Easy Soft Pretzel Bites recipe hack for bite-sized semi homemade pretzels using biscuit dough! With a creamy cheddar cheese dipping sauce.
While Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites are a favorite sweet Snack, there’s something about dunking buttery pretzel bites in a warm cheddar cheese Dipping Sauce. These savory delicious pretzel bites are easier than our bites with cinnamon sugar because they swap the dough ingredients with a can of refrigerated biscuit dough!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe
Soft Pretzel Bites are pretty much everything you want in an appetizer. They’re soft, yummy, and chewy with a golden brown outside that’s dusted with kosher salt to give it a little bit of a crunch. This pretzel recipe doesn’t involve kneading or mixing. We use biscuit dough to cut down on a few extra steps like activating the instant yeast, needing a dough hook and stand mixer, or waiting for the pretzel dough to rise for an hour. On top of that, you only need to bake them for about 20 minutes.
You can customize this pretzel recipe with a variety of dipping sauces. The crispy, buttery pretzel bites pair well with all kinds of dipping sauces but our homemade cheese dipping sauce is an especially delicious recipe. You could even turn half of them into cinnamon sugar pretzel bites for a sweet and savory game day snack.
Ingredients
- Pretzel Bite Dough: Skip the regular assortment of dough ingredients by using a can of refrigerator biscuits. It works as a soft pretzel dough with way less work. If you want to make homemade pretzel dough, see our Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels for an easy dough recipe.
- Water: Just like a regular homemade pretzel recipe, you are going to boil the dough in warm water. The warm water stops the yeast from rising past a certain point so they stay in bite size pieces.
- Baking Soda: Traditionally you boil pretzels in lye but the water and baking soda solution gives the same affect and classic pretzel flavor.
- Egg: When you add the egg wash over the pretzel dough bites, it gives them that golden brown exterior and allows the salt to stick to the bites.
- Salt: Coarse sea salt gives these homemade pretzel bites some crunchy and who can resist that buttery salty classic pretzel flavor?
- Cheese Sauce: The homemade cheese dipping sauce starts with melted butter and flour to help thicken the cheese and milk mixture. It is seasoned with a little salt and pepper plus a little cayenne pepper for some kick.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Sheet: These are baked pretzels so you’ll need a couple large baking sheets. You don’t want them crowded on the pan so they can bake evenly.
- Parchment Paper: Using the parchment paper lined baking sheets helps the pretzels bake evenly without sticking to the pan. You can also use silicone baking mats.
- Saucepans: You’ll need to use a medium saucepan to boil the pretzel bites as well as a small saucepan to make the cheese sauce.
- Slotted Spoon: A large slotted spoon lets you drain the boiled pretzel bites without having to pour out the water so you can work in batches.
- Pastry Brush: You’ll need a pastry brush to apply the egg wash so you get a light, even coat. You just want enough egg wash to give it a sheen without soaking the dough.
How to Make
Time needed: 40 minutes.
- Prep for Baking
Preheat your oven. Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Spray the paper with cooking spray.
- Shape the Dough Pieces
Quarter each biscuit dough round then roll the pieces of dough into small balls. Score an x into each dough piece with a sharp knife.
- Boil the Dough
Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a medium saucepan then reduce to a simmer. Cook each piece of dough in the baking soda solution for 30 seconds or until it floats to the top. Work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Bake the Pretzel Bites
Transfer the dough pieces with a slotted spoon to the prepared baking sheets with a slotted spoon, spacing them so they aren’t touching. Brush the egg wash over each pretzel bite then sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Make the Cheese Sauce
While the pretzels are baking, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the melted butter for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once the mixture has thickened, whisk in the cheese until the sauce is smooth then season.
- Serve the Pretzels
Serve the pretzels and the cheese sauce while they are warm. You can also brush butter over the baked pretzels and serve with mustard.
Can Pretzel Bites be made ahead of time?
You can definitely do some prep work ahead of time for these pretzel bites. You can boil the pretzel bites and keep them in the fridge overnight before baking. Wait to add the egg wash before baking. The boiled dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month before baking, and you can bake it from frozen.
Nutritional Facts
What to Pair With Pretzel Bites
Drinks: A big glass of ice cold beer will go perfectly with your delicious pretzel bites! You can go with any beer you like but a German Pilsner is a natural choice. If you prefer wine, try these with a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.
Dips: You can serve these savory pretzel bites with a variety of dips besides the cheese sauce. Try them with Honey Mustard, spicy brown mustard, Alfredo Sauce or just melted butter with spices added. Our amazing Beer Cheese Dip would be perfect for a game day appetizer.
How to Store
Store: You can keep Soft Pretzel Bites at room temperature for around 2 days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also keep them in the fridge for up to a week. Just remember to let the Soft Pretzel Bites completely cool down to room temperature before you put them away.
Reheat: To reheat the pretzel bites, just pop them in the oven or the air fryer until they are warmed through.
Freeze: You can freeze Soft Pretzel Bites for up to 2 months. Let them freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring to a container so they don’t stick. Thaw overnight first in the fridge or reheat them from frozen.
Frequent Questions
Turn off the oven and remove the pretzels while the oven cools slightly, to about 250 degrees. Once the oven cools to the point where it won’t continue cooking the pretzels, return them to the oven. This will keep them warm for about 30-60 minutess without making them soggy.
Traditionally pretzels are made with a yeast dough but these pretzel bites are made with refrigerated biscuits. The biscuit dough has mostly the same basic ingredients but the pretzels take way less time to make.
Classic pretzels are boiled in lye to stop the yeast from growing and keep the dough from expanding as they bake. This gives them the dense chewy texture that makes pretzels so unique and delicious. Instead of lye, these pretzels are made with baking soda which gives the same effect but without having to use such a complicated ingredient.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 16.3 ounces refrigerated biscuits , canned
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg , beaten
- Coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded
- Kosher salt
- coarse ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
Make the pretzels:
- Quarter each biscuit, then roll each piece into a ball.
- Using a knife, carve an X into each ball.
- In a medium saucepan, combine water and baking soda.
- Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer.
- Add balls and cook for 30 seconds (The dough will float to top.)
- Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to baking sheet, making sure the pretzels aren’t touching.
- (Don’t worry if the dough looks messy here! They’ll completely transform in the oven.)
- Brush beaten egg over each pretzel, then sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make cheese sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in milk and bring to a simmer.
- When milk begins to thicken, stir in cheese, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Serve with the pretzels.
Nutrition
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Variations
Sweet: Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush the pretzel bites with a little bit of melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. You can also mix a little bit of unsalted butter with brown sugar. Drizzle it over the tops of the Soft Pretzel Bites to give them a crunchy layer of sweetness.
Garlic Herb: Instead of the coarse sea salt, make a mixture of garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle the mixture over the pretzels before baking.
Parmesan: After the pretzel bites have been baked, brush them with melted butter and toss in a bowl with grated Parmesan cheese and herbs.
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