Healthy Soft Pretzel Recipe

We developed a healthy soft pretzel recipe using a combination of white and whole wheat flour. These homemade pretzels are super easy to whip up for a healthy snack. All you need are a few basic ingredients, and you can make this recipe in about an hour!

Craving those warm, chewy mall pretzels but want to skip the greasy food court? You’ve come to the right place! We’re ditching the store-bought stuff and whipping up a batch of healthy homemade soft pretzels that are ridiculously easy and insanely delicious. They have warm, fluffy insides with a hint of sweetness and a satisfying crunch on the outside. Plus, this recipe uses some sneaky swaps to make these pretzels a touch healthier without sacrificing any flavor.

What You Need to Make Healthy Soft Pretzels at Home

• Active Dry Yeast: Acts as the leavening agent, causing the dough to rise and become light and fluffy. If you don’t have active yeast, you can use instant yeast. 
• Lukewarm Water: Dissolves the yeast and sugar and helps the yeast activate properly. 
• All-Purpose Flour: Provides the foundation and structure for the dough. It contains gluten, which helps the dough rise and gives the pretzels their signature chew.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Adds a slightly nutty flavor and extra fiber compared to all-purpose flour, making the pretzels a bit more nutritious.
• Baking Soda: Creates a high pH level in the pretzel bath, giving it that characteristic brown color and pretzel flavor.
• Stand Mixer: We love our KitchenAid stand mixer for making these pretzels! It comes with attachments like a dough hook, which makes it easy to mix and knead the dough. However, you can totally mix and knead by hand if you don’t have a mixer. 

Who knew baking homemade pretzels could be this easy?

How to Make Healthy Soft Pretzels

Step 1: Activate Yeast

1. Start by collecting warm water, brown sugar, and active yeast.
2. The warm water (around 105°F) gently activates the yeast, waking it up from its dormant state. The sugar provides the yeast with its initial food source to stimulate growth.
3. Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in the bottom of your stand mixer bowl and whisk them together. Set the mixture aside for about 15 minutes. You’ll notice a foamy layer developing on the surface – that’s the yeast happily multiplying and releasing carbon dioxide, a sign that your yeast is alive and ready to go!

Step 2: Make Soft Pretzel Dough

1. Attach the dough hook attachment to your stand mixer.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Combining the dry ingredients first ensures everything gets evenly distributed.
3. With your stand mixer on low speed, begin adding the dry ingredient mixture to the wet yeast mixture in the bowl, about a third of a cup at a time. This slow incorporation allows the flour to fully hydrate and develop gluten strands, which will give your pretzels their signature chew.
4. Continue adding flour and mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky. You may need slightly more or less flour, depending on the humidity levels in your kitchen.

Step 3: Let Dough Rest

1. Once you’ve achieved a good dough consistency, remove it from the stand mixer and gently knead it on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two. This helps to further develop the gluten and smooth out the dough. Shape the dough into a ball.
2. Lightly flour your countertop and place the dough ball on top. Cover the dough ball with a clean tea towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This resting period allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out the dough later.

Step 4: Roll + Make Pretzels

1. After the dough has rested, separate it into 6 equal portions. You can use a kitchen scale for accuracy or simply eyeball it to create evenly sized-pretzels.
2. Take one portion of dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a long rope, approximately 20-25 inches long. Aim for a consistent thickness throughout the rope.
3. Fold the rope in half to create a U-shape. Twist the ends of the rope twice and bring them down to the bottom of the U-shape, pressing them gently to secure the pretzel form.

Step 5: Flash boil

1. Fill a large pot with about 8 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add 1/3 cup of baking soda. The baking soda solution creates a high pH level on the pretzel surface, which is what gives them their characteristic brown color and pretzel flavor.
2. Once the baking soda water is boiling, carefully lower each pretzel into the water using a slotted spoon. Let each pretzel boil for about 15 seconds. This quick boil helps to set the pretzel shape and further develop the dough’s chewiness.

Step 6: Egg Wash + Salt

1. After the boiling step, remove the pretzels from the water and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk an egg with a splash of water to create an egg wash.

2. Wipe the tops of the pretzels gently with the egg wash using a pastry brush. This egg wash will act as a glaze, giving your pretzels a beautiful golden brown sheen when baked.
3. Sprinkle a generous amount of coarse sea salt over the tops of the egg-washed pretzels.

Step 7: Bake Soft Pretzels

Bake your pretzels at 400ºF for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pretzels from the oven and let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

How do I store and reheat leftover pretzels?

Store these in an airtight container. They are good as is after storing, or you can toast them in the oven for 1-2 minutes. 

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, let them thaw on the counter, then reheat.

Can I swap out the salt for something else?

Absolutely! Instead of salted pretzels, you can make cinnamon-sugar pretzels just like you’d find at the mall! Instead of sprinkling salt over the pretzels before baking, bake them without it, then make a cinnamon-sugar mixture on a baking sheet. Brush the warm pretzels with butter and dip them in the cinnamon sugar mixture when they’re warm.

What dipping sauces are best for these whole wheat pretzels?