These Soft Pretzel Bites taste amazing! They have the perfect balance of soft and chewy dough, flaked with salt, and dipped in a savory Beer & Cheddar Cheese sauce. Great for a special snack during your favorite game or for your next party platter. We love the pretzels from our local pretzel shop, and who can resist the smell of Antie Anne’s Pretzels at the mall, but we wanted to try making these beauties at home.
And since no one likes their pretzels plain, we whipped up a batch of Beer & Cheddar Dip to go with them. For those who don’t care for beer, we made a Honey Mustard Sauce, too!
Little pillows of dough, puffed up and baked to perfection, with a sprinkle of coarse salt…yum! Oh and we can’t forget the dipping sauces! The Beer & Cheddar Pretzel Dip is packed with flavor and the Honey Mustard Sauce goes together in a snap with just 3 ingredients. Round out your platter with broccoli and cauliflower florets- they taste awesome in the delicious dipping sauce, too.
The dough for the Soft Pretzels Bites is a basic recipe with flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water and butter. After the pretzel bites are formed, you need to boil them in boiling water with baking soda.
Why do we need to boil the pretzel bites?
Why boil our pretzel bites? Essentially, the pretzel dough’s time in the boiling water mixed with baking soda causes a chemical reaction. This creates the distinctive puffiness in the dough and gives the pretzels their nice brown coating…making them extra delicious! Traditional German soft pretzel makers actually use food grade lye, a much stronger alkali than baking soda. Gloves an goggles are required for that one, so we’ll stick to baking soda;)
Can you freeze pretzel bites to cook later?
The process of mixing the dough, boiling the pretzels and then baking them does take a little time, but it’s definitely worth it. If your time is limited, you can make the dough, cut into bite size pieces then freeze for later. We tried it this way and it worked beautifully.
Beer & Cheddar Pretzel Dip
We adapted the Beer & Cheddar Pretzel Dip recipe from The Kitchn. Our recipe has a touch more Worcestershire and 2 more ounces of beer to thin out the sauce a bit. We also like the addition of 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder for a smoky, spicy note. The dip comes together really easily and is even better than the cheese dip you get at many restaurants. In addition to the soft pretzel bites, we like to use the sauce for broccoli or cauliflower florets, or even as a topping for loaded baked potatoes.
The Honey Mustard Sauce is very simple with 1/4 cup each Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard and 2 tablespoons Honey…give it a little whisk and you have a tangy sauce with a little kick.
Wondering what to serve with these delicious soft pretzel bites? Here are a few of our favorite party snacks:
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Wings
- Super Bowl Snackin: Cowboy Chili Recipe
- Mini Reuben Appetizers
- Incredible Goat Cheese Recipe
- Herb and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
We hope you enjoy these Soft Pretzel Bites with Beer & Cheddar Dip for your next gathering!
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Soft Pretzel Bites
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Description
Little pillows of pretzel dough, puffed and baked to perfection. Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110–115 F)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Vegetable oil for greasing the bowl
Boiling them
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- Kosher salt
Egg Mixture for brushing
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
To Make The Pretzel Dough
- Combine the warm water, sugar, salt and yeast in your stand mixer bowl. Mix together with a spatula to dissolve the yeast.
- Fit the paddle attachment to the mixer and add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together.
- Switch to your dough hook and knead on low until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Takes 50-60 minutes.
Cooking the bites
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil.
- Bring water and baking soda to a boil in a large stockpot.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Divide into 6 equal portions.
- Work with one piece at a time roll the dough into a rope 1″ in diameter, using a pizza cutter cut into 1″ bite size segments.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Boil the pretzel bites in batches so as not to overcrowd them. Boil each batch for 30 to 40 seconds, stirring a couple times to coat all the surfaces.
- Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheets.
- When all the pretzels are boiled whisk together the egg yolk and water. Brush the pretzel bites with egg mixture and sprinkle with salt.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until browned to your liking.
Notes
Prep time includes rising time for the dough. Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes

Beer & Cheddar Dip
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Description
Cheese dip that goes perfect with Soft Pretzels. Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 ounces amber beer
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (slurry)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat whisk together the evaporated milk, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Once the mixture starts to heat up add the beer and slurry, whisking them in to combine.
- Gradually add the remaining cheese whisking frequently and cook until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Keep warm stirring frequently until ready to serve.
- Garnish with bacon crumbles and green onions.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes