snack or party appetizer.
Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce like honey mustard, spicy mustard, ranch dressing or – my personal favorite – beer cheese dip.
Variations
Now that you’re a pro at making homemade pretzels, here are some variations to try:
1. Make it sweet. For those who crave a sweet snack, swap out the salt for a coating of cinnamon sugar. Try my recipe for cinnamon sugar pretzel bites with the most amazing cream cheese dip!
2. Experiment with shapes. Form your pretzel dough into full size pretzels or other shapes for a fun variation.
3. Make it cheesy. For all you cheese lovers, swap out the coarse salt for a Parmesan cheese coating instead. Yum!
4. Add everything seasoning. To add awesome flavor and texture, sprinkle everything bagel seasoning instead of salt.
Storage
Store leftover pretzel bites in an airtight container at room temperature.
The next time you want to enjoy them, warm them for a few seconds in the microwave to help revive their chewy texture.
All of this said, these snacks taste much better when they’re fresh. So don’t plan to keep them beyond the next day.
Can you make full size pretzels with this recipe?
You can totally make fully shaped pretzels using this simple recipe!
When you form the dough into long ropes, instead of cutting the ropes into small pieces, simply form them into classic pretzel shapes, pretzel knots and anything in between.
Don’t forget the baking soda bath!
Can you freeze these pretzels?
Freeze your uncoated pretzel bites, either baked or unbaked, in a freezer bag or airtight container. When you’re ready for a pretzel snack, thaw them at room temperature first.
If they are unbaked, follow the instructions in the recipe card to complete the process.
If they are already baked, simply reheat them in a warm oven and coat them with the butter and salt.
Why do you give pretzels a baking soda bath?
The baking soda bath is the key step in pretzel making!
It creates an alkaline environment in the dough, which yields the classic golden brown color and chewy texture that we love about soft pretzels. And yes, it even works with pizza dough!
When you make these delicious soft pretzel bites I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more easy recipes, try these:
Soft Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 12 oz. refrigerated pizza dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp. baking soda
- coarse or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Place refrigerated pizza dough in a buttered bowl covered with plastic wrap and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the dough onto a cutting board and divide it into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a long, thin rope.
- Cut each dough rope into 1 inch pieces.
- In a shallow bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 2 cups of boiling water. Dunk the dough bites into the soda water. Remove them with a slotted spoon and shake off any excess water. Place them in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Melt butter in a microwave save dish. Coat the baked pretzels in melted butter and place them on a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle with salt.
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