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The easiest Homemade Pretzel Bagels with double the salt and a little extra butter too. A mix between a soft, buttery, salty pretzel and a slightly chewy bagel. They’re airy, perfectly salted, and every last bite is oh so buttery…the best of both worlds. These bagels are made using only pantry staples, require very little prep work, and are truly easier than heading out to your local bagel shop. The perfect baking project any day of the week (what day of the week is it again)!

overhead photo of Easy Homemade Pretzel Bagels

I think the one thing we can all agree on right now is that a good project is just what we need. Not that these bagels are difficult by any means, but they are bagels. They require using your hands, your focus, and they’re sure to distract your mind from any anxiety you might have. Even if it’s only for an hour or so. Some days (maybe more than others) just call for a good baking distraction.

Sure, watching TV is great, but the returns from baking are far more delicious, especially when the baked goods are salty, buttery, pretzel bagels.

I mean, right? Yes, yes, there’s really nothing better than fresh baked goods.

In all seriousness, I made these bagels over the weekend after contemplating making them for weeks. I wasn’t really sure how you all would feel about baking homemade bagels. But I also knew a homemade pretzel bagel had the potential to be incredible, and truthfully, I was stressed. I needed the distraction myself. So, I decided to give them a try, and after just one test, I knew this was a recipe that needed to be shared. These aren’t your average bagels…they’re BETTER, and super easy too!

Fair warning, the butter plus salt combination does make these bagels a little bit addicting…

prep photo of dough before shaping

Here’s how you make these pretzel bagels.

If you’ve never made bagels, I know they can be intimidating, but the truth is, they’re really pretty simple. Especially with this recipe.

My trick is to use instant yeast, which makes mixing up the dough easy and keeps the rising time very minimal. What’s really awesome is that these bagels require no fancy ingredients. Just water, yeast, molasses or honey, flour, salt, and butter.

That’s it. And if you have a kitchen with anything stocked in it, then you most likely have these ingredients on hand. I will say that using pretzel salt can elevate your bagels just a smidge. But of course, you can also use a good Kosher salt or flaky sea salt. They’re all salt, just different sizes, so it all works!

prep photo of bagels on baking sheet before boiling

Now, mix and shape the pretzel bagel dough.

Start by mixing the dough, then let it rise. This takes anywhere from one to two hours, it just depends how warm your kitchen is. Once the dough has doubled in size, shape the dough into bagels. Meaning, roll into balls, punch a hole through the center of each ball, and create a bagel shape. EASY.

The trickiest part about bagels is the boiling process, which actually isn’t tricky at all. Simply drop the bagels, a few at a time, into the boiling water and boil until they float. Boiling the bagels before baking gives them that chew factor, and that classic “bagel” taste. Pretzels are cooked in the same way.

prep photo of bagels boiling in water

On to the baking.

Brush each bagel with a beaten egg. This will give them a nice golden color.

Then the next step is KEY. Bake the bagels, but about halfway through cooking, remove them from the oven and brush each generously with melted butter, and then sprinkle the salt. That’s the “pretzel” portion…and honestly? It’s the best part.

Return the bagels to the oven and minutes later you’ll have hot, buttery, salty pretzel bagels all ready to be eaten. And yes, your kitchen will smell better than your local bagel shop, trust me. Hints of butter, soft bread baking, and somehow you can almost smell the salt in the air.

It’s a wonderful thing.

side angled photo of Easy Homemade Pretzel Bagels

A couple of notes…

First, these bagels disappear quickly. If you want to have leftovers to freeze, I’d recommend doubling the recipe. Make a dozen for the week and a dozen to freeze and have ready at a moment’s notices.

These bagels are insanely delicious right out of the oven served with additional butter or a smear of cream cheese. They’re also great toasted and enjoyed for breakfast. Or use them to make your favorite sandwich. You can even serve them alongside dinner. The salt makes them perfect for just about any time of day.

Second, I highly recommend freezing any bagels that aren’t eaten right away. The salt on top can cause the bagels to get soggy while being stored. Still perfectly good to eat, just not as enjoyable as when they are frozen and then toasted.

overhead close up photo of Easy Homemade Pretzel Bagels

Oh! And one last idea, if you’re looking for something on the sweeter side, do this. Slice your pretzel bagel in half, toast it, butter it (be generous), and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Oh. So. Good.

So, with that thought? Who’s making pretzel bagels today? And how will you enjoy them?

PS. Asher and my mom have declared these their new favorite snack…but they love any kind of bread…especially when salt is added.

PSS. Looking for other bagel options…try these!

overhead photo of Easy Homemade Pretzel Bagels with 1 bagel cut in half

If you make these easy homemade pretzel bagels, 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!

Homemade Pretzel Bagels

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 10 bagels
Calories Per Serving: 364 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast, molasses, flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons softened butter. Knead until the dough comes together, about 1-2 minutes. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
    2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    3. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and place on your counter, using a little more flour if needed to prevent from sticking. Divide dough into 10-12 balls. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your finger to poke a hole in the middle. Gently stretch the dough until the hole is about 1/2-1 inch big. Place the bagel on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover the baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel and let the bagels rise for about 15 minutes.
    4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Lower 2-3 bagels at a time into the water. Boil for 3 minutes then flip to the other side and boil for 1-2 additional minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bagels from the pot letting the water drain. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until you've boiled all of the bagels.
    5. Brush each bagel with the beaten egg. Make sure there is no water piled up next to the bagels. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter over each of the bagels. Generously sprinkle each bagel with salt. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until the bagels are golden brown. Let cool. Slice, toast, eat whole, slathered with butter or cream cheese!

Notes

Storing: Bagels will keep for 4-5 days in a sealed storage bag. But you may prefer to freeze them, as the salt on the bagels will begin to make them soggy.
Freezing: Bagels can be frozen for up to 4 months in a freezer safe container. 
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm water and honey/molasses. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe. 
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour
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Comments

  1. Any suggestions on how to make some of this ahead of time? Would like to make for a family brunch. Maybe the night before?

    1. Hi Tara,
      Yes you can totally do the steps up until boiling and save that for the next day. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

    1. Hi Kristen,
      Just mix by hand with a wooden spoon and then knead for a few minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I usually don’t eat bagels because of the high carb count and density. But these are worth it. Any idea of the carb count roughly?
    They are so good, I love your recipes!

  3. About to try this! It would be really lovely if you could add to your recipe instructions when an ingredient is divided. I’ve noticed this is something not done in your cookbooks or website. I’d really appreciate it! Love your recipes. Thank you.

  4. 3 stars
    I was so excited to try this recipe and it’s been such a fail. I’m gluten free and used the Cup4Cup GF flour and followed all the instructions. It raised but didn’t quite double and when I tried to roll them into a ball, the dough just crumbled everywhere. I tried adding more xanthan gum to help with consistency but the dough feels far too dry at this point. Have you had any feedback on GF versions? I’d love to try this again but feel I need a different approach.

  5. 5 stars
    Love this recipe. This is the second time I made them but this time I actually proofed the yeast as you mentioned in the *Note. I don’t like how the dough turned out this time….way too airy BUT still good. I think I will just put the yeast flour water and molasses all together like before. Also I used Steen’s Pure Cane syrup both times as that’s what I had as it’s basically the same as molasses….perfect! I just need to work on shaping the bagels better ?

    1. Hi Melissa! I am sorry this did not turn out well for you this time! Please let me know if I can help! xTieghan

  6. I just made these and they are really good. My dough was really sticky after proofing so I ended up having to reshape them before I put them in the water. I might not have added enough flour; it’s hard to be focused with a two year old in the kitchen. I lowered the temperature and only ended up baking mine for a total of 15 minutes. Overall, excellent recipe that I’ll definitely make again.

  7. 5 stars
    Omg these are AMAZE! I altered a few things based on some commentators.
    – I boiled 1min per side and pulled them out.
    – I blotted the crap out of the bagels to make sure there wasn’t any water anywhere to be found haha.
    – The baking heat seemed a little high after the first 10 min at 425 so I turned it down to 400 and baked for another 6min.
    They are perfect and delicious! I was getting ready to put them in the freezer and my boyfriend goes, “what are you doing?! We’re eating those all week!”

  8. I made these using Active Dry Yeast, and the dough made 12 HUGE bagels. I followed the boiling directions, but 9 of the 12 bagels did not cook enough and at the end of the recipe we still had mushy, moist bagels. The water for boiling got pretty yucky and full of bits of dough, are we meant to use a fresh pot of water for every 2-3 bagels? Any ideas why the bagels did not cook properly? The smell and taste of the first few bagels were fantastic, though.

    1. Hey Braden! Try making smaller bagels. I’d suggest making 16-18 bagels. It sounds like your bagels are just rising too much and getting too big. Making smaller bagels should solve the issue. No need to change out the water either. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

  9. Thanks for this recipe, Tiegan! I finally was able to get my hands on some yeast during this coronacation and got to make this recipe. I got 15 bagels, a pretzel and a pretzel stick out of the batch. They were all eaten REALLY FAST by my husband and four sons. Like ridiculously fast. My only issue is that they didn’t bake up nice and dark like yours and I don’t know why. Will definitely be making this again!

    1. Wow that is so amazing to hear! I am really glad this turned out so well for you all! Did you add the egg wash and butter at the end? xTieghan

  10. Hi Tieghan!
    If I just wanted to do a plain bagel and skip the salt would I follow this recipe? If not, any suggestions on how I can modify your recipe for a traditional plain?
    Thank you!! Love love your blog and recipes! Tonight, I’m doing the Thai Pepper Chicken! So excited 🙂

  11. 5 stars
    Five star review from me and the kids. We did half since this was our first attempt at bagels. So delicious! We added some everything seasoning on some too, equally delicious!

    1. Hi Vikki! It is not necessary to! Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love these bagels! xTieghan

  12. 5 stars
    Just got done making these! Omg so good. LOVE the pretzel bagel hybrid and am so excited to have one with cream cheese and lox tomorrow. I did half with sea salt half with everything everything bagel seasoning. Had a bite of both before bed and I think the classic sea salt is the way to go! Easier recipe than other bagel recipes I’ve tried with a fun twist. Thank you!

    1. Wow sounds amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Erin! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan