Pretzel Dogs feature all-beef dogs baked inside of pretzel hot dog buns. Ready in just 35 minutes, so you can make this recipe any night!
This is a recipe that is perfect for dinner, but even better for serving as game day snacks. Soft pretzels, beer, and hot dogs are perfect party food, and it doesn't get much better than having them all together in one bite!
Some of our favorite pretzel recipes are perfect party food, too.
Jalapeño Popper Bread Bombs are filled with cream cheese and spicy jalapeno. The soft bread on the outside makes them irresistible.
If all you're looking for is a soft pretzel to dip into cheese sauce, make the Best Ever Soft Pretzel Bites. Then, make a batch of beer cheese sauce to dip them in!
Simple Pretzel Dogs
These baked hot dogs are so much tastier than anything you can buy pre-made. Plus, they are so much fun to make, especially if you get your kids to help you.
You don't even need a stand mixer. Because beer and pretzels go so well together, we use beer as the liquid in the dough for the pretzel dog buns! It adds a little punch of flavor and oh boy, its spectacular!
You can use organic, all beef, nitrate-free, sausages, or whatever makes you happy. I am going to make these in mini size next time which will make for the perfect appetizer.
If you would like suggestions on alternatives for the beer, see the recipe notes below. Either way, you and your family are going to go nuts over these!
Making Pretzel Hot Dog Buns without a Stand Mixer
Mixing the dough by hand
You can mix the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer. Just add beer, yeast, and honey to a large bowl. Once the yeast blooms, stir in the salt and the flour, then use a spoon to combine everything.
Then, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and knead for 3-5 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky. After that, simply proceed with the remaining instructions as written in the recipe card below.
Make sure the beer is warm.
Microwave the beer in a glass microwave-safe measuring cup for 15 seconds at a time. For the yeast to activate, the beer should be 110-120°F.
Need a substitute for beer?
You can substitute milk or water for the beer. I prefer Blue Moon beer in this recipe, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Want to make them ahead of time?
This is a great make-ahead recipe, and they freeze well too. When you're ready to serve them, thaw in the fridge, then pop them in a 350°F oven until warm, about 5-8 minutes.
Watch the Recipe Video!
To see exactly how to make this recipe from start to finish, check out our video a tthe top of this post.
Recommended Kitchen Tools to Make This Recipe:
Baking Sheet- used for everything from cookies to roasting, a good baking pan will last for years.
Stand Mixer-Because the pretzel hot dog buns are essentially bread dough, using a stand mixer is the best way to knead the dough.
8 Quart Pot-Using a larger pot allows you to cook enough to feed a crowd!
These simple pretzel dogs feature hot dogs baked inside of soft beer pretzels. Ready in just 35 minutes, so you can make this recipe any night!
Prep Time: 22 mins Cook Time: 13 mins Total Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
12 ounces warmed beer (110°-120°F)* see notes
2 tablespoons honey
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup baking soda
1 large egg
coarse salt (or pretzel salt)
8 hot dogs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Pour beer into the bowl of a stand mixer (see cooks note if you do not have a stand mixer), sprinkle yeast over top, add honey and stir. Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes. Once it is nice and foamy, it is ready.
Fill an 8-quart pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. In a small bowl beat egg and 2 tablespoons water with a fork. Set aside. Wash a section of countertop for rolling out dough. Do not flour it or it will be harder to roll out the dough.
Add flour and salt to mixer. Knead for about 3 minutes until the dough comes together in one ball. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, if the bread is too sticky to come together. The dough should be tacky when you pull it out of the mixer, not sticky.
Place dough on countertop and form dough into a ball.
We are going to cut this ball into 8 (somewhat) even pieces. First, quarter the ball of dough. Then cut each quarter in half. Roll each piece into a 12” strand.
Place the end of the dough strand on the end of the hot dog pinching the end together, and then wrap it around the dog until all of the dough is wrapped around the dog. Pinch the ends so they stay together.
Carefully, add baking soda to boiling water. USE CAUTION: IT WILL BUBBLE UP. Place hot dogs into boiling water about 3 at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds. Place on parchment paper to cool and repeat until all hot dogs have been boiled.
Arrange all pretzel dogs on parchment so they are not touching. Brush eggwash onto each one and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 11-13 minutes until the tops are browned.
Enjoy!
DONNA'S NOTES
You can mix the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer. Add beer, yeast, and honey to a large bowl. Once the yeast blooms stir in the salt and the flour. Mix with a spoon. Turn dough out onto the floured countertop and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky. Proceed with remaining instructions.
I microwaved the beer in a glass microwave-safe measuring cup, 15 seconds at a time until it was 110-120 degrees.
You can substitute milk or water for the beer. I prefer Blue Moon beer in this recipe, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
This recipe post was first published on April 4, 2014. Content was updated with a video tutorial and republished on Jan 9, 2021.
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I am drooling - absolutely drooling over these! I would be the most popular girl on my street if I shared these. They look amazing, and beautiful, and completely perfect!
I can see she used warm beer (but for a 4 yr old...I don't think so) to activate the yeast, but I would think adding the honey at that point would interfere?? Shouldn't it be added after?
I believe so; under the first picture up top it says "They are a great make ahead recipe and they freeze well too. Just thaw and pop them in a 350°F oven until warm, about 5-8 minutes."
I hope this doesn't end up showing up twice... my computer is acting up... but up top under the first picture it says "They are a great make ahead recipe and they freeze well too. Just thaw and pop them in a 350°F oven until warm, about 5-8 minutes." :) HTH
look right under the pic! =) "Ready in just 35 minutes you can enjoy these any night. They are a great make ahead recipe and they freeze well too". thaw, and heat 5-8 minutes in a 350 degree oven...
Those look like something my kids would actually eat...they love soft pretzels, and they love hotdogs...so I think I am going to give this a try sometime
Just made these and they are D-Lish! I could get in trouble eating these. I'm going to have to use a lot of restraint to not just eat them all right now. :)
Really tasty! Made them with the beer and the flavor is delicious and not "beery". There's a fine line between "Sticky" and "Tacky".... added close to another 1/2 cup of flour at 1 TBS at a time... Plus the baking soda REALLY bubbles up!!!! Volcano of evil spewing all over the stove. Perhaps a gentle sprinkle of the baking soda instead of a dumping motion :) Of course there's no accounting for taste as 1 kid only ate the dog and the other only the pretzel. Hubby and I ate several each! This is a great plain pretzel recipe as well ~ fast with no rising time = good for me!
I make these for tailgating, road trips and whenever people ask me too. Everyone loves them. I do have a problem with the dogs sticking to the wax paper. I end up cutting the bottom off, even when I spray before hand. So I don't use you wax paper. Regardless, you can never go wrong with this.
The baking soda goes into the boiling water, not the dough. Something tells me this is to help brown the pretzel dough. Pro pretzel makers actually use a small amount of lye for browning. If I'm not about the purpose of baking soda, I hope someone will correct me.
Dang, I fell victim to the baking soda thing. Mine came out nasty. Maybe for people like me on the ingredients list write do not put in mixture. Water only. Save someone's dinner. I'll try this recipe again the right way soon.
Just made these tonight, oh my goodness, these are so chewy and soft! I used warm water and instant yeast and they worked beautifully. Thanks for sharing!!
Did you add the baking soda to the water or the dough mixture? What type of beer did you use? There should be no bitterness to the pretzel whatsoever. They are actually a tiny bit sweet.
The baking soda goes into the water to boil the pretzels dogs for 30 seconds. It is NOT added to the dough mixture. It is the boiling in the water/baking soda bath that gives pretzels their taste. Without the baking soda, they would be bagels.
Wow.. this looks really nice. It is a great idea to add beer, so special. Definitely, I like to try wrapping bacon, ham or even with bell pepper and cheeses. :)
These are a great, made them for the kids for lunch. (Honestly did not want to go to the store for rolls) They assisted and they want them again. Thank you. This is a great activity to involve children you are right and they enjoy it.
To freeze them, should I bath and freeze, or the baking soda bath must be right before baking? So I would bath it frozen, and bake right away.. Thank you!!
Made these with the kids last night. They had a blast helping me roll out the dough and wrapping the dogs. Super easy to make and delicious. Made a double batch for my large family (6 kids) and only had 1 left. Keeper! Thanks for the recipe.
Just tried these. Not sure what happened but it was a MAJOR fail :'( I have a very upset little girl. Used my stand mixer and followed the directions to a t. The dough was SO sticky, even after adding almost an extra half pound of flour, that it literally pulled the grout out of our countertop.
I made these tonight and they were so good! I was really surprised at how easy they were to make. I thought they'd be a much bigger production. This one is definitely going into rotation.
I made these last night because I had no buns. Used skim milk instead of beer & had to add an additional 1/2 c of flour & they turned out fantastic. Mine turned out enormous but I think it was because I only had bread machine yeast in the house & you obviously need less. Very surprised how quick & easy they were. Looking forward to trying on the grandkids. Thanks so much this is a keeper!
Beautiful photos! These pretzel dogs are just asking for me to take a bite. I’ve actually been craving pretzels today, so I think this means that I’ll be making these soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Before I start, let me make it clear I am not being critical, just offering some helpful hints. Back in the day I was a home ec teacher. The first rule of cooking I taught was read the recipe ALL the way through before beginning and then read it again until you have in mind the steps needed. Most of the questions asked here would not have needed to be asked if this simple rule was followed. The recipe could also have been made clearer if at the end of the recipe the pot of boiling water, baking soda, egg wash and course pretzel salt were listed under a heading such as: "To finish:". The list of ingredients for the dough under the heading: :For the dough:"
These look perfect for make-ahead meals and/or snacks. The recipe indicates you boil and bake everything, then freeze. And, reheat for 5-8 minutes. I'm wondering if you'd get a "fresher" taste if you froze after the boil, then baked for 15-18 minutes, when ready to serve. If you're already cranking up the oven for 8 minutes, you might as well do the entire 18 minutes ... if you see what I mean!
These R Fantastic! When I make these for a crowd, I cut each hot dog into 4 sections right when they come out of the oven; pop in a tooth pick, put on large platter and serve with my mustard dipping sauce. They disappear in a blink of an eye. Everyone loves them. Thank you
I have made these three times now. They are delicious, but the dough needs way more flour than the recipe calls for. I would say close to a cup more. They are beyond delicious and the beer is a nice touch, but not necessary. I cook these on a silpat mat and that works fine.
I've made these twice now and they are amazing! Thanks for the recipe - so easy to follow. Please READ the recipe first before going over the steps one by one. The baking sode is to put in the boiling water not to the dough recipe but it clearly doesn't say to add it to the dough recipe in the steps so not sure why people are getting confused. Anyway, an absolutely delicious recipe and can't believe how easy they are to make. I'm going to use the same recipe to make sweet pretzels.
We loved this recipe! The video was easy to understand and we used Sam Adams Octoberfest in ours! Just delicious! We ended up using about 1/2c of flour more, but we make bread often and are used to a little extra here and there. I'm going to try them next time with 50/50 whole wheat/AP flour for a little extra goodness. Thank you for a great and easy recipe!
Lovely pictures
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea, I bet this is a great combination. love it!
ReplyDeleteI am drooling - absolutely drooling over these! I would be the most popular girl on my street if I shared these. They look amazing, and beautiful, and completely perfect!
ReplyDeleteYou boil the dough WITH the hot dog?
ReplyDeleteYes you do. Enjoy!
Deleteinstead of beer what can be replaced?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJust warm water would be used for activating the yeast in a normal pretzel recipe.
Deletethank you
DeleteI can see she used warm beer (but for a 4 yr old...I don't think so) to activate the yeast, but I would think adding the honey at that point would interfere?? Shouldn't it be added after?
DeleteThere is no alcohol in the beer once it is cooked.
Deletejust realized I don't have buns for tonight, gonna make these instead. Thanks for posting, dinner looks even better now!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know if you've ever made these and frozen them? Can they be frozen successfully and reheated? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI believe so; under the first picture up top it says "They are a great make ahead recipe and they freeze well too. Just thaw and pop them in a 350°F oven until warm, about 5-8 minutes."
DeleteI hope this doesn't end up showing up twice... my computer is acting up... but up top under the first picture it says "They are a great make ahead recipe and they freeze well too. Just thaw and pop them in a 350°F oven until warm, about 5-8 minutes." :) HTH
Deletelook right under the pic! =) "Ready in just 35 minutes you can enjoy these any night. They are a great make ahead recipe and they freeze well too". thaw, and heat 5-8 minutes in a 350 degree oven...
DeleteThose look like something my kids would actually eat...they love soft pretzels, and they love hotdogs...so I think I am going to give this a try sometime
ReplyDeleteIf only I could make them gluten free!
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I would try Cup4Cup GF Flour. I have not tried it, but a professional baker friend of mine swears by it. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
DeleteWhat can you substitute for the beer?
ReplyDeletewater or milk
DeleteClub soda works great as a substitute.
Deleteso you put the hot dog with the pretzel dough around it into boiling water?? That seems so strange!
ReplyDeleteTraditional soft pretzels are boiled before baking :-)
DeleteJust made these and they are D-Lish! I could get in trouble eating these. I'm going to have to use a lot of restraint to not just eat them all right now. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the baking soda is to much?
DeleteThe baking soda goes in the water to boil the pretzel dogs.
DeleteReally tasty! Made them with the beer and the flavor is delicious and not "beery". There's a fine line between "Sticky" and "Tacky".... added close to another 1/2 cup of flour at 1 TBS at a time... Plus the baking soda REALLY bubbles up!!!! Volcano of evil spewing all over the stove. Perhaps a gentle sprinkle of the baking soda instead of a dumping motion :) Of course there's no accounting for taste as 1 kid only ate the dog and the other only the pretzel. Hubby and I ate several each!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great plain pretzel recipe as well ~ fast with no rising time = good for me!
I make these for tailgating, road trips and whenever people ask me too. Everyone loves them. I do have a problem with the dogs sticking to the wax paper. I end up cutting the bottom off, even when I spray before hand. So I don't use you wax paper. Regardless, you can never go wrong with this.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome. Sticking and oven/heat safe is a great reason to use parchment. You should try it. It works perfectly. Enjoy!
DeleteThis sounds great! Have you tried them with cheese?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! Have you made them with cheese?
ReplyDeleteWhat can i substitute for beer please, coz i cant have beer
ReplyDeleteI used warm water and it worked great :)
DeleteWhat kind of beer do you suggest? An IPA? Porter? Ale?
ReplyDeleteWhatever you have on hand. I use Blue Moon. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
Delete½ cup baking soda is way to much had to put 1/2 tablespoon instead
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing!
DeleteThe baking soda goes into the boiling water, not the dough. Something tells me this is to help brown the pretzel dough. Pro pretzel makers actually use a small amount of lye for browning.
DeleteIf I'm not about the purpose of baking soda, I hope someone will correct me.
Dang, I fell victim to the baking soda thing. Mine came out nasty. Maybe for
Deletepeople like me on the ingredients list write do not put in mixture. Water only. Save someone's dinner. I'll try this recipe again the right way soon.
Just made these tonight, oh my goodness, these are so chewy and soft! I used warm water and instant yeast and they worked beautifully. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteH. I just made these too and the pretzel turned out bitter and have a sour taste to it. What could've gone wrong?
ReplyDeleteDid you add the baking soda to the water or the dough mixture? What type of beer did you use? There should be no bitterness to the pretzel whatsoever. They are actually a tiny bit sweet.
DeleteCan I make the dough earlier in the day and then refrigerate it until dinner time?
ReplyDeleteCan I make the dough earlier in the day and refrigerate until dinner time?
ReplyDeleteI have not tried it. Worst case they would be risen and much fluffier. Let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
DeleteWhat can I replace the beer with if possible?
ReplyDeleteYou can substitute milk or water for the beer. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
DeleteMy husband LOVES this recipe! Super easy and super quick, along with great flavor. Try using different beers for changing up the flavor.
ReplyDeleteIs 1/2 CUP of baking soda right? I've never seen a recipe that calls for that much baking soda.
ReplyDeleteThe baking soda goes into the water to boil the pretzels dogs for 30 seconds. It is NOT added to the dough mixture. It is the boiling in the water/baking soda bath that gives pretzels their taste. Without the baking soda, they would be bagels.
Deletedo u have to warm the milk or water to 110-120 degrees also if you use them instead of beer?
ReplyDeleteyes it needs to be warm for the yeast
DeleteWow.. this looks really nice. It is a great idea to add beer, so special. Definitely, I like to try wrapping bacon, ham or even with bell pepper and cheeses. :)
ReplyDeleteI just made these. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThese are a great, made them for the kids for lunch. (Honestly did not want to go to the store for rolls) They assisted and they want them again. Thank you. This is a great activity to involve children you are right and they enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteMine puffed up a LOT, which surprised me, since there was no rise time. Definitely got to wrap some cheese in with the next batch, thanks!
ReplyDeleteTo freeze them, should I bath and freeze, or the baking soda bath must be right before baking? So I would bath it frozen, and bake right away..
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
Thank you for such clear directions. I can't sit to try this love pretzel ANYTHING. lol. Will try your other pretzel recipes as well.
ReplyDeleteMade these with the kids last night. They had a blast helping me roll out the dough and wrapping the dogs. Super easy to make and delicious. Made a double batch for my large family (6 kids) and only had 1 left. Keeper! Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI used water instead of beer. They were wonderful. Husband and kids loved. Will make again. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAny tips to make these just as pretzels? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJust tried these. Not sure what happened but it was a MAJOR fail :'(
ReplyDeleteI have a very upset little girl. Used my stand mixer and followed the directions to a t. The dough was SO sticky, even after adding almost an extra half pound of flour, that it literally pulled the grout out of our countertop.
I made these tonight and they were so good! I was really surprised at how easy they were to make. I thought they'd be a much bigger production. This one is definitely going into rotation.
ReplyDeleteI made these last night because I had no buns. Used skim milk instead of beer & had to add an additional 1/2 c of flour & they turned out fantastic. Mine turned out enormous but I think it was because I only had bread machine yeast in the house & you obviously need less. Very surprised how quick & easy they were. Looking forward to trying on the grandkids. Thanks so much this is a keeper!
ReplyDeleteThe pretzel hot dogs look fantastic, but my question is: what type of mixer is that??
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! These pretzel dogs are just asking for me to take a bite. I’ve actually been craving pretzels today, so I think this means that I’ll be making these soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteWhat machine did you use to mix the dough, it looks awesome. Please let me know.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to make these they look yum.
what kind of beer?
ReplyDeleteWhat if you dont use the hot dogs, will the boiling and baking times be the same?
ReplyDeleteDo you think this would work with the Lil Smokies instead of hot dogs?
ReplyDeletecan this be froze after the boiling point and then pulled from the freezer and put right into the oven?
ReplyDeleteBefore I start, let me make it clear I am not being critical, just offering some helpful hints. Back in the day I was a home ec teacher. The first rule of cooking I taught was read the recipe ALL the way through before beginning and then read it again until you have in mind the steps needed. Most of the questions asked here would not have needed to be asked if this simple rule was followed. The recipe could also have been made clearer if at the end of the recipe the pot of boiling water, baking soda, egg wash and course pretzel salt were listed under a heading such as: "To finish:". The list of ingredients for the dough under the heading: :For the dough:"
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. But some of these recipes are as confusing as the website!
DeleteThese look perfect for make-ahead meals and/or snacks. The recipe indicates you boil and bake everything, then freeze. And, reheat for 5-8 minutes. I'm wondering if you'd get a "fresher" taste if you froze after the boil, then baked for 15-18 minutes, when ready to serve. If you're already cranking up the oven for 8 minutes, you might as well do the entire 18 minutes ... if you see what I mean!
ReplyDeleteThese taste great and they freeze well too. We added them to our October meal plan since they are a family fave.
ReplyDeleteThese R Fantastic! When I make these for a crowd, I cut each hot dog into 4 sections right when they come out of the oven; pop in a tooth pick, put on large platter and serve with my mustard dipping sauce.
ReplyDeleteThey disappear in a blink of an eye. Everyone loves them.
Thank you
I have made these three times now. They are delicious, but the dough needs way more flour than the recipe calls for. I would say close to a cup more. They are beyond delicious and the beer is a nice touch, but not necessary. I cook these on a silpat mat and that works fine.
ReplyDeleteI've made these twice now and they are amazing! Thanks for the recipe - so easy to follow. Please READ the recipe first before going over the steps one by one. The baking sode is to put in the boiling water not to the dough recipe but it clearly doesn't say to add it to the dough recipe in the steps so not sure why people are getting confused.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, an absolutely delicious recipe and can't believe how easy they are to make. I'm going to use the same recipe to make sweet pretzels.
We loved this recipe! The video was easy to understand and we used Sam Adams Octoberfest in ours! Just delicious! We ended up using about 1/2c of flour more, but we make bread often and are used to a little extra here and there. I'm going to try them next time with 50/50 whole wheat/AP flour for a little extra goodness. Thank you for a great and easy recipe!
ReplyDeleteMade these again for the 10th time! I absolutely love this recipe. Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe!😋
ReplyDelete