Ooey Gooey Soft Pretzels With Cheese Center + Video
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Soft Pretzels with Cheese are only made better with this stuffed pretzels recipe! Combine homemade pretzel dough with ooey-gooey melted cheddar to make the best stuffed pretzels — perfect food for any party!!
If you’ve never made homemade pretzel bites, you’re in for a treat. Simple ingredients magically make a piece of dough, that you then get to cut into equal pieces.
After that, the recipe card below shows you all the simple steps to whip up these cheese pretzels – and let me tell you, they’re worth it!
You can make these for game day or have them as a great option for parties.
I love covering them with cheese, but you can also use bagel seasoning, garlic powder, coarse sea salt, or anything else that you’re craving for this soft pretzel recipe.
Parmesan cheese is always a great pairing with these soft pretzel rolls, too!
Easy recipes like this make simple homemade pretzels and are so much better than anything you’d buy premade at grocery stores.
Just be sure to have a sharp knife, and a clean work surface, and you’ll be whipping up these salty pretzels in no time at all. Who knew that pretzel recipes could be so simple?
Your first bite will be full of melty cheddar cheese – and you’re sure to be hooked! (you can also use sharp cheddar cheese, white cheddar, or any real cheese options or additions that you want! As long as the cheese melts, you’re good to go!)
Pretzels With Cheese
Homemade soft pretzels are much easier to make than you think, and they can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways.
If you don’t like cheese filled pretzels, try regular Soft Pretzel Bites instead. They’re ready in just 30 minutes and make an easy, portable snack.
Homemade Pretzel Dogs are great for dinner any night of the week and can be made ahead of time and frozen.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pretzel bread – Make your own dough for cheesy pretzels with active dry yeast, warm water, sugar, salt, and flour.
You can also use frozen dinner rolls in a pinch. You don’t even have to make the pretzel shape for this recipe! - Cheese – I like to use mild cheddar cheese for stuffed pretzels because the flavor isn’t too overpowering.
- Baking soda – This is the secret ingredient for homemade pretzel bread! Add it to the water before boiling soft pretzels with cheese.
- Egg – Whisk this really well, then brush it over the cheese filled pretzels before baking. It helps them get that gorgeous golden brown color!
How to Make Stuffed Pretzels
Wrap cubes of cheddar cheese inside homemade dough balls, then boil quickly in water with baking soda.
Doing so allows the pretzel balls to darken in the oven and gives them the crispy, yet chewy texture they’re known for.
Once cooled, brush the cheese filled pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Then, bake until browned and enjoy!
3 Ways to Make Pretzel Bread
- With a stand mixer – Not only does it do the hard work for you, but it also frees up your hands to prep the other ingredients.
- By hand – You can mix the dough by hand if needed. Combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Once the yeast blooms, stir in the salt and flour and mix well.
Then, turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes until tacky. - Ready to use frozen dough – To save both time and effort, feel free to use a package of frozen dinner rolls to make pretzels with cheese.
Just thaw and use in place of the dough recipe. I like to use Rhodes, but any brand will work just fine.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Stand Mixer – A good stand mixer makes all your recipes easier. You’ll need the dough hook attachment for this recipe.
- Wooden dowel rolling pin – Perfect for small jobs like making any of our stuffed bread bombs! It’s also great for noodles, dumplings, and turnovers, and it even has a ruler on the rolling pin.
- Basting Brush – I like this one over the silicone ones.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy cheesy pretzels as-is or dip them in your favorite dipping sauces. You can’t go wrong with honey mustard or extra cheese sauce. Even beer cheese would be tasty!
You can also serve soft pretzels with cheese alongside a warm bowl of chili or soup as a replacement for traditional dinner rolls!
Storing and Freezing Cheesy Pretzels
Pretzels with cheese will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if covered. Or, freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Reheat in the microwave or oven until soft and warmed through.
Soft Pretzels with Cheese FAQ
Mild cheddar is less aged, so it melts better than older cheddars like medium or sharp, but feel free to give it a try. Pepper Jack or jalapeno cheddar is a great choice for a little extra kick.
You could even use cream cheese or low-moisture mozzarella, then dip the soft pretzels in marinara sauce!
Absolutely! This stuffed pretzels recipe is super versatile and can be adjusted to feed any sized crowd.
You may need to make the dough in two separate batches, depending on the size of your stand mixer. But once the dough is formed, you can easily make all of the pretzels with cheese at the same time.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Ooey Gooey Soft Pretzels With Cheese Center + Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cups warm water, 110°-120°
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pound block mild cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg
- Coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer (see cooks note if you do not have a stand mixer), sprinkle yeast over top, add sugar and stir. Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes. Once it is nice and foamy, it is ready.
- Meanwhile cut cheese into 36 even pieces, less than ½ ounce each. Fill an 8-quart pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. In a small bowl beat egg and 2 tablespoons water with a fork. Set aside. Sprinkle clean countertop with 1/4 cup flour.
- Add flour and salt to mixer. Knead for 3- 5 minutes until the dough comes together in one ball. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, if the bread is too sticky to come together. The dough should be tacky when you pull it out of the mixer, not sticky.
- Place dough on a floured countertop and knead in flour until it is no longer tacky, just a minute or two. Form dough into a ball. We are going to cut this ball into 36 (somewhat) even pieces. First, quarter the ball of dough. Roll each quarter into a fat log. Cut that into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a log and cut it into 3 pieces. When you are done you will have 36 pieces.
- Roll each dough piece (one at a time) into a ball and then flatten it into a circle. Add a piece of cheese in the center. Carefully pull each side over the cheese to create a ‘cheese package’ then roll the dough into a ball. Be careful to make sure you can not see the cheese through the dough. Tap fingers in flour, pinch any tears and roll again. Set aside and repeat until all you have 36 stuffed dough balls.
- Carefully, a sprinkle at a time, add baking soda to boiling water. USE CAUTION: IT WILL BUBBLE UP. Place dough balls into boil water a few at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds. Place on parchment paper to cool and repeat.
- Arrange all pretzel balls on parchment so they are not touching. Brush egg-wash onto each one and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops are browned.
- The ooey-gooey cheese may escape some of your pretzel bombs. That is a beautiful thing! Scoop all that cheesy goodness up onto the plate and serve. Your guests will go crazy over them.
- Enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published September 2013, updated and republished May 2024
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I have just died and gone to heaven. I'm obsessed with pretzels. I love to get the cheese dip for the bites they sell at the mall. These is like the perfect pretzel cheesy bite with not little cup to worry about spilling. Brilliant my friends!
Thanks Julie!
So much ooey gooey cheese. Sounds delicious!
I love love love my ooey gooey cheese. Let us know if you make it.
OMG!!!! these look amazing i was just talking to my mom about doing something like this yesterday but not having a recipe for em this just answered my wishes lol soo gonna try these
so you don't need to let the balls rise at all?
So you don't need to let the dough rise at all?
No, no rise time at all. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
We made these earlier today and they were incredible. I did struggle with keeping the cheese inside the pretzel after cooking it in the oven but they were so good, we didn't care!
These looked so good I had to make them and they were amazing! I was a little skeptical about adding 1/2 a cup baking soda to the boiling water and that it would give them a baking soda taste but they just tasted like a pretzel.
Turned out great!! I don't have a stand mixer so followed the directions for by hand. So easy. I decided to make these as black olive & cheese poppers, b/c I love black olives – having the whole pitted olive in the center made it so easy to roll into little balls (I used shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese). When I got tired of stuffing (b/c I am impatient) I simply tore the rest of the dough off and tossed in the water and made plain pretzel bites. Sprinkled parmesan and salt over tops towards end of baking. Great with red dipping sauce too. Thanks so much, will share.
I'm so gonna make these! I just have to clarify one thing, I think the recipe reads to drop pretzel balls into boiling water twice, is that correct? I would also like to know if I can make them with whole wheat flour…
I substitute Whole Wheat flour for some things and have made Bagels and Pretzels with it before
Although these tasted good, most of the cheese oozed out.
Oh my goodness. My husband will love these. I've been seeing some recipes for making pretzels, but this is the one that will be my first.
These were Aaamazingly delicious. I couldn't stop eating them. And my son loved them too.
These look so yummy! Just a fyi, if you're in a hurry, refrigerated pizza dough works great! I use the canned kind, and proceed w the boiling process. 🙂
Gluten sensitvities suuuuck! Jus sayin…
These were fantastic!!!! I've been itching to find a homemade version of this favorite comfort food. Thanks so much for posting. I created a blog post with images on my experience with these. Feel free to check it out, I made sure to link back to give credit where credit is due! 🙂
http://hullcha.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/cheddar-pretzel-bites/
These were Aaamazingly delicious. I couldn't stop eating them i will try soon
That picture is so freakin' good. I'm staring at it since the last 15 mins. Seriously.
in the event that not all of them are eaten, should they be refrigerated or will they be ok in a bag sitting on the counter?
I have not left them on the counter. I have refrigerated them or froze them and then reheated. I can not think of any reason that they could not be left on the counter if you would leave bread on the counter. They would last longer in the fridge though.
Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
thanks! i wasnt sure if the cheese would spoil if they were left out..i'll just be safe and pop them in the fridge.
is there anyway of making these ahead of time and freeze and at what point would you do it.
So far I have made them completely and then frozen and reheated from that point. I think it is possible to freeze them after assembled, but I have not tried it yet. As soon as I do I will update the post with the info or if you get a chance to try it, let me know.
Enjoy!
Wondering the same thing as far as making them ahead of time and reheating. How do you go about reheating them? Just putting them in microwave for a few seconds? Or can I put them in oven for an amount of time to keep them warmer longer? I have made the plain pretzel bites and shared with my family and they enjoyed them. Want to make them for Christmas gathering but would like to save time and make them ahead of time. If you have some insight to this it would be great.
I also want to make them ahead of time for a work pot-luck. Has anyone reheated and then kept them on low or warm in a crock-pot?
Just made the, and they are by far the best pretzels Ive made at home! They taste amazing and look exactly like they do on the website (Im literally eating them right now) This is definitely a recipe I will re use…..
I followed the recipe exactly, except I did half cheese and half cut up hotdogs inside the pretzels. Both turned out well and were identical outside (I covered the cheese bits in sea salt, and the hot dogs in Pink Himalyan sea salt to tell the two apart) I did cook them a bit longer than suggested, but I believe that this is because I made them in a toaster oven. (Its really hot in TX still and I didn't want to heat up the whole house)
I just want to make sure I am reading instructions right when you put the dough balls in the baking soda water for 30 seconds it says take them out put on parchment paper to cool and repeat to me sounds like let them cool and put them back in for another 30 seconds but I think when saying repeat you repeat step with remaining balls until get all done just want to make sure repeat means repeat with rest and not redo after cooling thanx
Yes, repeat means to take another dough ball and dip it… Etc.
Enjoy!
Oh, I boiled them all and then boiled them all a second time. They still turned out great, but you are telling me they don't have to be boiled twice? Yes, that is confusing in the recipe. Repeate made me think, to boil them all twice.
Where have these been all my life? We make countless soft pretzels each year. WOW–add the cheese and you have another tier in taste!!
Such a great recipe! I've made these multiple times for my daughter! Although I've kept the dough recipe the same, I switched to mozzarella cheese and added in pizza sauce and mini pepperoni slices. They taste just as great! Thanks for sharing this recipe! It has become a family favorite 🙂
Nice
I’ve made this with pre-made dough, and fresh homemade dough. The difference is insane. The fresh homemade dough had a much nicer texture, and a more solid taste. The pre-made dough didn’t taste as good, and had a different texture.