Make a great snack in the Air Fryer with these Air Fryer Pretzel Bites!
These Air Fryer Pretzel Bites are completely made from scratch! This is a bit more time-intensive than most air fryer recipes, simply the process of waiting on the dough to rise, but it’s so worth it!
There are several steps for this recipe, so be sure to read through it carefully before beginning.
Can you freeze the dough?
The dough can be frozen prior to cooking if you do not want to make the full amount. This recipe will make about 44 pretzel bites, but if you only need a few, you can easily freeze the dough to make them throughout the month.
Once you have the dough formed into balls, carefully place the dough onto a parchment-lined plate. Then, place the plate carefully into a freezer-safe storage bag. Store this in the freezer for up to 30 days.
Before you are ready to cook them, thaw them out overnight in the fridge. Then, begin the steps at the baking soda bath before cooking them in the air fryer.
Why do you need to do the baking soda bath?
To Make Air Fryer Pretzel Bites, these are placed into a Baking Soda or Hot Water Bath for a quick period right before cooking.
This is what will give the pretzels the darker brown, chewy crust on the outside. If this step is skipped they will not look like the pictures that you see.
Tips for Making Air Fryer Pretzel Bites:
The dough balls for this recipe are created with this OXO Good Grip Cookie Scoop.
This recipe does use regular all-purpose flour, I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour so I can not attest to it working with a gluten-free option.
The dough is going to be very thick and works the best with a stand mixer or by hand. The electric hand-held mixer does not work as well, it gives out quickly due to the thickness of the batter.
If you’d like to use a silicone mat in the air fryer, those work well to keep them from sticking. These can be found in round or square.
Are you ready to try these tasty pretzel bites? It’s time to grab the air fryer!
Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Lukewarm Water, Divided (90-95*F – See Note)
- 2 1/4 Tsp Active Dry Yeast (or 1 Envelope)
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 4 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Baking Soda Bath
- 4 Cups Water
- 1/4 Cup Baking Soda
Butter and Salt Topping
- 3 Tbsp Melted Butter (Unsalted or Salted will work)
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, pour 1 1/2 cups of warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together. This is best done with a stand mixer or by hand, the hand mixer is not normally strong enough to keep up with the thick batter.
- Let this sit for 4-5 minutes. The mixture will start frothing and foaming. This means the yeast is activated. This should be happening at this step otherwise the water temperature was not correct.
- Once the yeast is frothy, add the flour and the salt, mix this well to combine.
- Transfer the dough and if any remains in your bowl knead that in as well, you can add about 1-2 tbsp of water if needed to get it to stick together. Knead this for 2-3 minutes on a floured surface until you have a nice ball formed. It will be slightly sticky but should not stick to your fingers.
- Pour 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil in a bowl, place the dough in the bowl and cover for 30 minutes.
- After about 20 minutes into the rising time, fill a saucepan with 4 cups of water, it's best to use a 5 quart pan. Bring the water to a boil.
- Once it's boiling add in 1/4 cup of baking soda, be very careful as it will bubble up.
- After 30 minutes of the dough rising, place the dough into a working surface to divide into balls. It's easiest to use a cookie dough scoop otherwise use a tablespoon to do this.
- Place 4-6 balls at a time into the baking soda bath for 30 seconds, then immediately place in the air fryer basket. (The basket can be lined with parchment or silicone liners if you prefer.)
- Use the Air Fryer to cook these for 3 minutes at 390*F. (This is with no preheating.)
- Flip the pretzels and bake for an additional 4 minutes.
- Repeat the process for all pretzel balls.
- Once they are cooked, brush with the melted butter and salt.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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