Chicken Free Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
These little golden nuggets hit every craving at once — chewy on the inside, deeply browned and salty on the outside, with that unmistakable pretzel tang you usually only get at a ballpark or a mall food court. The secret is the baking soda bath, which gives each bite its characteristic chew and that rich, dark crust before it ever sees heat. A quick egg wash and a generous shower of coarse salt finish the job, and the air fryer takes it home in under ten minutes per batch. Every single ingredient here is straightforward pantry staple territory — flour, butter, yeast, egg — so there's nothing to second-guess and no hidden proteins lurking in the lineup. They come out best when you don't crowd the basket, giving each bite room to puff and color evenly. Dip them in yellow mustard straight out of the fryer and they disappear embarrassingly fast, so consider doubling the batch before you even start.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the dough
- 1 cup warm water (about 110°f / 43°c)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the baking soda bath
- 6 cups water
- ⅓ cup baking soda
For finishing
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1–2 tbsp coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
For serving
- ½ cup yellow mustard (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 5–7 minutes, until the surface is foamy and the mixture smells yeasty.
- 2
Add the flour, fine salt, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4–5 minutes, until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky, and springs back when poked. Return to the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and rest for 10 minutes.
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