Soft, sweet and nutty Pecan Crunch Pretzel Bites are a delicious twist on classic soft pretzel bites. This buttery, warmly spiced and pillowy soft dessert is perfectly balanced by the tangy, yeasted pretzel dough.

Pecan Crunch Pretzel Bites Recipe

Come fall, most households face one battle: are we a Halloween household or a fall household?

If you’e a Halloween household, you want everything spooky, gory and dark. If you’re a Fall household, you want everything pumpkin, apples and warming spices along with plenty of greenery to complement it.

But in my house, the debate is – are you pumpkin spice or are you apples and pecans?

My kids are decidedly pumpkin spice. They want all things pumpkin. And all things spice. Me? The person who actually buys and makes all of the treats? I want apples. I want pecans. (Heck, I might live in the South but I’m Canadian by birth. I don’t even care if my pecan pie has nuts. Give me a butter tart and I’m as happy as a clam.)

Today’s pecan crunch pretzel bites are the perfect way to keep us all happy. It incorporates the sweet, warming spices my kids love as well as the caramelized pecans that I want for fall. Balance it out with restaurant-worthy pretzel dough and you have the ultimate fall treat to serve at any Halloween or fall party.

This is a great recipe to try if you’d like to make homemade pretzels but are a bit intimidated. Although it’s extremely easy to do a traditional pretzel twist, this method of making pretzel nuggets skips the need for that so you can just focus on making the dough and the easy baking soda bath that is essential to achieving that salty, golden exterior and light, fluffy interior.

Once you get the hang of making this super easy yeasted dough, you’ll be able to give it your own twist and come up with a variety of unique ways to enjoy it.

I have used this base recipe to make a variety of homemade pretzel bites:

• cinnamon sugar pretzel bites
• pumpkin spice pretzel bites
• jalapeño pepper and cheese pretzel bites
• cheddar cheese pretzel bites
• and of course, salted pretzel bites

This is a great recipe to try if you’d like to make homemade pretzels but are a bit intimidated. Although it’s extremely easy to do a traditional pretzel twist, this method of making pretzel nuggets skips the need for that so you can just focus on making the dough and the easy baking soda bath that is essential to achieving that salty, golden exterior and light, fluffy interior.

Just like with the pretzels you can get at the mall, homemade pretzel bites are best enjoyed soon after making – ideally within a couple of hours, or at least the same day.

However, they can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. I recommend storing them in a paper bag as the bag doesn’t trap moisture in like a sealed plastic or glass container would. Trapped moisture will cause these pretzel bites to become soggy quickly.

Your best bet if needing to make ahead of time is to either freeze the baked pretzel bites OR to pre-make the dough and refrigerate that for up to 2 days before baking.

How to freeze pretzel bites: Pretzel bites can be frozen for up to 2 months in airtight ziptop freezer bags or your favorite freezer containers. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

How to make vegan pretzel bites (or dairy-free pretzel bites): Swap out the butter called for in our recipe for margarine (or your favorite “plant-based butter”) and use water instead of milk. The texture will be slightly different, but only slightly.

Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda for the baking soda bath? In a pinch, you can use baking powder for this step but you will need 2-3 times the amount to achieve the same result, about 3/4 cup of baking powder.

Is active dry yeast the same as instant yeast? You can use either yeast in this recipe. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water or a liquid to activate, while instant yeast does not. Instant yeast then removes the need to proof the yeast for 5 minutes in the warm water – but I still always allow it to sit and bubble while I work on measuring out and preparing my other ingredients.

For this recipe, I used Millican Pecan’s Pecan Pieces. I didn’t realize what a difference there could be between pecan brands, but these are so incredibly fresh and flavorful. They also have delicious snack options like the Sweet and Spicy Pecans which are perfect for the holidays. My next order, I’m trying their Pecan Butter and the Caramel Pecan Coffee! (And by the way, this is not sponsored – I just really love them.)

Ingredients for Pecan Crunch Pretzel Bites

• Yeast
• Warm Water (between 90-110F)
• Melted Butter
• White Sugar
• Salt
• All-Purpose Flour, as needed
• Water
• Baking Soda

For the Pecan Crunch Coating:

• White Sugar
• Pecans
• Melted Butter

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: read the recipe fully before making the pretzels – note that the baking soda is not meant to be added to the pretzel dough, it is used to make a baking soda bath to soak the pretzels before baking.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Mixing Bowl
• Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty
• Spider Strainer
• Pastry Brush <– I like these for the same reasons I mentioned for the spatulas above (and they also have a lifetime warranty)
• Cookie Sheet
• Silicone Baking Mat

How to Make Pecan Crunch Pretzel Bites

In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm water, melted butter, sugar and salt. Stir and let yeast bubble for 5 minutes.

Stir in the flour, as needed to form a cohesive dough.

Fold the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Place dough back in bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set in a warm spot of your kitchen and allow dough to rise until doubled, about 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Boil 4 cups of water and dissolve baking soda in it. Remove from heat and allow to cool until just warm.

Divide pretzel dough into 8 equal pieces, then roll pieces into 1″ thick ropes.

Use a sharp knife to cut the ropes into 1 1/2″ long pieces.

Place pretzel bites in the warm baking soda water for 2 minutes.

Blitz the pecans in a blender until well-ground, then stir in the sugar.

Melt the coating butter and dip each pretzel bite in the butter, then roll to coat in the pecan-sugar mixture.

Lay each pretzel bite on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve the pecan crunch pretzel bites with salted caramel ice cream topping as a dip.

Makes approximately 6 servings of 10-12 pretzel bites each.

Pin this Pecan Crunch Pretzel Bites recipe for an indulgent fall treat:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our praline crunch pretzel bites recipe:

I hope your family loves this easy pecan crunch pretzel recipe as much as mine does!

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