What are Air Fryer Pretzels?

These little bites of heaven are a copycat of the pretzel bites sold by the chain Auntie Anne’s. My oldest boys used to love these and request them any time we visited a mall to walk or use the playground (because who goes there to shop)! And that was great, and made for a great treat for our occasional visits, until our local stand closed. And, as kids will do, they continued to request the pretzels even after there was nowhere nearby to acquire them. So, it was time to create a copycat.

What became of that journey was these air fryer pretzel bites, which we refer to simply as air fryer pretzels because my youngest claims “they don’t bite.” These easy to make treats are perfect for after school, movie night or simply a fun snack. We made ours to celebrate a snow day! So, let’s get to it…

What are the ingredients needed to make Air Fryer Pretzels?

The beauty of these pretzel bites is how simple they are. You may already have everything you need to make them on hand at any given time. So, here is what you will need:

Baking soda
A canister of pizza dough
Butter (I used olive oil butter)
Cinnamon sugar or Pretzel Salt

How to make Air Fryer Pretzels?

These pretzel bites come together so easily! They are also a great recipe to let kids help with as they are hard to mess up. Here is what you will need to do:

Begin by adding 2 quarts of water and 2 Tablespoons of baking soda to a large pot and set to boil.
While the water is coming to a boil, open the dough canister and divide dough into 32 pieces of mostly equal size.
Set a grate or grill pan on top of a pan and set beside the oven. Add the dough balls to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes.
Remove the dough balls and set atop the grate to allow to drain. Place the pan in the freezer for around 15 minutes. This will allow the dough to firm up enough for you to be able to shape it.
While the dough is chilling, melt the butter and place the cinnamon sugar, if using, on a small plate.
Remove the dough from the freezer and gently shape into balls. If the dough is too still tacky, wet your hands to be able to shape it. If it is too frozen to mold, let it sit for a few minutes and then proceed.
One by one, dip the dough balls in the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar, if using. If you are wanting salted pretzels, dip in the butter and then sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
Place all the prepared pretzels in the air fryer basket. Pre-heat the air fryer to 375. Add the pretzels and cook for approximately 10 minutes.

Why are these boiled before air frying?

Boiling the pretzels in the baking soda water before air frying will create the soft on the inside, lightly crunchy on the outside texture. It is something you don’t want to skip as not boiling could result in a denser, less appealing overall texture.

Can I make these Air Fryer Pretzels with other toppings?

Absolutely, just go nuts with it. So long as you keep the initial base for the recipe most other dry seasonings should work amazingly well.

What to serve with Air Fryer Pretzels?

Consider a dip:
- Some honey
- A simple frosting made of powdered sugar and water
- Mustard
- Marinara
- Cheese sauce

Love pretzels?

Be sure to check out our Pretzel Melt Sandwiches!