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Welcome to my world, salted pretzel! Okay, well I guess I should reign in some of that salt happiness. After all, too much salt isn’t a good idea for most of us. But, for one who typically has at least one type of keto-baked sweet in the house for the hubby, this is one treat that I’ll easily snatch up for my myself!

I admit, it’s hard to make low-carb baking match the original high-carb treat we’re trying to transform, in all the original textures, lightness, and flavor. Nut flours just don’t provide the same chewiness that a standard baking (gluten) flour will create. So, while we might have to cover our eyes to salty favorites at the county fair–Bavarian pretzels or nachos with cheese–I think these pretzels may get fair remarks from low-carb and keto eaters. They still have a soft center, a slightly buttery-flavored outside skin, and lastly, the layer of salt. I’m still trying to find a miraculous way to make a low-carb bread that has that chewy texture of standard bread.

Otherwise, these pretzels are not made of fathead dough or some remake of cloud bread. (If you’d like to try it with fathead dough, check out my “Doughy Crust Pizza” recipe and add two extra tablespoons of coconut flour.) My husband isn’t a fan of the cheesy taste in fathead, and I personally didn’t care for the extra work and taste of cloud bread. So, I took an old-fashioned approach to experimenting many times with almond flour combinations that didn’t interfere with the taste of the salty outside, and this is what I came up with.

Other attempts have been made, using psyllium husk but it didn’t seem to provide any more rise. Using xanthan gum is another option to mimic yeast; however, a small percentage of people with sensitive digestive tracts–from what I’ve read–may have issues with it. Otherwise, it seems to be a safe for most people and a common ingredient in gluten-free baking. I have made these pretzels with one teaspoon of xanthan gum, while omitting the baking powder, and it may have given it a slight rise. In any case, like any recipe, this one may change over time, should I find a magical way to mimic gluten without additives that potentially cause our bodies more upset.

If you get a chance to make this, please rate my recipe (if you want to stay anonymous) or leave your comments below. I’d love to hear your feedback, and as always, I appreciate your support as this site is still nearly free of advertising! (And hopefully won’t ever be, with the exception of some steller quality placement ads in the sidebar, and of course, my affiliate links.)

Keto Soft Pretzels

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Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: SnacksDifficulty: Fairly Easy

Recipe makes

pretzels

Prep time

minutes

Baking time

minutes

Calories

662

kcal

If you’re craving a salty, low-carb baked treat that doesn’t taste like cheese or overdone with egg, give this recipe for keto soft pretzels a try! Of course, you could always dip it in cheese, marinara, butter, or your chili… I won’t tell! But, you might consider eating just half, sharing it, or making these into simple, short breadsticks so you don’t run the risk of eating too many carbs.

Macros: Approx. 7.5g net carbs (based on the 0-carb baking powder I use); 22.4g protein; and 58.6g fat per pretzel.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients
2 cups 2 blanched fine almond flour
2 tablespoons 2 coconut flour
1-1/2 tablespoons 1-1/2 erythritol
1 tablespoon 1 organic grass-fed butter powder (will give an added butter taste), optional, but may require a substitution of a dry ingredient if not using, such as psyllium husk powder, to make the dough less tacky when rolling into pretzels
2 teaspoons 2 gluten-free or other baking powder
3/4 teaspoon 3/4 baking soda
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 Himalayan pink salt
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 organic red chili flakes (or chopped jalapeños with the amount at your discretion); either are just for an added kick of flavor, optional
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 organic garlic powder
1 teaspoon 1 xanthan gum powder, optional. If using, omit the baking powder.
course salt or course Himalayan pink salt, to be used at your desired preference
Wet Ingredients
3 large 3 egg whites (the yolks can be refrigerated or repurposed for breakfast or making keto custard)
3 tablespoons 3 organic raw apple cider vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoon 2-1/2 organic butter-flavored coconut oil
1 large 1 egg to create an egg wash–I usually only use half of this and use the other half in another batch of pretzels/breadsticks
Supplies
1 1 cookie sheet
1 1 basting brush for egg wash
parchment paper for covering your cookie sheet and countertop, if you don’t have a non-stick baking mat
1 medium-sized 1 mixing bowl for your batter
8 ounce 8 glass measuring cup for melting your butter-flavored coconut oil, optional, if your coconut oil doesn’t need to be melted down
2 small 2 glass or other bowls; one is for your egg yolks that will be covered and put into the refrigerator (the whites will go in your batter) and the second is for an egg wash
1 1 spatula for mixing ingredients
1 1 wire whisk for beating eggs
Clean, sanitized countertop surface with a piece of parchment paper to roll dough, or a non-slip silicon baking mat

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, with the exception of the course salt, and set aside.
In a small bowl, separate the egg yolks of three eggs so that you put the three egg yolks in one bowl (that you can refrigerate and repurpose later), and add the three egg whites to your dry ingredients. Then mix the ingredients well. The eggs are your binder in the dough. And, while I have made the pretzels with the yolks, the dough does become a bit more yellow and can start to taste more like eggs when you use more than two eggs in a recipe of this proportion.
Then, in another small bowl, whisk together the last egg to a nice consistency. This will be your egg wash. Now, set this aside.
Next, we’ll work with the butter-flavored coconut oil. If it isn’t soft at room temperature, either put the 2-1/2 tablespoons of it into a microwave-safe measuring cup that you can put into a bowl of hot water to soften, or put it into the microwave for 30 seconds. (Personally, I try not to use the microwave that often.) Then add the softened coconut oil to the batter bowl, and mix well with your spatula.
When that’s been done, add the apple cider vinegar to your batter, and mix well. You’ll notice the batter will start to create small bubbles.
Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then cover your cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Now, our hands can do some work. After your dough is well mixed, scoop out about 1/4 of it, and first roll it between your hands to work out any bubbles. It should get less tacky. Then with your hands you can begin rolling it on a parchment-lined countertop or baking mat to make four to five roughly 11″ – 12″ long rolls of dough, about 3/4″ in thickness. (My macros are based on making five 4″ pretzels.)
Now, making the pretzel shape is probably the trickiest step in the whole process. (I will try to put this on video at some point.) I do this by taking the ends of the rolled dough in both my hands, and then I basically make like I’m tying my shoe, sort of. I create one loop with my right hand by bringing the long end of the dough over the top of the other for one loop. Then, I hold it between the fingers of my left hand. Then, I create the next loop by folding the next end underneath the loop I’m already holding with my left hand. Then, I just place the prettier side up on my cookie sheet, and finish making the remaining pretzels.
After you’re satisfied with shaping your pretzels (and don’t worry, my first ones aren’t always so pretty), you can now take your basting brush and cover each pretzel with egg wash. This will help create the coated outside texture that allows the salt to adhere to and give them a nice yellow-brownish color after baking. Be sure you give them a good coating of egg wash, but don’t allow for it to puddle too much. (Otherwise, you’ll have baked-on eggs with your pretzels.) You may repeat this another time in the baking process or just do the one coat of egg wash.
Now, I take pinches of course salt, and I sprinkle the pretzels with the salt, using as much as you think appropriate.
Then, put the formed pretzels into the oven for 7 minutes at 400 degrees.
When the buzzer goes off, I like to see how things are looking. Your pretzels should have risen a little and begin to show some signs of drying. If it doesn’t appear that the dough is cracking, you may add another 8 minutes to the timer and allow them to continue baking.

Or, if they are cracking quite a bit, you can turn the oven heat down to 350 degrees, and remove the pretzels for another egg wash. Then set them back in the oven, and reset the timer for another 10-15 minutes.
Now, your pretzels should be slightly brown and ready to remove from the oven.
Allow them to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then they’re ready to enjoy!