Soft Gluten Free Pretzels

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Last Updated on February 8, 2024

The perfect Gluten Free Pretzels that are soft, just like the ones at the ballpark! Grain-free, it’s made with Tapioca flour and coconut flour and is yeast-free.

soft gluten free pretzels on a baking sheet sprinkled with salt

I was trying to come up with an English muffin when I created this recipe. Luckily, when I tasted the cooked dough for the first time, I immediately thought of the soft pretzels that you get from the ball park.

For the best results with this recipe bake them, enjoy one or two, and then let them sit out on your counter top over night.

They develop that dryish, stale taste of store-bought pretzels. Well, at least, that is how I like them.

I made these with butter but you can use olive oil or coconut oil as a replacement. However, I’m primal and the butter gives them that same buttery taste of traditional soft pretzels.

Try these Soft Gluten Free Pretzels with mustard and you will be blown away!

soft gluten free pretzels on a baking sheet with salt sprinkled on top.

What you’ll need for this Gluten Free Pretzels recipe

  • Water
  • Coconut oil
  • Sea salt
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Tapioca flour
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Coconut flour
  • Egg

How to make Gluten Free Pretzels

In a small pan melt over medium heat, add the water, butter, salt, and vinegar and bring to a boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and place on your counter top.

Add in the tapioca flour and stir for 2 minutes until you get a wet paste.

Add in the baking soda and powder and stir while the mixture foams – roughly 3 seconds.

Next add in the coconut flour and egg and mix well until you get a dough.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and knead for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you are having issues getting it to combine, you can try putting it into a food processor or Blendtec/Vitamix to get it to form a dough.

Pinch of a 1″ – 2″ piece of dough and roll into a 1/2″ round by 6″ – 7″ log.

Twist into a pretzel shape and place on a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and brush with butter.

Sprinkle coarse salt on the surface and bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.

 Notes and Variations:

Update: I created a video tutorial to help with this recipe.

I have had numerous people try this recipe and it has been hit or miss.  Some people can make this recipe as is and it comes out perfectly.  

Some need to add more tapioca flour to get it work.  Some need to use a food processor or a kitchen stand mixer to get the dough to come out.

There are a lot of factors that go into baking

1) your oven

2) your altitude and humidity  and possibly even the flour you are using.

I only use Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour  in all of my baking.    I would consider this recipe to be an advanced cooking level recipe and you will have to watch the video to make sure your dough looks similar to what I have shown.

Another tip: Read through the comments to see what others have done!

half-eaten gluten free pretzel on a plate

If you like this Soft Gluten Free Pretzels recipe, you’ll love:

Paleo Cinnamon Rolls

Paleo Pretzel Dogs

Paleo Pizza Crust

Did you make and love this recipe?  Give your review below and make sure you share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!

paleo gluten free soft pretzel
Yield: 6

Soft Gluten Free Pretzels

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

These Soft Gluten free Pretzels are chewy just like the ones you get at the ballpark

Instructions

  1. First, please the video in the post before you start this recipe. 
  2. In a small pan melt over medium heat, add the water, coconut oil, salt, and vinegar and bring to a boil.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and place on your counter top.
  4. Add in the tapioca flour[ and stir for 2 minutes until you get a wet paste.
  5. Add in the baking soda and powder and stir while the mixture foams - roughly 3 seconds.
  6. Next add in the coconut flour[ and egg and mix well until you get a dough.
  7. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and knead for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you are having issues getting it to combine, you can try putting it into a food processor or Blendtec/Vitamix to get it to form a dough.
  8. Pinch of a 1" - 2" piece of dough and roll into a 1/2" round by 6" - 7" log.
  9. Twist into a pretzel shape and place on a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and brush with melted ghee.
  10. Sprinkle coarse salt on the surface and bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 1404mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

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180 thoughts on “Soft Gluten Free Pretzels”

  1. I do mostly like the hot soft pretzels so I’m not sure I’d let them dry out like you suggested but I cant wait to try the recipe out regardless. Maybe I’ll eat some right away and then try leaving them out. then I can decide which way works best.

    Reply
  2. My batch is in the oven now. Can I use the leftover dough to make the cinnamon roll recipe? I’m really too lazy to start over but want cinnamon rolls! haha

    Reply
  3. OMG these were so good! They don’t smell so good cooking so my whole family was pretty suspicious but baked up and dipped in some seasoned tomato sauce they struck a home run with the kids. I have orders to pack these in their lunch boxes!

    Reply
  4. Am i missing something? I tried making these with keeping all the ingredients on the stove and it turned out crumby and the flour wouldn’t combine with the other ingredients. I then tried making it AGAIN with just boiling the first step then adding the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. Both times the “dough” crumbles apart and does not make pretzel shapes. Two batches in the garbage.

    Reply
    • I’m sorry you’re having issues with the recipe hun. I’m planning on sharing video tutorials on this and my cinnamon roll recipe later in the month and will email you when they are up.

      Reply
    • Yes, mine did the same but when I threw the whole gooey mess of half combined liquids and flour from the pan in the Blendtec (or a food processor would work great too), they combined super nicely and were the perfect consistency! I was really worried I just wasted all the ingredients at that very same stage and wondered if they would ever combine, but they did perfectly with a little kitchen appliance intervention!!! To help another mom out whose son has other dietary restrictions, I also tried these egg free with an egg replacer (Energy brand) and was floored that they turned out perfectly as well. I used AMAZING recipe!!! Thank you SO much for posting it…my kiddos are in love and now my daughter can have her soft pretzel dough for her school’s alphabet party just like everyone else!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Reply
      • Thank you so much for the tip Renee! Did you by chance watch the video? I’m so glad to hear your kiddo can now be included in her school party now. I never thought of that so that just makes my week!

        Reply
  5. I am making them as I type this. I hope they turn out ok. The dough looked a little funkey. The coconut flour didn’t really want to mix into the mixture that was already there. How do you kneed the dough with it so hot? My fingers were screaming haha! Also, Do you add the coconut flour and egg while pan is still on heat or no?

    Thanks! amazing recipes as always. Im determined to get this one down because I love pretzles!

    Reply
    • You should let the tapoica cool for at least 5 minutes before adding in the coconut flour 🙂 It should be warm but not so hot to touch that it hurts. Remove the pan from the heat, let the tapioca cool and then add in the coconut flour and egg. I hope it worked for you hun!

      Reply
  6. Hi! I was so excited to try the recipe and then…it didn’t work out 🙁 I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong. I followed it to a “t”. The dough, well, I’m not sure I could call it that…it became just this sandy mass that would crumble to pieces if I even just attempted to roll it. I used “tapioca starch flour”, having been told it’s the same as tapioca flour. Could that have been the culprit of my failed attempt? I REALLY want these pretzels to work!!

    Reply
  7. I just tried this recipe after watching the video, to make sure I wouldn’t get the crumbly issue that some got. It didn’t work. i’m not sure what i did wrong, but i’m guessing the problem is with the coconut flour. I’m going to try again soon, but next time i’ll add the coconut flour slowly and add less than the suggested amount and see if that works.

    Reply
  8. Thanks for this recipe! But you really need to give them a sodium bicarb bath prior to baking. This will give them their characteristic brown color. I will try this though!

    Reply
  9. These are great! A little sweeter than expected. I used olive oil instead of butter or ghee. I ended up drizzling them with honey and ground cinnamon.

    Reply
  10. I am wondering if you cooled your liquid ingredients before adding the dry ingredients. I have arrowroot and it tends to be slimy in hot liquids.

    Reply
  11. Can these be made into a pretzle bun, you know for burgers or sandwiches? Not sure if the same oven temp or cook time would be the same or different. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Didn’t work at all. I even added an extra egg…I’ve watched the video twice. :-/ I will try one more time, but I followed the directions to the letter, so I’m not thinking anything is going to change…the dough SMELLS like pretzels though, so I reallllyyy want to try again.

    Reply
  13. Hi Kelly! thanks for the recipe. Just a question though under ‘instructions’ step 1. Do we melt the butter then add the other ingredients?

    Reply
  14. Kelly,
    These are amazing!!!!!!! Thank you for your hard work and dedication in helping people eat healthfully and deliciously. You are awesome!
    Also do you reside in Portland, ME?

    Reply
  15. These were NOT good!! They can’t be called “soft” pretzels. They were crumbly, not flaky soft pretzels. And they were SUPER sweet due to the coconut flour. Someone else said they tasted like coconut dough cookies. Good try…

    Reply
  16. This was my second attempt at making gluten free soft pretzels and they turned out great! (The first time I used another recipe and they were a dry, non-tasty mess 😉 I did need to add another egg, but I suspect that had to do w/the brand of coconut flour that I used. Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
      • These sound amazing! Thank you – I can’t wait to try them! I was wondering though, if I changed the ratio between the coconut flour and tapioca flour? Like adding more tapioca than coconut, keeping the same total {1/2 cup/1cup} amount of flour in the recipe, do you think it would change the stability? Or taste? I don’t love using a ton of of coconut flour as sometimes I feel like it overpowers the taste. I suppose I should just give it a go as is as it seem the majority of people say they are deliscious!

        Reply
  17. I’ve been scouring the web for the best paleo soft pretzel recipe and this is not it, sadly. They are a decent “thing”, but not like the traditional soft pretzels I’m craving. As one poster said, they have a sweet taste from the coconut flour…like a coconut cookie. Mine also turned out VERY soft in the middle…even after cooking for 40 mins (not a good softness, more of a mushy softness). Thanks for your try, but I will keep looking! I will definitely be trying some other recipes from your site, though! The Chocolate cereal recipe looks amazing and the crispy chicken looks good too!

    Reply
  18. i like all the paleo recipes, however…i am a bit concerned about tapioca flour and arrowroot, and such. Arent’ they all processed , besides being all starch…and perhaps not low carb..etc?! Paleo diet suggests eating no carbs or low carb fruits and veggies…am i correct?
    thank you

    Reply
    • Hi Elib, thanks for your questions. First, Paleo is not a low carb diet. However, if you are trying to lose weight you should reduce carbs until you hit your goal weight. Tapioca flour is a gray area food and you should see how your body reacts to it and decide for yourself if it’s something you want to include in your diet. I like it, although I limit it because I am trying to lose weight, because I have an issue with nuts.

      Reply
  19. I tried to make these. The “dough” in the end was very hard to roll into long tubes without it breaking. Was extremely frustrating. I even put it in the food processor to try to help w/ the “dough” consistency of it prior to kneading it and then rolling them into long tubes to make the pretzels.

    Reply
  20. In the recipe you call for 1/2 cup butter, but in the video you pretty obviously use 1/2 stick which is only 1/4 cup. Could that be why many people’s batches turn out bad? I’m going to try it with 1/2 stick instead of 1/2 cup.

    Reply
  21. Hi,

    I made these and I’ve never been a fan of the coconut flour taste and it was soo strong that I couldn’t stand it. Can I substitute all tapioca flour for the coconut flour? Or do you have any other suggestions to avoid coconut flour?

    Thank you!!

    Reply
  22. Hi Kelly!

    Realizing now (AFTER watching your video tutorial, ugh) that I didn’t add enough arrowroot (subbed for tapioca) to make more of a paste and the result is crumbly dough. I don’t want to see it go to waste (has been sitting in the fridge for 2 days) – can you give me any suggestion to make this more “gluey” by adding more arrowroot? Can I just add the powder, or should I make a paste then knead into the dough? Thanks!!

    Reply
  23. Used Olive Oil but when I mixed in the tapioca flour we had liquid left over 1/4 cup that would not absorb, just poured it off and continued on and it all seemed to work out fine, but was wondering why it would not all absorb, any ideas
    Thanks
    Kelly

    Reply
  24. These came out so great I had to comment! The recipe was very forgiving. I was cooking with my three year old who dumped in some extra arrowroot (we subbed for tapioca which I’m sensitive too). I just decreased the coconut flour to compensate. Very happy with the results and thanks for a fantastic recipe! I’m 7 weeks pregnant and have been having the hardest time cooking and eating (which I usually love), so having a random soft pretzel craving and coming across this recipe was such a blessing. Also, I was a little concerned that coconut flour wouldn’t taste good in pretzel form, but so glad I was wrong! We made a cheese sauce to go with that turned out so well too. Thanks again for a fantastic recipe!

    Reply
  25. Hi Kelly! Thanks for this recipe! These tasted so good dipped in a little mustard. My husband and I ate the whole batch! My dough was a little crumbly in that it was fine until the roll got too long so I couldn’t roll it long enough to twist into a pretzel shape so I just rolled them into bite sized balls and called them pretzel bites. Lol! I still baked them for 30 min and they were golden brown and delicious! Thanks again. :0)
    Warmly, Angela

    Reply
  26. First, these are amazing I wrapped them around mini Hebrew National dogs and my kids had pretzel dogs for lunch they were sooo good. I was wondering have you or anyone else subbed almond flour for the coconut flour? I like them the way they are, but my husband doesn’t enjoy coconut flour. Thanks.

    Reply
  27. I followed the directions exactly but my dough did not hold together enough to roll into a rope, so I ended up making pretzel sticks. They were tasty but because of all the coconut flour they tasted nothing like pretzels, more like dense coconut bread. Still great.

    Reply
  28. These were really good, and I was very thankful for the video tutorial!

    One thing I would add to this to make it taste more like a pretzel is to brush the formed dough with sodium bicarbonate water. (water with some baking soda mixed in) After it comes out of the oven, you can dip it in melted grass-fed butter, which gives it that mall-soft-pretzel flavor. Leftover dough refrigerates well too, so that you can bake fresh what you need.

    For anyone having trouble with the recipe, it’s really beneficial to watch the video. DON’T use a whisk to make the tapioca mix “better.” (That was my mistake with my first batch.)

    Reply
  29. Salted or unsalted butter? Or does it not matter? So excited to try these! Thank you! Your video convinced me I could do it!

    Reply
  30. For anyone having trouble… My pretzels (and an attempt at a roll) are baking right now, so I can’t verify anything with regards to flavor yet. However, with regards to the process of getting a dough you can handle:

    Kelly mentions in her video that altitude and such may affect your results. I would imagine the humidity and just general weather, too, might have an effect. I’m in New York City. We had a thunderstorm yesterday and it’s relatively humid compared to past days. I also live on the 17th floor of a an apartment building. So: Not sea level, not dry. It would be interesting for me to try in a dry heat or the dead of winter.

    Anyway, I used half of the recipe since I was just doing a test run. I was able to get a dough that I could actually handle without having it stick all over my fingers. I followed everyone’s comments and her video as a cautionary tale.

    I removed the solution from the heat as soon as all of it was boiled, frothy and bubbling. I waited a bit and then put all the tapioca in. I probably should have waited a smidge longer because after the flour solidified into a sticky substance, there was still a little fluid leftover from the solution, but it turned out fine after some vigorous mixing.

    After letting it cool, I followed the rest of her steps. I also put the coconut flour in only a bit at a time, stirred, and tried to coat the entire “blob” with the coconut flour / egg mix. As the coconut flour seemed to stop incorporating, I put in a bit more egg. I had this luxury because as I had halved the recipe, I had some egg left over. (I had beaten the eggs prior to beginning anything else.) You may want to start with half your egg and a bit of coconut flour, mix, then dump more flour and the rest of your egg in, then continue mixing.

    I ended up with a blob that I could knead into a ball. I was kneading atop a piece of parchment paper that already had some tapioca flour spread on it. Also note that, like in Kelly’s video, I had leftover coconut flour that hadn’t yet incorporated into the dough. I only sprinkled a little more on the dough blob and then discarded the rest. I would say, don’t try to force all the coconut flour into the dough–especially since some don’t like the sweetness. (I do like it, myself.)

    I should note that I did let the pretzels and bun lie in a solution of baking soda and water (1 cup water, boiled and removed from heat; mix in 2 tablespoons of baking soda until dissolved; let it cool to just lukewarm) to get a browning effect.

    So I have three pretzels and one bun baking, and a pizza crust that I was able to roll / press out lying in wait (I only have a toaster oven so I have to bake in small batches). We’ll see how the pizza crust works out, but the others look to be browning, rising, and expanding nicely.

    Best of luck to everyone and thanks Kelly for the recipe. I’ll report back with texture and taste.

    Reply
    • Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Doesn’t taste like a “real” pretzel, but I never needed it to; it tastes like a baked good, the texture is right, and the flavor is still good. Fantastic recipe.

      Reply
    • Last comment. I’ve verified that, rolled out, this works fantastically as a pizza crust.

      It also works well for a small bun / roll. Just make sure to bake it for longer than the advertised 25-30. When I opened it up it was still a little damp so I threw it back in for a few more minutes. Held my egg sandwich very well and I’m sure it would to nicely for a burger.

      Reply
  31. I made these today and they turned out perfect! I watched the video and followed the recipe exactly, using ghee. After tasting the dough, I realized they are a bit sweeter than a normal soft pretzel, so I sprinkled some with cinnamon and raw sugar (could use coconut palm sugar I’m sure!) after brushing with the ghee and those were definitely my favorite! I think I’d mix cinnamon into the dough next time! So tasty! They definitely aren’t the same texture or taste as a soft pretzel, but I think they are a really great substitute for those who can’t, (or choose not to), eat the real thing! And with a nice dipping sauce they’d be extra yummy! Thank you!

    Reply
  32. The dough turned out perfect the first time, but I have some experience using tapioca and coconut flours as we have been paleo/gluten free since December 2014. I am currently making ham buns with the recipe. Thanks!!

    Reply
  33. Think I could make the dough a day ahead, refrigerate overnight, and bake the next day? My daughter’s preschool class is having a “make our own pretzels” day, and I want to have something she can take.

    Reply
  34. People who aren’t getting a good dough don’t have the butter/water mixture hot enough? That was my problem the first time! Thanks! They are yummy!

    Reply
  35. i had high hopes for this. unfortunately it was a major bomb. I tried everything to save the materials as I work with these ingredients a lot. But the recipe is flawed and the taste was not good. sorry I wanted to like them.

    Reply
  36. Thanks for the recipe! We used ghee and didn’t even bother trying to make it into dough…just put the dough hook on the Ninja Food Processor, put in the ingredients after blending all of them up except the coconut and egg addition, added those two ingredients and “pulsed” until the dough was perfect! Brushed them with more melted ghee and coarse salt. We made them larger than your suggestion (about double in size), so we covered them with tinfoil at about 25 minutes and then baked them for an extra 15 min. They turned out great! We give it a 4 star because, unless you turn them into cinnamon pretzels topped with coconut sugar or something, you do taste the sweetness of the coconut flour…which doesn’t really matter to us, but can understand where this might not be desirable for others.

    Reply
  37. The dough seemed very dry and hard to roll out without breaking. I added a bit more water to the dough. It seemed to help, but was still brittle while rolling out.

    Any suggestions?

    Reply
  38. I just have to say, these were a BLAST to make! Science experiment to play-doh, with deliciousness as a result! I watched the video first, which was a great help, and made your pretzel dogs. I didn’t taste the coconut..I think because of all the butter..ha. Thank you for your efforts!

    Reply
  39. Thank you for the recipe- I just made these with substituting the butter for coconut oil. I will attempt butter next time as these turned out too sweet. Combined with the non gluten flour manifestation, its best to omit one taste memory at a time;) Bravo on your combination- in the end, these are great with a good mustard!

    Reply
  40. I tried these, and the dough kept crumbling as I tried to roll it. When I finally thought I had the right consistency, and tried to twist it into shape, it started crumbling again and I was basically just trying to piece it together. I watched the video before trying, but mine definitely did not turn out like yours. Any thoughts on what might have gone wrong?

    Reply
  41. Super easy recipe! Loved it. Only question–mine started getting brown (I left them in a few minutes longer; 33 minutes). I took them out, but they were still a little doughy in the center. Is that normal? I made my dough logs thin, about a 1/2 inch diameter. I just didn’t want to leave them in much longer and have them burn. Thanks!

    Reply
  42. OMG!!! These. Are. Ah. Mazing!!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. I haven’t tried a recipe of your yours I didn’t love. Thank you!

    Have you used this dough for other things? I think pizza would be amazing.

    Reply
  43. How far in advance can I make the dough? Can I make it now and use in several hours when I am ready to use it? Also, can I freeze leftover dough to be used later?

    Reply
  44. Hello, I’m not sure what I did wrong but I followed all the steps according to the recipe and the video but when it came time to mix in the tapioca flour I would mix for 2 mins and the elastic dough would form but there was A lot of liquid left over and the dough wouldn’t pick all of it up. I decided to start over thinking maybe if I boiled the liquid more there wouldn’t be as much left over after mixing but I got the same result. So I poured out the excess liquid and continued with the recipe from there. I still got a good dough after continueing the recipe altoghough it a little sticky, but I’m hoping that’s how it’s suppose to feel. I wrapped them around some apple gate hot dogs, popped them in the oven and I’m hoping they turn out good!

    Reply
  45. I have tried these twice, and cannot get past the first part because the water and coconut oil mixture makes a gel-like paste, with water still in the pot. Am I doing something wrong?

    Reply
  46. I just made these tonight and enjoyed them a lot, but I had a totally opposite situation than all the people with dry, crumbly dough.

    I live at 5000 ft and it is raining so I suspect that could be part of the reason why. I did the first step of adding the water, butter, salt and vinegar to a pot and brought it to a boil and took it immediately off the heat.

    Then instead of pouring the tapioca starch into the pot, I put it in a plastic bowl and then added the wet ingredients from the pot to it (less heat that way), and I mixed it up. BUT it was the consistency of crepe batter. So I kept adding tapioca starch until I got to 1 cup total and figured I better stop.

    Then I added the baking powder and soda and mixed it. When I added the coconut flour it totally soaked up all the liquid and formed a pretty nice dough, not wet at all. and I actually needed the egg to get it more moist. But after kneading the dough for a short while it was perfect! No problems with crumbling while I rolled out the pretzels. My pan was only big enough to fit 9 so I put the leftover ball of dough in a plastic bag until the other ones came out of the toaster oven. When I tried to roll the next batch out 30 minutes later I found the dough was breaking apart, so I think maybe if you don’t work quickly enough the dough starts to get dry? I don’t know. I put the dough ball in the fridge and I’m going to try making pigs in blankets tomorrow.

    I thought they tasted pretty great! No bitterness like tapioca recipes can sometimes have. And next time I will try adding the coconut flour sooner and skip adding more tapioca and see what happens.

    Thanks for this great recipe!

    Reply
  47. They are delicious. This novice just successfully made his first batch of soft pretzels from your recipe…with one substitution…a flax egg for the egg. Tastes great. I had none of the problems mentioned in some of the posts…I did as you suggested and watched the video first…very helpful.

    Reply
  48. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it tonight. Is it okay to substitute the coconut flour with oat flour? I don’t have coconut flour on hand. Thanks!

    Reply
  49. These turned out wonderful! I did want to point out the the recipe calls for coconut oil but the video says to use butter. I originally tried coconut oil (I am dairy free) but the oil and water separated when adding the tapioca flour. I pitched that and started over. I used earth balance dairy soy free butter and out the dough in the food processor. I also gave the pretzels a soda bath before sprinkling the salt and saved brushing on melted earth balance butter for after they came out of the oven. I will be making these again!!!

    Reply

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