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Street Cart Pretzels from the cookbook, NYC Vegan – homemade soft baked pretzels are easier to make than you think! Now you can have your favorite vendor snack anytime you want.
Have you ever dreamed of wandering the streets of New York City, gazing up at the tall buildings, taking in the sights, and popping in to a famous restaurant or stopping at one of the oh-so-popular street vendors for a taste of the Big Apple? It feels like everyone I know has either been to NYC or has it on their bucket list.
I was there on a high school trip (almost 25 years ago!) and it was quite the experience. While I can’t get you to the city, I am going to tell you how to enjoy famous New York recipes in the comfort of your own home.
In NYC Vegan: Iconic Recipes for a Taste of the Big Apple, Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment (of the blog, Vegan Mos) share delicious favorites, all veganized. The book celebrates the diversity of this great city through it’s food! Keep reading for a full review, the recipe for Street Cart Prezels and for a chance to WIN A COPY of the cookbook for yourself!
Street Food Carts
Food has been sold in street carts in New York City from basically it’s beginning. The food sold from these carts is as diverse as the city’s population and has changed over the years to reflect the new cultures as they arrived.
A staple snack of the food carts throughout the years, introduced to New York from the Germans, is the Soft Pretzel. My hubby and kids have a love for salty soft pretzels, so when I saw the recipe for the Street Cart Baked Pretzels in NYC Vegan, I knew we had to try them! And, oh boy, are they good! Crispy, chewy outsides with fluffy soft insides, dotted with chunky coarse salt – there is a reason we have made FOUR batches….so far.
Before we get to the baked pretzels recipe, take a look at what you’ll find inside the rest of the book.
Inside NYC Vegan
There are eight recipe chapters and here’s a sampling of what they include:
The Basics – Pizza Dough; Cashew Parmesan; Rice Paper Ham
Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Tofu Benedict; Cinnamon Rolls; New York-Style Bagels
Power Lunch – New-Fashioned Jewish Chick’n Soup; Knishes; Street Meat Platter
Start Spreading The News – Tzatziki; Spinach Artichoke Dip; Hollandaise Sauce
Supper Club – Mofongo; Classic NYC Pizza; Pierogi
Farmers’ Market – Potatoes Paprikash; Latkes; Mushrooms Stuffed Zucchini
On The Side – Half-Sour Pickles; Orzo with Peas and Toasted Pine Nuts; Onion Loaf
How Sweet It Is – Big Apple Pie; Brooklyn Egg Cream; Zeppole
There are also chapters titled The Flavors of New York City and Being Vegan in New York City. The latter includes a list of vegan restaurants and which neighborhood you’ll find them in.
Let’s just take a moment to look at just how fluffy the insides of these baked pretzels are! They come out perfect every time (and remember I’ve made 4 batches!). And they are so super easy to make – promise! Dunk them in some grainy mustard for a snack that’s hard to resist.
More vegan snack recipes
- No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls
- Perfect Oil-Free Hummus
- Spiced Roasted Nuts
- Mint Chocolate Chip Granola
- Pesto Pizza Bites
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
Be sure to sign up for my FREE Newsletter to be the first to get my NEW recipes! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Don’t forget to grab your copy of NYC Vegan!
Vegan Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water 110°F to 115°F
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ ounce package active dry yeast
- 4 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons nondairy butter melted
- canola oil or other neutral oil as needed
- 10 cups water
- ⅔ cup baking soda
- coarse salt as needed
Instructions
- Combine the warm water, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow this mixture to sit for 5 minutes or until it begins to foam. Add the flour and butter. Using the dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients on low speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and grease it well with oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm place for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 (18 x 12-inch) baking pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with oil. Set the pans aside.
- Bring the water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. While waiting for the water to boil, shape the pretzels. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a “U” shape with the rope. Holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press them on to the bottom of the “U” in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place the pretzels on the prepared baking sheets.
- One at a time, place the pretzels into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large, flat spatula, return them to the baking sheets, and sprinkle them with the coarse salt. Bake the pretzels until they are light golden brown in color, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Moriah says
Easy to make, and incredibly delicious! I’ve always used all purpose spelt flour in same ratio as well as adding in some whole spelt flour along with the all purpose. It was slightly drier but still so very very delicious. My family cant get enough!!
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m so glad you love them, Moriah! Thanks so much for your comment!
Marr says
I would like to ask if you can make this recipe without a mixer, just by using a spatula or something else to blend the ingredients together.
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Marr! Sure, it’s possible, but you would have to knead the dough by hand. It’s not as simple as stirring with a spatula. If you give it a shot, let me know!
Sofia says
Hi can you sub the white flour for almond flour? If so would measurements still be the same?
Thank you,
Sofia
Jenn Sebestyen says
No, almond flour won’t work in this recipe. Almond flour is much more moist and doesn’t contain gluten so it would act very differently. You could try a gluten free flour blend that is designed to replace white flour 1:1 if you are looking for a gluten free option.
Katie says
I just made these and they are awesome! Just like the real thing but I guess now I’m wondering the best way to store these? In a container at room temp? The fridge? Could they be frozen?
Jenn S. says
Hi, Katie! Aren’t they awesome?! I have stored them on the counter loosely covered for a couple of days. They don’t last much longer that, so I haven’t tried freezing them. I would suspect you could store them just like bread…and even freeze them. After a day or two, I would store them in the fridge and reheat in the microwave next to a cup of hot water for extra moisture. Same thing, after defrosting from the freezer. Let me know what you decide to try and how it works!
Elizabeth says
Good but mine came out like pretzel buns. Still tasty. Maybe I could have made more so they would have been thinner and less like a bun.
Jenn S. says
What do you mean by “buns.” They didn’t hold their shape?
Ludy Fredriksson says
This is just so yummy. I made this today with my daughter.. and uhmmm.. so soft and I can’t resist to eat more..
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
For the keeps…
Jenn S. says
So glad you loved them!