Vegan soft pretzel bites are the perfect party food. This recipe makes a large amount and it is easy to follow. These kid-friendly (and adult-friendly) snack bites will be everyone's favorite appetizer on the table.
Soft pretzel bites are a snack everyone can agree on.
Choose between classic salted pretzel bites or sweet cinnamon and sugar-covered bites. Can't choose a flavor, then make both!
There are plenty to share since this recipe makes about 64 bites. Take them to parties, enjoy them on game day, or make a batch for family movie night and they will all quickly disappear!
Instructions
Making pretzel bites may seem intimidating, but they're actually pretty simple to make by following the steps below.
Step 1: Add the yeast to a bowl of warm water. Set aside to activate and become foamy.
Step 2: Mix in the remaining ingredients until a slightly sticky dough forms. Cover and set aside to rise for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3: Place the risen dough on a flat dry surface.
Step 4: Cut the dough into 8 triangle pieces. Roll each triangle into a long rope. Cut the dough ropes into bite-sized pieces.
Step 5: Add baking soda to a pot of hot water.
Step 6: Turn the heat up and bring the water to a light simmer.
Step 7: Add about 10 pretzel bites to your pot. Let them soak for about 30 seconds or until they puff up. You can see how much bigger the bites in the pot are compared to the ones on the baking sheet.
Step 8: Bake the pretzel bites in the oven at 450ºF for 10-12 minutes.
To serve: Top your pretzel bites with coarse sea salt or roll them in cinnamon and sugar or a combination of both.
Dip Ideas
I paired the salty pretzel bites with my leftover vegan nacho cheese. You can go with my cheese dip or use your favorite recipe. Or go with a store-bought vegan cheese dip to save time.
Sweet mustard or spicy mustard are also great dip ideas for salty pretzel bites.
I found the cinnamon and sugar bites were sweet enough on their own, but I don't have too big of a sweet tooth.
For pizza-style bites, skip the above toppings and instead, sprinkle the pretzel bites with vegan parmesan. Serve them with marinara sauce for dipping. It's another delicious flavor option everyone will enjoy!
Pretzel Bites FAQs
The baking soda bath is what gives the pretzel bites their golden shell during baking. It's definitely a step you shouldn't skip if you want a true pretzel-like outside and a soft inside.
To get the coarse salt to stick to the pretzel bites without oil, sprinkle the bites with salt before baking. The salt will stick to the baked bites.
Yes! Skip the toppings and freeze the cooked bites in a freezer-safe container or bag. Reheat the frozen bites before adding the topping.
Tips for Success
- Don't skip the baking soda bath. It's the only way to get the classic outer shell of the pretzel bites.
- If the dough ropes keep shrinking: If they keep shriking while rolling them out, let them rest for 3-5 minutes before rolling the full length.
- To twist a full pretzel: Twist the ends of the dough rope together once. Bring the twisted ends down to the curved bottom. Add a bit of water to get the ends to stick to the dough. Gently place the shaped pretzel in the baking soda bath one at a time. If you're a visual person, this pretzel guide on how to twist a pretzel is helpful.
We'd love to hear from you!
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Recipe
Vegan Soft Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups water, warm
- 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar, or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 1 packet
- 1 ½ teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
- 3 Tablespoons melted refined coconut oil
Baking Soda Bath
- 5 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons baking soda
Cinnamon & Sugar Coating
- ¼ heaping cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Salty Topping
- Coconut oil for brushing
- Coarse sea salt
Optional Dip for Salty Pretzels
Instructions
Pretzel Dough
- Start by warming your water. You want it to be warm to the touch, but not hot.
- Pour the warm water into a large bowl and mix in the sugar. Then sprinkle the yeast on top. Cover and let sit for 10 min to activate the yeast.
- Once the yeast is foamy, mix in the salt and coconut oil.
- Now, slowly mix in 2 cups of flour. Once it is well blended, mix in the 3rd cup of flour. If the dough is too sticky to handle, mix in enough flour from the 4th cup until you can handle the dough.
- On a clean lightly floured surface, knead your dough for 3-5 min adding more flour as needed. You shouldn't need more than 4 cups of flour. The dough should be slightly sticky.
- Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Then preheat your oven to 450ºF and heat the water for the baking soda bath.
- Once the dough has risen a bit, cut it into 8 triangles, as you would a pizza.
- With your hands, roll each triangle out to an 18-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into 8-9 (2-inch) bites.
Baking Soda Bath
- Once the water is boiling, lower the heat. When the water stops boiling add 3 Tablespoons of baking soda.
- Turn up the heat to simmer the water, then place about 10 bites in the bath. Let them soak for 20-30 seconds. Once they "puff up" a bit remove the bites from the bath and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until it's full. Be sure not to crowd your baking sheet.
- Bake at 450ºF for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are nice and brown. Keep an eye on them at about halfway through because they will darken quickly.
Cinnamon & Sugar Coating
- In a bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
- Lightly brush each bite with just enough coconut oil to allow the sweet coating to stick.
- Roll in the cinnamon and sugar mix until coated.
Coarse Sea Salt Topping
- Brush the tops of each bite with coconut oil, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Notes
- If the dough ropes keep shrinking while rolling them out, let them rest for 3-5 minutes before continuing to roll the full length.
- To Store: If you don't plan on eating all the bites right away, I suggest topping only what you're going to eat. Store leftover, cooked bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. Or the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, preheat your oven to 350ºF and bake for 5-10 min. Add sweet or salty toppings to the bites after baking.
- To twist a full pretzel, twist the ends of the dough rope together once. Bring the twisted ends down to the curved bottom. Add a bit of water to get the ends to stick to the dough. Gently place the shaped pretzel in the baking soda bath one at a time.
Nutrition
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
Party Eats for Everyone
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Karen
Can you use Gluten Free Flour and what can I use instead of coconut oil? I’m not able to have coconut.
Marlena Luna
Yes, you can use a 1:1 ratio gluten-free all-purpose flour. The best replacement for coconut oil would be melted vegan butter. Enjoy!
Alli
These are absolutely phenomenal! Made them with my 12 year old doing most the work and we all loved them! Will definitely make again!
Marlena Luna
Yay! I’m so glad everyone love them! :)
Addisen
So easy to make! I made a batch yesterday, and had to make them again today. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Evan
These are great. I found that the seasoning doesn't stick well with the coconut oil though
Marlena Luna
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Next time add the salt to the dough just before baking. That should keep it in place.
Megan Carriere
Are these still good after they cool down? I’m bringing them to a party where there is no oven but will heat them up at home first!
Marlena Luna
They are ideal warm, but definitely still super tasty at room temp. And they always get devoured when I bring them to parties. They should be fine for about 8-10 hours uncovered. Enjoy! :)
rachel
WE LOVE THEM. It's just my husband and I, and we eat a half a pan as soon as they come out of the oven! DELICIOUS.
I ran out of regular flour and used whole wheat. I found it was easier to manipulate, but had a drier taste. Still amazing. Will keep coming back to this recipe till I know it by heart!
Marlena Luna
Yay! That's awesome you and your husband love the recipe so much! I can see how whole wheat would make the dough easier to handle, but much drier. I add a bit of oat flour to my homemade tortillas and it makes the dough easier to roll and transfer to the pan without being dry. I may have to test these out by replacing a bit of oat flour and see if it has the same effect while handling the dough. Thanks for your feedback, Rachel! :)
Emily
I made these for a New Year’s Eve party and they were a big hit!
Now My husband is suggesting I use this recipe to make small pretzel buns for sandwiches we are making tomorrow but I’m wondering if I can make the dough and refrigerate overnight and do the bath and the baking tomorrow ?
Marlena Luna
Hi Emily! Sorry if I am too late! To answer you question, yes the dough should be fine to refrigerate overnight. Just allow it to come to room temp before cutting and rolling it. Also, you may want to "punch it down" a few times while it's in the fridge. I'm so glad you guys are loving the recipe!! :)
Jane2
We made these for our New Years Party buffet and they were a big hit! We substituted around a cup of the white flour with spelt flour, and added more flour than the recipe called for, until we had a dough that was soft but not too sticky to handle. We used a mixer with dough hooks and with two of us working together it went really fast. We had pizza sauce for those who wanted to dip them. The bites were perfect, a beautiful golden brown color and delish! Thanks for the recipe.
Marlena Luna
Yay! I'm so glad to hear they were such a hit at your party, Jane! Yum, pizza sauce sounds like a wonderful dip for some salty bites! I'm actually working on a marinara sauce, I'll have to make some bites and try it out!
Natalie
Can I substitute normal sugar for the coconut sugar?
Marlena Luna
Yes, any granulated sugar will work.
MICHELLE
I was able to fix it,!! All was not lost! I needed almost 2lbs of flour. That was way beyond the called for instructions.
Marlena Luna
I'm so glad you were able to fix it, Michelle! I hope they were a hit at the Pot Luck!
Dylan
would nutritional yeast work or is that not active? Have so many ingredients in the house but regular yeast is not one
Marlena Luna
Active yeast is necessary for these bites. Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast, therefore it won't make the dough rise. And non-rising dough means sad pretzel bites.
Elise
I’m hoping to make this tonight so hopefully you see this in time but can I used regular oil like vegetable instead of coconut?
Marlena Luna
Hi Elise! Yes, you can use any oil you have on hand. Enjoy!
Ashley
Will this recipe work with coconut or brown rice flour?
Marlena Luna
Hi Ashley! I have never tried using either of those flours for this recipe. My experiences with bread making using GF flours haven't been very successful. There is more to GF baking, than regular flour, that I have yet to master.
Teanna
I have a question on the pink salt... Is it pink curing salt or Himalayan sea salt? Also, good to know that the oil can be omitted. My uncle just recently turned vegan due to a strict diet, including eliminating certain omega fats (his body can't break them down causing blood clots), and coconut oil is a no for him. I definitely going to try these out for our family Christmas party so he'll be able to have munchies too.
Marlena Luna
Hi Teanna! The pink salt I use in the dough is Himalayan pink salt. You can use sea salt or any other salt you have on hand with no problem. I hope your uncle enjoys them! :)
Jane
Can coconut oil be repaced with flaxseed, auqafaba or something elses that is not oil???
Marlena Luna
Hi Jane! The oil in the dough can be omitted without a problem. To top the salty bites, I'd suggest sprinkling salt on them immediately after they come out of the soda bath. That way they have a bit of moisture on them still, which will allow the salt to stick. As for sweet bites, I've never experimented with anything other than oil. I'd say try brushing the bites with either aquafaba or a non-dairy/maple syrup mix (2 Tablespoons non-dairy milk and 1 Tablespoon maple syrup) then coat in cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy! :)