Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzel Bites

As soon as I had my garlic butter soft pretzel bites recipe planned, I added this one, because cinnamon sugar soft pretzels have always been a favorite of mine.

There’s something about that amazing sweet and slightly salty combination, and the crust of sugar you get on your fingers from holding them.

This recipe uses the same base pretzel dough recipe as my soft pretzel sticks and the pretzel bites linked above, but with the addition of the buttery cinnamon sugar coating.

Working with yeast can be intimidating, but I promise it’s easier than you think to make pretzel dough, and you can even make it ahead and freeze it!

How to make cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Proof yeast. This step is necessary if using active dry yeast as indicated, but if you use instant yeast, you don’t need to wait for the yeast to proof.
2. Combine and knead dough. Using a stand mixer is definitely the easiest way, but not absolutely necessary.
3. Rise. Let the dough rise, covered, for about one hour.
4. Divide the dough. The easiest way to do this is to cut it, like a pizza, into 8 sections.
5. Roll and cut. Roll each section into a long rope, then slice the ropes into bite-sized pieces.
6. Boil. Boiling the pretzel dough in baking soda and water is really important for the texture and color.

1. Egg wash. Brushing the pretzel bites with an egg wash helps them brown nicely.
2. Bake.
3. Dip in butter. You could also brush the baked bites with butter, but I find dipping them is faster.
4. Roll in cinnamon sugar.
5. Repeat with all pretzel bites.

Variations of this recipe

• Cinnamon sugar ratio – I’ve written this with the ratio of cinnamon and sugar that we like, but feel free to adjust that to your tastes.
• Sugar – we like to use granulated sugar for the coating, but feel free to swap that out for light brown sugar if you’d like.
• Shape – you can use this dough to make pretzel sticks and the classic pretzel shape as well. Just know this will change the cooking time, so you’ll need to experiment a bit.
• Other cooking methods – as written, this recipe is for baked soft pretzel bites, and while I haven’t specifically tested this recipe in an air fryer, I have loose guidelines down below in the FAQ section.

Making soft pretzel bites ahead of time

We find soft pretzel bites are best served fresh, and even a bit warm from the oven.

However, they can be made entirely ahead of time, and reheated using the reheating tips below in the “storage” section.

Storage

Leftover pretzel bites should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.

To reheat and retain crispness, bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 4-5 minutes, or until hot and crispy.

The dough itself can be made and kept in the refrigerator (in an airtight container) for 24 hours. You can roll the dough and cut into bites while cold, but let the bites puff up and come to room temperature for a bit before proceeding with the recipe.

Freezing

Pretzel bites can also be frozen for longer storage!

To freeze the dough:

• Complete making the dough, including rolling and cutting into bites if desired.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw dough overnight in the refrigerator, then let the dough come to room temperature and puff up a bit before proceeding with the recipe.

To freeze the baked pretzel bites:

• Let baked bites cool completely, but skip the cinnamon sugar coating for now.
• Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper, then add pretzel bites and freeze the whole thing for an hour.
• Transfer flash frozen pretzel bites to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Bake frozen bites in a preheated 300°F oven for 12-15 minutes, until heated through and crisp.
• Dip in butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture as directed in full recipe.