7 Healthiest And 7 Unhealthiest Pretzels You Can Buy At The Store

Pretzels are just so darn addictive, guys. Perhaps it's because of their simple, yet satisfying texture and flavor, perhaps it's because they're shaped in that distinctive pattern, or perhaps it's the fact that you can grab them by the fistful; whatever it is that makes them so good, we're here for it. Unfortunately, though, pretzels may be a fabulous snack, but they're not always the healthiest. As with any convenient, processed food, pretzels can have ingredients and levels of nutrients that you might find a little hard to swallow, with sodium and added sugar in high supply and vitamins and minerals in low quantities.

It's not all bad, though. Some pretzels may be way healthier than you think, and some may even have certain quantities of nutrients that might shock you — in a good way. Certain pretzel brands make it their mission to fill their products with high levels of protein, while keeping sodium and added sugar levels low. It's these three nutrients (protein, sodium, and added sugar) that we considered when looking at both the healthiest and unhealthiest pretzels you can buy, and we also examined certain brands' vitamin and mineral levels too.

BeyondTwistz Pretzels do snacks a little differently. Made by the same company that produce BeyondChipz, these snacks are squarely focused on the keto market, and drastically lower the carbohydrate content of their offerings. BeyondTwistz Pretzels achieve this through using a unique blend of wheat flour that has a lower net carb count and more prebiotic fiber, and it mixes wheat and pea proteins in to boost its protein content.

The final result is pretty impressive. Each 28-gram serving of pretzels delivers a massive 18 grams of protein, and it does so while only providing 6 grams of carbohydrates. This is pretty much a total inversion of the standard nutritional makeup of pretzels, which tend to be high in carbs and low in pretty much everything else. BeyondTwistz Pretzels have some other nutritional factors which are also pretty appealing, too. Although each serving of pretzels has 340 milligrams of sodium, this is by far from the highest amount out there. Plus, in every portion you get 4 grams of dietary fiber, covering 14% of your daily value. To top it all off, these pretzels seem to deliver on the crunch factor, so if you were expecting chewy bites of pea protein you can breathe easy.

Utz is one of the most recognizable and widely-available pretzel brands out there, but it's also one of the ones that puts the least care into its products' nutritional value. If you need any proof of this, look no further than its Sourdough Special Pretzels. These pretzels are some of the saltiest out there, and in each small serving of just five pretzels you get 450 milligrams of sodium. That's 20% of your daily value in just a few little bites.

This sodium level is high by anybody's standards, but what makes things even worse is that these pretzels have barely any other nutrition elsewhere. There are no vitamins or minerals to be seen anywhere on its nutritional label, and each serving has just a single gram of dietary fiber. As well as this, its protein content is low, delivering a meager 2 grams per portion. When you add in the ingredients list for these pretzels, which is largely made up from processed ingredients, you can write them off from having any positive impact on your diet whatsoever.

Pretzels made with white wheat flour? That's so '90s, man. We're in the age of snacks being made with a host of different flours and starches, in a bid to make them healthier and consumers happier. This is clearly the mission of Real Food From The Ground Up and the company's Cauliflower Pretzels — made from, you guessed it, cauliflower! Each pretzel is made from a combination of cauliflower, cassava, and a vegetable blend, as well as non-GMO cornstarch and canola oil.

The result is a pretzel that's gluten-free, and which pleasingly doesn't seek to get all its flavor from copious amounts of sodium. Instead, every serving of pretzels has 330 milligrams, which is a little bit lower than a lot of other brands. It's also great to see a few grams of fiber thrown into the mix in these pretzels, with 2 grams per portion, making them a shade more filling than other pretzels made solely with refined white flour. The fact that these snacks are vegan will also please some folks out there. Importantly, while most pretzels are vegan in their most basic form, certain flavors like cheese or honey can stop them from being so.

Move over, salt: There's a new flavor of the month in town. Pretzels used to only come in savory flavors, but in recent years the demand for sweet pretzels has skyrocketed, and Flipz Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels promise big, sugary flavor. It's probably no surprise that this snack isn't healthy, though.

The chocolate coating adorning each Flipz pretzel adds up nutritionally, and a single serving of the snack will deliver 10 grams of added sugar. While the nutritional label on the back indicates that it amounts to 21% of your daily value, certain health bodies like the American Heart Association (or AHA) indicate that it could be even higher. The AHA recommends that men get no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day, and women no more than 25 grams — meaning that a handful of pretzels could cover almost half of your daily value.

That's not the only thing you should watch out for with these pretzels, either. Every serving has 3 grams of saturated fat, covering 16% of your daily value. That's a pretty high amount in a meal, let alone a snack. Plus, there's just a single gram of fiber in each portion. Sorry, guys: Flipz chocolate pretzels are kinda as unhealthy as they get.

If you name your company FitJoy, you better deliver on the promise. Luckily, when it comes to FitJoy's Sea Salt Pretzel Twists, it seems to do just that. Instead of using refined white flour, FitJoy Sea Salt Pretzel Twists are made with a combination of cassava flour, chickpea flour, chickpea protein, and the alternative sweetener date nectar. Crucially, these don't necessarily improve its nutritional content, but they do make the product gluten-free, which will no doubt seriously please gluten intolerant folks and those with celiac disease.

What these ingredients also do is give these pretzels a touch of additional flavor without having to resort to high amounts of salt, saturated fat, or added sugars. As a result, these pretzels are one of the lowest-sodium options out there. Each serving has just 220 milligrams of sodium, covering 10% of your daily value and clocking in at less than half the sodium content of some market competitors. FitJoy Sea Salt Pretzel Twists also have no added sugar, no saturated fat, and no cholesterol. We'd love it if they had a bit more fiber, but hey, guess you can't win them all.

If you've eaten pretzels recently, there's a good chance that they were made by Rold Gold. The Frito-Lay brand has a huge hold on the pretzel market, thanks to the sheer deliciousness and snackable nature of its pretzels, as well as its extensive product range. However, these pretzels are far from the healthiest you can buy, and the Cheddar variety of its Tiny Twists is especially troublesome. Rold Gold Tiny Twists Cheddar have the highest level of sodium out of any of the non-gluten-free pretzel products we looked at, with 28 grams — that's just 20 tiny pretzels — delivering 480 milligrams of sodium. That's 21% of your daily value, in an ounce of food.

If you were expecting things to look good elsewhere, you'd be mistaken. There's less than a gram of fiber in every portion of Rold Gold Tiny Twists Cheddar, and when you combine that with the 2 grams of protein, you'll be reaching for another snack shortly after finishing them. While there's an okay amount of iron, covering 6% of your daily value, there's also not much by way of other vitamins and minerals.

With its Organic Pretzel Crisps, Snack Factory asked a simple question: What if we took pretzels and flattened them? The result is a super crispy snack that gives you way more surface area than the standard pretzel, increasing your ability to dip and scoop with them. Pleasingly, these pretzels are also fairly healthy — and while they won't change the world with their nutritional value, they're a pretty good option.

Each portion of Snack Factory Organic Pretzel Crisps provides 300 milligrams of sodium, making them one of the lowest-sodium brands out there today. They're also totally fat-free, and while most pretzels have a fairly limited amount of fat in them anyway, some have slightly more than you think. We also love that these pretzel crisps are organic, which reduces your overall intake of pesticides. In our opinion, this is never a bad thing, especially if you're giving these pretzel crisps to your kids. A link has been observed between pesticide consumption and ADHD, as well as individuals' ability to learn and perform healthy cognitive skills, according to UC Davis Health. While more study needs to be done, choosing organic where possible may be a smart move.

365 by Whole Foods Market makes products with a difference. Each item in the brand has to adhere to stringent ingredient standards set out by the retailer — and you'd assume that this would make its products healthier. Well, while we love the fact that they're organic, its Pretzel Twists don't get any points on the nutrition front.

The biggest issue we have with these pretzels is that they're just too salty. Each 28 gram serving has 400 milligrams of sodium, and while that may not be the worst amount out there, it's definitely not the best either. Things aren't helped by the near-total lack of vitamins and minerals in these pretzels. Although there's a tiny bit of iron (and we mean tiny — 2% of your daily intake, to be exact), there's nothing else really going for them.

These pretzels do have some positives, with 2 grams of fiber and no added sugars. However, they're a good example of a food that should be healthier for you than it actually is. Organic food can be just as unhealthy nutritionally as non-organic food, and while it benefits from the lack of pesticides and the removal of any potential effects they can bring, they can still be filled with salt, saturated fat, and sugar.

Snack Factory Sea Salt Pretzel Crisps Bites have one flavor going for them — salt — and because of this, it's reasonable to expect that they've gone a little heavy on the sodium. So it's both surprising and gratifying to learn that they're some of the least salty pretzels out there. Each portion of these pretzel bites has just 280 milligrams of sodium, covering 12% of your daily value. When you compare this to other salt-flavored pretzels that have nearly 200 milligrams more of sodium in the same portion size, like Utz Sourdough Pretzels, the choice is clear.

We're also encouraged by the snack's use of enriched flour instead of standard wheat flour (the choice of so many other pretzels), which gives it a useful bump in nutrients. Niacin, riboflavin, and folic acid are all present, and while it's unclear exactly how much there is in these pretzels, we'd rather it be there than not. The 1.1 milligrams of iron, covering 6% of your daily value, is also something you shouldn't turn your nose up at. We need to get our vitamins and minerals where we can, folks.

Snyder's Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces promise "big flavor" on the front of each bag, and this snack definitely delivers: Each mouthful is a tangy, briny explosion. Where they get that flavor from isn't quite where you expect, though. These pretzels are one of the lowest-sodium options out there, with its honey mustard flavor providing just 190 milligrams of sodium. Before you rejoice, though, cast your eye over its saturated fat levels: Each serving has 3.5 grams, supplied by the palm oil so prominently displayed in the ingredients list.

This saturated fat covers 18% of your daily value, and takes up a large proportion of the snack itself. This is a pretty significant amount of a nutrient that's been long negatively associated with raising cholesterol levels. Things wouldn't be so bad if Snyder's Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces had anything else going for them nutritionally, but they kinda don't. There's a small amount of iron, sure, but there's also very little protein and just a single gram of fiber.

Grain-free snacks are all the rage, but they're more than just a trend: They're also an important alternative for folks who can't eat wheat. Savor by Suzie is a notable purveyor of these snacks, and its Roasted Garlic and Herb Pretzels hit the mark. Made with a combination of cassava flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and faba bean protein, these pretzels are both grain and gluten free. They also don't have any major allergens in them and are made with non-GMO ingredients.

We're also big fans of the levels of vitamins and minerals in these pretzels. Each serving has 8% of your daily iron intake, and a small quantity of both calcium and potassium. Pleasingly, there's also less than a gram of added sugars in every portion. It should be noted, though, that Savor by Suzie's pretzels do have a fairly high amount of sodium, and at 430 milligrams per portion you may want to watch your sodium intake elsewhere in the day if opting for these. The brand's Lil Bit Spicy Pretzels could be a smart choice if you want a lower-sodium option, as the product contains just 290 milligrams — although it also has way less by way of vitamins and minerals.

Gluten-free products tend to be advertised with an aura of health and wholesomeness around them, and that's definitely the case when it comes to Glutino Gluten-Free Pretzel Twists. With clean-looking packaging and a checklist on the front of each bag detailing its lack of allergens, it's easy to assume that these pretzels are gonna be pretty nutritionally solid.

Just wait until you see that sodium content, though. Each 30 gram serving of Glutino Gluten-Free Pretzel Twists has a grand total of 640 milligrams of sodium per serving, making them the saltiest of all the pretzels we looked at in this article. A few handfuls of these pretzels covers 28% of your daily value for sodium. Plus, they do so without offering anything else by way of nutritional value. Most pretzel brands have at least a gram or two of fiber in their products, but Glutino Gluten-Free Pretzel Twists have none whatsoever. When you add in the fact that they have just a single gram of protein, you'll be hungry again before you know it. Don't expect to get any vitamins or minerals from these pretzels, either: As far as we can see, they don't have any.

Big snack companies aren't exactly well-known for their willingness to make their products healthy, but you might be surprised by how nutritionally sound some of the offerings from major players are. Snyder's Mini Pretzels are a good example of this. While some Snyder's products can be swimming in fat and salt, its Mini Pretzels have just 0.5 grams of fat, no saturated fat at all, and a reasonable 280 milligrams of sodium. At 12% of your daily value, this makes them one of the lowest-sodium products out there, and one that you'll be able to find in most stores.

As these pretzels are made with enriched flour, they also have some useful B vitamins in the mix. Perhaps most notable, though, is their iron content. A portion of Snyder's Mini Pretzels delivers 8% of your daily value for iron, a surprisingly generous amount for a snack item and a tasty vehicle for an essential mineral. While the 3 grams of protein in these pretzels isn't generous by any means, we're also happy to see it have marginally more than many other brands out there.

Hey, so here's something that's gonna blow your mind. As it turns out, pretzels that have been dipped in milk chocolate and peanut butter are not that good for you. Who'd have thought? At the risk of us stating the complete obvious, though, it's worth pointing out just how unhealthy Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Dipped Pretzels actually are. Every portion of these pretzels (and they're small portions, guys, coming in at just five pretzels each) has 5 grams of saturated fat. This means that a quarter of your daily value is covered in a few bites, and 5% of the value is covered in each pretzel.

As you might expect, Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Dipped Pretzels are also mega sugary. Each serving has 9 grams of added sugar, covering 18% of the FDA's recommended daily value but a higher proportion of the limits recommended by health bodies like the American Heart Association. These pretzels do win a point or two back by a lower sodium level of just 110 milligrams, but the sugar and fat kinda cancels it out.