Soft Sourdough Pretzel Bites (So Easy!) (2024)

Chewy and salty, these Sourdough Pretzel Bites are perfect game day treat made with only 5 simple ingredients! These pretzel bites have no yeast, so it's a great way to use up some of your sourdough starter!

These sourdough pretzel bites are so delicious and surprisingly easy to make! They are a perfect treat for the big game and all your guests will be so impressed that you made homemade pretzel bites! They are chewy, soft, and slightly salty, everything you could want in a pretzel bite!

Baking with sourdough starter is one of my favorite things to do! You can makesourdough bread, sourdough bread with jalapenos and cheddar, cinnamon raisin sourdough bread, and even sourdough hamburger buns!

When you are ready to serve these pretzels, make sure you check out all the delicious recipes for ideas for what to dip pretzels in!

Why You'll Love Sourdough Pretzel Bites

• They are fun to make! Let the kids help roll the dough into a log and let them place the bites on the baking sheet. They will love sprinkling the pretzel bites with salt.
• They are so versatile! Top these pretzel bites with sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, coarse salt, or your favorite dry rub. The possibilities are endless!
• They bake up fast! Instead of figuring out how to twist the pretzels, these pretzel bites bake up in 15 minutes and you don't have to fight with the dough to twist a pretzel correctly.

Ingredients to Gather

• Active Sourdough Starter- If you are new to sourdough, make sure to check out this post how to keep a sourdough starter for how to keep a sourdough starter. It will walk you through baking and keeping a healthy starter. You can make your own sourdough starter from scratch, buy one, or get one from a sourdough friend!
• Water- Lukewarm. Too cold and the pretzel dough will take too long to rise, and too hot you run the risk of killing the starter and the dough will not rise.
• Flour- All purpose flour or bread flour. Bread flour vs all purpose flour is often a confusing topic, but in this recipe, they can be used interchangeably.
• Honey- Granulated sugar can be substituted for honey if you want to make this recipe vegan.
• Salt- For added flavor in the dough.
• Baking Soda- This will be added to the boiling water, it won't be added to the dough.

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Sourdough Pretzel Bites

When all the dough pieces are boiled, place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Halfway through the baking process, rotate the baking sheets so the pretzel bites brown evenly on each side.

Why Is Baking Soda Added To The Water?

Baking soda is added to the boiling water to create that classic chew that pretzels have. Without it, the pretzel bites will become more like little dinner rolls.

Don't overboil the pretzels. They only need 10-15 seconds in the boiling water.

Tips and Tricks

• To make sure that your sourdough starter is ready to be baked with, do the water test! Place a tablespoon of your starter in a glass of water. If it floats it's ready, if it sinks you'll have to feed it again until it is active and bubbly.
• If you do not have silicone mats, parchment paper would work as well. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray to make sure the pretzels do not stick once baked.
• The longer you boil the pretzels for in the water the chewier they will be. Try not to boil them for more than 20 seconds, as they will get too chewy and lose their texture.
• Top these pretzels with coarse sea salt, everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or serve them plain. You can also make these sweet! Once they are baked, roll them in a cinnamon sugar mixture and serve warm.
• Serve these pretzels with your favorite mustard, queso, beer cheese, garlic dip, or Instant Pot hummus.
• You can double or triple this recipe! It's perfect to even triple, but boil the pretzel bites in batches as to not overcrowd them in the hot water.

Storage Tips

These pretzel bites are best eaten the same day. That's because the salt tends to make the pretzel bites moist the next day. If you are eating them the next day, place them in the oven for 5-10 minutes to heat them up and soften them.

You can freeze the pretzel bites in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. It is best is you do not add the salt before freezing. When you are ready to defrost the pretzels, place them on the counter and let them come to room temperature. Then lightly brush them with egg wash and sprinkle salt on them. Bake them for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Can I Make Large Pretzels instead of Pretzel Bites?

Yes! If you wanted to make these pretzels, you can! Instead of cutting the logs, twist them into a pretzel shape. Then boil them and bake them for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Can I Use Sourdough Discard Instead of Active Sourdough Starter?

You can, but you would need to add 2 teaspoons of active yeast to the dough as well. The sourdough discard does not have the amount of yeast that you would need to make these pretzel bites chewy and rise.

Other Recipes To Try

More Sourdough Recipes