Name: Easy Pizza Pretzels
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups warm water; 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (Two (0.25 oz.) Packets); ¼ cup salted butter (i.e. ½ stick); 2 tablespoons light brown sugar; 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 2 cups warm water; 2 tablespoons baking soda ((not teaspoons!)); ½ cup pizza sauce; 2 cups mozzarella cheese (One 8-ounce bag is enough); pepperonis (I used minis!) or toppings of choice

These soft, tender, and cheesy pizza pretzels can be made in under 1 hour with basic ingredients!

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Why I Love These Pizza Pretzels

Quick Dough: this uses a variation of my 30 minute pretzel dough but has a little garlic powder in the dough to add flavor!
Customizable: Whether you like classic toppings or want to experiment with flavors, this recipe allows everyone to tailor the pretzels to their taste!
Kid-Friendly: Making pizza pretzels is a fun activity for kids to help with. They'll love rolling the dough and adding their favorite toppings, making it a fun and interactive way to get them involved in the kitchen.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Flour: All-purpose or bread flour works best for achieving the perfect pretzel texture. I have not tested these with gluten-free flour.
Yeast: I usually use active dry yeast but you can also use instant yeast (just be sure to still bloom it in the water).
Mozzarella Cheese: You just need one 8-ounce bag of shredded mozzarella cheese for these. I like to use a finely shredded cheese, as it sticks on the pretzel easier.
Pepperoni: I used the Hormel mini pepperonis, which are so cute and the perfect size for the pretzels!
Pizza Sauce: Choose your favorite brand or make your own!

bottle of squeezable contadina pizza sauce

How to Make Pizza Pretzels

Step 1: Bloom Yeast

In a large bowl, stir together warm water (1 ½ cups), active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons), light brown sugar (2 tablespoons), and melted salted butter (¼ cup, i.e. 4 tablespoons). YLet sit for 10 minutes or until there's a layer of foam/bubbles on the top.

Tip: You can get the warm water directly from the faucet - no need to heat it up more.

Step 2: Mix Dough

Stir in the salt (½ teaspoon), and garlic powder (½ teaspoon) and gently mix. Add the all-purpose flour (4 ½ cups)

Stir with a spatula to until shaggy.

Place the dough ball back into the bowl, drizzle with olive oil (optional), and cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a clean dish towel) and let sit for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to rest & rise a tiny bit (it won't rise much, which is fine).

Using a knife, cut the dough into 8 even sections. Once cut, use your hands to roll each ball into a long strip about roll ½ inch thick and 24 inches long.

Step 3: Shape the Pretzels

In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons (not teaspoons) of baking soda. Dip each dough strip in the baking soda mixture for 1-2 seconds

Quickly form into a pretzel and place on baking sheet. Poke the dough with your finger to create small imprints to hold the sauce.

Step 4: Add Toppings

Top with pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni (or desired toppings).

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 400℉ for 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly golden brown.

Tips & Variations

Don't overproof the dough: You want to avoid proofing the dough more than an hour or it will become too puffy and will deflate during baking.
Switch up the toppings: Experiment with different cheeses, veggies, or meats to customize your pizza pretzels.
Make them mini: If you want to make smaller pretzels, you can split the dough into 12 sections and bake closer to 10-12 minutes.

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Easy Pizza Pretzels

Makes 8 large or 12 small pizza pretzels.

5 from 4 votes

Print Rate

Total Time: 45

Servings: 8

By: Melissa Rose

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough

1 ½ cups warm water
4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast Two (0.25 oz.) Packets
¼ cup salted butter (i.e. ½ stick) unsalted is fine but salted tastes way better in these!
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Water Bath

2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda (not teaspoons!)

Toppings

½ cup pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese One 8-ounce bag is enough
pepperonis (I used minis!) or toppings of choice

Get Recipe Ingredients

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Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together warm water (1 ½ cups), active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons), light brown sugar (2 tablespoons), and melted salted butter (¼ cup, i.e. 4 tablespoons). You can get the warm water directly from the faucet - no need to heat it up more. Let sit for 10 minutes or until there's a layer of foam/bubbles on the top.
*See notes below if your mixture doesn't foam or bubble.
Stir in the salt (½ teaspoon), and garlic powder (½ teaspoon) and gently mix. Add the all-purpose flour (4 ½ cups) and stir with a spatula to until shaggy.
Once all the flour is roughly incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough into a solid ball. This should only take 1-2 minutes tops (any longer and you'll overwork the dough).
Place the dough ball back into the bowl, drizzle with olive oil (optional), and cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a clean dish towel) and let sit for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to rest & rise a tiny bit (it won't rise much, which is fine).
Using a knife, cut the dough into 8 even sections. Once cut, use your hands to roll each ball into a long strip about roll ½ inch thick and 24 inches long.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons (not teaspoons) of baking soda.
Dip each dough strip in the baking soda mixture for 1-2 seconds then quickly form into a pretzel and place on baking sheet. Poke the dough with your finger to create small imprints to hold the sauce.
Top with pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni (or desired toppings).
Bake at 400℉ for 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly golden brown.
Enjoy warm & dip in extra pizza sauce!

Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.

Notes

Yeast isnt foaming or bubbling? If your mixture doesn't foam or bubble after 10-20 minutes, your yeast is likely dead and you need to start over with fresh yeast.

Storing: These are best fresh, but can also be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through.

Freezing: Let them cool then freeze them in an airtight bag (for 1-2 months). To get them to taste the freshest again, pop them into the oven or air fryer at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they're heated through.

Nutrition is just an estimate and auto-calculated from a directory. Based on 8 pretzels and does not include dipping sauces.

Nutrition

1-Hour Pizza Pretzels