Just 7 ingredients and 7 minutes in the air fryer, and you’ll be enjoying these amazing little air fryer pretzel bites! Great for snacking, parties, and football games.
Why this recipe works
This is a really fun recipe to make with your kids. It teaches a bit of science too! We love snacking on these pretzel bites, though we definitely have debates on whether cheese sauce or mustard is the better dip!
These are ideal for family movie nights or when friends come over to watch the big game.
RELATED: Don’t miss our delicious air fryer chicken nuggets!
Since you’ll be using an air fryer to bake these little bite-sized pretzels, there’s no heating up your kitchen with the oven!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
YEAST – You can use instant yeast (quick rise) for this recipe. Simply watch the rise, you want the dough to about double in size.
FLOUR – Bread flour may be used in place of all-purpose flour.
WATER – Water can be hot from the tap or heated in the microwave. Just be sure to stir microwaved water to make sure the heat is evenly distributed. Use a thermometer to check the temp, you want it about 110 degrees F.
How to Make Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Add the flour, salt, and sugar to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add the yeast to the hot water and stir.
- Once the yeast has fully dissolved, pour the water and yeast into the bowl of flour. Mix with your hands, combining all of the ingredients well. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes.
- Cover with a towel and allow the dough to rise and set for about 15-30 minutes.
- Grab a cookie sheet or cover your work surface with a dusting of flour.
- Tear the dough into 6 equal sized balls and place them onto the work surface.
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 390 degrees. While the Air Fryer is preheating, take each ball and tear off a chunk of dough. Roll it in between your hands to create a rope of dough, about 1 inch thick in diameter.
- Cut the dough into 1 1⁄2- 2 inch strips.
- Place the dough bites onto the prepared air fryer basket. Make sure to leave enough room in between each bite.
- Cook the bites for about 6-7 minutes (**depending on your brand of air fryer. I cooked them for about 6 – 6 1⁄2 minutes.)
- Carefully remove the pretzel bites from the air fryer basket and immediately brush with melted butter and sprinkle with pretzel salt. (Use kosher salt if you can’t find pretzel salt.)
Serve warm with a side of your favorite cheese sauce or mustard.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store leftover bites in a container and pop into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 2–3 minutes until warm and crispy. Pro Tip: Brush with melted butter before reheating for a fresh-from-the-oven taste and texture!
Serving Suggestions
Serve these tasty little bites with cheese sauce, honey mustard, or even marinara. If craving something sweet, serve with cream cheese glaze or chocolate sauce!
Be sure to try my Air Fryer French Toast too!
More Pretzel Recipes
- Homemade German Pretzels
- Ham & Cheese Pretzel Roll Sandwiches
- Bretzel Rolls
- Sweet and Salty Pretzels in a Jar
- Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups hot water 110 degrees F
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup kosher salt or pretzel salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You can use instant yeast (quick rise) for this recipe. Simply watch the rise, you want the dough to about double in size.
- Bread flour may be used in place of all purpose flour.
- Water can be hot from the tap or heated in the microwave. Just be sure to stir microwaved water to make sure the heat is evenly distributed. Use a thermometer to check the temp. You want it about 110 degrees F.
Instructions
- Add the flour, salt, and sugar to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the yeast to the hot water and stir. Once the yeast has fully dissolved, pour the water and yeast into the bowl of flour. Mix with your hands, combining all of the ingredients well. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise in a draft-free place for about 15-30 minutes.
- Grab a cookie sheet or cover your work surface with a dusting of flour.
- Tear the dough into 6 equal sized balls and place them onto the work surface.
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 390 degrees. While the Air Fryer is preheating, take each ball and tear off a chunk of dough. Roll it in between your hands to create a rope of dough, about 1 inch thick in diameter.
- Cut the dough into 1 1⁄2 – 2 inch strips.
- Place the dough bites onto the prepared air fryer basket. Make sure to leave enough room in between each bite.
- Cook the bites for about 6-7 minutes (**depending on your brand of air fryer. We used a Ninja Foodi Pro 5 in 1 for this recipe and cooked them for about 6 – 6 1⁄2 minutes.)
- Carefully remove the pretzel bites from the air fryer basket and immediately brush with melted butter and sprinkle with pretzel salt. (Use kosher salt if you can’t find pretzel salt.)
- Serve warm with a side of your favorite cheese sauce or mustard. Makes about 180 bites!
Nutrition
This post was originally published here on August 27, 2020.
Amanda Davis
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BARBARA says
EXCELLENT
Cheryl says
These sound more like homemade bread bites. Usually when making pretzels you drop them in hot water with baking soda then bake them. Am I missing a step?
Viane Eichelberger says
I’m wondering the same thing.
Amy R says
I loooooved these! They were so easy to make. I made these for a super bowl snack and everyone loved them. While the dough was rising I whipped up some Guinness cheese dip. By the time that was done the dough was perfect. They came out a beautiful golden brown. Seriously of thinking of making them every weekend.
Maureen says
Made these over the weekend while my husband was watching the hockey game. We love soft pretzels and these were easy to make. Love them with cheese dip.
Love
Milza D Garcia says
Super fácil de hacer a mi familia le encantara. La voy hacer pronto
Maureen says
I have definitely have plans to make these as soon as possible. Always looking for recipes for my air fryer and love pretzel bites.
Will definitely let you know how they turn out.
Rick Dermody says
Do these brown up without a spritz of oil? Most things wont brown in an AF without it….