These vegan pretzel bites are so easy and quick to make! With only 6 ingredients, you will have soft, buttery pretzels at home in just 30 minutes.
Perfect for parties or game day, these little pretzel bites are soft, chewy, salty and are begging to be dipped in cheese sauce!
While baking with yeast may seem intimidating, I’m here to show you just how simple it can be. Just like with my pizza dough, dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls, I keep this pretzel recipe super quick and easy.
You can enjoy fresh pretzel bites in just 30 minutes! The dough doesn’t need any rise time and it won’t stick to your hands.
Preparing the pretzel dough
This is an overview with photos of the process. For the complete, printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl), add the instant yeast, warm water and brown sugar. Stir.
Add 3 cups of flour and salt to the bowl. With the paddle attachment (or a spoon without a stand mixer), mix until the dough starts to come together. Add additional flour as needed (I ended up using 3 1/4 cups).
The dough should be slightly sticky, but not stick to your hands. If it does, add a little more flour until the dough is easy to handle.
Divide the dough into 4 sections.
Roll each section into a log.
Cut into 1 inch pieces. You should get about 11-12 bites per section of dough.
Boil pretzel bites in baking soda bath
This is what makes pretzels unique! You will need a full 1/2 cup baking soda and about 12 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, then slowly add in the baking soda.
Be careful as it will bubble as you add the baking soda. Add it slowly and lower the heat if needed.
Drop about 12 pieces of dough in at a time and boil for only 20-30 seconds, until they rise to the surface.
With a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and place on a silicone mat or parchment paper nearby. Continue until all the pieces are boiled.
Finally, bake the vegan pretzels
Place the boiled pieces of dough on a parchment lined pan, brush with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
For a cinnamon sugar version, brush with butter but bake without the salt. In a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Once they’re done baking, brush with a little more vegan butter and dip generously in cinnamon sugar.
How to store pretzel bites
Keep leftover pretzels in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They will become less soft over time.
They also freeze well! Freeze in a freezer bag or container for 2-3 months. Thaw and enjoy!
Can they be made gluten free?
I haven’t tried a gluten free version so I can’t say for sure. If you try it, let me know! A quality gluten free mix is probably your best bet.
Looking for more vegan party foods?
- Ultimate Vegan Chili
- Vegan Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Buffalo Cauliflower
- BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso
- The Best & Easiest Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Vegan Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 packet instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 cups water for boiling pretzels
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 3-4 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, brown sugar and yeast and stir. Alternatively, use a large bowl and wooden spoon.
- Add 3 cups of flour and salt to the bowl. With the paddle attachment (or simply a spoon if you don't have stand mixer), mix on low until the dough starts to come together. Add more flour as needed until you have a slightly sticky dough. It shouldn't stick to your hands though. I needed 3 1/4 cups flour.
- Place the dough on a clean flat surface and form the dough into a ball. Separate the dough into four sections and roll each section into a long log.
- Cut into 1 inch pieces using a knife. I got 11-12 bites per section.
- Bring 12 cups of water in a large pot to a boil, then slowly add the baking soda to the water. Be careful as the water will boil up as you add the baking soda. Add it slowly and lower the heat if needed.
- Place the pretzel dough bites into the water about 12 at a time and cook for 30 seconds. They will rise to the surface when they are ready. Use a slotted spoon to remove the dough pieces and let cool. Set the pieces on parchment paper or a silicon mat nearby. Continue until you have boiled all the pretzel bites.
- Arrange pretzels on the baking sheet. Brush with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the tops are browned. Remove from oven.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover pretzels – Keep leftover pretzels in a covered container for up to 3 days. They may also be frozen.
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites – For a cinnamon sugar version, bake the pretzels without the salt. Once done, dip or brush with melted vegan butter, then dip into a bowl of cinnamon sugar (3/4 cup sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon).
- Gluten free pretzels – I haven’t tried making them with gluten free flour, but a quality gluten free mix would probably work well.
Nora: I looked through all the comments, but didn’t see this one…could you air fry them, I wonder? I guess I could experiment and report back… (btw, I’m still an air fryer rookie).
I haven’t tried to air fry them, but it would probably work just fine. Report back if you try! Thanks!
Love these and yes they come out pretty good gf
Can I make the dough the day before?
Yes that is fine, just keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Thanks!
Delicious as are your recipes always, Nora! And thank you for helping me get over my baking soda bath anxiety! 😂
Hi Nora! I’ve made these multiple times and they’re amazing! Would this same recipe work for larger soft pretzels? Thanks!
Thanks so much, Paige! I haven’t tried making larger soft pretzels from this dough, but I’m sure it would work just the same. Happy baking!
So good! My only issue is the flour kind of falls apart. I’m able to still make them but did I use too much flour?
It sounds like you accidentally added too much flour. Next time use less flour, the dough should still be somewhat sticky, not dry. You can troubleshoot by adding a little water if needed. Hope that helps!
I dont have Light brown sugar, just regular brown sugar. Can i still use it?
Yes, that will work just fine.
Wow, I’m surprised how easy this was!
It’s a fun recipe for kids to help. Thumbs up!
I’m so glad you had fun making these pretzel bites with your kids! Thank you for sharing your fun feedback!
I made these for a group and they were delicious! I was so pleased by how easy they are to make.
Nora, could this recipe be turned into one for pretzel buns?
I’m so glad you liked them! They might be able to, but I haven’t tried it. Sounds like a fun project!
I am curious as to why there is no rising time needed. Other yeast recipes calls for resting time so the dough and double in size. Thanks
You can let it rise if you want, but I did not find it necessary.
Love all your recipes! Thank you. This was great and easy!
My first time ever making pretzels and I did it! I made a huge mess and prob5 didn’t need to double the recipe, but they’re so good. I don’t have a stand up mixer and added probably about 4 cups of flour total to get it to be not sticky. I learned to cut the pieces smaller that I expected so they cooked better. I cut them even after I boiled them and that worked great. The smaller the better. Cant wait to make them again.
These are delicious! I LOVE soft pretzels! My only concern was the recipe calls for 1 tsp of salt and maybe I am missing it but I do not see it in the directions at all??? I looked several times and read comments to see if any mentioned this. I assumed it went in with the flour like my pizza dough recipe so that is what I did. Turned out fantastic! Let me know if I just missed that or is it really not there.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! You add the salt in with the flour, as written in Instruction #3. Hope that helps!
Amazing and easy! I made them gluten free with 1:1 all-purpose flour (Great Value), and it worked like a charm.
Great to hear the pretzel bites turned out amazing for you! Thank you for sharing your great review and feedback!
I’m so excited to make these for super bowl! What does 1 packet of instant yeast measure out to? I have a jar of it so I’m not sure how much to use. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes all the time. You keep my family well fed.
Hi Kayla, 1 packet of instant yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons. So excited to hear how they turn out for you! Happy cooking!
My vegan daughter asked me to make these for her today. Everyone loved them, so thanks for a great and easy recipe. I was laughing when I read about how to store them – the whole batch is already gone!
LOL! I know what you mean about how there are none left to store! I’m thrilled everyone loved the pretzels! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments!
These are amazing, simple, and the fam loves them. You did it again Nora!
I’m so glad you guys love them! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
So easy! Super delicious and my kids liked them, too!
Thank you! I’m glad you guys enjoyed the pretzel bites! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback!
Delicious, simple & crowd pleasing!
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad you loved the pretzel bites!
These are amazing! My son was OBSESSED with them. I added Everything seasoning to them. I feel like this could easily be a bagel recipe too! I may try it 😱. Thank you!!!
I’m glad the bites were a hit! The seasoning sounds perfect! Thanks for your fantastic feedback and review. If you make bagels, let me know how it goes!
This dough is amazing. The baking soda does leave a salty/briny aftertaste so I’ll try to add less next time but will definitely be making this again.
Made with the vegan cheese dip..which I’m still perfecting.
Thank you for sharing, Marina. I hope your next batch turns out just right!
Ahh…the annoying question that inevitably somebody asks! Do you think I can use whole wheat or a combo of flours.?
I’ve only made this recipe with all purpose flour but I’m sure a 1:1 whole wheat and AP flour combo would work!
Usually wheat flour absorbs more liquid so these would come out more dry. I would suggest 3/4 of the suggested ap amount and then add a little at a time until the dough is not sticky. Hope this helps
What?! These are so good! I made half the batch salty, and the other half cinnamon sugar. I used half whole wheat flour, and half unbleached all purpose. Perfect treat for me and the kiddos on this frozen new England snow day! Thanks, Nora!
Hi Leigh, thank you for sharing your fantastic review and comments! Glad you and your family loved the pretzels!
Hi Nora, I can’t wait to try this and based on all your other recipes this is sure to be a winner as well. Just one point I am trying to understand …….(Note 1) refers to “left over pretzels” ??? Is it truly possible that such a thing exists (she asks doubtfully).
Thanks again in advance
LOL um no not in my house! They were gone in like 2 hours. I hope you enjoy the pretzels!
Do you have to put the sugar in?
You could probably leave it out if needed.
Would these work with gluten-free flour?
I haven’t tried it but replacing the regular flour with a quality gluten free mix would be your best bet.
I’m going to try these. Looks yummy!!
Hi Nora, if I attempted Bob’s Red Mill gf flour mix, I’m assuming the yeast would still be needed, right? Thank you for putting out awesome recipes!??
Yes, you still need the yeast. Happy cooking!