These Auntie Anne’s copycat pretzel bites are soft, buttery, slightly sweet, and incredibly easy to make at home. This is the recipe I’ve been making for years, and turning the dough into bite-sized pieces makes them even easier to prepare than traditional soft pretzels.
Don't forget the cheese dip! These soft, buttery pretzel bites are delicious on their own, but they're even better dipped in my creamy cheese fondue. Made with sharp cheddar cheese and evaporated milk, it's the perfect easy dipping sauce for homemade pretzels.
I originally purchased the recipe for $.79 from TopRecipes.com in 2007. At the time, online recipes weren't nearly as easy to find as they are today, so every once in a while I'd pay a small amount for a recipe that sounded worth trying. This one definitely was!
The original recipe was written for traditional soft pretzels, but my family has always preferred making pretzel bites with the dough. They're faster to shape, fun to eat, and perfect for dipping.
After making dozens and dozens of batches over the years, this has become one of those recipes that I know by heart.
Important note: This is a homemade copycat recipe inspired by Auntie Anne's famous soft pretzels. It is not an official Auntie Anne's recipe.
Why You'll Love These Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
If you love the soft pretzels from Auntie Anne’s, you’re going to love making these at home. They have that same soft, chewy texture and buttery flavor, but you can make an entire batch in your own kitchen.
- Easy to make: No complicated pretzel shaping required.
- No boiling: The pretzel bites get a quick baking soda bath instead.
- Soft and buttery: Brush them with melted butter while they're warm for the best flavor.
- Three delicious flavors: Make classic salted, garlic parmesan, or cinnamon sugar pretzel bites.
- Amazing cheese sauce: My homemade cheese sauce can't be beat and is so much better than the dipping sauces from pretzel shops.
- Perfect for parties: They're easy to grab and eat, making them great for game days, movie nights, parties, and after-school snacks.
- A longtime favorite: I've been making this recipe for more than 15 years!
What People Are Saying
I made these as bites and they are delicious.---Alyssa
My girls and I had fun making them and they are so good!!! Way better than the mall…and cheaper too!!---Shannon
Yum! My kids and I made these this morning. Easy recipe to follow and better than mall pretzels! Next time we’ll try a batch of cinnamon sugar bites. Thank you for sharing your $.79 recipe for free! 😉---Emma
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
- What People Are Saying
- What Do Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Bites Taste Like?
- Ingredients
- How to Make Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
- Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bite Flavors
- What to Serve With Pretzel Bites
- The Best Cheese Dip for Pretzel Bites
- Pretzel Bites FAQs
- More Pretzel Recipes
- Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
What Do Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Bites Taste Like?
Auntie Anne's is known for soft, buttery pretzels with a slightly sweet flavor and a chewy golden exterior. These homemade pretzel bites have that same general mall-pretzel experience in bite-sized form.
The dough contains powdered sugar, which gives the pretzels their subtle sweetness without making them taste like dessert. A quick baking soda bath helps create the classic pretzel texture, and brushing the warm bites with melted butter gives them that irresistible buttery finish.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make these homemade Auntie Anne's copycat pretzel bites:
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast
- All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Baking soda
For serving, you'll also want melted butter and your favorite pretzel toppings.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
1. Make the pretzel dough. Mix the warm water and yeast together. Cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast becomes foamy.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Slowly add the yeast mixture and vegetable oil. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
2. Let the dough rise. Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough inside. Cover loosely with a clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
3. Make the baking soda bath. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Combine the hot water and baking soda in a bowl and stir until the baking soda is mostly dissolved. It may not dissolve completely, and that's okay.
4. Cut the dough into bites. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, approximately 12x24 inches. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into small, bite-sized squares.
5. Dip the pretzel bites. Dip each piece of dough into the baking soda bath, then place it on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
If you're making salted or garlic parmesan pretzel bites, sprinkle the dough with kosher salt before baking.
6. Bake. Bake for 4 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue baking for another 4 minutes, or until the pretzel bites are golden brown.
Keep an eye on them toward the end of baking because smaller pieces can brown quickly.
7. Add the butter and toppings. Brush the warm pretzel bites generously with melted butter and add your favorite topping.
Serve warm!
Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bite Flavors
One of the best things about making pretzel bites at home is that you can make several flavors from the same batch.
Classic Salted Pretzel Bites
For classic soft pretzel bites, sprinkle the dough with kosher salt before baking. When they come out of the oven, brush them generously with melted butter.
This is my favorite way to eat them!
Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Bites
Sprinkle the pretzel bites with kosher salt before baking.
When they come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter mixed with garlic powder. Finish with grated Parmesan cheese.
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
For a sweet version, don't add salt before baking.
When the pretzel bites come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, then toss or roll the warm, buttered pretzel bites in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
These are especially good served warm.
What to Serve With Pretzel Bites
These pretzel bites are delicious on their own, but they're even better with a dipping sauce. My favorite is the easy cheese fondue below, but you can also serve them with yellow mustard, honey mustard, ranch dressing, or caramel sauce if you're making cinnamon sugar pretzel bites.
The Best Cheese Dip for Pretzel Bites
Warm soft pretzel bites and cheese dip are a match made in heaven! This easy cheese fondue is the perfect dipping sauce for homemade Auntie Anne's copycat pretzel bites.
It's creamy, smooth, and cheesy without being overly complicated. I like using sharp cheddar, but you can also use cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, or a combination of cheeses.
This cheese dip is also delicious with vegetables, bread, crackers, or as a topping for baked potatoes.
Cheese DIP Ingredients
- Cheese: I like using sharp cheddar, but you can use whatever you'd like.
- Evaporated milk
- Flour: Helps thicken the cheese sauce.
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
How to Make Cheese Fondue for Pretzels
- Shred the cheese. Shred the cheese and set it aside.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the shredded cheese, evaporated milk, flour, salt, and pepper to a medium saucepan.
- Heat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for the first 3 minutes.
- Stir constantly. Continue stirring for about 2 more minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and the mixture is bubbly, thickened, and smooth.
- Adjust the consistency. If the cheese dip is too thick, add additional evaporated milk, stirring until it reaches your desired dipping consistency.
- Serve warm. Serve immediately with warm Auntie Anne's copycat pretzel bites.
Cheese Dip Tips
- Use a block of cheese. For the smoothest cheese dip, shred cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking ingredients that can affect the texture of the sauce.
- Adjust the thickness. The cheese sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick for dipping, stir in a little additional evaporated milk until smooth.
- Change the cheese. Monterey Jack gives you a mild, creamy cheese sauce, but cheddar and Swiss are delicious too. Try combining two cheeses for your own favorite flavor.
- Keep it warm. This cheese dip is best served warm alongside freshly baked pretzel bites.
Pretzel Bites FAQs
Yes! The original recipe was written for traditional soft pretzels, and this dough can absolutely be shaped into pretzels instead of bites.
If you'd rather make full-size pretzels, see my Copycat Auntie Anne's Pretzels recipe for the traditional pretzel shape and additional topping ideas.
Yes. This dough can also be used to make soft pretzel rolls. They're especially good for pulled pork sandwiches and burgers.
No. These are no-boil pretzel bites.
Instead of boiling the dough, you dip each piece into a baking soda and hot water bath before baking. It's a quick and easy method that works especially well for bite-sized pretzel
This is the way the original recipe I purchased in 2007 was written. The powdered sugar adds sweetness to the dough without making the finished pretzels overly sweet. I've made this recipe for years exactly this way, and it produces soft, flavorful pretzel bites that my family loves.
Store leftover pretzel bites in an airtight container at room temperature.
For the best texture, warm them briefly before serving and brush with a little melted butter.
Yes. Let the baked pretzel bites cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.
When you're ready to eat them, reheat until warm and finish with melted butter and your desired topping.
More Pretzel Recipes
If you love recreating your favorite restaurant, bakery, and nostalgic treats at home, check out my Copycat Recipes collection.
Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
- 3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Bath
- 2 cup hot water
- ¼ cup baking soda
Instructions
- Mix water/yeast. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes or until it is foamy.
- Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add water/yeast mixture and oil and mix until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
- Spray bowl with non stick cooking spray and return dough to bowl. Cover loosely with a towel and let raise until doubled, about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Make a baking soda bath for the pretzels by combining the baking soda with hot water and stir until soda is mostly dissolved (it won't dissolve completely).
- Roll out dough into a long rectangle (about 12"x24"). Using a pizza cutter, cut into small 2 inch pieces. Dip each dough square into the water/soda bath and place on a greased (or parchment paper lined) baking sheet. If you are making salted or garlic pretzels, sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate pan and bake another 4 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- 4 ounces cheese, shredded
- 6 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 Tbsp. flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Shred the cheese. Shred the cheese and set aside.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the shredded cheese, evaporated milk, flour, salt, and pepper to a medium saucepan.
- Heat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for the first 3 minutes.
- Stir constantly. Continue stirring for about 2 more minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and the mixture is bubbly, thickened, and smooth.
- Adjust the consistency. If the cheese dip is too thick, add 1 Tbsp. of evaporated milk at a time, stirring until it reaches your desired dipping consistency.
- Serve warm. Serve immediately with warm Auntie Anne's copycat pretzel bites.
Mary says
I'm a novice baker, so my questions might seem to be of the "duh" nature. Why powdered sugar rather than regular sugar? Also, why so much sugar, won't these be very sweet? Most of the recipes I've looked at for pretzels don't call for so much sugar (tablespoon or two total). Also, the others call for a roiling boil with 30-45 seconds per side wash (these were for traditional pretzel shape) rather than the warm baking soda/water bath in your recipe.
I like the idea of yours as they are bite sized and I don't have to figure the cooking time for smaller pieces as opposed to the larger pretzel shape. Thought these might be fun to try as a side to burgers with some dipping sauces.
If I can manage to make these without messing them up, I can try other flavors (garlic parmesan sounds wonderful).
Thanks!
Brandy says
You know, I'm not really sure why powdered sugar. It's a recipe I've had for years and they turned out so great that I never really thought about it, ha! It is pretty light and fluffy and 1 T. of powdered sugar wouldn't be as strong as 1 T. of regular sugar so that's probably why you can have so much and they aren't overpowering. These aren't overly sweet at all. I hope you try them out and let me know what you think!
Editing to add: About the baking soda: I'm not sure what difference boiling it would do except maybe dissolve the baking soda a bit more. I use warm water and just give it a quick stir if it starts to seperate. Warm water would be easier to work with vs. boiled as well. Hope that helps!
Alyssa says
I made these as bites and they are delicious. Do you think it would work to cut them larger to use as rolls?
Brandy says
Hi Alyssa! Yes, they are fantastic! Here is how I adapted the recipe to make rolls: https://gluesticksblog.com//2012/10/pretzel-roll-recipe.html
Shannon Goody says
My girls and I had fun making them and they are so good!!! Way better than the mall...and cheaper too!!
Brandy says
Hi Shannon! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out! These are a staple over here. When I run out of bread and don't have time go to the store, the kids ask for these in their lunches! Glad you enjoyed them too!
Maria says
These look SO GOOD!!!!! I love Auntie Anne's pretzels, and I'll have to try these out!!! I'm going to pin this so I remember the recipe!
Laura says
these look fantastic! the recipe is so do-able; I'm going to have to try this!
Brandy says
Becca S,
AWESOME! It is a favorite over here too. There are NEVER leftovers! Thanks for letting me know how yours turned out!
Brandy
Emma says
Yum! My kids and I made these this morning. Easy recipe to follow and better than mall pretzels! Next time we’ll try a batch of cinnamon sugar bites. Thank you for sharing your $.79 recipe for free! 😉
Brandy says
Hi Emma! I’m so glad your family likes the as much as we do!