Air Fryer Pretzel Bites are the ultimate appetizer ready in minutes that’s the perfect snack for parties or tailgating. You’ll love how soft, chewy and plain delicious these bite-sized treats are. Perfect for dunking!

Making homemade pretzel bites in your air fryer is super easy to do. You can have a tasty snack ready to serve in less than 30 minutes and all you’ll need is a few simple ingredients!

Now you can get more fancy and make your own homemade pretzel dough, but if you know me, I like the quick easy way of doing things. I use pizza dough!

Serve with your favourite dipping sauce whenever you are craving a delicious snack while you watch the big game. This easy air fryer recipe is a keeper!

Why You’ll Love These Air Fryer Soft Pretzel Bites

Easy recipe ready in minutes
Makes a great appetizer or school snack
No need to make your own dough
Serve with a variety of yummy dipping sauces
Easy cleanup with your air fryer doing most of the work
Each bite is soft, chewy with the perfect amount of saltiness

Ingredients

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Frozen pizza dough – Thaw it to room temperature
Baking soda
Water
Egg
Pretzel salt – You can also use kosher salt or sea salt.

How to Make Pretzel Bites in the Air Fryer

Step One: In a small saucepan, combine 4 cups water and baking soda. Heat on low, stirring until baking soda dissolves. Keep on low while preparing dough.
Step Two: While water is heating, portion dough into 4 sections. Roll each section into ropes about 1 ½ inches in diameter, then cut into 1 inch pieces. If your dough is sticky, you may need to add some flour.

Step Three: Preheat air fryer to 390F with a 5 minute cook time.
Step Four: Drop several pieces of dough into the warm water and remove all with slotted spoon after 10 seconds. Set on a plate or piece of parchment paper, making sure to leave room in between the pieces. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
Step Five: Make an egg wash by beating egg and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Note: the egg wash will work without the water, but your pretzel bites will be darker in color.
Step Six: Brush tops of dough pieces with egg wash.
Step Seven: Grease the air fryer basket with oil spray. Place the dough in the basket with some space in between. Sprinkle with salt. Air fry for 5 minutes.
Step Eight: Continue with remaining dough in batches. Serve plain, with cheese sauce or mustard.

Equipment Needed

What to Serve with Pretzel Bites

Variations and Substitutions

Use your own homemade pretzel dough if you prefer.
Don’t stress if you can’t find pretzel salt. It’s hard to find and not cheap. Kosher salt is a great substitute and is readily available. I don’t find it as salty as pretzel salt.
Make Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites by air frying according to the recipe. After the bites are finished cooking, dip them in melted butter and roll in a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Don’t overcrowd your air fryer. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer. I used a 4 quart air fryer and made this recipe in 3 batches.
Make sure your pizza dough is at room temperature before you work with it. If you find it sticky, use a little all-purpose flour.
I like using a pizza cutter to cut the dough into pieces.
You can roll the dough pieces into balls or leave them as cut for a more traditional pretzel bite shape.
DO NOT SKIP the baking soda bath. You need to do this to achieve the characteristic pretzel texture.
Keep an eye on your pretzel bites. All air fryers are different so cooking times may vary slightly.
Don’t use cooking spray in your air fryer basket. It can ruin the coating. Use an oil sprayer filled with grapeseed oil, olive oil, or another kind of cooking oil.
If your air fryer doesn’t have the 390F temperature setting, don’t fret! Use the next closest temperature on your air fryer. You’ll keep an eye on the first batch anyways so you’ll know the perfect time for your particular brand and model of air fryer.

Storage Instructions

Store any leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for 1 to 2 days in an airtight container or bag. You can reheat them in the air fryer at 300F for 2 minutes or until hot.

Can I Freeze?

Yes, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Make the pretzel bites as directed and let them cool completely. Then place on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 1 hour. This way they won’t all freeze together in one massive pretzel lump of dough.

Place the bites in a freezer bag (make sure to label) and store in your freezer.

When you are ready to enjoy, thaw them out and then heat in the air fryer. Yum!

Can I Make Ahead?

Yes! I recommend getting the dough ready and then refrigerating for up to 1 day. When you are ready to air fry, let it come to room temperature and continue on with the recipe.

Dipping Sauce Recommendations

Some yummy suggestions for dunking!

Honey mustard
Beer cheese dip
Whipped cream cheese
Cheese sauce
Hummus
Mustard sauce
Pizza dip
Creamy salsa dip

Air Fryer Appetizers

You’ll also like these Air Fryer Crab Cakes.

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