Easy Soft Pretzel Bites And Beer Cheese Dip

Game day snacks, much like the sports they’re consumed in celebration of, bring people together. A plate of wings, chips and dip, or even a simple pizza are classic crowd-pleasers guaranteed to disappear before it’s even halftime. So we put some thought into our version of the perfect shareable game day snack (other than buffalo chicken dip, of course) and came up with these easy soft pretzel bites and beer cheese that perfectly encompasses all the best parts of game day.

These tasty beer cheese pretzel bites are so snackable, so indulgent, and so delicious that they’re best enjoyed while watching the game with good company. To learn how to make the perfect soft pretzel bites with cheese sauce, continue on:

Soft Pretzel Bites And Beer Cheese Dip Ingredients

Our easy soft pretzel bites with beer cheese dip is the perfect easy snack to make for your next game day party. All you need to make about 70 tasty little pretzel bites (plenty to feed a crowd!), and the perfect beer cheese dip pairing, is:

Soft Pretzel Bites Ingredients

• A 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
• Water, for boiling
• Baking soda
• Butter
• Sea salt
• Flour

Beer Cheese Dip Ingredients: 

• Cream cheese
• Your favorite beer
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese
• Sea salt

For the beer cheese dip, your favorite beer will always work because you will taste the beer in this dip. However, if you want a milder flavor, a light lager is always a safe choice.

Also, we strongly recommend buying a block of extra sharp cheddar and shredding it yourself. When you buy pre-shredded cheese, the cheese is coated with an anticaking agent to keep the shreds from sticking together, however this also keeps them from melting together nicely which does not work well for making beer cheese!

How To Make Soft Pretzel Bites And Beer Cheese

By using pre-made pizza dough, these soft pretzel bites and beer cheese sauce come together in just 30 minutes and make enough for a crowd. Here is everything you need to know on how to make soft pretzel bites and beer cheese!

How to make soft pretzel bites:

1. Lightly dust a large cutting board with flour.
2. Dust your hands with flour, then remove the pizza dough from its container and lightly dust it with flour before setting it on the cutting board.
3. Slice the dough into 4 equal chunks.
4. Roll and stretch out each chunk of dough into a long snake. Start by rolling it between your palms, then once it’s slightly oblong grab each end and gently pull in opposite directions. Repeat these motions as needed until each dough snake is about 1/2-inch to 1-inch in diameter.
5. To form the pretzel bites, slice each dough snake into equal, bite-sized pieces, about 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick.
6. Combine water and baking soda in a large pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Using a spider strainer (or a slotted spoon, if you don’t have a spider strainer), dunk a small batch of the pretzel bites into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from water, drain, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.
9. Repeat Step 8 until all of the pretzel bites have been boiled. Spread them out evenly on the baking sheets, leaving a little space between them.
10. Brush pretzel bites with melted butter, then sprinkle with sea salt.
11. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden-brown.
12. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

How to make beer cheese dip:

1. Shred the cheddar cheese.
2. Melt cream cheese in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
3. Add the beer a little at a time, stirring constantly to fully incorporate.
4. Once all the beer has been stirred in, add shredded cheddar cheese in small batches. Stir constantly and melt each batch of cheese completely before adding more.
5. Once all the cheese is melted, add salt to taste.
6. Serve hot.

Tips For Making Soft Pretzel Bites

Here are a few helpful tips we’ve learned along the way on how to make the perfect soft pretzels with beer cheese dip for your next game day:

• Flour your working surface and your hands before working with the pizza dough to prevent it from sticking. You’ll also want to lightly dust the pizza dough with flour as you work.
• Boil the pretzel bites in a mixture of baking soda and water before baking. This is what gives them that pretzel-like crust and chewy interior – without this step, they would just taste like little balls of pizza dough!
• Don’t be shy with the butter and salt. That’s what makes a good pretzel good.
• Don’t substitute pre-shredded cheese for the block of cheese. The pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that keeps it from melting together well!
• Get a head start on the beer cheese dip by melting down the cream cheese while you’re boiling the pretzel bites. Then once the pretzel bites are in the oven, you can focus on making the dip so it’s ready when the pretzels are done.
• The pretzel bites will be HOT when you take them out of the oven. And they will stay hot for longer than you might expect. So give them plenty of time (at least 5 minutes) to cool down before serving.
• Serve the beer cheese dip in a small porcelain dish or preheated cast iron skillet (we love our mini ones for single servings) to keep it hot during the game!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These delicious, poppable soft pretzel bites when paired with our easy, four-ingredient beer cheese dip are the kind of snack you can’t stop eating, no matter how hard you try, until you’ve totally run out. And the kind of snack that’ll disappear too quickly, leaving you wondering if you should’ve made a second batch.
This recipe is sure to bring a crowd together at your next game day watch party, from everyone wanting a taste of that salty, cheesy goodness to fighting over who gets the last bite. If you’re a football fan like us, try the recipe below for your next game day and let us know what you think by commenting, rating, and sharing below!