How to Make Pretzels Without Yeast: No-Yeast Pretzel Recipe

Pretzels, which can be hard or soft, are a type of bread that uses yeast as a leavening agent. Commercial pretzels develop their signature golden-brown and crispy exterior as a result of a lye solution—a mixture of food-grade lye and boiling water. Producers submerge the pretzels in this solution prior to baking them. The process is similar to that for making bagels. Homemade pretzel recipes rely on a baking soda bath to achieve this same effect, since lye is difficult and dangerous to work with, especially for beginners.

It is possible to make no-yeast pretzels, which omit yeast but still achieve the soft and chewy or hard and crunchy texture of classic soft or hard pretzels. You can accomplish this by using a leavening agent besides yeast, such as baking powder, baking soda, or a sourdough starter. The latter will achieve results that are the most similar to those of dry yeast. However, baking powder and baking soda will still give lift to the dough and mimic the air bubbles yeast provides pretzels.

To make homemade soft pretzels without yeast, try one of these three leavening agents.

1. 1. Baking powder: Encouraging baked goods to rise up instead of out, baking powder is a leavening agent option for soft pretzels. The baking powder gives the pretzels a fluffy texture by creating air pockets in the dough as the pretzel cooks. An alternative to all-purpose flour, self-rising flour—which already contains baking powder—is a common ingredient in no-yeast pretzels.
2. 2. Baking soda: Combine baking soda with an acid, like vinegar or lemon, to force the baking soda to give off carbon dioxide, which provides lift and spread to baked goods like soft pretzels.
3. 3. Sourdough starter: A natural yeast, such as a sourdough starter, gives the pretzels the light and airy texture of using dry yeast as well as a tangy flavor. Make the sourdough starter ahead of time and make sure it’s alive before you begin a sourdough pretzel recipe.

Substituting an alternative leavening agent for yeast to make soft pretzels is an option. Follow the tips below for soft and chewy no-yeast pretzels.

1. 1. Add flavor. Melted butter and coarse salt are classic toppings for soft pretzels, but cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips, and cheddar cheese are other flavor options. Mix chocolate chips and cheese right into the pretzel dough. Coat the pretzels in cinnamon sugar after they bake.
2. 2. Brush the top with a baking soda solution. Instead of dipping the whole pretzel in a mixture of baking soda and warm water, brush the mixture on top of the pretzels instead of an egg wash. Then sprinkle on the coarse salt.
3. 3. Reheat the pretzels in an air fryer. Freeze the pretzels to serve later and reheat them one at a time in an air fryer. To revive the flavor, brush the pretzels with more melted butter and add more of the topping, whether it’s cinnamon sugar or coarse salt.
4. 4. Work quickly. Leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda start working almost immediately after you mix them with a type of liquid. Since there is no yeast, the dough doesn’t have to sit for a long time—only a few minutes to allow the gluten to form.