These Vegan Pretzel Bites are super simple without the hassle of boiling in baking soda. These little guys are the perfect vegan appetizer to serve on Game Day with a dairy free Spicy Mustard Dip that all your friends and family will love! This vegan pretzel recipe is easy, super addictive, and will disappear too soon!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 90 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 110 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For The Pretzels

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 Tbsp coconut sugar (or other sugar)
  • 3 cups unbleached white flour (or all purpose flour + more for dusting)
  • 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp oil (or melted vegan butter)
  • 2 tsp coarse sea salt (or kosher salt, for sprinkling)

For The Baking Soda Wash

  • 1 tbsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup boiling water

For The Cornstarch Vegan Egg Wash

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water

For The Spicy Mustard Dip

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (plus more, if needed)
  • 1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2-4 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • salt and pepper, if needed

Method

  1. In a bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Mix and let sit until frothy, 5 minutes.
  2. In another bowl, combine flour and 3/4 tsp salt. Mix well. Add the flour mixture, oil, and yeast mixture to a stand mixture fitted with the hook attachment and knead into a soft, smooth dough. Or, add the yeast mixture to the flour, add the oil, and knead by hand for 4-6 minutes to make a smooth dough.
  3. Spray water on the dough, cover with a towel, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
  4. Flatten the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut up strips using a pizza cutter. (thinner, about 1/2 inch thick, for smaller pretzels). Roll the strips between your hands if they are uneven. Cut the strips into 1 inch bites. Place the bites on parchment lined baking sheet, at least 1/2 inch away from each other.
  5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F / 220ºC. Make the baking soda wash: Add baking soda to boiling 1/2 cup of water, mix, and set aside.
  6. Brush the pretzels liberally with warm baking soda wash. Let them sit for 2 minutes. Then slice the tops using knife or kitchen scissors (optional). Meanwhile, make the cornstarch wash: Mix the cornstarch in 1/2 cup of water and heat the water over medium heat until it thickens into a sludge. Brush the pretzels with the warm cornstarch wash. Sprinkle granulated salt on the pretzels.
  7. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until a nice golden brown color. Serve with the Spicy Mustard Dip

Spicy Mustard Dip

  1. Blend the cashews with almond milk until smooth. Add more almond milk, if needed. Add the Dijon mustard, hot sauce, and nutritional yeast. Blend, taste, and adjust seasonings. Serve!

Variations

  1. Add 1-2 Tbsp fresh dill to the Spicy Mustard Dip.
  2. Add 1 Tbsp Ranch seasoning mix to the Spicy Mustard Dip.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.