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Hard Cider Pretzels with Creamy Honey Mustard, simply the best! Homemade soft pretzel dough made with autumn spiced cider and baked until golden. These pretzels are soft, chewy, and rich with autumn flavors. Serve each salty pretzel up with a creamy spicy honey mustard…such a classic and SO GOOD. Serve these up for game day or as a delicious appetizer for any party.
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Are you ready to enter a new season? With Labor Day now behind us, I’m so excited to slowly begin to embrace the autumn season. I know it’s still summer for two more weeks, and I’m not breaking out the pumpkin just yet. But with the temps dropping, and our leaves turning, fall is creeping in!
For me, September is apple season, I save the pumpkin for October and November. But in September, I try my best to really embrace the fall apples.
So here we go with our first fall-like recipe of the year, Hard Cider Pretzels. Yes, these soft pretzels have a little cider mixed in, one of my favorite autumn ingredients.
The Idea
I stole this idea from myself kind. A few years back I shared these pumpkin beer pretzels with chipotle queso. They’re always one of my favorite appetizers to make come October.
When I was thinking about fall recipes, I couldn’t get my mind off of soft pretzels. I had a good handful of ideas in my head, but these just sounded so perfect. Simple, but so perfect.
Using cider in the dough adds a slight warmth to the pretzels with notes of warming spices and sweet apples. It’s faint, so you don’t know it’s there necessarily, but it makes the pretzels a little more special than all the rest.
Fun fact, I really love soft pretzels…
Over the years I’ve created a good amount of fun pretzel recipes.
My first pretzel recipe was these hot buttered rum cinnamon sugar stuffed soft pretzels. And then these sweet peanut butter cup soft pretzel ice cream sandwiches. Next were my Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Soft Pretzels (legit, these are the BEST thing ever). Then came everyone’s favorite, Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels. And then my favorite, pumpkin beer pretzels with queso.
Yeah, we love soft pretzels. Pretty sure I get my love of buttery soft pretzels from mom. She loves them too, but then are you surprised?
What’s not to love about salty, buttery carbs? They’re just too good!
Onto the details, start with the pretzels
Making soft pretzels is easy. First, you’ll need a nice, good quality, apple cider, both hard and regular will work. Then just some yeast, honey, flour, butter, and salt. Super simple ingredients. Simply knead everything together in a mixer and let the dough rise.
The pretzel dough is very easy to work with, so don’t let anything intimidate you!
When the dough is ready, just divide it into 8 equal balls, roll them out into long ropes, and twist each into a pretzel. Use the photos for guidance, but I promise this is easy!
And remember, they don’t need to be perfect.
Boil and bake the pretzels
Once the pretzels are shaped, boil them in water mixed with baking soda. The baking soda in the water helps the pretzels achieve that soft, chewy texture we all love so much!
When you have all the pretzels boiled, brush them with a beaten egg, then sprinkle with salt. I love using this pretzel salt, it’s so good.
While the pretzels bake, make the honey mustard
I love to make a creamy spicy honey mustard with high-quality olive oil, mayo, honey, and Dijon, plus chili powder and cayenne for a nice kick.
This is so quick to mix up, which is great for easy fall entertaining!
When the pretzels are done baking, you have to serve these up warm. When they’re warm, they’re perfectly soft, doughy, buttery, and have the slightest notes of warming autumn flakes.
Then just add the spicy, creamy honey mustard for dipping – perfection!
Looking forward to making these all month long. Great for Sunday game nights, and dinner parties to come. These are the perfect laid-back appetizer. And let’s be real, everyone loves a warm pretzel with honey mustard for dipping.
So good.
Looking for other fun fall appetizers? Here are a few ideas:
Pumpkin Beer Pretzels with Chipotle Queso
Pastry Wrapped Baked Brie with Maple Butter Roasted Apples
Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Cheddar Flaky Pastries
Everything Ranch Cheese and Pretzel Snack Mix
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Strombolis
Lastly, if you make these Hard Cider Pretzels with Creamy Honey Mustard, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Hard Cider Pretzels with Creamy Honey Mustard
Ingredients
Pretzels
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 bottle (12 ounce) hard cider
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten
- coarse pretzel salt or sea salt
Creamy Honey Mustard
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil based mayo
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Combine the water, honey, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes, until bubbly on top.2. Add the cider, butter, flour, and salt. Mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1-2 hours.3. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. 4. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Roll each ball into a long rope. To shape into pretzels, take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. 5. Add the baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the pretzels, 1-2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place the pretzel on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the pretzels with the egg and sprinkle liberally with salt. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.6. Meanwhile, make the honey mustard. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. 7. Serve the pretzels warm, with lots of honey mustard for dipping.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I tried to make these yesterday for the Super Bowl but they didn’t work out for me 🙁 a couple of suggestions – 1) list out the ingredients in weight and test with that weight. I never use volume when I work with bread because it tends to yield inconsistent results. For this recipe, I converted to weight and it seemed like I needed a lot more flour 2) list the brand of hard cider to use. I used angry orchard crisp apple, the dough seemed good before I left it to rise, but after the rise it was so wet I couldn’t handle it without adding copious amounts of more flour, not sure if this had to do with the cider
Hi Maria,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear they did not turn out for you. You can always convert my recipes to metric by clicking the “metric” button under the list of ingredients. I also used Angry Orchard cider so I don’t think that was the issue. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
I’d love to make these for a party I’m having. I’m wondering how long they keep – how far ahead of time can I make them? I know you said to serve warm but are they okay to serve cold?
Thanks!
Hi Jodi,
Sure, you could make them a day in advance and serve at room temp. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi! I’m wondering if you can sub the hard cider for sparkling cider or regular cider?
Hey Leah,
Sure, either of those will work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I’ve made this once with a hard cider that wasn’t flavored, they turned out great. Do you think it would taste weird if I used a flavored cider? Like blackberry or cherry or something?
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried that before so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
I’ve used all kinds of flavored cider: cherry, plum, apple cinnamon, and they all tasted great. No noticeable difference in flavor.
These are a good idea, however, choose wisely about what beer you add. My pretzels were nasty because of it.
Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything I can do to help? xT
So good! First time making pretzels at home and it was a success!
Love to hear that!! Thanks Vanessa! xT
How would you suggest changing the recipe to make pretzel bites instead? Thanks!
Hi there! Just cut them into smaller pieces and probably bake a little less time! xT
Hi! Love these, I’m wondering if they need to be stored in the fridge or on the counter?
Hey Rebecca,
So glad this recipe was enjoyed! You can store these in an airtight container on the counter. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I really like this recipe. Wondering how they would be if you wrapped the leftovers individually and put them in the freezer? Would you re-heat them?
Hi there! I would maybe bake them covered so they don’t burn to reheat or pop them in the microwave!
Hi! If I don’t have a stand mixer, can I knead the dough by hand? If so, any directions for that?
Hi there! i would mix with a wooden spoon and then knead for 3-4 mins! xT
Hi! I want to try these for a party and want to make ahead. Do they have to be served warm? Or do they taste okay at room temp? Thank you!
Hi Scarlet! I would definitely recommend serving warm but room temp would be fine as well! xT
Do I need to put the cider in it? Will it be okay if I take the cider out?
Hi there! Yes, you definitely need the cider in this recipe! xT
The flavor in these is amazing! The dough was pretty soft and sticky so shaping them was challenging, but they still baked up nicely. They just weren’t pretty. I’m making them again very soon.
Could I switch out the hard cider for beer? I’m not a hard cider person but I always have beer on hand! Does the cider change the flavor at all?
Hi! Yes, that should work just fine! xT
Can I make the dough ahead of time (24 hrs)?
Hi Emma! Yes, that should be fine! xT
Can you make the dough ahead of time and put in the fridge overnight?
Hi Chelsey! Yes, I believe that should be fine! xT
Made these tonight… ready for some KC Chiefs! Thanks so much for the recipe! It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be!9
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed these pretzels! xT