Homemade Soft Pretzels
These homemade soft pretzels are so easy to make at home! Step-by-step instructions include how to shape and tips for baking to get a perfect golden brown crust.
This popular recipe makes the very best homemade pretzels ever!
One reader, Cynthia, commented: Loved this recipe! It was so easy, and my pretzels turned out so soft and chewy I can’t wait to make them again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This homemade pretzel recipe has been a staple in our house for over 15 years. My kids have grown up making these pretzels with me – often rejecting the classic pretzel shape in favor of shaping their pretzel rope into their initials or some other random shape.
We love this recipe because:
- It is very straightforward and easy. No long rising times or special ingredients.
- The pretzels don’t require a fussy boiling water bath, like bagels. They get a simple dip in a warm water bath and that’s it!
- The pretzels taste just as good as the mall pretzels! Seriously, they are so, so good.
- You can make the pretzels in under two hours!
How to Make Soft Pretzels at Home
It is so easy to make to-die for, buttery, chewy, soft pretzels at home! Follow these easy steps and the recipe below:
- Mix the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (the dough can also be made and kneaded by hand).
- Let the dough rise.
- Split the dough into 8 equal pieces (or divide into more or less pieces for larger or smaller pretzels).
- Shape the pretzels (see the tutorial below).
- Dip in the baking soda/honey bath (this helps develop the golden color).
- Bake.
- Brush with butter.
- Devour (like, seriously, I dare you to eat just one).
How to Shape Homemade Pretzels
You can make a lot of different shapes with this pretzel dough: pretzel bites, pretzel sticks, or just random figures (like my kids love to do).
However, for a classic pretzel shape, follow these directions and pictures ⬇️⬇️:
- Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope.
- Bring both ends up so the rope forms a horseshoe shape.
- Twist the two ends around each other twice.
- Bring the twisted ends over and down to connect with the bottom U-shape of the pretzel (the twist should be in the center of the pretzel).
The pretzels puff and rise quite a bit, so if you want to keep some of the cute gaps in the bow-shaped pretzel, roll that rope out longer and thinner than you think!
A Few Additional Notes
➡️ I like to sprinkle the pretzels with salt before baking – and sometimes touch up with a bit more salt after the pretzels have been baked and buttered.
➡️ I use the coarse, kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand) I keep on hand for cooking. It doesn’t stand out quite as much as other coarse salt brands or official pretzel salt, but it works just fine.
➡️ Don’t skip the buttering step! That’s what gives these pretzels their iconic and ethereal buttery taste and helps contribute to the phenomenal crust. In fact, use more melted butter than you think you should on each one. (If that isn’t a life motto, I don’t know what is.)
➡️ The cheese sauce on this pretzel twist recipe is perfect for these homemade pretzels!
In terms of recipes that have stood the test of time, this one comes out on top.
It has been a family favorite for decades, and I don’t see that changing. There are very few recipes my kids get as excited about than this one. It’s nostalgic…but most importantly, the pretzels are insanely delicious.
I, for one, have very little willpower when faced with a pan of these hot, buttery pretzels. They are divine!
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 cup very warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
Topping (See note):
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (see note)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Coarse salt, optional, optional
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) melted butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to combine.
- Add the water and mix on medium speed until combined, adding more flour a little at a time, as needed, until the dough forms a soft ball that clears the bottom and sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft but not overly sticky.
- Knead for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 500°F. (The high temperature is important to achieve the golden brown crust on the pretzels.)
- Line two half sheet pans with parchment and lightly brush with olive oil.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. This helps relax the gluten so the dough doesn't spring back when formed into pretzels.
- While the dough is resting, add the water and baking soda to a microwave safe dish and heat for 30-45 seconds in the microwave. Stir to dissolve the baking soda. Stir in the honey.
- Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 20 inches in length). Twist each rope into pretzel shape (see pictures in the post for a visual, if needed).
- Dip each pretzel in the water bath (this helps give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Sprinkle the pretzels lightly with coarse salt or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Bake the pretzels for 7 to 9 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the pretzels from the oven, and immediately brush liberally with melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour
Recipe originally published February 2010; updated October 2025 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
I love this recipe! Is there a way to adapt or create a sour dough version?!?
You can easily use sourdough discard in yeast dough recipes by reducing the flour and water for every cup of sourdough (for one cup of sourdough discard, reduce the flour by 1/2 cup and the water by 1/2 cup) and still use the yeast. If you want to use ripe/fed sourdough and discard the yeast in the recipe, you’d have to maybe look at some other recipes for a starting point as I haven’t tried that. Good luck!
My mom and I made this recipe i was wanting to take one to school tomorrow but they might all be gone and we double the recipe 10/10 the rest of the family loved them too!
I made these with my daughter today and they turned out amazing! The recipe is just so easy and fun, we had a ball making these pretzels!
Loved this recipe! It was so easy, and my pretzels turned out so soft and chewy I can’t wait to make them again :-)
Wish I could post a picture of my daughter and her friend making these. They were so delighted that they turned out as well as they did and they tasted absolutely amazing. Unfortunately we each have already eaten a few a piece which means that even though we made a double batch we will need to make some more again soon.
Easy to make and delicious. Definitely a keeper recipe I’ll make every year.
I love making these. They’re super easy and yummy! Since I was in a mood to experiment, I tried using half whole wheat flour, and I couldn’t taste a difference. They were still really good!
I made these for the super bowl yesterday. The recipe is very straightforward and the pretzels turned out really yummy. One thing I don’t understand is doing the rise in a plastic bag. I would have preferred a bowl, as the other commenter noted. I found it challenging to get the dough out of the bag after it rose. I might try a loose wrap in saran wrap next time.
I unfortunately underbaked some of them (less than 10 minutes in my oven), and they came out more soft like rolls and not as chewy. The ones that I baked for 10-11 minutes were chewy and had that ballpark texture.
This recipe is quite a project and I had flour all over my kitchen, but still worth it!
Thankyou so much Mel, they turned out perfectly. I did decide to change shape and cooked a couple in the airfryer as experiment.
This recipe was great! Although it took a long time to roll out each pretzel, my family loved them and so did I. But still, before you get started, please know what you’re getting yourself into! It took me 2+ hours to make these soft pretzels. Despite that, I’m sure I’ll be making them again soon because they’re simply that good!
In step 4, instead of shaping the dough rope into a pretzel FIRST and then placing into the baking soda water and then placing onto the parchment papered tray, could I dip the dough rope into the baking soda water FIRST and then arrange into a pretzel on the parchment papered tray? I’m thinking about how to best manage a good pretzel shape.
Sure, you could try that.
I would love to make pretzel buns to have for burgers or pulled pork. Could you turn these into rolls/buns? Any recommendations for how to do so?
I use this recipe for pretzel buns: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/amazing-soft-pretzel-rolls/
I only have “live yeast” how can I make these. No instant can be found these days!
Like, fresh yeast? I have literally hardly any experience using fresh yeast. You might try googling a fresh yeast vs instant yeast conversion!
These are so easy and delicious! I have made them several times, but my favorite is to wrap the dough around full size hotdogs and make pretzel dogs! I tried small ones at first, but they are time consuming and I am lazy. So full size hotdogs, in my oven takes about 12-15 min. Have also made with sausages and works the same. Thanks for such a simple recipe!!
I make these in my ninga with the dough attachment in it n they come out perfect everytime no mess no fuss
Making my third batch of these in two days they are so simple and easy thank you!!
I’ve been obsessed with your website over the past 2 months as I’ve started to learn how to bake with yeast! These are delicious and I love telling people I know how to make pretzels…they’re always impressed!
One question I have-I’ve made your pretzel twists before and loved them too-have you ever tried the egg wash from the twists on this recipe? I love the color it gave but don’t want to mess something up that’s already so good!
Thanks, Ashley! You could definitely use the egg wash for these pretzels!
So I have made these twice now, first time my husband was craving soft pretzels. So I found this recipe and an hour later we were enjoying pretzels. They didn’t last as long as it took to make! 2nd time I rolled them more in circle was only difference and did as pretzel rolls. These are super easy to make, endless ideas to use them next time I am wrapping little smokies! Thanks for an amazing and awesome recipe! If I could give it more stars I would!
They taste amazing! Ive already been asked for the recipe. Its not as difficult to make as it seems, just some waiting involved. I also made a cinnamon sugar batch with the same recipe. Love it!
Speechless . Absolutely awesome.
These were AMAZING! Super quick and easy, and they tasted A-MAZ-ING! I made them for my family and they loved them, too. 10/10 recommend.
Has anyone tried these with a gluten free flour ?
I used wheat flour and they were great! Didn’t taste anything like the white flour but they tasted great still!
Hey Mel!! I would like to make a bunch of these to have on hand. Can I freeze and reheat in the microwave or oven???
Thanks,
Melissa
Hey Melissa, these reheat really well after being frozen. I usually just reheat what we want in the microwave (on low power so they don’t get crunchy, hard spots from uneven microwave cooking) but you could probably reheat a whole batch in the oven on low heat, too.
awesome! thanks!
These are so delicious!!! My mouth has never been as happy and they’re super simple to make!
These are a go to in our house and what my mom requests as “payment” for watching my kids. My husband recently asked for a stuffed pretzel (cheese being his preference), though, and I’m stumped. Do you think these would translate well to be stuffed and, if so, how would you go about it? Thanks!
If it were me, I’d take the easy route and shape them like a small ball and squeeze a cube of sharp cheddar cheese in the middle, pinching the bottom to seal. Then follow the rest of the recipe. Good luck!
Made these today with my son. They are delicious! So soft and chewy. I made them into cinnamon sugar pretzels instead.
Made these yesterday with my kids…AMAZING! They were gone in minutes. My only question: is it necessary to let the dough rise in a sealed ziploc? Just thinking for next time, it might be easier for me to let it rise in the mixing bowl.
Nina – I think the ziploc bag helps keep a bit of humidity with the rising. I’ve let them rise in a mixing bowl before and maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks, but they didn’t seem quite as chewy as when left to rise in the bag. Worth experimenting, though. Good luck!
I love your site and I use it often! I was going to try these pretzels today with my boys (I have 3 boys and today is a snowday) and I was wondering if this recipe does ok doubled? We might have some friends come over to help us and I want to make sure there’s enough for all the kiddos to play with.
Andrea – yes, this recipe works great doubled (or even tripled!). Have fun!
We made these for a snack today and they were downright delicious…a definite family favorite!
LOVED these. Omitted salt in both dough and sprinkling (the butter gave it plenty of saltiness).
These are amazing. I’m not really a bread lover, but thought my boyfriend would like them. I’m not so sure there will be any left by the time i see him!
Lauren – sure, you can make these smaller. Just bake them a minute or so less, perhaps.
How big are these and can I make them
Smaller in order to make more? Im going to try and make
These for a Halloween party.
I added about a Tbsp of garlic powder to the dry mix, then while it was rising i finely shredded fresh parmesan. After the warm water/baking soda bath I COATED each (top and bottom) with the cheese. Baked them like normal and basted with garlic butter, topped with more cheese, then back in the warm oven for about a min just to melt the topping cheese a little. SO GOOD!!!
I forgot to add, it may also help that I add brown sugar to my cinnamon sugar to give it a more molasses taste.
I made these last night and they were so good I am making some more right now;
I also made another batch that instead of using sugar I added 2 tablespoons (to bring out the flavor) of cinnamon sugar and a 1/4 tsp. of salt instead of a half. They were delish!! Thank you for this recipie!!
Just made these with my two little girls who are homebound with mono. These were by far the BEST pretzels we’ve ever made, and we’ve tried many recipes! Living in Europe it’s impossible to find this type of pretzel, THANK YOU for this wonderful recipe and blog which has kept us occupied and happy even when sick!
Thanks for the recipe! But how do I store these? In the fridge? I’m afraid to keep them outside because the weather here is really humid and kind of getting warmer and warmer as the days past. By the way I have the first batch in the oven and they’re smelling heavenly!!
Crysatl – to be honest, I hardly ever have leftovers of these to keep but when I have, I’ve just kept them in a ziploc bag (once they have cooled completely) on the counter. If you are worried about the temperature, pop them in the fridge and give them a quick warm-through in the microwave before eating.
Hi Mel
do you need to use active yeast and do you have to place in bag for the dough to raise and many recipe add bread flour is this necessary.
thanks for reading
Vanisha – the recipe calls for instant yeast and I’d recommend using it as well as using the bag to help the dough rise. All of that contributes to the chewiness of the pretzels.
This are amazing! I made 2 batches (since yesterday!) and soooo delicious! Thanks!
You are so right about these being absolutely heavenly! After slathering them in butter, the crispy outer layer reminded me of a croissant, and I felt like I was eating a decadent pastry. When they were ready to go into the oven I feared I was going to end up with dense hockey pucks, but they rose beautifully and perfectly met my expectations.
These have become our Sunday snack of choice. I made 2 batches today, one cinnamon and sugar and one whole wheat. Both were delicious!
One word:A.MAZ.ING! Soft, yummy, buttery goodness! These may become a weekly treat!
Oh. My. These are fabulous! I’ve been wanting to make pretzels forever, and finally did it today. My husband- who doesn’t really care for pretzels- LOVED them! I laid 3 out for pictures, and when we were done, he ate all of them! They have fabulous flavor. Thanks Mel!
My first attempt at baking with yeast and it was awesome! I only got to eat 1 1/2 (the 1/2 stolen from my little guy) cause my girls and husband gobbled them up. Will make again….OFTEN!
These turned out delicious. I made it on my silpat and there was this funny taste at the bottom of the pretzel. Any idea why? It was like a chemically burnt taste? I baked at 480 which is the max recommendation for siplat and I suspect mine might be at the end of it’s life because i use it to roast veggies
May – I’m guessing it must be too high of heat for your silpat – and perhaps a residue of anything else you’ve baked on it. Even though the manufacturer says the silpat can be used at temps of 480 degrees, I never use mine above 425 for the same after-taste reason. Parchment is probably your best bet.