Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat)

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

36 Comments

5 from 11 votes
36 bites
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
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Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat) are addicting kicked up fried cheese balls with jalapenos. Cheesy crunchy appetizers that bring the heat!

These delicious Texas Roadhouse appetizers are sure to be your new favorite Copycat Recipe for parties or events. Move over Bang Bang Shrimp, there’s a new spicy, crispy finger food recipe in town.

Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat) closeup

TEXAS ROADHOUSE RATTLESNAKE BITES

When it comes to appetizers, easy fried classics like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and fries are always a hit. But if you want to kick up your party food up a notch, you (and your guests) are going to absolutely love this real deal copy of a favorite app!

These Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites are cheesy, crispy, and surprisingly easy recipe to recreate at home. All you need is a fryer (a large pot or wok will work), and a handful of ingredients. It doesn’t take too long to get these cheese filled spicy bites to a golden brown.

If you haven’t had a Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bite yet, get ready to have your mind blown. Imagine the best mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers rolled into bite-sized balls perfect for dipping. They are just the right amount of spicy and the creamy jack cheese just melts in your mouth.

These tasty little bites are delicious on their own but dipping sauces like Ranch Dressing or Honey Mustard add a kick of flavor while cooling down the heat. Traditionally, Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites are served with a Cajun Horseradish Sauce and I will definitely be doing a copycat recipe for that soon! Until then, I put a quick spicy horseradish sauce down below.

Quick Creamy Horseradish Dipping Sauce:

    • Mix the following ingredients together in a small bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving with your Rattlesnake Bites. 
    • Ingredients: ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons ketchup, 2 teaspoons creamy horseradish, 1 dash cayenne pepper

MORE DELICIOUS DIPPING SAUCES

HOW TO MAKE TEXAS ROADHOUSE RATTLESNAKE BITES

  • Roll Bites: Mix the cheddar cheese and jalapenos, then roll into ¾ inch balls.
  • Chill Bites: Place the balls on a cookie sheet and freeze completely (2 hours is best, but 1 hour minimum).
  • Coat Bites: Roll the balls in the flour, then the milk/egg mixture, then the breadcrumb/seasoning mixture.
  • Fry Bites: Fry the balls in 350 degree oil in batches until golden brown.

Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat) inside bite

VARIATIONS ON TEXAS ROADHOUSE RATTLESNAKE BITES

  • Cheese: In authentic recipes, Monterey Jack cheese is what goes in Rattlesnake Bites but in your homemade ones try blending in mozzarella or pepper jack cheese. Also try cream cheese to make your bites gooey and creamy.
  • Hot Peppers: You can swap the fresh jalapenos for diced pickled jalapenos for a bit milder heat. If you want them more spicy, try using Habanero or Serrano peppers.
  • Southwestern: Use a tablespoon of Homemade Taco Seasoning in your breading and use diced green chiles instead of jalapenos for a Southwestern flavor.

Tips for Frying Rattlesnake Bites:

  • Don’t skip freezing your cheese balls before you deep fry them. Once you shape your cheese mixture, pop in the freezer for at least 1 hour. If you skip this step the bites will dissolve in the fryer and won’t look like the original. Remember the restaurant likely receives these bites in boxes already frozen. That is why their bites are perfect when they get to your table. Freeze them and you’ll be much happier with the results.
  • Keep the temperature of your oil between 350 and 375 degrees. If you aren’t using an electronic fryer, invest in an oil thermometer.
  • If you don’t have have a fryer, use a  large pot or wok that has high sides. This way the oil doesn’t splash out and you can fill halfway and still submerge the small bites that you’re frying.
  • Don’t overcrowd the fryer or pot. Adding too much food will bring down the temperature of the oil and cause your food to get greasy or soggy for cooking too long in the oil.

MORE EASY APPETIZER RECIPES

HOW TO STORE TEXAS ROADHOUSE RATTLESNAKE BITES

  • Serve: Rattlesnake Bites are good for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
  • Store: I don’t recommend storing these in the fridge for more than 3 days. Allow to cool before sealing in a container so no moisture collects.
  • Freeze: To store longer, flash freeze your bites on a cookie sheet for an hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and keep for up to 2 months. Reheat by frying or in the oven.

Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites on plate with spicy horseradish

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Dinner, then Dessert

Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat)

Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat) are addicting kicked up fried cheese balls with jalapenos. Cheesy crunchy appetizers that bring the heat!
Yield 36 bites
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese , shredded
  • 2 jalapeños , minced
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 1 cup  flour
  • 1 large egg , beaten
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • canola or vegetable oil , for frying

Instructions

  • Combine your shredded cheese, minced garlic, and jalapenos in a bowl and mix.
  • Shape cheese mixture into about ¾ inch balls, squeezing tightly to compress.
  • Place the balls on cookie sheet and freeze for about 60 minutes minimum but for 2 hours is preferred.
  • Preheat your deep fryer to 350 degrees.
  • Place the flour in a bowl.
  • Mix the egg and milk together in a second bowl.
  • Mix the bread crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a third bowl.
  • Roll the chilled balls in the flour mixture, then dipping into the egg mixture, and lastly coating with the bread crumb mixture.
  • Fry in batches for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Drain on paper towel.
  • Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

Nutrition

Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword: Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat)

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Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites (Copycat) collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. These look amazing. Could you make including the coating then freeze these ahead of time. When I want to make them just pop out of freezer and deep fry?

    Reply

    1. Do these steps ahead of time…
      Roll Bites: Mix the cheddar cheese and jalapenos, then roll into 3/4 inch balls.
      Chill Bites: Place the balls on a cookie sheet and freeze completely (2 hours is best, but 1 hour minimum). Not sure how long ahead you’re thinking but I’m guessing 1 – 2 days in advance would work?
      THEN defrost and follow the recipe from there.
      Let us know how yours turn out!

      Reply

  2. HELP! I’ve followed the recipe but can’t get balls out of cheese jalapeños and garlic! No way is this able to shape into a ball!!! What am I missing

    Reply

    1. HOW TO MAKE TEXAS ROADHOUSE RATTLESNAKE BITES
      Roll Bites: Mix the cheddar cheese and jalapenos, then roll into ¾ inch balls.
      Chill Bites: Place the balls on a cookie sheet and freeze completely (2 hours is best, but 1 hour minimum).
      Coat Bites: Roll the balls in the flour, then the milk/egg mixture, then the breadcrumb/seasoning mixture.
      Fry Bites: Fry the balls in 350 degree oil in batches until golden brown.

      Not sure about the garlic in “Roll Bites” step?
      Let us know how they turned out!

      Reply

    2. Hi, Maureen. You have to make sure the cheese and jalapenos are mixed really well. Then compress the mixture tight when forming the balls. It takes a bit, but can be done.

      Reply

    1. Freeze: To store longer, flash freeze your bites on a cookie sheet for an hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and keep for up to 2 months. Reheat by frying or in the oven.

      Reply

  4. Can these be made in an air fryer? If you think it’s possible, how would you tweak the recipe?

    Reply

  6. I love this i am doing something for school and this helped me get away from the fake rattlesnake fries at Taco Bell. Ps… where’s the nutrition facts

    Reply

    1. If I were to deviate from the recipe to make these bites less greasy (I’m assuming that’s why you’d like to bake them in an oven?) I would recomment experimenting with an air fryer to get closer to the “fried” taste you’re looking for in this recipe.

      Reply

  8. These look delish, can’t wait to try them. But can I panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs, has anyone tried this. Thanks

    Reply

  9. Sabrina- the recipe for rattlesnake bites sounds amazing! Is there a alternative to frying? Could I bake or air fry and for how long? Thank you so much – love your recipes

    Reply

  14. The ingredients calls for minced garlic, but instructions don’t say when to use it. I see when to use the garlic powder though

    Reply

    1. Thanks for catching that. You’ll want to add it in with the shredded cheese and jalapeños. I’ve adjusted the recipe card to include it now. I hope you enjoy them.

      Reply

  20. I haven’t tried the rattlesnake bites at Texas Roadhouse, but I can’t wait to make your homemade version. Cheese and a kick – count me in!

    Reply