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Mini Ranch Pretzels with Buffalo Cheese Sauce, simply the best! Homemade soft pretzel dough made with pumpkin beer and baked up with a spicy homemade ranch seasoning. These pretzels are soft and chewy with a ranch seasoning that makes them extra special. Serve each salty pretzel with a spicy buffalo cheese sauce – a classic game-day combo – and so good.
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Oh, these pretzels, yum! It’s obviously no secret that I love to make homemade soft pretzels. They’re honestly a really easy yeasted dough to make, and they always turn out so delicious.
Throughout the fall, I have a lot of fun making soft pretzels. They’re just a fun Sunday or Monday night football treat. Plus my family loves them, the perfect crowd pleaser. I don’t always switch up the flavor of the pretzel, usually just the sauce. Sometimes I like to do a chipotle queso, other times a creamy honey mustard.
But for these pretzels, I really switched things up. I made the pretzels with spicy ranch and served them up with a buffalo cheese sauce on the side.
Over the years I’ve created a good amount of fun pretzel recipes. My Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Soft Pretzels (over the top, but yum). Then came everyone’s favorite, Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels. And then my favorite, pumpkin beer pretzels with queso. Also, last year’s cider pretzels with honey mustard are a fall staple.
So many good ones, and very pleased to be adding these to the mix. They might just be the family’s favorite.
Here are details
Making soft pretzels is easy. First, you’ll need beer of any kind, I love to use pumpkin beer this time of year. Then just some yeast, honey, flour, butter, and salt. Super simple ingredients. Simply 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!
When the dough is ready, just divide it into 16 equal balls (we’re making these guys mini!). Then roll them out into long ropes, and twist each into a pretzel.
And remember, they don’t need to be perfect.
For the ranch seasoning mix, it’s simply dried parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Then add pretzel salt all in a small bowl.
Once the pretzels are shaped, boil them in water mixed with baking soda. The baking soda in the water helps the pretzels achieve that soft, chewy texture we all love so much!
Then, brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with the ranch seasonings. I use this pretzel salt.
Next, while the pretzels bake make the cheese sauce. I warm together milk and cream cheese, then add in a mix of cheddar and Monterey cheeses. Finish with buffalo sauce and stir until everything is warm and melty.
Absolutely nothing fancy, but oh so good!
Looking forward to making these throughout the fall. Great for game nights, and dinner parties to come…the perfect laid-back appetizer or snack!
Looking for other fun fall appetizers? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch
Pumpkin Beer Pretzels with Chipotle Queso
Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Cheddar Flaky Pastries
Everything Ranch Cheese and Pretzel Snack Mix
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Strombolis
Hard Cider Pretzels with Creamy Honey Mustard
Lastly, if you make these Mini Ranch Pretzels with Buffalo Cheese Sauce, 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!
Mini Ranch Pretzels with Buffalo Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Pretzels
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 (12 ounce) pumpkin beer
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten
Ranch Season
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/4 cup pretzel salt
Buffalo Cheese
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- season salt, use to taste
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 beer, 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, add additional flour, 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. Meanwhile, mix the ranch seasoning. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 4. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.5. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal balls. Roll each ball 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.6. Add the baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the pretzels, 1-2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place the pretzel on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the pretzels with the egg and sprinkle liberally with ranch seasoning. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.7. Meanwhile, make the cheese. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk, then add both cheeses, stirring until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the buffalo sauce and season with seasoned salt. 8. Serve the pretzels along with the warm cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This recipe makes way too much cheese sauce. And I like a lot of cheese! We had plenty with the pretzels, then the next day I made quesadillas using more of the cheese sauce. And we still have at least half of it leftover.
The recipe also makes too much ranch spice mix. I followed the quantities exactly and used it very generously in the pretzels and still had quite a bit leftover.
I feel like the proportions of pretzels, cheese sauce and spice mix are way, way off and it’s very wasteful.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Nancy!
Really good! And not difficult . Made them for a football party and everyone loved
Hey Peggy,
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for sharing your comment! Happy Sunday!
So delicious and a great recipe for quick and easy elevated soft pretzel. Mine did stick really badly to the parchment. I have nice parchment paper too. Did anyone solve this problem? I see it happened to quite a few people. Any tips are appreciated!
Thank you and HBH is the best!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! So sorry to hear they stuck to the parchment, I would try spraying it with non-stick spray next time, that should help. xx
This was absolutely delicious!! Im curious oof I’m able to freeze and reheat by putting them in the oven for a little while after ? I gave friends coming over this weekend and was curious if I can keep them fresh im the fridge for 5 days or if the freezer is a good alternative?
Hey Kylie,
Yay! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! Yes, you could totally freeze these, that will work well. Have a great day! Xx
I am not sure what happened. But the pretzels stuck to the parchment paper like glue. Flavor is good. Just can’t get the pretzels off the sheet.
Hey Tiffany,
Thanks for trying this recipe! So weird about the pretzels sticking….maybe there was too much water on them. So sorry!! xx
These were delicious but mine also stuck to the parchment while baking sadly so I had to cut all the bottoms off. Maybe a draining step or adding cornmeal to pan first.
Hey Tera,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for trying it! So sorry to hear they stuck! Have a great week! xT