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The cheesiest twisted Pesto Cheese Garlic Butter Soft Pretzel Knots. Simple to make and even more delicious to eat! These doughy, salty soft pretzel knots are twisted with basil pesto, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese! Then baked with pretzel salt and sesame seeds. Each pretzel knot is dipped into warm garlic parmesan butter just before eating. Can you say yummy?! A delicious companion to your dinner table or game day spread.
Oh my goodness! I just love today’s recipe so much. These are not something I share often, but they just seemed really fresh and fun. And most importantly, delicious.
They’re probably my favorite recipe of the week, they’re just so perfect and addictingly delish.
Usually, I make soft pretzels in the fall for game-day snacking. But I couldn’t let go of the concept of a garlicky soft pretzel knot. So even though these might be better suited for the fall, I just had to make them now!
They’ll still be wonderful for the spring and summer holidays, and preseason football will be here before we know it! Trust me, these are so yummy, I just know we’ll be making these on repeat!
It’s no secret that I love a good soft pretzel. My obsession started young, with those buttery, soft, salty, and delicious Auntie Ann’s and Wetzel’s Pretzels. Sometimes we’d get the classic salted, buttery pretzel, and other times we’d get the cinnamon sugar.
My brothers and I loved them both equally. I’m pretty sure that if you were to present any of my brothers with one of those exact pretzels again, they’d happily eat it. You can’t deny that they are good.
But homemade is best, and when I began to bake my own pretzels at home, I never went back to anything store-bought. This is my first garlic butter pretzel and I’m full-blown obsessed with them!
Here are the details
Using pretzel dough is the key. You get a really chewy, soft dough with a beautiful golden crust. They’re chewy and perfect.
Mix warm water with yeast, honey, flour, butter, and salt. Knead everything together in a mixer and let the dough rise.
The pretzel dough is very easy to work with, so don’t let anything intimidate you! The key to these knots? The pesto cheese filling, salted sesame crust, and that buttery, garlic parmesan topping.
The filling is made with a delicious blend of basil pesto, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. The garlic butter is simply, salted butter, garlic, parmesan, and mixed herbs.
When the dough is ready, roll it out. Then spread on the pesto, cheddar, and mozzarella. Next, fold the dough in half, cut 14-16 strips, and twist! Just twist each strip and then coil it into a knot. Brush each knot with a beaten egg, then sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt and sesame seeds.
As the knots bake, the cheese melts into the pesto. When you take them out, you’ll have soft cheesy knots that smell wonderful! Promise this is not hard and they do not need to be perfect!
To finish, remove the pot from the stove and add the parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, I usually use thyme.
Spoon the butter over each warm knot, then enjoy every last bite. So much better than anything at the mall or a fancy restaurant!
Looking for other delicious bread and snack recipes? Here are a few.
Soft Garlic Herb Cheddar Cheese Bread
Salted Honey Butter Jalapeño Cheddar Rolls
Jalapeño Cheddar Popovers with Honey Butter
Everything Ranch Crackers and Pretzels
Hard Cider Pretzels with Creamy Honey Mustard
Lastly, if you make Pesto Garlic Butter Soft Pretzel Knots, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Cheese Garlic Butter Soft Pretzel Knots
Servings: 16 knots
Calories Per Serving: 294 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
Garlic Butter
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme and basil oregano or parsley
Instructions
- 1. Combine the water, honey, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes, until bubbly on top.2. Add the butter and flour. Mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough is too wet or too dry, add additional flour or water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1-2 hours.3. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.4. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick (about 16×14 inches), adding flour as needed. Spread the dough with pesto. Sprinkle with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Fold the dough in half, pressing to adhere. Cut into 16 strips. Twist each strip into a loose knot, it doesn't need to be perfect.5. Brush the knots with the beaten egg, then sprinkle each with sesame seeds and coarse salt. Bake for 15 to 18 mins or until the pretzels are golden brown. 6. Meanwhile, make the garlic butter. Melt together the butter and garlic until the garlic just becomes fragrant, remove from the heat, then mix in the parmesan and herbs. Spoon the garlic butter over the knots. 7. Enjoy warm or at room temp, warm is best in my book, with extra garlic butter for dipping!
These look so delicious! I will be making them tomorrow. Is it okay to make a day before and serve them the next day? I will put them in the oven on warm setting before serving.
Thank you for the amazing recipes!
Hey there,
Of course, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love these pretzels! xT
can I freeze half the knots and make on a different day if needed ?
Hey Paula,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I made these yesterday afternoon for our Super Bowl party (YAY, Chiefs!!), and they were absolutely amazing – and EASY. I was intimidated to try them initially because I’ve not worked with bread doughs very much, but the instructions were simple and step-by-step, and the results were so worth it. Everyone raved.
They are great as a stand-alone appetizer, but would also be fantastic alongside a soup or salad. If you’re even thinking about trying these, DO IT. You will not be disappointed in your results!
Hey there,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for your kind message:) xT
These look fabulous! Tieghan is there a video posted somewhere for these? Would like to to see the twisting part before I try if possible 🙂
Hi Nicole,
So sorry, I do not have a video for this recipe at this time. Please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Definitely making these for the superbowl! Do you think hot honey would be a fine substitute?
Hi Kristina,
Sure, that would be okay for you to use. I hope you love this recipe! xx
One of my favorites of yours for sure! Well done!
Thank you SO much for trying out these pretzel knots! xT
Oh my!! These were amazing! I was a bit intimidated but no need to be! Thank you!
Hi Debbie,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks for trying it! Have a great weekend:) xx
Look Delicious, Could I make these freeze and defrost and lightly reheat before serving?
Thank You
Hi Katrina,
Yes, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I want to make these for a meal coming up soon. Any thoughts on what to pair it with? A salad, maybe? I’m hoping to even out the amazing carbaliciousness of it with some yummy protein & veggie if possible =]
Hi Jillian,
Sure, a salad would be great! Here are some recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crispy-italian-chicken-and-bacon-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/lemon-herb-chicken-avocado-orzo-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/pesto-chicken-caesar-salad/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I was wondering if it’s possible to prepare these, say a day ahaed?
Hi Sara,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Memorial Day! xT
My sons came for home for the long Memorial Day weekend and I knew these would be a hit so I whipped up the dough in the AM and stuck it in the fridge for a slow proof. They helped me assemble and bake them as our chicken was grilling. They were a super big hit and I will definitely make again. I might try to make them smaller as they are huge. Do not skip the sesame seeds they added so much.
4 stars because I did have to add quite a bit of extra flour to the dough to get a good consistency. I converted the cups to grams as I always do when baking which is probably the cause. The recipe’s ‘cups’ must be heavy. Grams for dough is a much more accurate measurement perhaps consider including in future dough recipes.
Hey Cynthia,
Happy Memorial Day!!🇺🇸🎆 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Just click “metric” under the list of ingredients:) xT