SuperPretzel vs Auntie Anne’s: Battle of the Soft Frozen Pretzel Brands

Here we compare SuperPretzel versus Auntie Anne’s frozen soft pretzels. These pretzels have become two competitors in the frozen food aisle yet their taste is very different as you will learn below. If you have tried them both, be sure to vote for your favorite in our poll at the end of this article.

Taste Test

Let us come right out and say that these are certainly two different pretzels in regard to taste. Three of us tasted these two pretzels. We had all tasted the SuperPretzels on several occasions but never had Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels. Here is what we discovered during our taste test:

We found the SuperPretzel to be exactly what we expected a classic soft pretzel to taste like. It had a somewhat dense texture and a savory flavor. The salty pretzel dipped in mustard was a perfect combination of tart-and-tangy from the mustard with the chewy and doughy flavor of the pretzel. These pretzels are certainly one of those products that are baked from frozen but taste freshly made after being baked.

Auntie Anne’s was undoubtedly a much different pretzel. Immediately when we bit into one of these pretzels we noticed a sweet flavor that made the pretzel almost dessert-like. You might think that this is a bad thing for a pretzel but the sweetness somehow works extremely well. If you are a fan of sweet over savory, these are the pretzels you want to try. In regard to texture, they were much more light and fluffy compared to the SuperPrezels.

Overall, two of us preferred the Auntie Anne’s whereas one opted for the SuperPretzel. The two people that selected Auntie Anne’s prefer sweet flavors over savory whereas the person that selected SuperPretzel loves savory over sweet. This should give you an idea of what soft pretzel you likely will prefer.

SEE ALSO>>> The Top 17 Pretzel Brands

Appearance

The below picture shows a SuperPretzel (pictured left) and an Auntie Ann’s (pictured right). Both are pictured frozen. Each pretzel brand provides a large packet of salt that can be used for the entire box of pretzels. Aunt Anne’s differs from SuperPretzel in that it provides packets of butter oil that can be used to spread on the pretzelsurface before salting. You can see at least one of these butter oil packets below the salt packet pictured right.

SuperPretzels are a bit more compact and neatly twisted together versus the more homestyle look of Auntie Anne’s. Additionally, Auntie Ann’s is browned more compared to the light bake on SuperPretzel.

Below are the baked versions of each pretzel with SuperPretzel being pictured left and Auntie Ann’s pictured right. Note that the Auntie Anne’s was brushed with the included butter oil before being salted whereas a light dose of water was applied to the SuperPretzel before being salted.

Ownership & History

SuperPretzel – SuperPretzel is owned by J&J Snack Foods (JJSF) Corporation which is the largest soft pretzel company globally. The brand was invented by Gerry Shreiber in 1971 when he took over a bankrupt pretzel business for $72,000 that was called J&J Soft Pretzel. The brand “SuperPretzel” was officially trademarked in 1973 by JJSF. Shreiber’s love for Superman is where the “Super” part of the name comes from. Shreiber’s original focus was to sell fresh hot pretzels in places like sports arenas and schools. It wasn’t until 1986 that his frozen pretzels appeared in the freezer section of grocery stores.

Auntie Anne’s – You likely know Auntie Anne’s for its chain of pretzel shops. The company was started by Anne and Jonas Beiler in 1988 with the first sales being at a farmer’s market in Downington, Pennsylvania. By 1992, the company had 100 store locations in the United States with the first international location being opened in 1995 in Indonesia. 2009 marked another milestone when Auntie Anne’s opened its 1,000th store. The following year the current owner, Focus Brands, acquired the company. They are behind other notable food businesses such as Cinnabon, Carvel, Southwest Grill, and Jamba.

Heating Instructions

There is nothing extremely complicated about heating either brand of soft pretzel. Of course, the heating times may need to be increased or decreased based on differences in ovens. Overall, both will make for a quick snack, especially if heated in the microwave.

SuperPretzel:

Auntie Anne’s:

Nutrition

Keep in mind that when you compare the nutrition facts below that Auntie Anne’s includes 1 tsp of butter oil that is including in the package. If you ditch the butter oil and just eat the pretzel with salt, the calories reduce to 200 and total fat goes to 0.5g. Overall, SuperPretzel is the one you want to pick if you want to consider nutrition alone when deciding between the two.

	SuperPretzel	Auntie Anne’s
Serving Size	1 pretzel w/ 1/2 tsp salt (66g)	1 pretzel w/ 1/2 tsp salt topping & 1 tsp butter oil
Calories	160	240
Total Fat	0g	5g
Saturated Fat	0g	3.5g
Trans Fat	0g	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	20mg
Sodium	890mg	1160mg
Total Carbohydrate	34g	41g
Dietary Fiber	1g	1g
Total Sugars	1g	5g
Incl. Added Sugars	0g	4g
Protein	4g	5g
Vitamin D	0mcg, 0% DV	0.9mcg, 4% DV
Calcium	8mg, 0% DV	80mg, 6% DV
Iron	3mg, 15% DV	3.6mg, 20% DV
Potassium	50mg, 2% DV	70mg, 2% DV

Ingredients

SuperPretzel – Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Corn Syrup, Yeast, Bicarbonates And Carbonates of Soda.

Salt Packet: Salt

Auntie Anne’s – Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Brown Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of the Following: Dough Conditioners (Wheat Flour, Malt Barley Flour, Ascorbic Acid, Enzymes, Salt, Vegetable Protein (Corn-Based)), Yeast, Calcium Propionate, Salt, Natural Flavor, Bicarbonates and Carbonates of Soda.

Butter Packet: Anhydrous Milkfat, Natural Flavor (Whey, Butter Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Guar Gum, Annatto and Turmeric (Color)).

Salt Packet: Salt.

Prices

Based on the data below, you will pay more for Auntie Ann’s vs SuperPretzel. Keep in mind that Auntie Ann’s is not as widely available as SuperPretzel so the pricing data is limited.

Store	SuperPretzel (13 oz. – 6 count)	Auntie Ann’s (13.4 oz. – 5 count)
Walmart	$2.64	Not Available
Target	$2.89	$3.99
Kroger	$3.00	Not Available
Meijer	$2.79	$3.19
HEB	Not Available	$4.31
Safeway	$3.50*	Not Available
Albertsons	$3.49*	Not Available
Wegmans	$3.29	Not Available
Weis	$3.29	$4.59
Food 4 Less	$2.99	Not Available
King Soopers	$2.99	Not Available
Average	$3.09	$4.02

Poll: SuperPretzel vs Auntie Anne’s

Do you prefer SuperPretzel or Auntie Anne’s? If you’ve tried them both, vote for your favorite below!

[yop_poll id=”52″]