These easy air fryer pretzel bites are the perfect salty, soft, and chewy appetizer for any party, game day, or family gathering! This easy recipe features refrigerated pizza dough and a few ingredients for a simple egg wash to brush on the bites before they air fry. Serve them with some tasty cheese dip, ranch dip, or your favorite mustard for a shareable snack everyone will love!
Air Fryer Pretzel Bites Recipe
If you're a fan of traditional soft pretzels, you're going to love these air fryer pretzel bites! Perfectly crunchy and salty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, they're sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The bites are incredibly simple to prepare and with the help of your air fryer, you can have them ready in less than 20 minutes! Whether you are looking for a quick snack to munch on or need an easy appetizer to bring to a party, this recipe will become a new family favorite.
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For more easy and flavorful appetizer ideas that you can whip up in no time, check out my full collection of air fryer appetizer recipes! I also have an easy air fryer recipe post that is full of side dishes, entrees, and kid favorites!
🥘 Air Fryer Pretzel Bites Ingredients
All it takes is a handful of basic ingredients to make a delicious and shareable appetizer everyone will love! The star of this recipe is the refrigerated pizza dough making this recipe extra easy and quick.
- Baking Soda - ⅓ cup of baking soda.
- Water - 4 cups of water.
- Pizza Dough - 13.8-ounce Pillsbury pizza crust original or classic, or use any refrigerated pizza dough. Alternatively, if you have homemade pizza dough on hand, you can also use that.
- Egg - 1 large egg beaten for the egg wash.
- Cream - 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or a heavy cream substitute like half & half, milk, or water for the egg wash.
- Kosher Salt - ½ tablespoon Kosher salt or coarse grain salt.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
Although there are a few preparation steps before the air fryer takes over, these pretzel bites are beginner-friendly! Grab your cutting board, a chef's knife, a basting brush, an air fryer, and silicone kitchen tongs to begin!
A 13.8-ounce Pillsbury canned pizza crust will make around 8 servings or 32 pretzel bites. You can always scale up if you need to if you work in batches!
Prep Dough
- Prep. Get started by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and bringing the 4 cups water and ⅓ cup baking soda to a boil. *See notes about how to make your air fryer pretzel bites even better.
- Slice dough. Open the 13.8-ounce Pillsbury canned pizza crust without unrolling the dough. Slice the rolled dough into 8 portions that are approximately 1 inch thick. Then slice each of these portions into quarters (32 pieces).
- Roll dough. Pinch the ends of each cut piece together and roll into a ball - the shaped dough doesn't need to be perfect; it will puff while cooking.
- Boil dough balls. Place the dough in the boiling water once it reaches a full rolling boil (boiling water that is constantly bubbling throughout the whole water surface, not just on the outside border). Boil the dough balls in groups of 5-6 pieces and submerge them for about 30 seconds. Remove the balls using a slotted spoon and transfer them to your parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Brush With Egg Wash & Air Fry
- Brush. In a small bowl, beat the 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, then brush over each of the 'pretzel' bites. Sprinkle them all over with ½ tablespoon of Kosher salt.
- Air fry bites. Air fry the pretzel balls in batches, leaving enough space between them for the air to circulate. Fry at 350°F (175°C) for 5-8 minutes. The bites will turn golden and are fully cooked when a toothpick comes out clean.
Serve your pretzel bites with your favorite dipping sauce, like my cheese dip for pretzels or homemade ranch dressing! For an easy appetizer spread, check out my air fryer meatballs, air fryer chicken wings, and air fryer jalapeno poppers! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- See my pretzel buns recipe for how to bake your baking soda. This raises the pH level of the baking soda and gives your pretzel bites a deeper, richer color and that pretzel texture (crispy outside, chewy inside).
- Allow the baking soda water to return to a boil before adding another batch of dough.
- Be careful with the salt (it dissolves in the egg wash); you may be tempted to keep sprinkling. Once you salt a dough portion, move on, and don't add more.
- Consecutive pretzel bite batches may cook faster once the air fryer is heated. Check at 4-5 minutes.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Place the cooled air fryer pretzel bites in a shallow airtight container and keep them refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
Freezing Pretzel Bites
Once the pretzel bites are fully cooled, place them into a freezer storage container with parchment paper sheets between layers (if needed). Store in your freezer and enjoy within 3 months.
Reheating Pretzel Bites
These don't necessarily need to be reheated to enjoy at a later date, but if you do want them toasty, reheat the leftover pretzel bites in your air fryer. Set them at 350°F (175°C) and heat them until warmed to your satisfaction.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you have a package of frozen pizza dough in your freezer, you can use it for this recipe. Thaw the dough according to the package instructions before slicing it into smaller portions.
The pretzel bites should be golden brown and crispy on the outside when they are done cooking. You can use a toothpick to check the inside for doneness. If it comes out clean, your bites are ready to serve.
Air fryer pretzel bites go well with a variety of dipping sauces, including mustard, cheese sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or honey mustard. You can also try experimenting with other sauces like garlic aioli, sriracha mayo, or my Cajun dipping sauce for a kick of flavor.
🥨 More Great Air Fryer Appetizers
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers - These poppers are easy to make and have the perfect combination of spicy, creamy, and crunchy!
- Air Fryer Frozen Mac & Cheese Bites - An easy snack or appetizer for the whole family!
- Air Fryer Pork Belly - Frying pork belly in the air fryer is incredibly easy, and no oil is required!
- Air Fryer Frozen Popcorn Chicken - A quick and easy way to get your fried chicken fix!
- Air Fryer Pigs In A Blanket - Little Smokies sausages are rolled in crescent rolls to make an easy and delicious appetizer!
- Air Fryer BBQ Little Smokies - This sausage appetizer has sweet and savory flavors!
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📖 Recipe Card
Easy Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup baking soda
- 4 cups water
- 13.8 oz Pillsbury pizza crust (original or classic)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or half & half, milk, or water)
- ½ tablespoon Kosher salt
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Get started by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and bringing the water and baking soda to a boil. *See notes about how to make these easy air fryer pretzel bites even better.
- Open the canned pizza crust dough without unrolling the dough. Slice the rolled dough into 8 portions that are approximately 1 inch thick. Then slice each of these portions into quarters (32 pieces).
- Pinch the ends of each cut piece together and roll the dough into a ball - the shaped dough doesn't need to be perfect; it will puff while cooking.
- Place the dough in the boiling water once it reaches a full rolling boil (water that is constantly bubbling throughout the whole water surface, not just on the outside border). Boil the dough balls in groups of 5-6 pieces and submerge them for about 30 seconds. Remove the balls using a slotted spoon and transfer them to your parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg with heavy cream then brush over each of the 'pretzel' bites. Sprinkle them all over with Kosher salt.
- Air fry the pretzel balls in batches, leaving enough space between them for the air to circulate. Fry at 350°F (175°C) for 5-8 minutes. The bites will turn golden and are fully cooked when a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- See my pretzel buns recipe for how to bake your baking soda. This raises the pH level of the baking soda and gives your pretzel bites a deeper, richer color and that pretzel texture (crispy outside, chewy inside).
- Allow the baking soda water to return to a boil before adding another batch of dough.
- Be careful with the salt (it dissolves in the egg wash) and you may be tempted to keep sprinkling. Once you salt a dough portion, move on, and don't add more. 🙂
- Consecutive pretzel bite batches may cook faster once the air fryer is heated. Check at 4-5 minutes.
- To store: Place the cooled air fryer pretzel bites in a shallow airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
- To freeze: Once the pretzel bites are fully cooled, place them into a freezer storage container with parchment paper sheets between layers (if needed). Store in your freezer and enjoy within 3 months.
- To reheat: These don't necessarily need to be reheated to enjoy at a later date, but if you do want them toasty reheat the leftover pretzel bites in your air fryer. Set them at 350°F (175°C) and heat them until they are warmed to your satisfaction.
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