Homemade Pretzel Bites Recipe - Step-by-Step Tutorial

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Soft Homemade Pretzel Bites drizzled with a tangy raspberry honey mustard sauce are SIMPLIFIED with our step-by-step tutorial. They're easy to make and even more fun to eat!

Do you love warm, soft pretzel bites, the kind you get at the ballpark or mall and dip in a tasty sauce or cover with gooey sugar glaze?

The ones that would be perfect for parties and game day menus along with Parmesan Cauliflower Bites, Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas and a big bowl of Simple Guacamole Dip!

Well, if you make them yourself, you can use the flour of your choice and make them a little healthier!

And, they're just plain fun! My girls love to make these and I bet your kids (or the kid in you) will enjoy making them too! It's not a complicated process and much of that time is spent waiting for the dough to rise.

The wait is absolutely worth it!

Jump to:

• Homemade Pretzel Bites - Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Make Raspberry Honey Mustard Sauce
• Other Dipping Sauces 
• How to Make-Ahead and Freeze 
• 📋 Recipe

Homemade Pretzel Bites - Step-by-Step Instructions

Even if you're not a baker, you'll be able to make this recipe at home. Follow these easy steps or scroll down to the video.

First, mix yeast, water and a pinch of sugar together in a glass bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes or until it looks creamy when stirred. Use instant or active dry yeast.

While the yeast mixture is doing its magic, mix together flour, salt, sugar and canola oil in another bowl.

Note: Use whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour to make a healthier version of this recipe.

Add the yeast mixture to the dough mixture and knead until it is well-combined. This shouldn't be a lengthy process. Just make sure it's well-combined.

Did you do a double-take at the size? It's a very small amount of dough at this point (unless you've doubled the recipe.)

Put the dough in a bowl coated in cooking spray and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Place the bowl in a warm place, such as a sunny porch. Allow the dough to just about double in size which should take about 1 hour.

The same way you make playdough into long "snakes," roll the dough into long strips that are about ½ inch thick. At this point, you could form the dough into a traditional pretzel. This recipe will make about 6 full-size pretzels.

Otherwise, use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into ½  to 1-inch bite-sized pieces.

Next, the pretzel dough needs to be dipped into a mixture of hot water and baking soda to get its signature pretzel flavor.

Rather than boiling a pot of water, just heat the water for about 1 ½ minutes in the microwave, until it is very hot. Add baking soda to the hot water and carefully mix.

Use a slotted spoon to dip the pizza bites into the baking soda and water mixture and then transfer each piece of dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the soft pretzel bites, if desired. You could also brush with butter too.

Bake the pretzel bites in a 425°F oven for about 7 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

How to Make Raspberry Honey Mustard Sauce

The sauce we drizzled on top of our homemade pretzels is quick and easy to make. Just combine spicy brown mustard, honey, raspberry preserves and mustard seed in a small bowl.

Not a fan of raspberry? Use the same recipe proportions with another flavor such as blackberry!

Other Dipping Sauces 

Fruity mustard sauce is just one option. Others topping for homemade pretzel bites include:

• Sugar glaze (combine about ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar with a teaspoon of water)
• Warmed Chocolate or Nutella
• Honey Mustard Sauce
• Easy Beer Cheese Dip by Cook the Story

How to Make-Ahead and Freeze 

I am very happy to report that these little gems can absolutely be made ahead of time and frozen. (As you may know, this is my sometimes successful strategy for portion control and a way to ensure some good snacks are around when I need them.)

To freeze the soft pretzel bites, you've got two options:

1. Prepare the recipe up to the point where you would cook the pretzel bites. Instead of baking, freeze them on a baking sheet and then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Defrost and cook according to directions.
2. Make them, cook them, and freeze them, if you have any left!

📋 Recipe