Sourdough Pretzel Bites

5 from 1 vote

Jun 18, 2025

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Buttery, salty, and perfectly chewy—these soft sourdough pretzel bites are made with active starter and baked to golden brown perfection!

Sourdough Pretzel Bites with a small bowl of mustard and one pretzel bite dipped inside.

These sourdough pretzel bites are the perfect snack. They are great for parties, holidays, or as an after-school snack. They’re easy to grab, fun to dip, and perfectly chewy with a sourdough twist. If you want more crowd-pleasing sourdough recipes, try my cheeseburger sourdough focaccia and sourdough garlic knots too.

Why you’ll love this recipe
Important Ingredients & Substitutions
Instructions to make Sourdough Pretzel Bites
Sample Schedule
Recipe Tips
Storage Instructions
Recipe FAQ
More sourdough snacks
Sourdough Pretzel Bites Recipe

Why you’ll love this recipe

These sourdough pretzel bites are soft, chewy, and just the right texture that will make you want to keep coming back for more.
This is a same day sourdough recipe with a rise time of just 4 hours!
Eat the Sourdough Pretzel Bites by themselves, or serve with your favorite dipping sauces such as cheese dip or honey mustard.
These sourdough pretzel bites are the perfect snack, especially as a sourdough recipe for game day!

Important Ingredients & Substitutions

Ingredients for Sourdough Pretzel Bites in clear bowls on a grey background.

Active Sourdough Starter – An active sourdough starter is one that has recently been fed, is bubbly, and has doubled in size. Learn more about caring for your sourdough starter here.
Butter – Butter is added to the dough for richness, and then you will also toss or brush the pretzel bites with butter after baking as well. Either salted or unsalted butter will work.
Bread Flour – I prefer to use bread flour for the higher protein content, but in a pinch, you could substitute it for all-purpose flour. Just keep in mind you will need to reduce the amount of liquid by about 20-25 grams.
Baking Soda – The baking soda is used to create a baking soda bath to help create a soft and chewy texture. It is a similar process used to create the chewy texture of Sourdough Bagels.
Salt – Salt is added in the dough for flavor, and then you will also need coarse pretzel salt or sea salt to sprinkle on top of the pretzel bites.

See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.

Instructions to make Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Sourdough Pretzel dough before first rise.

Step 1: Add all the dough ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead with the dough hook attachment on low speed for 3-5 minutes or by hand until the dough is soft and smooth.

Sourdough Pretzel dough after doubling in size.

Step 2: Place the pretzel dough in a bowl or straight edge container to rise until doubled in size. At 80°F this took 4 hours.

Once the dough is ready, put 4 cups of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil.

Sourdough pretzel dough cut into three pieces.

Step 3: Punch down the dough and divide it into 3 sections.

Sourdough Pretzel dough rolling into 3 long logs.

Step 4: Roll each piece of dough into a long rope by pressing your palms down and gently rolling back and forth to stretch it until it reaches 20-22 inches in length.

Dough for Sourdough Pretzel Bites cut into small pieces.

Step 5: Cut the dough into 1 inch sections with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Repeat with the other 2 sections.

Sourdough Pretzel Bites in boiling water with baking soda.

Step 6: Add the baking soda to the boiling water. Work in batches, adding the dough pieces to the boiling water for 10-20 seconds. Scoop out the dough balls and place in a colander or use a slotted spoon.

Immediately sprinkle the dough balls with pretzel salt while the balls are still damp.

Sourdough Pretzel Bites after baking soda bath.

Step 7: Place the pretzel bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Bake in a preheated 450°F oven for 10-12 minutes.

Freshly baked Sourdough Pretzel Bites on a sheet pan.

Step 8: Melt butter and toss the pretzels in butter, and add more salt if desired.

Sample Schedule

This is based on the dough temperature being 80°F. There are many factors that can impact how slowly or quickly dough rises, so use this as a guideline, but also look for the visual cues that the dough is ready to move on.

Steps	Time
Feed starter a 1:5:5 ratio (17 grams starter: 85 grams flour: 85 grams water)	Night before: 10 pm
Mix dough	Next morning: 8 am
First rise	8:15 am
Cut and boil	12:15 pm
Bake	12:30 pm

Recipe Tips

Let the dough rise and do not move on to the next step until it has doubled in size. This gives the pretzel bites a soft and airy texture. If the dough is 80°F, this step will take about 4 hours. If the dough temperature is lower, it will take longer to rise. At 68-70°F you could leave the dough to rise overnight instead. To keep the dough warm, use a bread mat (use code country 10 for 10%) or proofing box. See more tips on how to keep your dough warm.
Add the pretzel dough to a straight edge container so you can easily see when the dough has doubled in size.
Don’t skip the baking soda bath before baking. This creates the chewy texture in the pretzel bites.
Use pretzel salt to get the big chunks of coarse salt like traditional pretzel bites.

Sourdough Pretzel Bites on a wooden board.

Storage Instructions

The pretzel bites are best fresh right out of the oven and will have the best texture. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days. You can also freeze baked sourdough pretzel bites for up to three months in a freezer-safe container. When you are ready to eat, let them thaw on the counter and then add them back to a 350°F oven for a few minutes until warm and toasty.

Recipe FAQ

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

I prefer to use bread flour for the higher protein content, but in a pinch, you could substitute it for all-purpose flour. Just keep in mind you will need to reduce the amount of liquid added slightly because all-purpose flour does not absorb as much liquid.

Can I make different flavors of sourdough pretzel bites?

Sure! You can toss the pretzel bites in seasonings like every bagel seasoning, cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat, or add a little cheese on top of the pretzels before baking.

What can I serve these Sourdough Pretzel bites with?

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, such as Beer Cheese Dip, honey mustard sauce, or regular cheese dipping sauce.

Do the Sourdough Pretzel Bites need an egg wash?

No, they do not need an egg wash. I find they get perfectly golden brown without one!

Can I make the sourdough pretzel dough ahead of time and bake it later?

Yes, if you would like to bake the dough later, you can put it in the fridge for up to 12 hours. If you don’t let the dough rise completely before adding it to the fridge, you can keep it in there a little longer. Alternatively, if the dough is kept at a cooler temperature, about 70°F or lower, you can let it sit overnight to rise and bake the next day.

Can I make sourdough pretzel dough with sourdough discard instead of active starter?

Yes if you would like to speed up the process you can use instant yeast and sourdough discard. Use 175 grams of discard and add in 2 teaspoons of instant yeast to the dry ingredients. The dough will only need 1-2 hours to rise.

Can i replace brown sugar with honey in the pretzel dough?

Yes, you can replace the sugar with honey. Since honey is sweeter, I recommend using half the amount—so in this case, 1 tablespoon of honey. I also suggest reducing the water by about 15 grams (or 1 tablespoon) to account for the extra liquid from the honey.