Pretzel Bites Stuffed with Cheese are baked and not fried, making them a delicious homemade snack you can feel good about eating! These soft cheesy pretzel bites are easy to make and super addicting.
While you are here, check out more tasty bread appetizers like these Chicken Jalapeno Popper Hot Pockets or this Cheesy Garlic Butter Pull Apart Bread.
Pretzel Bites Stuffed with Cheese have a buttery soft exterior with warm gooey cheese inside, making it the perfect savory snack. These cheese-filled pretzels are ideal for game day parties, appetizers, or a yummy treat for any occasion. Skip the frozen pretzels and opt for homemade pretzels instead!
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Gather Pretzel Bite Ingredients:
- Yeast: Dry yeast is a key ingredient that makes the pretzel dough rise.
- Brown sugar: You can use dark or light.
- Milk: Whole, 2%, half & half, or cream work well.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted is fine but make sure you use melted butter.
- Salt: I prefer coarse sea salt but if you use iodized, decrease the amount.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour for a fluffier pretzel bite.
- Cheese: For the best results, use a combination of melty cheeses like cheddar, Mozzarella, and Monterrey Jack.
- Olive oil: Brush the pretzel bites before baking in order to allow the dough to rise.
- Baking soda: Using this during the water bath gives the pretzel that chewiness we love. It also maintains the shape of the pretzels so they do not get too big while baking in the oven.
- Parmesan: Top the dough balls with grated cheese before placing them in the oven.
How to Make Pretzel Bites Stuffed with Cheese:
This is a simple cheese stuffed pretzel bites recipe that you will want to use every time!
Make the Pretzel Dough
Combine the yeast, water, and brown sugar and whisk for about 5 minutes or until it is foamy. The small bubbles indicate that the yeast is doing its job.
While the yeast is proofing, melt the butter in the microwave and add the milk directly into it and stir until it is combined. Set this aside.
When the yeast is foamy and proofed, add the butter/milk mixture directly into the yeast and stir with the dough hook or a whisk until it is combined. Knead until the dough is slightly tacky but firm.
Rising Dough
Next, add the olive oil to a large bowl and place the dough ball into the bowl. Then cover with a damp towel and set the bowl in a warm location. Allow the pretzel bite dough to rise for one hour.
After the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet and set it aside.
Add Cheese Filling to Pretzel Dough
Cut the cheese into about ½ inch cubes, or shred the cheese. Take the dough out of the bowl and punch it down to remove any air bubbles. Form all of the dough into bite-size balls, about the size of a golf ball.
Pat one ball of dough at a time down into a little disc or cup shape. Place about ½ tablespoon, or 2 cubes of cheese into the middle and pinch up the sides of the dough to cover the cheese.
Roll it back into the shape of a ball so that the cheese does not ooze out. Repeat this for all 16 pretzel bites. Do not let the pretzel bites sit for too long and rise any more!
Water Bath
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, and SLOWLY add the baking soda directly into the water. Gently place the pretzel bites into the boiling water for about 60 seconds on each side. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them on a baking sheet.
Topping
Brush with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle some of the parmesan cheese on each bite.
Baking Pretzel Bites
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, turning the baking sheet around one time halfway through. The pretzels are done when they are golden brown. Finally, remove them from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter if desired.
Pretzel Bites Substitutions:
This stuffed pretzel recipe is delicious but it can be tweaked to fit your personal tastes. Here are some ideas for additions and substitutions.
- Jalapeño cheese stuffed pretzels would kick the spiciness up a notch.
- For a sweet/salty flavor combo, consider swapping out cheese for peanut butter-filled pretzels.
- If you are tight on time, use premade/store-bought pizza dough instead of making it from scratch.
- Skip the filling and opt for a cinnamon-sugar pretzel bite instead. Simply add a coating with cinnamon and sugar.
- If you choose to make cheese-filled pretzel bites in the air fryer, cook in batches at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes.
Are cheesy pretzel bites healthy?
While soft pretzels found in the freezer aisle or concession stands are likely to contain additives, these baked Pretzel Bites Stuffed with Cheese are a healthier alternative.
Making your own pretzels from scratch is better because you know exactly what is in your food and can adjust the measurements of certain ingredients like salt or butter.
What to Serve the Pretzel Bites with:
Serve pretzel bites with honey mustard or your favorite dipping sauce. This time, I upped the cheesiness by using a cheese dip. Beer cheese would work well too!
How to Store and Reheat the Pretzel Bites:
Store leftover pretzel bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Frozen cheese stuffed pretzels last for about 2 months.
When you are ready to enjoy them, microwave for about one minute from the fridge and 90 seconds from the freezer. To reheat more than a few at a time, preheat the oven to 250 degrees and bake for 15-30 minutes.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water warm (105-110 degrees F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Yeast about one packet
- 3 tablespoons Brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Milk 2% or whole milk
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3 cups All purpose flour
- 2 cups Cheese (cheddar, Mozzarella, or Monterrey jack)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil to allow dough to rise
Water Bath for Pretzels
- 8 cups of Water
- ½ cup Baking soda
Topping
- ½ stick Butter melted
- ½ cup Parmesan grated
Instructions
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the yeast, water and brown sugar. Stir with the dough hook or a whisk for 5 minutes until it is foamy.
- While the yeast is proofing, melt the butter in the microwave and add the milk directly into it and stir until it is combined. Set this aside.
- When the yeast is foamy and proofed, add the butter/milk mixture directly into the yeast and stir with the dough hook or a whisk until it is combined.
- Add the salt and the flour a little bit at a time and continue to mix with the dough hook, or a large spoon, or hands until the flour is combined.
- Continue kneading the mixture until a dough forms that is slightly tacky but firm. Add about 1 tablespoon of flour at a time if the dough is too sticky. You want it to be a bit tacky, but not completely sticky.
- Add the olive oil into a large bowl and place the dough ball into the bowl. Cover with a damp towel and set the bowl in a warm location. Allow the dough to rise for one hour.
- After the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet and set it aside.
- Cut the cheese into about ½ inch cubes, or shred the cheese.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, and SLOWLY add the baking soda directly into the water.
- Take the dough out of the bowl and punch it down to remove any air bubbles. Form all of the dough into bite size balls, about the size of a golf ball.
- Pat one ball of dough at a time down into a little disc or cup shape. Place about ½ tablespoon, or 2 cubes of cheese into the middle and pinch up the sides of the dough to cover the cheese.
- Roll it back into the shape of a ball so that the cheese does not ooze out. Repeat this for all 16 pretzel bites. Do not let the pretzel bites sit for too long and rise anymore!
- Gently place the pretzel bites into the boiling water for about 60 seconds on each side. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them on a baking sheet.
- Brush with a bit of the melted butter and sprinkle some of the parmesan cheese on each bite.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, turning the baking sheet around one time halfway through. The pretzels are done when they are golden brown.
- Remove them from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter if desired. Serve with mustard or your favorite dipping sauce!
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