These soft, sweet, and secretly healthy Auntie Anne’s pretzels are just as delicious as the ones you can get at the mall!
I still remember my first Auntie Anne’s pretzel.
It was in West Chester, Pennsylvania, when I was eight years old. The little shop smelled like cinnamon sugar as soon as you walked in, and a friendly lady in a striped apron smiled across the counter as she quickly and skillfully twisted long strips of dough into perfect pretzel shapes. For a while, I thought she was the actual Auntie Anne, and I dreamed about growing up and working in that shop, smelling cinnamon all day, as I learned to roll perfect pretzels.
Last weekend, Auntie Anne’s came to my own kitchen. This was my first time making soft pretzels, but I adapted a base recipe I already knew would yield a successful dough: my recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
All in all, these homemade Auntie Anne’s pretzels were much easier to make than I’d anticipated.
Healthy Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
(Auntie Katie’s soft pretzels)
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 tsp agave or honey or sugar
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 2 1/2 cups ww or white flour, or a combination of the two
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp butter spread, such as Earth Balance OR firm coconut oil
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- Extra flour as needed
In a measuring cup, heat the first two ingredients to around 110 degrees F. (Mine reached this point after 1 minute in the microwave.) Sprinkle the yeast on top, then let it sit 5 minutes. If your yeast is good, it will bubble up. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and the 2 tbsp sugar. (Do not use xylitol here.) Cut in the butter spread (or oil), using a fork or stand mixer. Combine with the yeast mixture, using your hands or stand mixer, until well-combined, then knead on a floured surface or in the bowl for 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed to keep it from being too sticky to knead. (I mixed the dough in the bowl and added a total of 6 extra tbsp flour by the end of the 5 minutes.)
Lightly grease the mixing bowl, then set the dough in the bowl, cover the bowl with a towel, and put in a warm place (such as an oven on “bread proof”) for 50-60 minutes or until it has doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a baking tray. In a long and shallow dish or container, dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water. Set aside. Now get out your risen dough: punch dough to deflate, then form evenly-sized pieces (6 for large pretzels, 12 for smaller ones). Roll each section as thinly as you possibly can (seriously, the thinner the better), then twist into a pretzel shape. Dip into the baking soda, shake to dry, then arrange pretzels on the baking tray. Baking time will vary, depending on whether you’re using whole-wheat flour or all-purpose, but homemade Auntie Anne’s pretzels are done when they have turned golden-brown and you can smell them (15-18 minutes). Scroll down for flavors.
Homemade Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzel Flavors:
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels: melt some of your favorite butter-type spread or coconut oil in a shallow dish, then dip the hot pretzels into the spread. (For a fat-free version, you can spray them with oil spray instead. They just won’t be anywhere near as rich and buttery!) Immediately dip into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (or xylitol).
- Salted Soft Pretzels: sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt before baking
- Coconut Pretzels: dip each pretzel in melted coconut butter. Sprinkle shredded coconut over top.
- Homemade Soft Pretzel Dip Ideas: dip pretzels in ranch dressing, maple-mustard dressing (combine mustard with pure maple syrup), or even peanut sauce or a nutritional-yeast cheese sauce.
That’s not to say I have anything against the real Auntie Anne’s. Their soft pretzels are certainly not the worst snack you can get at a mall food court! And if you ask them to hold the butter, the following Auntie Anne’s pretzels are actually vegan: Original, Cinnamon Sugar, Almond, Garlic, Jalapeño, and Raisin. If you are a super-strict vegan, you’ll want to skip the pretzels due to the processed sugar. (It’s a personal choice; my goal with my veganism is to present the lifestyle as do-able, fun, and easy, not to show that I’m getting bogged down with tiny details like processed sugar. I feel that would just turn more people off to the lifestyle, which is opposite of my goal. So when I’m out with friends, I jump at the chance to eat “normal” food when we all stop at the mall food court.)
Link Of The Day:
Abby says
I just made these and they are absolutely incredible! I used whole wheat flour and coconut oil and they came out perfect! My favorite is just plain with a little sea salt :). Thanks so much for all your great recipes Katie! They have helped me so much through my transition to a vegan diet.
Lizzie says
Hi Katie! I just wanted to say, I really admire you for not getting ‘bogged down’ with particulars…it does turn people off, and I sense a change in you in this area. I really respect you for that=-D And I am about to go make some yummy pretzels! thanks to you!
Michelle says
I just made these with whole wheat flour & coconut oil, and they are delicious! I did not roll them very thin (and they are twisty, but not really well shaped as pretzels.)
For those of you without a bread proof setting, you can also pre-heat your oven to about 100 or 150, then turn off the oven. Put your (oven-safe) bowl, topped with a clean tea towel, into the oven and let it rise. With the door closed to the oven there won’t be drafts, and it doesn’t take long to heat the oven to about 100.
Vienna says
Just so ya know, these make great pretzel rolls! How do I know? I was just too lazy to roll them really thin, lol. But that didn’t stop me from dipping them into sweet mustard, per Katie’s suggestion. So cool to have a dipping sauce not laden with chemicals. And tastier too. This recipe is good. I just found that the amount of baking soda water was excessive.
Geri says
Delicious – even though they do look like dog poops!!!!
Lena says
I made this using a bread machine on the dough setting (I only mixed the dry ingredients with the butter, and then poured that and the yeast mixture into the machine and started it) and I was kind of worried, because there was a lot of kneading and then a break and then kneading again, but it turned out great! Although I’d say it’s important to add enough toppings (I put salt and sesame seeds) because it makes a huge difference in the taste. Thank you for a great recipe Katie!
Holly says
I actually just started working at Auntie Anne’s about a month ago! It’s at a mall, so it’s usually way too busy for me to have time to eat any pretzels, so I look forward to trying this recipe :). Maybe I can finally practice my pretzel twisting at home when I have a little more breathing room, haha.
And….I always wanted to be an actress/singer/dancer as a lot of young girls do, but I’m actually about to start college at a dance conservatory, and I’m currently rehearsing for my state’s premier of “In the Heights” off Broadway….so I feel really blessed to actually be living the dream!
hannah says
The were delicious! I made them with white whole wheat flour and they were great and fluffy! I used sky milk and actually added a bit more milk as opposed to flour after kneading the dough.
Chocolate covered Katie strikes again!
Chenoa says
Just an FYI.. Aunti Anne’s pretzels are not vegan simply because the sugar used in the pretzel mix is bleached using animal bone fragments. Sorry!
Barbara Gabbe-Harris says
well…I spent a good part of the day baking these pretzels ..first batch was not done right – I rolled them out with a rolling pin and then after looking at the photo realized that was wrong ..I rolled the next batch out with my hands into rolls like the picture and that worked out better. Also I mixed Truvia baking blend with cinnamon and rolled the hot pretzels first in coconut oil, melted and then in the sugar cinnamon mixture – not sure I liked the Truvia blend – very sweet …think I’ll try xylitol next time. … I used whole wheat flour and the texture of the pretzel is very good. the true test will be if my husband likes them …. I’ll probably have one for breakfast tomorrow morning. barbara
Megan Small says
WOW!!! So delicious! Put chopped garlic on a few, and they were perfect! Will definitely make again xoxoxxxx
gabby says
Due to all of the cross-contamination at Auntie Anne’s (EVERYTHING is cooked together/on the same baking sheets) so none of it is vegan, sadly.
emaliah82 says
OMG! Made this recipe for this first time today and talk about Yummylicous!!! I simply adore Aunt Annie’s pretzels but haven’t had one in years. I am in my happy place!!! Side note: I used whole wheat PASTRY flour as I didn’t have anything else on hand and it worked out GREAT!!! THANKS KATIE for making my day!!! 🙂 Now I can’t wait for my 2 year old to wake up from her nap so she can try them. 🙂
Lot says
In Holland well known as Zeeuwse Bolus. Zeeland a department of the country, bolus refers tot the form of it, – pile of poo -, I am Dutch, and live in that region.
Bob says
I found your site via Pinterest looking for Soft Pretzels, and I am glad I stopped by. I have your rss feed in outlook. Thanks again…
Vida says
Hi Katie,
Don’t you think 1/3 cup baking soda is too much for this soft pretzel?
Thanks, Vida
denise brewer says
I just made these today and my son, who is an AVID Auntie Ann fan since toddlerhood told me they were THE BEST pretzels EVER . I made cinnamon sugar and some with just salt. He told me the salted ones tasted just like Auntie Anne’s ! Thank you so much, Katie! I have made TONS of your recipes. This blog is the Bible for my sweet tooth! You are the best!
Cecilia says
How many pretzels does this make?
Cecilia says
I made this recipe and my dough did not rise at all while proofing. I’m not sure what I did wrong because I followed the entire recipe correctly with the right measurement of ingredients. I was really excited for this recipe because I love Auntie Anne’s and Katie’s recipes. I want to try this again, but I’m not sure what to do differently. If anyone could help that would be great. Thank you!
Jason Sanford says
Hmm sounds like maybe bad yeast? Or the yeast was killed lol. Did the yeast bubble up in the beginning? Also what flour and sugar did you use?
Dominique says
Hi Katie!.
These pretzels look delicious. Would it be possible to substitute canola oil or applesauce for the firm coconut oil? Thank you for you valuable time and for all your fabulous recipes!
CCK Media Team says
We would think canola oil should work but just haven’t personally tried it.