Air Fryer Pretzel Bites

Air Fryer Pretzel Bites are the ultimate appetizer, ready in minutes, and 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 favorite 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 This Recipe

• 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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The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

• 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 Air Fryer Pretzel Bites

Follow along to learn how to make air fryer pretzel bites.

• Step One: In a small saucepan, combine 4 cups water and baking soda. Heat on low, stirring until the baking soda dissolves. Keep on low while preparing dough.
• Step Two: While heating the water, portion the dough into four 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 the air fryer to 390°F with a 5-minute cooking time.
• Step Four: Drop several pieces of dough into the warm water and remove all with a slotted spoon after 10 seconds. Set on a plate or piece of parchment paper, leaving room between the pieces. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• Step Five: Make an egg wash by beating the egg and one 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 the 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 the remaining dough in batches. Serve plain, with cheese sauce or mustard.

What to Serve with Them

• Ham and Cheese Sliders
• Grape Jelly Meatballs
• Crab Dip
• Oven Baked Chicken Wings
• Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

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 ½ cup sugar and one 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.
• Ensure your pizza dough is at room temperature before working 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 390°F temperature setting, don’t fret! Use the next closest temperature on your air fryer. You’ll keep an eye on the first batch anyway so you know the perfect time for your particular brand and air fryer model.

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 300°F 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 (label them) and store them in your freezer. 

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

Can I Make Ahead?

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

Dipping Sauce Recommendations

Some yummy suggestions for dunking!

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

Air Fryer Appetizers

• Air Fryer Fried Pickles
• Air Fryer Ravioli
• Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
• Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
• Air Fryer Corn Ribs

You’ll also like Pigs in a Blanket and Air Fryer Crab Cakes.

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