Next Post
Sheet Pan Sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
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
Servings: 8 pretzels
Calories Per Serving: 444 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
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.
This post was originally published on September 7, 2021
Yum! Made these for the first football Sunday as well…but RATS! I should have known they were going to be a bit large and I also should have read the comments ahead of time about freezing. I made up all the pretzels and then stuck 4 in the freezer. Do you think I can bake them at a lower temp, like 350, for 20 minutes to have again next weekend? Or did I ruin my chances? Lol
Hey Val,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! They should be fine to bake on low. xTieghan
I made these for my husband and his best friend for football Sunday. The dough was easy to make. I struggled a bit with the rolling/ twisting (first time ever trying to make pretzels) but got the hang of it after the first few. I ended up making about half twisted pretzels and half rivets (cut the rolled dough into about 1 inch sections with a pizza cutter).
These were a HUGE hit & the boys loved the honey mustard too!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
LOVE THIS RECIPE. These are so easy to make. They are so light and fluffy and so much fun to roll out and twist. Definitely an easy recipe even for a non-baker like me.
100% making again!
Hey Charlotte,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
Made these for the football game today. They were a big hit! Definitely making them again.
Hey Bre,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
Made these today, they were DELICIOUS and pretty easy all around! My one question would be, do you think if I froze some they’d be easy to reheat later? If so, would you defrost then heat up or heat up right from the freezer?
Hey Sam,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! I would freeze before baking and then you could just bake from frozen, just increase your bake time. xTieghan
Excited to try this! Is it possible to sub out the cider with water?
Hey Sarah,
For this recipe, I would recommend using hard cider, regular cider, or beer. Please let me know if you give them a try, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Pretzels for the first NFL game of the season. Delicious! The pretzel shaped challenged me, so I went for pretzel sticks. A big thumbs up! Make sure you make the mustard dipping sauce.
Hey Kelli,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
perfect texture, great flavor (not apple-y or sweet). I used flake sea salt and that worked perfectly. Easier than I expected and so delish!!
Hey Jocelyn,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Just finished making this and not impressed at. Took about 45 mins to even get a slight brown to the pretzel. By then then the bottom was ridiculously hard and the rest of it was still slightly mushy. Followed this to a T. Changed nothing. Would not make this again. Way to much work and mess to have the outcome be as bad as it was. I can’t for the life of think the way this recipe is written you could have your pretzels look the way they do. Totally disappointed
Hey Connie,
So sorry to hear this. Did you boil them in the baking soda? A little more info would help me to better help you. xTieghan
Yes I did exact as recipe. Didn’t change anything. 30 seconds in baking soda. Let the dough sit 2 hours. Did exact.
Hey Connie,
Next time, I would try 30 seconds-1 minute in the boiling water, that might help! xTieghan
Can you make these if you don’t have a mixer? I live in London and kitchen space is a premium so I don’t have one. But I’m dying to make these!
Hey Trish,
You bet! Just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Your site is amazing! Thank you for sharing. ?
Thanks so much Michele!
I made these in my modest little apartment kitchen without a stand mixer and after mixing with a wooden spoon I kneaded the dough for 8 minutes by hand and topped with everything bagel spice and they turned out FABULOUS ! Yum
Hey Jenna,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Big fan of yours! The dough is absolutely delicious but my pretzels came out a bit raw inside – did I underboil or underbake?
Also, can I substitute whole wheat flour?
Thanks,
Melissa
Hey Melissa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! Was there anything you adjusted? Sounds like they needed to bake a bit longer. Yes, whole wheat flour will work. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Can you freeze the dough at any point then bake the day of a party?
Hey Charlie,
Sure, that would be just fine to do. I would freeze before boiling. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made these today and although I had a few learning curves along the way, the end product was absolutely delicious!! The dough was so simple to make! It took me a sec to figure out how to roll it out best and settled on between the palms which worked really well. I was surprised by when I added the baking soda to the boiling water! My pot basically exploded hahaha ?. But then got the hang of it! And despite all that, I would definitely make these again! Sooooo yummy!
Hey Madison,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Hi! Is it possible to use instant yeast instead?
Hey Gabby,
You bet!! You will just mix that right in with the flour:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Tieghan
Dairy and egg free over free- do you think this recipe would still work making those changes
Hey Lyn,
I would try using ghee in place of the butter and for the egg as well. I haven’t tested this, but let me know how the recipe turns out! xTieghan