My new Gluten Free Soft Pretzels have a slightly crisp exterior, a chewy soft interior, and the perfect saltiness. These homemade soft pretzels are delicious plain or dipped in German mustard.
If you follow my page on Facebook, you know I have been testing this gluten free homemade pretzels recipe quite a bit. I first tested it while we were visiting friends in Tahoe. We were at an altitude of 5800 ft and the yeast acted like it had a life of its own!!
I finally had some time to make this gluten free pretzels recipe again, when I was home and all I can say is WOW! If you love soft warm pretzels, this easy gluten free pretzels recipe is so worth making!
If you love snacking as much as I do, you will want to try these Gluten Free Cheez Its.
Why I love these gluten free soft pretzels:
- Texture – The crisp outsides and chewy insides are absolutely perfect!
- Flavor – Using my DIY All Purpose Gluten Free Flour is gum free so there is no xanthan gum aftertaste!
- Versatility – Enjoy these pretzels plain, dipped in German mustard, or make them larger to be pretzel buns! I share a few of my favorite dips below.
- You can also cut them into gluten free pretzel bites and serve them at your next game day party!
Be sure to check out all of my fun gluten free bread recipes for more baking inspiration!
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – As of now, I have only tested this recipe with my homemade gluten free all-purpose flour blend. It is a gum-free blend that uses psyllium husk powder. It has been performing really well in my recipes. I plan to test other blends that work with yeast soon.
- Yeast – I used Fleischman’s Active Dry Yeast. Most brands should be gluten free, but do NOT use Red Star “Platinum.”
- Baking Powder – I like to use aluminum-free. I tend to use Thrive Market, Bob’s Red Mill, or Whole Foods Aluminum Free baking powders.
- Butter – Use salted or unsalted in this recipe.
- Sugar – You can also use honey if you prefer. There is only a small amount for activating the yeast.
- Baking Soda – This is for the boil. You need ½ cup.
- Egg – Any size. This is just for the egg wash.
- Coarse Salt – This is for sprinkling on top. I like the brand I show above.
- Water – Optional, but yeast thrives more in filtered water. Chlorine in tap water can make the environment difficult for yeast.
Tips For Sucess:
- Let the yeast get frothy before adding the melted butter.
- If you choose to use another flour blend that I have not tested, be sure it works with yeast. My plan is to test this recipe using Authentic Food’s Steve’s GF Bread Blend and Cup4Cup next. You may need more or less flour, so use my photos of the dough to gauge whether your dough is the right consistency. Also, if you use another blend, be sure it has xanthan or guar gum. If it doesn’t, add one teaspoon.
- You only get one good rise from gluten-free dough unless you live at a high altitude. Shape the pretzels before you rise the dough.
Substitutions:
- If you are egg-free, you can use melted butter for the wash before baking.
- If you are on a low-sodium diet, you can skip sprinkling salt over the tops of the pretzels before baking.
- If you are dairy-free, use plant-based butter in the dough part of the recipe.
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: In a small bowl, add warm water (no hotter than 110º F), the yeast, and the sugar. Stir and let the yeast get frothy. When the yeast is bubbly, add the melted butter and stir.
Step 2: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon or leveling method.
Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour. You can also use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Mix the wet and dry ingredients into the dough.
🔑 Sandi says: Depending on your flour blend, you may need to add water or flour to get the dough consistency right.
It is important to shape your pretzels before you rise the dough. Gluten free dough only gets one good rise, and you want that rise after shaping. Otherwise, you will roll all the air out of the pretzels when you shape them.
Step 4: Break a piece of pretzel dough off and roll it on a clean surface like a counter or silicone mat. Roll it to about ½-¾ an inch thick.
To Make Pretzel Bites:
To make pretzel bites, roll your pretzel dough into the same rope shape, but use a sharp knife to cut them into bite-sized pieces. You can make them as long or short as you like.
Let them rise, then do all of the same steps. Boil, egg wash, salt, and bake.
Step 5: Move the rolled dough to a large U-shape. Twist the ends gently together as shown.
Step 6: Pull the twisted ends down to the bottom of the U curve. Gently press the ends to the bottom. Carefully place the pretzel onto a baking sheet.
Step 7: Loosely cover the pretzels with plastic wrap and place the baking sheet into a warm oven to rise.
I highly recommend preheating the oven to 200º F, then turning off the oven. This gives your dough the best environment for rising.
Step 8: This is an image to show you how much the pretzels rose. You want them to double in size, which took about 40 minutes with my flour blend.
Step 9: Bring the baking soda and water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add one pretzel at a time. I used a slotted spoon to drop the pretzel into the boiling water gently. I rolled the pretzel over, carefully removed it, and placed it back on the baking sheet.
Boil on the bottom for 15 seconds and then on the front side for 30 seconds. I find boiling them longer can give a baking soda aftertaste.
TIP: I recommend boiling one pretzel at a time. Otherwise, it can get difficult to time the boil of each side of the pretzels.
Step 10: Preheat the oven to 450º F and move the oven rack to the middle position in the oven.
Beat an egg in a small
Step 11: Sprinkle coarse salt over each pretzel.
Step 12: Bake the pretzels for 15-20 minutes. The actual baking time will vary depending on the size of your pretzels.
Pretzel Dipping Ideas:
- The traditional German way to enjoy these soft pretzels is to dip them in mustard.
- My kids love dipping them in this homemade Gluten Free Ranch Dressing.
- Dipping them into cheese sauce is another favorite! Since Velveeta is gluten free, you may enjoy melting that for a dip or this Classic Cheese Dip.
Recipe FAQ:
In order to get the chewy inside and crisp outside, you will need to do the step where you boil the dough in a baking soda water mixture.
Yes, you can freeze these gluten free pretzels. Just note the outside softens when it is thawed.
You can easily make this recipe dairy-free by using plant-based butter.
Storage:
I store leftovers in an airtight container. If you can’t eat them within a few days, I recommend freezing them in a freezer bag. They will stay fresh and frozen for up to 4 months in the freezer.
More Gluten Free Recipes To Try:
- Gluten Free Cheez Its
- Easy Gluten Free Breadsticks
- Gluten Free Flatbread
- Crispy Gluten Free Bagel Chips
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Include which flour blend you used. This helps others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
Yeast Mix
- 2 cups water 110º F
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast * see note
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Pretzels
- 3 ½ cups gluten free flour blend 579.2 grams * see note
- 1 teaspoon salt sea salt or kosher for the pretzels
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
Boil
- ½ cup baking soda
- 6 cups water
Coating
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200º F and then turn the oven off. This warm oven is where you will rise the pretzels.
- In a small bowl, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Be sure the water is no hotter than 110º F. Let the yeast sit for 5-10 minutes until it is bubbly. When it is bubbly, add the melted butter and mix.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and mix well.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix into a soft dough. Remember, depending on your flour blend, you will need to add more liquid or dry ingredients. See the notes section for more details.
- You only get one good rise with gluten free so you will need to shape the pretzels before the rise.
- Break a piece of pretzel dough off and roll it into a rope about ½ inch thick.
- Make a bit U shape. Twist the ends and then pull them to the bottom of the U shape. Place the pretzel onto a baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the pretzel dough.
- Loosely cover the pretzels with plastic wrap, so they don't dry out, then place the baking sheet of pretzels into the warm oven to rise.
- Rise the pretzels for 45 minutes until they are close to double in size.
- Remove the pretzels from the oven, remove the plastic wrap, and preheat the oven to 450º F.
- Bring the baking soda and water to a boil. Add one pretzel, and cook 15 seconds on the bottom. Gently flip it over and cook 30 seconds on the front side. Remove with a slotted spoon so the extra water falls off.
- Place the boiled pretzels onto the baking sheet.
- Break a small egg into a bowl and whisk to blend it. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over each pretzel. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake the pretzels for 15-20 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your pretzels.
- Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Yeast – I used the Fleischman brand. Always double check the brand you use is gluten free. Red Star Platinum is NOT gluten free!
- The butter can be salted or unsalted.
- I have only tested my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. I plan to test Cup4Cup and Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend as these two flour blends also work well with yeast. Depending on the flour blend you use, you WILL need to adjust the amount of flour or liquid…it will depend on the starch level of the flour blend you use. Also, note that some blends do not work well in yeast recipes. You will find out if your blend works with yeast by reading the back of the bag. Most brands will say if their blend doesn’t work with yeast. I will update the recipe when I test other blends.
- If you test another blend, please let me know in the comments so that others know the flour you used works. Also, if your blend contains Xanthan or guar gum, you do not need to add psyllium husk or another binder. If your blend has no xanthan or guar gum, you will want to add 1 teaspoon.
- Salt – Use coarse salt for the tops of the pretzels.
- Dip in German mustard, ranch dressing, or cheese sauce. See the recipe post for these recipes.
- Can you make this recipe dairy-free? Yes, use plant-based butter.
- Can you make this recipe egg-free? Yes, it may turn out a little different, but you can brush the pretzel dough with butter.
- How do you store soft pretzels? Store in an airtight container. If you don’t eat them within a couple of days, I recommend putting them in a freezer bag and storing in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I just tried this recipe. I used Cup4Cup multi purpose flour. I could not get the dough to the right consistency. I kept adding more flour, but it continued to be very sticky. So I just made them into small chunks that looked like drop biscuits. They taste pretty good but are not smooth. I made 33 of them. I don’t know how these could have turned out better.
Hi Becky, I didn’t test Cup4Cup in this recipe. It is on my list, but I haven’t done it this test yet. Cup4Cup is tricky because of the dried milk powder in that blend. It liquefies when the wet ingredients are added, which means you need to add a LOT more flour than what is listed in the recipe.
The instructions are detailed and perfect! I especially appreciated the part about boiling time in the baking soda. I made these using cup 4 cup flour. I had to add flour to the recipe because my dough was sticky. I also need to practice my technique but the end product turned out really good and even better when i reheated in the airfryer the following day.
I am so glad you loved them. Yeah, I find Cup4Cup definitely needed more flour. I think it may be the dry milk powder…it probably liquified when the wet ingredients are added.