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Pretzels are one of my favorite game day snacks of all time, and I’ve literally been working on my recipe for about a decade. So it’s no secret that I’m obsessed with these mini homemade soft pretzels! They are nice and fluffy, perfectly chewy, and extra small so everyone gets their own individual pretzel. Serve them with mustard, my favorite cheesy dipping sauce, and an ice cold beer. They’re ridiculously good!

A silver tray of mini soft pretzels with white bowls of cheese sauce and mustard on a white and beige speckled counter, next to glasses of beer, a beige linen, and more soft pretzels.

This past weekend, I threw a PowerPoints, Pajamas, & Prosecco party, which is basically just an excuse to subject your friends to listen to you talk about your current hyper-fixation topic. (I presented about a Mothman conspiracy. Are you surprised?)

Anyways, just for good measure, I added one more ‘P’ to the mix in the form of these pretzels! This is always a good party move, because like, who doesn’t love pretzels? I mean, I know I’m biased, I even had a pretzel bar at my wedding reception, but still!

I’ve been working on this recipe for a good decade at this point and it never fails me. The dough is buttery and chewy with that classic mahogany crust. When I was in pastry school, we used lye, but I like to keep things chill these days with baking soda because it makes me about 1,000x less stressed about chemical burns.

Anyways, these pretzels are obviously good with beer cheese dipping sauce and mustard. But if you want to get a little fancy, I also like them with cheddar cheese spread or melty no mayo spinach artichoke dip!

All purpose vs. bread flour

Brown bowls of flour, baking soda, salt, yeast, brown sugar, and butter on a beige counter next to a glass pitcher of water.

Usually when I’m making bread, I use, you guessed it, bread flour. But, I’ve always made this recipe with all purpose flour instead for a softer, fluffier, American mall-style pretzel. That’s just how I like it!

Obviously, you can use bread flour if that’s more your thing. This will give you a chewier, more dense, German-style pretzel. Both are good, just depends what you’re looking for!

Dough instructions

A silver bowl of water and yeast on a tan counter.
Mix the warm water, yeast, & brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
A silver bowl of foamy yeast on a beige table.
Let it sit until it’s foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
A silver bowl of foamy yeast and flour on a tan counter.
Then, mix in the butter, flour, and Kosher salt.
A silver bowl of dough for mini soft pretzels with a dough hook on a beige table.
Add flour a little at a time until the dough is tacky, not sticky!
A silver bowl of dough on a tan counter.
Knead the dough for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth.
A silver bowl of risen dough for mini soft pretzels on a beige table.
Then, cover the dough & let it rise for about 30-45 minutes.

To test if the dough is properly kneaded, firmly poke the dough with your finger. If it springs back slowly, it’s ready to go! If it springs back right away, keep kneading for another minute or so.

How to shape the pretzels

A wood board of pieces of dough.
Once the dough has doubled, cut it into 12-16 pieces.
Hands rolling dough into a long log on a wood board.
Roll each piece into an even rope, about 18 inches long.
Hands forming dough into a U shape on a wood board.
Then, with a hand on each side, form the log into a U-shape.
Hands twisting mini soft pretzel dough on a pastry board.
Twist the ends of the rope twice, leaving the ends untwisted.
Hands forming mini soft pretzels on a wood board.
Next, fold the twist over and towards yourself.
Hands pressing dough for mini soft pretzels on a wood counter.
Lastly, press the tail ends at the bottom of the U. The end!

Baking soda bath & bake

Raw mini pretzels in a pot of a baking soda bath.
Boil the pretzels in a baking soda bath for about 30 seconds.
A sheet pan of raw mini soft pretzels on a tan counter.
Sprinkle the pretzels with salt & line them on a sheet pan.
A metal tray of homemade mini soft pretzels next to white bowls of cheese sauce and mustard.
Bake the pretzels at 450°F (230°C) for 12-15 minutes.

Freezing & reheating

Soft pretzels really are best fresh, but if you have leftovers, feel free to freeze them! Just wrap the pretzels in parchment, place them in a paper bag, seal it, and freeze them for up to 3 months.

To reheat the pretzels, place them on a sheet pan straight from the freezer. Then, bake the pretzels at 350°F (177°C) for 8-10 minutes, just until they’re hot. Serve right away!

A metal tray of mini homemade soft pretzels with brown bowls of cheese sauce and mustard next to more pretzels, a tan linen, and glasses of beer with a beige and white speckled background.

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The Best Homemade Mini Soft Pretzels

Yield: 16 mini pretzels
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rising Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
These mini homemade soft pretzels are honestly the best I've ever had! They are fluffy, chewy, buttery, and small in size, so you'll end up with 12-16 individual servings. Serve them with beer cheese dipping sauce, mustard, and cold beer for game days and parties with friends!
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Ingredients

Soft Pretzels

  • 360 milliliters warm water, 105°F/41°C (1 1/2 cups)
  • 25 grams brown sugar (2 Tablespoons, packed)
  • 8 grams active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons/1 packet)
  • 30 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for serving (2 Tablespoons)
  • 600 grams all purpose flour, plus more as needed (5 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, I use Morton
  • Neutral oil or cooking spray, for greasing
  • 2 liters water (8 cups)
  • 150 grams baking soda (1/2 cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • Pretzel salt or coarse salt, for sprinkling
  • Beer cheese and mustard, for serving

Equipment

  • 2 thick sheet pans
  • Dutch oven or large pot
  • Stand mixer with dough hook – optional

Instructions 

  • Mix the warm water, brown sugar, and active dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture sit until it's foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Add the melted and cooled butter, all purpose flour, and salt. Use a dough hook to mix the dough until it's shaggy. Continue adding more flour 30 grams (1/4 cup) at a time until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
  • Knead the dough on medium speed for 6-7 minutes until it's smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. To test if the dough is properly kneaded, give it a firm poke with your finger. If it springs back slowly, it's ready to go. If it springs back right away, knead it for another 1-2 minutes.
  • Lightly coat a large bowl with neutral oil or cooking spray. Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl, making sure to coat the ball of dough in oil so it doesn't dry out. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm spot. Let the dough rise until it's doubled in size, about 40-45 minutes.
  • While the dough is rising, combine the 2 liters (8 cups) of water and baking soda in a Dutch oven or large pot. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line two thick sheet pans with parchment paper. Then, whisk the egg with 15 milliliters (1 Tablespoon) of water to make an egg wash.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, tip it onto a very lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper to cut it into 16 equal portions, about 65 grams each (but it doesn't have to be perfect). Working one at a time, roll each piece of dough into an even, 18-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope. Twist the ends of the rope twice, and then fold the twist over, pressing the ends into the bottom of the U. (See the blog post for photos.) Place the shaped pretzels on a parchment-lined sheet pan (or another clean surface) and cover them with a linen. Repeat with the remaining dough until you have 16 mini pretzels.
  • Use a slotted spoon to drop 3-4 pretzels into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, gently pressing the pretzels into the water so they get fully coated. Use the slotted spoon to remove the pretzels, letting as much excess water drip off as possible. Place the boiled pretzels on the prepared parchment-lined sheet pans, and repeat with the remaining pretzels.
  • With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the pretzels with the egg wash. Sprinkle the pretzels evenly with pretzel salt or coarse salt, to taste. Bake for 12-15 minutes, flipping the pan halfway through, until they are deep golden-brown. (For extra buttery pretzels, brush the tops with more melted butter right out of the oven.) Serve the pretzels immediately with beer cheese and mustard. Enjoy!

Notes

I highly recommend using a scale to weigh the ingredients. This helps ensure that you don’t use too much flour for fluffy and soft pretzels.
For chewier, German-style pretzels, you can also use bread flour.
Feel free to make the dough by hand if you don’t mind a little arm workout! Use a dough hook or rubber spatula to mix the dough together. Then, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes.
The egg wash is optional, it just helps the salt stick! But feel free to sprinkle the pretzels with salt right after they come out of the boiling water instead.
If you don’t have thick sheet pans, I would double them up to keep the bottoms of the pretzels from burning. You can also use non-stick baking mats (like Silpats) which keep the bottoms from burning.
Pretzels are best served day-of, because they get hard quick. If you want to save them for later, wrap the pretzels in parchment paper and store them in a paper bag. Seal the bag tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place the frozen pretzels on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 8-10 minutes, just until they’re warmed through.
Nutrition includes just the pretzels and not the baking soda bath or additional salt sprinkled on top.
Cuisine: German
Course: Appetizer, Snacks
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1mini pretzel, Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 369mg, Potassium: 50mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 2mg
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