How To Make Cheese Sauce For Pretzels

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Make Cheese Dipping Sauce For Pretzels

Homemade Soft Pretzels & Beer Cheese Sauce – What’s For Din – Courtney Budzyn – Recipe 41

It is better than anything store bought and super easy to make. You can make a ton for a fraction of the price of the grocery store.

You most definitely will save money compared to buying those small containers of cheese sauce at the pretzel store.

Give it a try and let us know how it turned out. I think you and your family will really enjoy it.

Soft Pretzels With Cheese Sauce Dip

It has taken me a really, really long time to properly fall in love with New York. I moved here four years ago, chasing a two-year long-distance relationship , and kind of expected to just instantly fit in. Turns out that its not all that simple. It took me a long time to make friends that were mine, rather than just Richards friends, and I found it really hard being away from home, and finding a new routine in this big, strange city. There was also this weird feeling of guilt – that I should be having the time of my life living in my dream city, yet somehow, I wasnt.

New York and I are getting there, but soft pretzels with cheese sauce and I were love at first sight. I had one for the first time the day I landed in NYC, and its been a long-term committed relationship ever since. Im addicted.

Pretzel Bites With Cheddar Sauce Ingredients

  • Water
  • Pepper
  • Ground mustard powder

Soft pretzel bites complement the warm, cheesy dipping sauce perfectly. This easy recipe makes a mild cheddar cheese sauce which you can experiment with, especially if youre interested in adding more robust flavors. For example, consider adding a little cayenne, or even some diced up jalapenos. Maybe youd like to use your favorite cheese instead, like a smoked gouda.

Its important to note that this recipe does make a large number of pretzel bites. In addition to savory pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt, try sprinkling some of the pieces with cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat. A sweet cream cheese dipping sauce would pair perfectly with the cinnamon pretzel bites!

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Make Ahead + Keep Warm

Make ahead: Prepare as directed, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to enjoy, simply heat back up on the stove or in the microwave.

Keep warm: This cheese sauce is great served right from the stove, but if its going to be more than 10 minutes before I serve it, I like to transfer to a mini crockpot to keep warm.

Easy Ingredients For Creamy Cheese Sauce:

soft pretzels

With just 4 simple and familiar ingredients, you can make a cheese sauce that is so tasty you will want to drizzle it on everything! Basic ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge will combine easily and make a creamy sauce everyone will enjoy.

  • Butter: Gives the sauce rich flavor.
  • Flour: Thickens the sauce.
  • Milk: Thins the sauce out a bit and adds sweet flavor.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese: Freshly grated cheese will melt better and give a stronger flavor than the coated shredded cheese you can buy in a bag at the store.

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How Do You Shape Pretzels

The dough for these homemade pretzels is fairly dense and a tad bit salty. You will mix the ingredients and let the dough rise once.

The original recipe says you get 12 pretzels but I divided it into 9 pieces and made fairly large ones. Each section of dough is rolled into a 20-inch rope before being shaped into the traditional pretzel shape.

Make a U shape, draw the ends back down towards you, leaving two loops at the top, twist, and press the ends into the bottom of the pretzel as shown.

I have seen videos of people doing this where they are practically throwing the dough up in the air and twirling it around but I am nowhere near that skilled!

How Spicy Is This Nacho Cheese Sauce

That completely depends how spicy you want it. I can tolerate a little spice and I LOVE this homemade cheese sauce. In fact, sometimes I add even more hot sauce and cayenne than the recipe lists below. If you dont like spice, leave both out.

Feel free to adjust the amount of spice based on your heat tolerance.

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Does Beer Cheese Have Beer In It Yes It Does

The beer cheese is an amazing addition to this snack. It really is a great blend between the beer and cheddar flavors. I seriously wanted to just lick the bowl clean when I was done eating! The beer cheese was inspired by a recipe on the Williams Sonoma website, although I changed it a little bit.

Essentially, you are just making a cheese sauce and replacing some of the milk for beer, and adding some mustard.

If you are looking for Oktoberfest recipes, this one will certainly wow your family and friends. And if its no longer October? Make them anyhow! You will not be sorry!

How To Make Pretzel Cheese Sauce

How to Make Pretzels Bites and Beer Cheese Sauce!

This recipe is so easy! You can make it is less than 10 minutes.

  • Melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux.
  • Cook over medium heat for one minute until the mixture bubbles and darkens slightly.
  • Stir in the milk and cook about a minute until it starts to thicken. Do not let the mixture come to a rolling boil. If its to hot it can overheat the cheese in the next step.
  • Turn off the heat and slowly add the cheese. If you heat up the cheese too fast or too hot, it can separate so be careful.
  • Stir continuously until the cheese is melted. If necessary, turn the heat on low to finish melting the cheese. If you melt the cheese on too high of heat, it can separate and get grainy.
  • Add the spices and remix. Enjoy!
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    Tips For Pretzel Cheese Dip:

    • If the cheese sauce is too thick, add in more milk gradually until the cheese sauce is the consistency that you prefer.
    • You can add cream cheese to the mixture for a richer consistency. I would start with a tablespoon when you add the shredded cheese.
    • Add a dash of hot sauce or cayenne pepper if you like things spicy.
    • Now if you are going to make a big batch, I highly recommend a double boiler to melt your cheese. It will go much smoother and will melt more evenly. Trust me Ive learned from experience!
    • Mustard cheese dip: Add a Tablespoon or two of mustard.
    • Crock Pot Normally we will make this dip in the double boiler, and then we like to keep it warm in a mini dipper crockpot. We just love them because it keeps the dip warm and smooth.
    • Serve with Chips These are great with pretzels, but we also love it drizzled over fritos, spicy chips, or tortilla chips.

    Which Beers Make The Best Cheese Sauce For Pretzels

    There are a few beers that I feel make the best cheese sauce for pretzels and bread. One of them is using Guinness beer for cheese dip. With Guinness cheese dip, youll have a rich, cheesy dipping sauce every time.

    My other favorite beers are the German beers, especially the Oktoberfest beers. They are often labeled as Festbiers and Amber Marzen beers, readily available in September and October and often throughout the year. You will love the German beer cheese dip that comes from these varieties of beer.

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    Variations For This Cheese Dip

    The best part about this cheese dip is that it is so easily adaptable for whatever you are craving. Here are some ideas for how to change this up so you can have a cheese dip party with a multitude of flavor varieties.

    • Add salsa and a dash of hot sauce
    • Use beer in place of the Worstershire sauce or just add in beer in addition to the recipe as written
    • Try pepper jack cheese and diced jalapenos
    • Use cheddar cheese in place of the smoked gouda

    Baked Pretzel Bites & Beer Cheese Dip Recipe

    Homemade Soft Pretzels with Spicy Beer Cheese SauceCooking ...

    Baked Pretzel Bites & Beer Cheese Dip Recipe

    The all-star duo of soft pretzels and cheese sauce decided to add in some golden suds to take this winning combo from damn good to absolutely amazing. We start with baking pretzel bites from scratch and then combine that with a delicious beer-cheese sauce made out of white cheddar, gruyere, cream cheese and your favorite lager.

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    Pretzel Bites With Cheese Dip // 3 Ways + Video

    Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip // 3 Ways + VIDEO

    Cheese Dip. Also Lets not forget the glorious pretzel cheese dip. If you loved this Pretzel Bites recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Pretzel Bites RecipePretzel Bites with Cheese Dip Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip are the perfect snack for tailgating. 3.95 from 75 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 8 servings Created by Platings and Pairings 1x 2x 3x Ingredients Pretzel Bites 1 1/2 cups water 2 1/4 teaspoons instant rise yeast )2 Tablespoons butter 1 Tablespoon brown sugar1 teaspoon salt4 cups flour1/2 cup baking soda1 egg Coarse salt Cheese Dip 2 1/4 cups whole milk1/4 cup unsalted butter1/4 cup flour2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese salt + pepper to taste Nacho Cheese Dip Cheese Dip 1 jalapeno 2 Tablespoons hot sauce1 teaspooon cayenne Mustard Cheese Dip Cheese Dip 1 Tablespoon mustard Horseradish Cheese Dip Cheese Dip 2 Tablespoons horseradish Instructions Pretzel Bites Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. .

    Ingredients For Easy Cheese Sauce

    • Butter Either unsalted or salted butter works for this recipe.
    • Flour I use unbleached all purpose flour.
    • Whole Milk I have found that whole milk works the best but you can use low fat if thats all you have on hand. Heavy whip will also work in this recipe.
    • Shredded Cheddar Cheese I like to use sharp cheddar cheese. I recommend shredding your own cheese so that this cheese dip is creamy and smooth.
    • Salt Dont skip the salt as it brings out the flavor in all the other ingredients.

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    Quick Tips For Making The Best Beer Cheese Sauce For Pretzels:

    • We simmer the beer first to cook off some of the alcohol. This also helps the cream cheese melt more easily.
    • Dont add the shredded cheese all at oncebut a handful at a time. This will ensure the sauce doesnt get clumpy.
    • Add different flavors by using a different type of beer. Sam used a light beer and I used a dark wheat-style ale I do not recommend using a fruit-based beer.
    • You can try different cheeses, too, to add different flavors. Perhaps you want to go in a TexMex direction and add shredded Mexican blend cheese.
    • Store leftover cheese sauce for pretzels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
    • To reheat, warm in the slow cooker or zap in the microwave. Be prepared to add a little extra beer or a bit of milk to make it creamier if its still pretty thick.

    Can You Use Different Type Of Cheese For This Recipe

    How to Make the Best Soft Pretzels, Pretzel Bread or Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce.

    Yes, you can make this recipe with your favorite type of cheese to make this recipe your own.

    Generally, I make it with cheddar cheese for more of a traditional flavor but this recipe would be great with white cheddar, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese as well for a little kick.

    No matter what type of cheese you use for this recipe, I recommend shredding it yourself so that it melts evenly.

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    Making It Without Alcohol

    Or make this recipe and just leave out the beer, substituting an equal amount of either more dairy or maybe some stock.

    If you have questions about this post or recipe, dont hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

    If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless Im asleep.

    Reviews really help sell the recipe, and negative reviews help me tune into what people really want to have explained better, so any ratings and reviews are helpful!Also feel free to tag me on Instagram at with #pcorecipe so I can find your creation. Thank you!

    And make sure to grab the bread pretzel recipe too. Because beer cheese and bread pretzels together? The best!

    How To Make Pretzel Bites With Mustard Cheese Sauce

    Made from store-bought pizza dough, these chewy pretzel bites are baked to perfection for toasty snacks that go best with rich mustard sauce.

    15 minutes

    • 1½tbsphoney mustard,such as Frenchs
    • 2cupscheddar cheese,shredded
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

  • Roll the pizza dough into balls slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball.

  • Bring a pot of water to a simmer, then stir in the baking soda. Add the dough balls and cook for 30 seconds.

  • Remove from the water and place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray.

  • Brush each dough ball with egg wash and sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt.

  • Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until pretzels turn a deep brown color.

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk while whisking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the milk begins to thicken slightly.

  • Add in the Frenchs Honey Mustard, cheese, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Let the cheese sauce bubble for a few more minutes to thicken up slightly.

  • Serve immediately with the pretzel bites and enjoy.

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    How To Make Cheese Sauce

    Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, sprinkle the flour over the butter, and stir constantly to combine.

    Cook for one additional minute and then whisk in the milk until slightly thickened.

    Remove the skillet from the heat and then slowly stir in the cheese until smooth. Add salt and pepper as desired.

    The Best Beer Cheese Dip Recipe

    Homemade Soft Pretzels with Spicy Beer Cheese Sauce

    It is hard to resist a good gooey, velvety cheese dip. And really, why would you even try?

    I was inspired to make this tasty duo by an appetizer we had at an amazing restaurant we went to on Coronado Island back in October. Its similar to but way better than hot beer cheese dip served at Applebees The sauce is creamy, smoky and nutty, cheesy and addictively delicious.

    What makes this the BEST beer bread dip is the simple quality ingredients included. The bechamel sauce is based on my macaroni and cheese recipe, but I added Guinness or German beer and a pinch of cayenne for the most delectable flavor.

    Pair this recipe with homemad pretzel bites or pretzels for the full German cheese dip experience. I prepare them with frozen bread dough, so theyre nearly effortless to prepare and are consistently tasty. The crispy, soft, slightly chewy and salty bites are perfect with the tangy Guinness beer and cheese dip!

    But the fun doesnt stop there! This recipe is fabulous to make as a cheesy beer fondue to enjoy with veggies, apples, or other yummy pieces of bread.

    The soft pretzel cheese dip or fondue! is ready to serve in less than 30 minutes, which is super handy when you need a quick appetizer or are planning to have company over.

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    Tips For Making Soft Pretzel Dip Sauce:

    • This cheese sauce uses flour to thicken, keep the temp lower and stir often so it doesnt get grainy.
    • I suggest a lager, but a light beer, a stout beer, an Ale Beer or an IPA beer will work. The lighter beers go great with vegetables and mild breads. If you use a stout or dark beer they pair really well with the strong flavors of the pretzel and more filling breads like rye bread.
    • Make this pretzel sauce ahead of time, it keeps in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days and just warm it up to save even more time.
    • Serve this with homemade pretzels, crackers, soft pretzels, tortilla chips, vegetables or as a sandwich spread.
    • This pretzel dip doesnt freeze well, the texture changes too much and it becomes clumpy and grainy.
    • Having a party and want to keep it warm. Use a mini crock pot like the ones I use here to serve directly from so it keeps it warm for a long time!

    How To Store Soft Pretzel Bites

    • The pretzel bites will remain fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container, though they will lose some softness.
    • You can also freeze the baked pretzel bites. To serve, let thaw then reheat in 300-degree oven until warmed through.

    If you loved this Pretzel Bites recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on

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