These Keto Soft Pretzel Bites are so easy to make and they will go perfectly with your favorite cheese sauce or some yellow mustard! The taste and texture are so close to a traditional soft pretzel that you won't even know the difference!
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Soft pretzels with cheese sauce are my stadium food of choice. They are the perfect salty snack if you ask me.
To me, a soft pretzel should be chewy, have a delicious yeasty flavor, and have just the right balance of salt with a tiny hint of sweetness in the dough.
I have tried several other keto soft pretzels and while they are all fine, none of them really hit all the bases for me. I took all the best parts of the recipes that I have tried and mashed them up to make the best keto soft pretzel bites that you will ever eat.
Tips for making the best Keto Soft Pretzels
This recipe is pretty straight forward, but there are a few things to keep in mind when you are making these pretzel bites.
First, be sure to use low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella. Most bags of pre-shredded mozzarella cheese will fit the bill, just be sure to double-check. Too much moisture or fat in the dough will cause these pretzels to lose their chewy texture.
The yeast is added only for flavor. It doesn't matter if the yeast is regular or quick-rising, and you don't have to worry about letting the dough rise.
You can use any sweetener that you like. I used Lakanto Golden which has a nice caramel-like flavor. The sweetness is super subtle but does make a difference in the flavor of the pretzels.
Right now you can get 10% off of all Lakanto products with the code "THISMOMSMENU" when you order from the Lakanto Website!
If you decide to go with a different sweetener, then be sure to check out this conversion chart to make sure that you are substituting with the proper amount.
What is the best salt to use for Pretzels?
The type of salt you use for these pretzels makes a HUGE difference in the end result. I can't recommend ordering some pretzel salt enough. There is a reason it's a thing and it just totally takes these pretzels over the edge.
Pretzel salt is actually just regular salt that has been pressed into large granules. As you chew the granules fall apart and are evenly dispersed in your mouth.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to find pretzel salt in most traditional grocery stores, so if you want to make these pretzels without waiting for an Amazon delivery, just stick with any course salt and you will be fine. Just be sure to order that pretzel salt for the next time 😉
What else can I top them with?
If salted pretzels aren't your thing, or you just want to change things up a bit here are a few ideas:
- Cinnamon Sugar - Bake as directed (minus the salt). When the pretzels are done baking brush them with melted butter and sprinkle them with a mixture of sweetener and cinnamon. For a real treat, you can dip them into some keto cream cheese frosting!
- Garlic Parmesan - When pretzels are done baking, brush them with a mixture of garlic powder and melted butter. Then, top them with grated parmesan cheese.
- Everything Pretzels - Swap the salt for some everything but the bagel seasoning
Can I make these Pretzel Bites into regular full-size pretzels?
I don't recommend making these pretzel bites into traditionally shaped pretzels. The areas where the dough overlaps will be too dense for it to bake all the way through before the other areas of the pretzels burn.
If you want to make larger pretzels, I recommend sticking with pretzel sticks instead.
Be sure to check out these other great recipes:
- Beer Cheese Dip
- Keto Butter Crackers
- Low Carb Garlic Bread Pizza Dip
- Keto Bacon and Brown Sugar Little Smokies
- Keto Jalapeno Popper Bites
📖 Recipe
Keto Soft Pretzel Bites
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Pastry Brush
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups Low Moisture, Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 oz Cream Cheese
- 2 Eggs Divided
- 1 ½ cups Almond Flour
- 1 tablespoon Yeast
- 2 tablespoon Low Carb Sweetener
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- Pretzel Salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl combine the mozzarella cheese and the cream cheese. Microwave the cheeses in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the cheeses are melted and blend together easily.
- Add 1 egg (reserve the other for later), almond flour, yeast, sweetener, and baking powder. Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. I find it easiest to mix with an electric mixer.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces. One at a time, roll the dough portions into about 13-14" long pieces Cut the rolled out piece into 1-1 ½" portions. Place the cut portions onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1" between each piece. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to apply the beaten egg to the top of the pretzel pieces then sprinkle them with pretzel salt.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
Michael Ann Browne says
Sabra,
Have you tried cooking the pretzels in an air fryer? I am wondering if they would get a more delicious crispy outside than baking them.
Thanks!
Michael
Sabra says
I am so glad you asked this question because I actually meant to mention it in the post 🙂 I did try them in the air fryer and they were OK. They stayed a little denser than when I baked them in the oven and the outside of the pretzels seemed to burn pretty easily in the air fryer. So basically, I do think it's possible, but it might take a bit of playing around with cook time and temp to get them just right.
If you just want to crisp the exterior you could bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes, then transfer to the air fryer at a high temp for the last 2 minutes.
Michael Ann Browne says
Thanks! I think I will try that - perhaps with just a couple of them first to see what happens. I will let you know how it goes.
MB
Wendy says
These were okay. I made a half batch because I wasn’t sure how I’d like them. Next time, I will omit the sweetener. Probably will like them better like that. Maybe add some bagel seasoning to them as well.
Sylvia Farrell says
Hi, Is there a way to make them in advance, store them and reheat. Thanks.
Sabra says
Hi Sylvia! You can make them as directed and then reheat them in the oven for just a couple of minutes when you are ready to eat them 🙂
Alisyn says
They aren't bad, but they aren't pretzels. Followed the recepie and the consistency is dense and more like corn bread. Idk if it's because the yeast or the almond flour. They aren't bad but I wouldn't make them again.
Emilie says
I am just about to pull these out of the oven! Can’t wait to try with cheese sauce! Looking at your macros, is the carb count you listed net carbs? Thank you 🙂
Sabra says
Hi Emilie! I hope you enjoyed these pretzel bites! One serving has 3 net carbs, hope that helps 🙂
Denise says
How do you store them when they are done?
They are great i just made them
Maria says
These turned out crazy good! Ketoers and non alike went crazy for these. I served with beer cheese dip. Going to try to use the dough for pigs in a blanket.
Becky says
they smell like pretzels, but lack flavor. Don't waste your time.
Heather says
I've made numerous kinds of keto fathead pretzels and these are beloved by me and non-ket family and friends alike. I do use an eggwash at the end prior to adding my salt and it gives them a nice finish. I'm not sure why anyone would say they lack flavor even if unused to keto cooking other than they are not using kosher salt? Prior to keto I made traditional bavarian pretzels and I find I like these better. I think if someone needs a little extra mmf, I'd recommend eating them with a deli mustard like Ba-Tampte or adding Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel seasoning to it. My only issue is I tend to go over carb count when I make them simply because I eat too many.
Deb says
I've made these three times already. I actually added 1 tsp of xanthum gum and they were more chewy. But overall they are great!!
Karen says
I just made these for our Super Bowl snack, and they were a hit!! My husband, who does not eat Keto, loved them and even added them to the chili we made. I may decrease the sweetener just a little bit next time, but there will definitely be a next time! So delicious with any dip or mustard. Thank you!
Flo A says
This pretzel bite was delicious. It did not have the hard pretzel crunch but that was OK with me. My husband and I both enjoyed the bites. This is a keeper.
PJR says
Can I make these without any sweetener? It’s not needed for the yeast to work, correct? I want to make these for a friend who doesn’t eat any type of sweetener.
Dawn says
Can you use nutritional yeast for the yeast in this recipe?
Sabra says
Hi Dawn, You certainly can use nutritional yeast, but it won't have the same effect as regular yeast. The yeast helps to give the pretzels a little bit more of the traditional bread flavor, while nutritional yeast would give them a slightly cheesy flavor. You can also omit the yeast all together if you would prefer. I hope that helps 🙂
Karin Riley says
I just made these for Super Bowl today and they were great just how the recipe says! I've tried A LOT of keto breads etc and this was definitely top 3 over all. I dipped in cheese sauce and felt like I wasn't missing a thing!!
Kathy Rushmore says
What can I substitute for almond flour-I have a nut allergy
Sabra says
Hi Kathy! Sunflower seed flour is the best nut-free substitute for almond flour. You can buy it on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UCJsiC) or easily make your own by processing hulled, unsalted sunflower seeds in a food processor until you get a flour-like consistency. Substitute sunflower seed flour 1:1 for almond flour. Also, be aware that sunflower seed flour sometimes turns bluish-green when used in baked goods. This only affects the appearance and the pretzel bites will still be fine to eat. I hope that helps!
Linda Cpx says
I loved this recipe!!! Very good 😄
Sabra says
Thanks Linda! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Colleen Bemis says
These are wonderful! Easy and so satisfying! Have made them twice!
Lisa says
I absolutely LOVE soft pretzels so I'm going to try to make these, seems fairly simple. My question is do you know a good way to keep them AFTER they're made? My husband isn't a fan and no way I could eat that much. Oh, and thanks for sharing the recipe!
Florence Goodwin says
These look like they're bite size but it doesn't really say how they get that way and I was wondering if you could put them in put in one and then put peanut butter down and then put another one on top so you'd have pretzel bites with peanut butter filling
Johnna says
Just to verify, because different websites gave me different answers, two cups of Parmesean cheese is 8 ounces?