These Mini Butter Garlic Pretzels are the perfect snacking size! Serve them piled high for a game day snack or alongside pasta instead of garlic bread. Crazy good!

Photography Credit: Nick Evans

Homemade pretzels are a great baking project for beginner bakers. The dough is easy to pull together, it’s fun to shape and boil them, and you can customize them to your liking.

These mini garlic butter pretzels are easier to handle than the full-sized version! They cook faster and you can pile them up for a party snack or serve them alongside pasta instead of the classic garlic bread.

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TIPS FOR SHAPING HOMEMADE PRETZELS

To make a pretzel, roll the dough into a thin strand about 12-14 inches long, then make a loop out of it and twist the ends of the dough. Wrap those ends back up to the top of the loop and a pretzel is born!

The good news is that even if the pretzel doesn’t look perfect, it will absolutely bake the same and be just as delicious. Ugly pretzels taste great! (And if I’m being honest, I’m not a pro at pretzel shaping. You get better once you do a few, but for some reason, I’d still get one occasionally that looked a bit funky.)

WHAT TO SERVE WITH GARLIC BUTTER PRETZELS

I like to make a meal out of these pretzels by serving them alongside an Italian main like spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna.

They are also great served alone as an appetizer; they don’t even need any sort of dip! But if you want a dip, I’d go with a cheese dip or a marinara sauce.

SUGGESTIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR GARLIC BUTTER PRETZELS

If you’re out of garlic , substitute one tablespoon granulated garlic instead of the fresh garlic.

, substitute one tablespoon granulated garlic instead of the fresh garlic. For a heartier pretzel, substitute whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour (although note you will lose some of that soft texture that people love in a pretzel).

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS FOR GARLIC BUTTER PRETZELS

The pretzel dough can be made up to a day in advance and stored in the fridge; just make sure to let the dough come to room temperature before shaping, boiling, and baking.

Also, the pretzels keep really well for a few days so feel free to make them in advance of any event!

STORING, FREEZING, AND REHEATING GARLIC BUTTER PRETZELS

The finished pretzels are fine in an airtight container on the counter for a day or two. If you need to store them longer than that, keep them in the fridge for up to a week. They don’t freeze well once you have tossed them with the garlic butter sauce and the fresh parsley.

To reheat, toss the pretzels in a low 300˚F oven for a few minutes until they are brought back to life.

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