There’s nothing quite like a warm, homemade pretzel—especially when it’s infused with the rich, malty flavor of beer. These beer pretzels are perfectly soft on the inside, golden and chewy on the outside, and finished with just the right amount of coarse salt. Whether you’re pairing them with mustard, a creamy cheese dip, or simply enjoying them fresh from the oven, this recipe brings a bakery-quality pretzel right to your kitchen. Plus, the beer adds depth to the dough, giving each bite a subtle, complex flavor that makes these pretzels stand out.
When it comes to toppings, classic salt is always a winner (I’m team salt all the way!), but there’s room to experiment. Try black garlic salt, habanero salt for a fiery twist (yum!), or poppy and black sesame seeds for a nutty crunch.
🥨 How to Twist a Pretzel
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳 Pretzel Tips & Tricks
- If the yeast doesn’t foam, it is dead. DO NOT USE IT. Your recipe will fail.
- Feel free to be a little rough with the dough. It won’t get hurt. When pressing the two ends of the U to form the pretzel shape, you can press them deeply in there if they aren’t sticking easily.
- The recipe works best with a flavorless oil like vegetable or canola. You can use any flavorless oil, but in my recipe testing have found that avocado oil does not work well for this recipe.
- Use a timer for perfect results! You don’t want to over-boil the pretzels.
🥖 More Bread Recipes
Soft Beer Pretzel & How to Twist a Pretzel
Print Recipe SaveWarm, soft, and irresistibly chewy, these beer pretzels have a crisp golden crust and a rich, malty depth that makes every bite pure comfort.
Servings: 8 pretzels
Calories: 295kcal
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm 110 to 115 degrees F water (I use closer to 1 cup in the summer and somewhere in between during the fall/spring)
- ¾ cup beer it’s October so grab your favorite seasonal pumpkin beer!
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 packet or 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ stick unsalted butter melted
- 4 ½-5 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- flavorless oil for greasing (like sunflower seed, canola, or vegetable)
- 10 cups water
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Sea salt or pretzel salt to finish
- Colman’s Mustard for dipping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Mix by swishing with your hand. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit for 5 minutes. If it hasn’t foamed, your yeast is dead and you need to try again with new yeast.
- On low speed with the dough hook attachment, add the beer, melted butter, flour, and salt. When combined, turn up the speed to medium. Knead until the dough is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 4-5 minutes. If the dough is still too wet, you can add 1 tbsp of flour at a time.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and then lightly oil the bowl with a flavorless oil, like sunflower seed, canola, or vegetable. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or seal the container with a lid, and place in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, ~50-60 minutes.
- Preheat to 450F. Bring the water to boil with the baking soda.
- Line two baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. Lightly grease with oil. Set aside.
- Lightly oil the surface you plan to use to work the dough. Turn out the dough on the surface, divide into 8 equal pieces, and roll each piece out into a long rope, ~2 feet long.
- To shape the pretzels, make a U-shape with the rope, twist the parallel arms across each other twice, and press the ends into the bottom of the U to form the pretzel.
- Boil the pretzels, 1-2 at a time, for ~30 seconds, ladling the warm water over the tops of the pretzels.
- As they finish, transfer them to the prepared sheet pans, brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake until golden brown, 11-14 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If the yeast doesn’t foam, it is dead. DO NOT USE IT. Your recipe will fail.
- Feel free being a little rough with the dough. It won’t get hurt. When pressing the two ends of the U to form the pretzel shape, you can really press them in there if they aren’t sticking easily.
- The recipe works best with sunflower seed or canola oil. You can use any flavorless oil, but I have found that avocado oil does not work well for this recipe.
- Use a timer for perfect results! You don’t want to over-boil the pretzels.
Nutrition
Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 798mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 975IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2.6mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.
Can I freeze the dough to save for later on? I find fresh pretzels taste so much better. Is it bad to freeze the dough?
Hi Paige, you can refrigerate the dough overnight in an airtight container or freeze it in an airtight container or freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.
Thanks for the lovely photo instructions. It’s a tremendous help for newbie pretzel baker like me. 🙂
You are so very welcome, Anita… and congratulations, you are no longer a newbie!
I love a good soft pretzel and homemade is always best. Thanks for the tutorial. It made it really easy to make.
Glad to hear the tutorial worked great for you, Jill!
These Pretzels are so delicious! I made these pretzels once and it was so fun! Definitely a great thing when homemade!
That is awesome to hear, Shanika! Nothing beats homemade bread.
Yes please!! I have always wondered how to twist a pretzel, and you explain it so perfectly. Was a breeze to make. Love this recipe 🙂
Happy to hear it was a breeze, Cathleen. Enjoy!
These pretzels are amazing, I definitely want to make them again! And I like salt on my pretzels, but other toppings you mentioned sound good too!
So glad to hear you loved them, Biana! Next time try a different one… you may be pleasantly surprised!
Wow Candice! I really love this recipe–
The step-by-step photos were so helpful!
I am going to make these for every sports ball game party I attend!
Go pretzels! Go sports!
I feel like your pictures and instructions aren’t in order. You put the toppings (like the sesame seeds) on AFTER the boil, correct?
Hi Susie… thanks for asking! The toppings are put on AFTER the boil, as you suspected. The post has been updated.. thanks, again!