This Soft Pretzel Strata is a breakfast casserole on flavor steroids. Soft pretzels are cubed, soaked in a flavorful egg custard featuring mustard, bacon, and two types of cheeses, and then baked to fluffy perfection!
I love a savory breakfast.
In fact, I rarely eat sweet breakfast items. I REALLY have to be in the mood and usually save sweet breakfast treats for special occasions (eg, cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning).
All the other times? I’m a savory breakfast gal all the way. Eggs are my go-to. And this Soft Pretzel Strata is as savory as it gets!
This strata, also known as an egg casserole, features soft pretzels, mustard, bacon, and two types of cheese! It bakes up to fluffy, savory perfection, and it’s incredible for serving a large group.
Think French bread casserole but savory!
I love making strata like this for larger groups or brunch – it’s an awesome way to serve eggs without having to stand over the stove. In fact, this strata is a make-ahead dish and will taste best if made the night before eating.
Which makes it ideal for the holiday season! Make ahead and then bake just before serving. My kinda Christmas morning breakfast item.
This recipe is written for large, Philadelphia-style soft pretzels. If you cannot find these in your area, feel free to use the frozen variety. You can also use pretzel rolls OR any good, bakery-style crusty bread. The flavor will be slightly different but still awesome.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Soft Pretzel Strata:
- Cubed soft pretzels (roughly 6-7 large pretzels) — or pretzel rolls or good-quality, crusty bakery bread
- Bacon
- Onion
- Eggs
- Half-and-half
- Whole grain mustard
- Salt and pepper
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Gruyere cheese
- Fresh chives
How to Make This Soft Pretzel Strata:
Prep the bread and custard the night before you want to serve (or at least 4 hours ahead of time). This is important so that the pretzels can fully absorb the egg custard and will then bake up fluffy and moist. Not allowing enough time for this soaking stage will result in a dry, flavorless strata.
- Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Cube your pretzels and place them in the dish.
- In a skillet set over medium heat, crisp up the bacon. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and sprinkle the bacon over the pretzels in the baking dish, distributing it evenly. If preferred, you can save back a few pieces for garnishing the top (unnecessary but nice for presentation).
- To the bacon drippings in the skillet, cook the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Distribute the onions in the pan with the pretzels, just as you did with the bacon.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Sprinkle half the cheeses over the pretzels in the pan. Pour the egg mixture over everything, distributing it as evenly as you can.
- Gently press the pretzels down into the egg custard so that everything is evenly submerged.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours (longer is better – I try to do this the day before I want to serve and have it set in the fridge overnight).
Baking the Strata:
- Remove the baking dish from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over top of the strata (as well as any bacon you may have reserved).
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown and crisp in spots. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Sprinkle over fresh chives and flaky salt right before serving.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Everything Bagel Breakfast Sandwich Strata
- Breakfast-Stuffed Soft Pretzels
- Gingerbread French Toast Bake
- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese Drizzle
- Baked Eggs with Pepperoni & Fresh Mozzarella
This strata reminds me so much of a delicious breakfast sandwich or a perfect soft pretzel dipped in mustard and cheese.
It’s savory, salty, and incredibly satisfying.
Feel free to switch up the cheeses here. I love gruyere and cheddar because of their salty, sharp flavor, but any mix of cheeses that you love will work here. Manchego, gouda, parmesan – these would all be lovely here.
Feeding vegetarians? Omit the bacon!
Really, there are so many ways to make this your own.
Me? I’ll take this one just the way it is in all its bacon-y, cheesy, carby glory.
Yes, please!
@yestoyolks ✨Soft Pretzel Strata✨ A breakfast casserole on flavor steroids. Philly-style soft pretzels are cubed, soaked in a flavorful egg custard featuring mustard, bacon, and two types of cheese, and then baked to fluffy perfection! Think French toast casserole but savory! Ideal for the holidays when you may have a crowd to feed! FULL RECIPE on yestoyolks.com! #yestoyolks #shareyourtable #foodtography #foodstylish #foodphotography #foodstories #foodstylingandphotography #foodblogfeeds #foodblogeats #recipevideo #recipereel #foodvideo #breakfastfood #breakfastrecipes #breakfastcasserole #eggcasserole #strata #softpretzels #holidaybreakfast #holidaybrunch #christmasbreakfast #ilovecarbs #carbscarbscarbs #comfortfoods #foodtiktok #recipes #cookingvideo #cookingtiktok #recipeideas #recipesforyou ♬ Undecided – Ella Fitzgerald
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Soft Pretzel Strata
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Soft Pretzel Strata is a breakfast casserole on flavor steroids. Soft pretzels are cubed, soaked in a flavorful egg custard featuring mustard, bacon, and two types of cheese, and then baked to fluffy perfection!
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed soft pretzels (roughly 6-7 large pretzels)
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 4 oz gruyere cheese, freshly grated
- Fresh chives, for garnish
- Flaky salt or pretzel salt, for garnish
Instructions
Prepping the Strata (best done the night before serving):
- Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Cube your pretzels and place them in the dish.
- In a skillet set over medium heat, crisp up the bacon. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and sprinkle the bacon over the pretzels in the baking dish, distributing it evenly. If preferred, you can save back a few pieces for garnishing the top (unnecessary but nice for presentation).
- To the bacon drippings in the skillet, cook the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Distribute the onions in the pan with the pretzels, just as you did with the bacon.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Sprinkle half the cheeses over the pretzels in the pan. Pour the egg mixture over everything, distributing it as evenly as you can.
- Gently press the pretzels down into the egg custard so that everything is evenly submerged.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours (longer is better – I try to do this the day before I want to serve and have it set in the fridge overnight).
Baking the Strata:
- Remove the baking dish from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over top of the strata (as well as any bacon you may have reserved).
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown and crisp in spots. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Sprinkle over fresh chives and flaky salt right before serving.
Notes
- This is a great dish to prep ahead and bake just before serving. It is best served hot, but it is also delicious when eaten at room temperature.
- Feel free to skip the bacon to keep this vegetarian. Use a tablespoon of butter or oil to cook the onions if skipping the bacon.
- Feel free to switch up the cheeses as well. Gouda, Swiss, or manchego cheeses would all be delicious here.
- Soft pretzels are ideal here, but if you can’t find large soft pretzels, any crusty, bakery-style bread will work. Pretzel rolls would be a great alternative for similar flavor!
- Prep Time: 5 hours (mostly inactive chilling time)
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: breakfast casserole
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
what a wonderful idea, I never would have imagined a savory dish that included pretzels of any kinds, soft pretzels included, so am very happy to see this, thank you!