Pretzels—even the best pretzels—are the underdogs of the snack world. They don’t get as much love as potato chips or cheese puffs, but there’s a pleasant elegance to a pretzel’s simplicity. The best pretzels are crunchy, salty, and just a little tangy. Sure, they’re great with beer, but you shouldn’t need a beverage when you’re going to town on a bag. A good pretzel should never dry out your mouth. The best pretzels should be flavorful, toasty, and mundane in a good way—unless we’re talking about the best flavored pretzels, in which case we want a boldness that complements the simplicity of the pretzel itself.
How we picked pretzels for our taste tests
We recently sat down for a third pretzel taste test. We’d already found the best classic salted pretzels and even the best gluten free pretzels (some of them are really good!), so we focused our attention on the best flavored pretzels. We sourced all the Stellar Pretzel Braids flavors and all the Dot’s flavors, too. We also tasted and re-tasted every flavor of Snyder’s Pretzel Pieces—maybe we’re crazy, but those things just aren’t packing a punch like they used to! There are better flavored pretzels on the market at the moment.
What we looked for in the best pretzels
Pretzels should taste fresh and have a perfect crispy crunch. As we said, they should be simple, but not dry—pretzels are generally lower fat and lower cal than chips, but eating them should still be a treat, not a slog. In terms of the best gluten free pretzels, we were (ideally) looking for pretzels that we wouldn’t have known were gluten free, i.e. the kind that don’t leave a weird film in your mouth or taste like alternative flours. And even though pretzels only have to have a delicate, toasty flavor to be good, we think the best flavored pretzels should pack a punch. Pretzels are a perfect blank canvas for bold flavors.
Without further ado, here are the best pretzels from our taste tests. Not seeing what you’re looking for? We’ve also taste tested and ranked the best soft pretzels, the best chocolate covered pretzels, and the best peanut butter pretzels.
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- Snyder’s of Hanover Mini Pretzels
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If you’re looking for a classic pretzel, look no further than Snyder’s minis. All of Snyder’s pretzels have that same buttery, salty, lightly toasted feel to them. They’re never dry and always enjoyable, plus they have that classic pretzel shape, which makes them good for munching but less versatile in the dipping category (the #1 best pretzels on our list are better suited for that job). Still, fill up a big bowl with a bag of Snyder’s minis and you’re sure to watch them disappear. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Utz Sourdough Specials
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Utz, another Pennsylvania company, makes great chips and pretzels. Their sourdough specials are big, but the texture is still light, airy, and crunchy. These pretzels might be the most pleasant to munch. They’re well salted, too. While their size might seem a little intimidating, in the end they didn’t make any of our mouths dry. Large, salty, crumbly, and flavorful, Utz Specials are the best pretzels to serve with a cold beer. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten Free Mini Pretzels
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These may not be the best gluten free pretzels, but they deserve a shout-out for crunch factor. Gluten free pretzels are made with wheat alternatives, like rice flour or potato starch, and sometimes that gives them an even more solid crunch. Unfortunately, those alternative flours can also make them taste like nothing (that’s why you won’t see Glutinos on the list). But these lil’ gluten-free Snyder’s minis have a nice pretzel-y flavor. Gluten free pretzels should still taste like pretzels! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Perfection Snacks Mustard & Onion Pretzel Twists
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Sometimes, gluten free pretzels just work well. Without the gluten, pretzels become so much less dense. For a perfect example, Perfection Snacks makes a nicely toasted, light, and well seasoned gluten free pretzel you can count on. Unlike other honey mustard pretzels, these have a much more pronounced onion flavor, so if you’re GF and can’t eat Stellar’s Maui onion pretzels (see #3 on our list), give these a shot. They have a wonderful crunch, which, combined with the light texture, makes them super crushable. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Unique Snacks Extra Dark Splits
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I know that extra-cooked pretzels aren’t for everyone, but if you’re a person who’s always scrounging around for the brownest pretzel in the bag or the toastiest Cheez-It in the box, you’re going to love these as much as I do. Cheez-It capitalized on people’s affinity for their overcooked crackers by releasing Extra Toasty, and Unique Snacks is taking the same tack with these extra dark pretzels. They’re delicious—a nice, substantial size and truly charred on the outside. You’d think these were pumpernickel from the looks of them. The best pretzel if you like ‘em toasty, for sure. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
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Snack Factory figured out something about pretzels nobody else has: A pretzel is best when there’s less of it. That’s right, sometimes a snack pretzel is just too big and clunky, and thus dry. That is not the case with pretzel crisps. You get all the great salty, toasty, tangy flavor of a pretzel but in cracker form. Super light yet still crunchy, these pretzel crisps are a natural pairing for hummus, or really any dip at all. These are some of the best pretzels—even though they’re flat, they don’t fall flat. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Dot’s Cinnamon Sugar Seasoned Pretzel Twists
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I had no idea I had any interest in sweet pretzels until I tried Dot’s Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels. What the hell?! These are unreal, and there’s more going on here than just cinnamon and sugar—namely, butter. These are so sweet and so buttery, if you got your hands on some plain icing for dunking, it would be like eating a crispy-crunchy Cinnabon. I even tried these alongside some other cinnamon sugar pretzels, and I can confirm these are elite. They’re the best pretzels if you have an insatiable sweet tooth. —Gwynedd Stuart
- Stellar Pretzel Braids Maui Monk
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As I mentioned above, we re-tasted some of our old faves for our third taste test, among them, all the flavors of Snyder’s Pieces. They’re just not as good as we remembered them being! If you miss the Snyder’s Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces that really socked you in the face with flavor, try Stellar Maui Monk Pretzel Braids. They’re sweet and savory and sooooo oniony. If you’ve taken a Southwest flight in the past couple of years, you’ve probably had these. The braids that come in the full-size bag are slightly bigger than the braids in those little snack-sized bags. And you don’t have to feel self conscious when you’re eating a powerfully onion-y snack in the comfort of your own home versus on a cramped airplane. I don’t think the twists themselves are quite as good as Dot’s (which are so, so crunchy), but the flavor is DELIGHTFUL. These are the best flavored pretzels if you really want something bold. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels Original Seasoned Pretzel Twists
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My colleague Jordan Myrick had literally just said they don’t care about pretzels, and then started dancing around the room when they ate a Dot’s seasoned pretzel twist. These cult-favorite pretzels (which have since been acquired by Hershey’s) are just so flavorful. They redefine what we expect from a pretzel. The seasoning—which contains garlic, buttermilk, and MSG for extra savory flavor—tastes like the Worcestershire-esque seasoning on a really good snack mix, and the pretzels themselves are incredibly buttery and satisfying. They’re my personal pick for best pretzel, but I couldn’t put them in the top spot because they sort of stray from what you’d expect from a good ol’ salted pretzel. If you want something that tastes like baked wheat flour and salt, these are going to be way too intense. But if you’re in the mood for something you can get excited about (just like Jordan did), I think you will love these. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Snyder’s of Hanover Snaps
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Snyder’s is the gold standard for pretzels, period. Each bite of a Snyder’s pretzel is the perfect little morsel of salty, crunchy goodness. There’s something indescribably buttery about a Snyder’s pretzel, too, like they’ve been brushed with fat. And there are different styles for every type of pretzel snacker. The best pretzel of the Snyder’s bunch, though? That would be their pretzel snaps. These pretzel grids are properly salted, crunchy but not dry, and easy to eat. A bag of pretzels that you don’t get sick of in two minutes? That’s an incredible feat. Good on you, Snyder’s. These pretzels also stray from the traditional looped shape, instead opting for a tightly knitted grid that’s great for dipping. Also, it should be said that Snyder’s of Hanover is based in Pennsylvania. Trust the state of Pennsylvania to deliver on chips and pretzels always. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
Best for Game Day
Best Flavor
Best Crunch
Best Gluten Free
Best Dark
Best Thin
Best Sweet Pretzels
Best Flavor
Best Seasoned
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Snyder’s Twisted Seasoned, Glutino Twists, Dot’s Honey Mustard, Dot’s Southwest Seasoned, Unique Snacks Splits, Great Value, Kroger Mini Pretzel Twists, Market Pantry Mini Pretzel Twists, First Street Pretzels, Rold Gold Rods, Sprouts Mini Pretzel Twists, Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Pretzel Twists, Stellar Prezels French onion, Stellar Prezels Simply Salted, Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps Cinnamon Sugar, Snyders of Hanover Pieces Honey Mustard & Onion, Snyders of Hanover Pieces Hot Buffalo, Snyders of Hanover Pieces Cheddar Cheese, Snyders of Hanover Pieces Jalapeno
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