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OMG. Yes!

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Homemade Soft Pretzels, generously sprinkled with sea salt. And to top it off? Buffalo Cheddar Cheese Sauce! Yes, I know. Wow!

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Can I just say that this might be the best Super Bowl snack there is? Well, actually I don’t know the Buffalo “Fried” Goat Cheese is pretty amazing too. But I mean pretzels, buffalo sauce and cheese! Maybe we’ll call it a tie?

It is the Super Bowl, so you do need lots of snacks!

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Originally, I was just going make soft pretzels. Just for a fun snack to have on a Sunday afternoon and then enjoy throughout the week.

But then while the dough was rising I set out for a hike. Oh, those hikes. Oh the yummy things I come up with while hiking.

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Buffalo Cheddar Cheese Sauce! Creamy, spicy and the best cheese sauce to compliment a soft pretzel.

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The pretzels alone are just so good. Salty, soft, dough, dreamy. Just so good. Tear um, bite um, dip um.

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Homemade Soft Pretzels with Buffalo Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 8 pretzels
Calories Per Serving: 354 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
  • 4 1/2 cups to 5 all-purpose flour
  • 3 quarts water
  • 2/3 cups baking soda
  • 1 whole egg beaten
  • Coarse sea salt

Buffalo Cheddar Cheese Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 2/3 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup franks red hot sauce

Instructions

  • To make the pretzels: combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Add the salt and 4 1/2 cups flour to the mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
  • Coat a large bowl with canola oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size. This will take about 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope. To shape into pretzels, take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. Slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place 4 pretzels on each a parchment lined baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with sea salt. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.
  • Remove pretzels from oven and let cool on a wire baking rack.
  • To make the Buffalo Cheddar Cheese sauce: While pretzels are baking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. Add in cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour into one medium size dip bowl or a few bowls to scatter for dipping.
  • Serve hot with the pretzels!
View Recipe Comments

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Soft, doughy, salty pretzels…..with cheesy, buffalo sauce! Snack time anyone?

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have just recently discovered your blog. I thought these pretzels would be a fun treat for New Year’s Day and boy was I right! These were really good. Dough came together really quickly. The cheese sauce was delish! This is definitely a keeper recipe!

    Reply

  2. Just made these and read the instructions about 5 times to see if I needed to grease my pan, and it didn’t say to, so I didn’t. They stuck horribly and wouldn’t come off the pan. My pretzels now have no bottom 🙁

    Reply

    1. Hi Britney, so sorry for the trouble. I prefer to use parchment paper when baking pretzels. I find it works better than greasing the pan. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂

      Reply

  3. Without jeopardizing the recipe, what would be the best way to make/store the sauce one day in advance? Any tips for rewarming? Thank you!!!

    Reply

    1. Hey Nicole! You can make the sauce in advance and then warm over low heat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. If the sauce thickens just add a splash of milk to thin it out. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love these pretzels!

      Reply

  4. I made these for a New Years Party and they were AMAZING! I am having a Labor Day party and want to make them again. The only thing is there will be a lot of people, if i double the recipe, should I make the dough twice and let it sit and rise separately or do you think I will be ok to double it when i am mixing it?

    Reply

    1. HI! I would make the dough twice since it is already SO much dough as is. I just think two doughs will be easier to work with. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!!

      Reply

  5. I was intimidated to make these at first but! I finally did last night. it was super easy. I actually divided the dough into 16 parts and made mini pretzels because we are going to a rather large Superbowl party later and I didn’t want to make two batches. they were done in 12-13 minutes in the oven. also: I foolishly gave away my stand mixer so I mixed these puppies by hand. still- very easy! and insanely delicious. my husband was very impressed
    can’t wait to put them out at the party later.
    thanks!!!!!!

    Reply

      1. Update: They WERE a hit! I ended up piping the buffalo dip into plastic shot glasses for serving. There was enough dip to half-fill 16 shot glasses -just enough for all the mini pretzels. Thanks again!

        Reply

  7. I have made these many times and absolutely love them, as does my family! I was wondering if you had ever frozen them to have on hand and ready at the last minute. Wondering if it would be best to freeze the dough before letting it rise, or to go ahead and form the pretzels and then freeze them? Or maybe go ahead and complete the whole process and freeze them once complete?

    Reply

  9. I made these tonight and they turned out FANTASTIC!!! I didn’t make the sauce due to not having all the ingredients on hand. But the pretzels….won.der.ful! Thanks lady!

    Reply

  11. This recipe is delicious! Honestly, the first time I made them the pretzels were gone before I had a chance to make the cheese sauce. I made it again today and the cheese sauce makes them even better! The hubby is a huge fan! The only thing I did differently the second time around was use parchment paper on the baking sheets. They stuck to to my baking sheets badly the first time around. This is one of my new favorites and I will definitely be making these again!

    Reply

  12. I’m going to make these for tomorrow but I’m taking them to someone elses house. What’s the best way to do it? Boil and bake them at my friends house. Or bake them at home and reheat when I get to the party?

    Reply

    1. I would bake them at home and re-heat them when you get there in the oven…. Unless you are super good friends and she does not mind you being in here kitchen!

      Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions!

      Reply

  15. These look delicious and easy — any way to make with whole wheat flour or maybe half and half whole wheat/all purpose flour?

    Reply