Author: Homemade vegan buttery soft pretzels, just like at the mall, but better! Soft pretzels take a bit of time to make, but each step is super easy, and the end result is totally worth it. Golden crust, soft and chewy, salty and buttery, everything a good pretzel should be, right in the comfort of your own home!
FEATURED COMMENT:
Hands down the best soft pretzels ever!! Have made these twice and now have my friends requesting them any time we get together. Also very simple to make! - Meaghan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These vegan pretzels are amazing still warm from the oven, but you can also just pop one in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it back up again so you can enjoy a warm pretzel whenever you like! Soft pretzels also freeze amazingly well so you can have them at the ready whenever a craving strikes.
Now here's a tip for some extra yum: brush some melted vegan butter right on the pretzel just before serving for that extra buttery flavour! Serve with mustard, enjoy plain, or one of my 3 pizza dips would also be great with these pretzels!
How to Make Soft Pretzels:
- To make vegan buttery soft pretzels: in a large bowl whisk together the sugar and yeast. Then add in the warm water and mix. Let sit for 10 minutes. After ten minutes the mixture should be very foamy. If it isn't foamy, your yeast is likely too old so you should purchase new yeast and try again.
- Add the flour and melted vegan butter to the yeast mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough for 3 - 5 minutes until it comes together into a nice firm ball of dough.
- Lightly grease a large clean bowl with more melted vegan butter. Put the dough into the greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled in size. The oven with just the light turned on is a great place to rise dough.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, you can punch it down and remove it from the bowl. Cut into 8 even pieces. Take one piece and roll into a long rope about 17" (43cm) long. Twist the ends of the rope together.
- Then fold the twisted ends over onto the middle of the rope to form a pretzel shape. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough to make 8 pretzels.
- For the baking soda bath, heat the 4 cups of water in a medium pot until it reaches a light simmer. Stir in the baking soda, it will foam a lot. Place a pretzel on a slotted spatula then dip it into the baking soda bath for 5 seconds. Now place the dipped pretzel on the prepared baking tray and sprinkle with rock salt. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
Note: The baking soda bath is what gives the pretzels that dark brown colour, without it, they would be white and doughy.
- Bake the pretzels for 12 - 15 minutes until the are dark and golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving then enjoy plain, with melted vegan butter, with mustard, or however you enjoy your pretzels.
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Buttery Soft Pretzels
Golden crust, soft and chewy, salty and buttery, everything a good pretzel should be. Great for making ahead and freezing for later.
Servings: pretzels
PRINT
PIN
COMMENT
Ingredients
For the pretzel dough:
- 3 tablespoons white sugar, (sub maple syrup or agave if preferred)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast, (or 1 packet)
- 1 cup warm water, (think bath water temperature)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter, (plus more for greasing the bowl)
For the baking soda bath:
- 4 cups hot water
- ¼ cup baking soda
For garnish:
- 1 - 2 tablespoons rock salt
- melted vegan butter
Instructions
To make the pretzels:
- In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and yeast. Then add in the warm water and mix. Let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy. If it isn't foamy, your yeast is likely too old so you should purchase new yeast and try again.
- Add the flour and melted vegan butter to the yeast mixture and stir in until a shaggy dough forms. Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough for 3 - 5 minutes until it comes together into a nice firm ball of dough. Lightly grease a large clean bowl with more melted vegan butter. Put the dough into the greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled in size. The oven with just the light turned on is a great place to rise dough.
To form the pretzels:
- Once the dough has doubled in size, you can punch it down and remove it from the bowl. Cut into 8 even pieces. Take one piece and roll into a long rope about 17" (43cm) long. To form a pretzel shape: twist the ends of the rope together...
- Then fold the twisted ends down onto the middle of the rope to form a pretzel shape. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough to make 8 pretzels.
To cook the pretzels:
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200c). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For the baking soda bath, heat the 4 cups of water in a medium pot until it reaches a light simmer. Stir in the baking soda, it will foam a lot. Place a pretzel on a slotted spatula then dip it into the baking soda bath for 5 seconds. Now place the dipped pretzel on the prepared baking tray and sprinkle with rock salt. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. (The baking soda bath is what gives the pretzels that dark brown colour, without it they would be white and doughy).
- Bake the pretzels for 12 - 15 minutes until the are dark and golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving then enjoy plain, with melted vegan butter, with mustard, or however you enjoy your pretzels.
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing:
Once completely cooled, store the pretzels in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 2-3 days (do not refrigerate, as this can dry them out). Pretzels also freeze well. Once cooled, freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Oven Reheating:
If you’d like to reheat a full batch (or a few pretzels), preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and warm the pretzels on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack for 8–10 minutes, until heated through. For extra softness and a fresh-baked finish, lightly spritz with water or brush very lightly with melted vegan butter before reheating, then brush with melted vegan butter just before serving. Reheat from Frozen:
Reheat frozen pretzels at 325°F (165°C) for 12–15 minutes, until warmed through, then brush with melted vegan butter before serving. Microwave Reheating:
A single pretzel can be microwaved for a few seconds until warm, but oven reheating gives the best texture when reheating multiple pretzels.
Once completely cooled, store the pretzels in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 2-3 days (do not refrigerate, as this can dry them out). Pretzels also freeze well. Once cooled, freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Oven Reheating:
If you’d like to reheat a full batch (or a few pretzels), preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and warm the pretzels on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack for 8–10 minutes, until heated through. For extra softness and a fresh-baked finish, lightly spritz with water or brush very lightly with melted vegan butter before reheating, then brush with melted vegan butter just before serving. Reheat from Frozen:
Reheat frozen pretzels at 325°F (165°C) for 12–15 minutes, until warmed through, then brush with melted vegan butter before serving. Microwave Reheating:
A single pretzel can be microwaved for a few seconds until warm, but oven reheating gives the best texture when reheating multiple pretzels.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 pretzel (recipe makes 8 pretzels) | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2632mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1.9mg
ERIN K says
Absolutely incredible!!! My first time making pretzels and they were a huge hit. I made 8 yesterday and there's only 1 left today. Easy and the recipe was so straightforward. THANK YOU!!!
Meaghan says
Would you suggest freezing after salting and baking? Any instructions for reheating from frozen?
Megan says
Very good! I substituted all purpose flour for Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour & they turned out great! I don't like pretzels so I made these for my family but they were so good I ate two of them!
Sunny says
Thank you soooo much for posting this comment Megan! I have been looking for weeks for a vegan gluten free pretzel recipe! So I will try this one!
Frank Duchossois says
Excellent! Very close to the soft pretzels I remember from my youth In Philadelphia. Thank you for another recipe that will be in the rotation at our house.
Lori says
This is an awesome recipe. They came out perfect, except they mercilessly stuck to the parchment paper. We just sliced them off of the paper and enjoyed them anyway! Will probably try a lightly greased tray or spray the parchment paper.
Yuri says
These are the best pretzels I’ve ever had! So incredibly easy to make! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Paul C says
Wonderful recipe and instructions Sam - thank you. Question: regarding the various proofing stages - is it possible once the pretzels are formed (pre baking soda bath) that pretzels can be stored for a time prior to bath and baking (the thinking here is to make mutliple batches - ie. triple recipes and have them all come out ready and fresh at same time....looking for feedback...thanks.
Patrick Genovese says
Hi Sam, these look amazing. Just wondering if the 2632mg of Sodium is accurate? I get that pretzels are generally salty, but this seems odd. That's more than a recommended daily dose of sodium for anyone. I've recently made the switch to plant-based eating and am enjoying your recipes, while discovering new ways to eat cleaner.
Sam Turnbull says
The salt is just added on top, so you can add as much or as little as you like 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Are you sure you are using parchment paper and not waxed paper? Parchment paper is a completely non-stick surface. You could also just grease the tray.
Betty says
Parchment paper is not a non-stick surface. I make bagels and pretzels and they will stick unmercifully to parchment paper. I actually just spray the baking sheet and put them directly on the metal.
When I BAKE them, I do use parchment and it does get sprayed.
Leah says
Made these pretzels this evening to eat while watching the first NFL game of the season and WOW were they good! My roommates said they were better than a restaurant's pretzel! Easy to follow recipe, and very delicious! I'll definitely be making again!
Julia says
Hi, my dough is rising right now. Seems great except I just realized I forgot to put in melted vegan butter what do I do?
Julia says
Okay, update. It worked fine without the vegan butter. It was the best pretzel I've ever had, vegan or not! Even my non-vegan family ate them all up so quickly, and let me tell you, they won't touch most of my vegan food. Thank you so much for the recipe. It will be used all the time in my family.
Lakin says
Made these tonight for my Omni friends and they loved them! I hadn’t baked with yeast before but the recipe was very easy to follow. Thanks so much for sharing!
Lynn says
Very delicious. I have arthritis in both hands and twisting the dough proved hard for me, so I snipped the ropes into bite-size nuggets before the baking soda bath and baked them like that (same baking time; mine took twelve minutes.) It was also easier to transfer the pretzel dough from the bath to the baking sheet. Just FYI if anyone wants to try the same thing.
Louise says
Hi, great recipe! Was just wondering if I can use baking powder instead of baking soda for the bath?
Thanks!
Victoria says
Hello! Do you dip the entire pretzel into the baking soda mixture or just the bottom half to make the salt adhere? Thank you!
Susan says
I made this once already and it was amazing! I am wanting to make the dough the night before, shape and possibly put in the fridge overnight to then boil/bake in the morning.
Do you think that would work?
I want them to be fresh but don't have time to do all of this in the morning.
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it, but I believe that should be ok. I would let them come to room temperature before proceeding so that they rise properly. 🙂
Rebekah Ramirez says
Hi, can I use oil instead of melted butter? We don't have any more "butter."
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that should work fine as it's such a small amount, but of course, you might not get that buttery taste. Enjoy!
Rebecca says
This were so easy to make, usually anything that requires me to shape dough is a disaster but these came out perfect.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Les says
These are delicious! I only use 1tsp maple syrup and then swap the AP flour for 100% wheat to make them healthier. They aren't as flexible to shape with the whole wheat but the flavor is still amazing!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved them!
Lauren says
I'm not usually much of a baker, but quarantine has inspired me to try and I'm so glad I did! This was my first time ever making a yeast dough, it was very straight forward and easy to do. The pretzels turned out perfectly! I've already had two with mustard, thanks for such a great recipe!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! SO happy to hear that 🙂