This shortcut recipe for Canned Biscuit Pretzel Bites uses a can of refrigerated biscuit dough to make warm, crispy, doughy pretzels that taste just like the ones from the mall!
Bread is just about one of the best things in the world. And when bread is in the form of a pretzel it can be pretty dang delicious! But, what if I told you that you can make these perfectly satisfying pretzel bites, previously inhaled only once a year at the county fair, with just a can of refrigerated biscuit dough? It’s for real. And it’s life changing.
I have been in the kitchen testing this recipe for a while now after seeing something similar. Being thorough, I tested canned pizza crust, canned French bread, biscuits, and that refrigerated raw pizza dough that you can find in the bakery section of many grocery stores.
While the canned French bread and pizza crust yielded a beautiful bake, the texture and flavor just wasn’t quite right. The super market bakery pizza dough was amazing – perfect texture and bake which is fully due in part to it containing yeast, unlike the canned varieties. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a supermarket with an extensive bakery that offers ready made pizza dough. And you know that I want y’all to be able to get your hands on everything I use in my recipes, so we passed on that. If you do find that, I would definitely say to use it in place of the biscuits in this recipe.
We did find that canned biscuits ended up giving us a light and fluffy bite with a crispy exterior. That combined with the pretty much universal availability made it the right choice for these.
When it comes to turning this dough into pretzels, there’s a crucial step that can’t be skipped and that’s a quick dip in baking soda water. This helps the pretzel get its dark brown color and unique flavor. Now, traditional pretzels were dipped in a lye solution. Yeah, the stuff that they use to make soap and clean drains – just a different strength.
Opting to go with baking soda gives us similar results without having to deal with caustic lye. Now, baking soda water is still caustic, but much less corrosive. Still, you might want to dip your pretzels using a slotted wooden or stainless steel spoon as it will tarnish aluminum services. I know all that sounds scary, but it’s not. I just don’t want you ruining your aluminum pans.
Traditionally, the dip is into boiling water, but it can be a little intimidating and messy. We tested each of the different doughs with a dip in boiling baking soda water and with slightly warm baking soda water. We found not much difference between the two methods and thought the warm dip was much easier.
After finding our favorite baked texture and method, we then tested again with either a melted butter or egg wash topped with salt. The following recipe is our favorite combination. Let’s get into it!
What makes these pretzel bites so easy? By using canned biscuits in this easy recipe, we are avoiding the use of yeast. Yeast is a simple and readily available ingredient, but can be intimidating to bake with. Making sure you have the correct temperature and amount of water along with the rest time and kneading are additional steps that get cut out when you use these canned biscuits.
Topping for a pretzel can vary widely! I am a simple man and enjoy the regular old plain salted pretzel, so we just used a coarse sea salt. You can even find special pretzel salt that has a lighter color and texture. (affiliate link) You could use everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, dried minced onion, or go for a sweeter finish with cinnamon! I included those instructions in the notes section of the recipe below.
Although they are perfect on their own, it’s easy to whip up my Honey Mustard Dressing recipe for dipping! Y’all enjoy!
Recipe Card
Canned Biscuit Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 (16.3-ounce) can refrigerated biscuit dough (8 biscuits) ((I use Pillsbury Grands! Buttermilk Southern Homestyle))
- 2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and carefully roll each piece into a ball. Use a knife to make a small slit in the top of each ball of dough.
- Pour the water into a medium bowl and whisk the baking soda in until it has dissolved.
- Dip each dough ball into the baking soda water and place it, slit side up, onto the prepared pan.
- Brush the dough balls with the melted butter and immediately sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Emylee
They are good would go good with a breakfast dish but I was expecting more pretzel taste. It’s just tiny salty biscuit. It’s good but not what was advertised so I’m honestly disappointed.
Sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations. With this recipe, we’re swapping the traditional yeasted dough for the convenience of using canned biscuits- swapping a little authenticity for ease.
Sheryl
I followed the instructions but I heated the baking soda water , used parchment paper. The first batch came out fine, the second batch suck to the parchment paper. They were good but not great. Going to try again
Thanks for sharing your experience! It sounds like you’re on the right track, but I get how frustrating it can be when things don’t turn out perfectly. Good luck, and I hope the next one turns out great!
April
While they were very yummy, they tasted more like a buttered mini biscuit than a pretzel.
I totally get what you mean. Sometimes convenience does take the front seat, and while they may not taste exactly like traditional pretzels, they can still be pretty delicious in their own right. Glad you enjoyed them!
Joseph Storms
These pretzel bites were fast, easy and tasty. Great to have on game day!
So glad to hear they turned out great for you, Joseph!
JackieO
Doesn’t taste anything like a pretzel. It tastes like a a biscuit.
Sorry to hear they didn’t meet your expectations, Jackie! With shortcut recipes like these, we alwyys sacrifice and little authenticity for convenience. Do you happen to remember the brand and variety of biscuits you used? Did you also do the baking soda dip?
Phoebe B.
I’ve got to go get a can of biscuits! This just reads like a winner. Perfect for Friday night. Thank you!
I’m so glad you’re excited to give it a try! Enjoy!
Penny
these are a great idea!!
Thanks, Penny!
Rita Hayes
Would canned biscuits work to wrap around Conecuh sausage links. I’ve gotten these with pretzel dough, they’re so good. would like to try baking these at home.
I don’t see why not! Let me know if you give it a try.
Marge
I’m thinking about making these for a super bowl party. If I were to make them the day before, will they still be soft enough.
They’ll work, but I think they’re better fresh.
cindy
Perfect
They sure look perfect to me! Thanks for sharing!
cindy
My first batch although good looked more like small biscuts. I made a second batch and cut each biscut into six sections and followed the rest of the instructions. Only thing was I lowered the heat to 375 and baked for 10 minutes. The tast was the great same thing but they were more bite size for me.
Voltak
I mean it tasted good with the melted butter, but they had no resemblance in flavor or texture to soft pretzels. Also I had to bake them twice as long as the instructions at 425°F they were pale white at 9mins.
Thanks for giving them a try! Since this is a shortcut recipe using canned biscuits, they don’t have the exact texture of traditional soft pretzels, but it’s all about balancing convenience with flavor. Baking time can vary by oven, so I appreciate your note on that, too. Brushing with more baking soda solution could help amp up the pretzel vibe.
Nicole
Omg…!!! These take just like the Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Super easy to do!
So glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe, Nicole!
Robin Fuller
I have made these and they are fantastic. Thank you for making this so simple. I love pretzels so much and this recipe is the closest I’ve come to an actual pretzel bite from Auntie Anne’s … if it doesn’t work for you there has to be a problem with what your doing. Mine were perfect.
Glad to hear it, Robin! Thanks!
Emily
Doesnt work lol
Lol. Does work. See my photos.
GRACE BOWLIN
I did use biscuits, they look good, taste good, but nothing like a pretzel. Like my husband said, butter, biscuits, cheese dip and a little sea salt can make anything taste good. lol
I do think more of a pizza dough would be better.
Yep. When we shortcut recipes, we often have to sacrifice somewhere. If you can find the pizza dough, I think, that you’ll find that has more of an authentic flavor.
Bill
Tried with both pizza dough and biscuits and they were horrible. So many other biscuit “pretzel” recipes out there.
Hi Bob! Can you tell me more about what you mean by “horrible”? It’s such a vague description. When you say there are more pretzel recipes out there, what do you mean? Better ones? Can you drop me some links?
Kim Bonnoitt
Can these be cooked in an air fryer?
I would guess so, but can’t say what the instructions should be as I’ve not tested them that way.
Nora
Really, really easy. Two problems tho. They taste nothing like a real pretzel. They taste like a biscuit disguised as a pretzel. They also stuck to the parchment paper quite a bit. I won’t make them again but it was fun to try once. 😂
They are biscuits disguised as pretzels. 😂 That’s why I mention in the blog post that the pizza dough yields the best, most authentic flavor and texture.
Tim
I hate to be negative, since I typically enjoy the recipes I find online and had heard good things about these. While they sounded good in theory and looked good (they were a nice golden brown), they didn’t develop the crispy exterior and tasted quite bitter.
Thanks for the feedback, Tim! Shortcut recipes like this certainly swap some authenticity for convenience. As for the bitterness, that must have been the baking soda.
Boy Mom
We made these with store-bought pizza dough (as suggested) and they were great!! I topped one half of the recipe with butter and coarse salt and the other half with butter, garlic, parmesan, and Italian seasoning. We loved both! The half with coarse salt definitely reminded me of the soft pretzels I’m used to! Also, I *smothered* them in butter; so the bottoms got a beautiful light crunch while still being soft. Just perfect!🤌 My husband and I agree that the coarse salt definitely makes a difference, too. We’re planning on using the salt on the garlic half of the recipe next time, too. Thanks for a great (and simple) recipe to bring home those delicious treats that we can typically only enjoy on special occasions!
So glad to hear they turned out great for you!
Tracey J Davidson
Tasted like salted butter biscuits
Ha! Totally get it. But to be fair, they are salted butter biscuits.
Paula
I made these, for biscuits all I had was the jumbo buttered one. These would’ve been great with the cinnamon. Next time I make them I’ll put on everything bagel seasoning. Now I know what to do with a can of biscuits. I really like them. Thanks
Glad to hear you liked these, Paula!
Craig
Can biscuits be prepped ahead atime.
I would not suggest it. These are really best when fresh.
Iva Bearden
Love these pretzel bites
They’re beautiful!!!
Lori Thurston
Just tastes like a salty biscuit🤷♀️
a
Exactly. No pretzel taste at all. Needs yeast dough
A yeasted dough is certainly best for the most authentic flavor. This is shortcut recipe. And with shortcuts, we usually have to make a sacrifice somewhere.
Bridget
Can these kinds of pretzels be made with canned FLAKY biscuits? (The ones with the layers)
Yes, they’ll just look a little different.
Debbie
What do you use for cheese dipping?
ou could used some store-bought canned cheese dip or could make your own like this: https://www.budgetbytes.com/5-minute-nacho-cheese-sauce/
Darleen
Do you cook them in the baking soda water at all or just dip them and take them back out immediately?
While the traditional method uses boiled baking soda water, our testing found that boiling the water made no noticeable difference. The method has you simply dissolve the baking soda in warm water and dip the biscuits pieces in it. Since it’s just warm and not boiling, there’s no cooking involved in that step. I explain it in a little more detail up in the post.
Glenda
They really didn’t taste like pretzels but we loved them any way we dipped them in a cheese sauce
I’m so glad you liked them!
Ranita L Standridge
I noticed it said serve immediately. Could you say why? As soon as I saw the recipe, I thought THIS is what I want to do for co-workers during November with several dipping sauces. I have a heat sealer and poly bags. Do you think it would work? Thank you Stacey for all you do! Ranita
As with most pretzels they are best served immediately. If you’re wanting to give them as gifts I would give them a trial run and taste them a day after to see how it goes first!
Jodi
These aren’t terrible but I did not find them to be pretzel like. Definitely was looking forward to something other than how they turned out. They still a biscuit for sure but I’m all for dipping things so it was still a win
It sure it hard to make a canned biscuit a pretzel, but we think we got close. You should surely try it with the pizza dough I mention in the post.
Cindy Jordan
Hi Stacey! I made these today with homemade Beer Cheese. Super good! I’ll try and post the picture on Instagram.
That would be great! Can you tag me in it?
Nana
Can’t wait totry. Have you tried cooking these in an air fryrer?
I have not, sure it would work well though!
Susan
I am fortunate to have pizza dough available. Any special instructions for using pizza dough?
No ma’am. Just pinch off a small amount and roll like you would canned biscuits.
LeAnn
Holy Moly! I don’t go to a mall without buying one of those big pretzels or a cup of pretzel bites! This recipe is one I’ll definitely be trying this weekend along with your Peach Dumplings (special request from my Dad). We’re both big fans of your recipes!
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy them!