These Soft Beer Pretzels with Beer Cheese Dip are soft and fluffy pretzels with a cheesy dip. Perfect for game day, parties, or any time you need a snack to go with your beer.
Beer and pretzels go together like – well like beer and cheese. And like cheese and pretzels. They all just go together really well, OK? When Fred Meyer asked me to develop a recipe using local, Northwest beer, my first thought was soft beer pretzels. Although the possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking with beer, I kept coming back to pretzels.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fred Meyer. The opinions and text are all mine.
Not only did I want to make pretzels, I wanted to make a pretzel that was chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I also wanted a cheesy dip to go with it. And why should we just drink the beer with the pretzels and dip? Isn’t it even better to put the beer INTO the pretzels? AND the dip? Of course we will drink some beer when we eat them as well, I mean come on.
When faced with the decision of which beer to choose, I had some tough choices. Of course the Pacific Northwest is full of fantastic breweries, so one could hardly go wrong. But in the end I decided to go with my hometown favorite of Ninkasi. Ninkasi Brewing Company was started in Eugene, Oregon (where I spent most of my formative years), and has become very popular on the west coast. Luckily for me they have a seasonal lager available right now, so I grabbed a 6-pack at Fred Meyer. Which my husband drank before I got around to working on my recipe. Can’t blame the guy, Ninkasi is one of his favorites.
So I bought another 6-pack – make that two – and set to work on making some soft and fluffy pretzels (with beer!) and a warm and cheesy beer dip to go with them. The first version turned out OK, but could have been better and I wasn’t a fan of the classic style beer cheese sauce that I made. I ended up making a much creamier, cheesier dip with just a hint of beer and I was much happier with it.
Although these pretzels have beer in them, they aren’t overwhelming with beer flavor. There is just a hint of beer flavor, enough so that you know it is there but not so much that it tastes like you are eating a beer. And the beer in the cheesy dip sets off the richness of the cheese perfectly. Of course you can fully round out these flavors by serving everything with an ice cold beer.
Really, beer, cheese, and warm, fluffy pretzels? How could you ask for more?
| Soft Beer Pretzels with Beer Cheese Dip | | Print |
- 1 bottle of beer, such as a lager (12 ounces)
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 package active dry yeast (2 and ¼ teaspoons)
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 22 ounces all-purpose flour (about 4 and ½ cups)
- 10 cups water
- ⅔ cups baking soda
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- kosher salt for topping (or pretzel salt if you can find it)
- vegetable oil for bowl
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup grated white cheddar
- ¾ cup grated mozzarella, divided
- ¼ cup beer (I used a lager)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- a few dashes hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
- Warm the beer to 110-115 degrees.
- In a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add the warm beer, sugar, kosher salt, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes, or until it starts to get foamy.
- Add the butter and the flour. Turn the mixer to low to medium speed and mix until dough comes together.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 4-5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and clinging to the dough hook (not stuck to the side of the bowl).
- In a clean bowl, add enough oil to coat the inside of the bowl (can spray with cooking spray or add about 1 teaspoon of oil and brush to coat inside of bowl) Quickly form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl, turning once to coat the dough in oil.
- Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel, then allow to rise for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 425
- Line two baking sheets (Use silpat or parchment paper)
- In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil.
- Meanwhile, shape pretzels. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then roll into a cigar shape. Pinch the seams together. Then roll the dough out into a 24 inch rope. Bring the two ends of the rope up to form a "U" shape. Twist the two end pieces around each other once, then cross the end pieces back down to the bottom of the "U" to complete the pretzel shape. (See above photo)
- When all pretzels are shaped, add them 2 at a time to the pot of boiling water, allow them to boil for 30 seconds. Then remove from the water with a spider or large spatula and place on the baking sheets.
- Brush each pretzel with the egg mixture and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until browned.
- Serve with beer cheese dip (below)
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Add the grated cheddar cheese and ½ cup of the grated mozzarella, stir to combine.
- Add the garlic powder, beer and hot sauce, stir until completely mixed.
- Pour into a baking dish* and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella on top.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until melted and top is golden.
- Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve.
If you make this recipe don’t forget to tag it @foxandbriar and #foxandbriar on instagram and facebook! I really love to see what you make and you may be featured in our weekly Reader Feature!
Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fred Meyer . The opinions and text are all mine.
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Oh gosh this looks good! I love all the brews from Oregon. I’ve never tried Ninkasi before, but I’m sure I’d love it. There really is nothing better than pretzels and cheese in my opinion-but add in the beer and you’ve got a perfect appetizer.
You should really try them next time you are in Oregon! Thanks Megan!
I’ve never had that beer before, but always like to try different ones. And beer in the actual pretzel And the dip?? This looks SOOOOOO good, girl! Love it! Perfect Friday night eats. Pinned! Happy Thanksgiving to ya 🙂 !!
Yesss, so good! Thank you Dawn!
Perfect timing for me! Im heading to the market now to shop for the whole weekend. These Pretzels made with beer will be making an appearance at our Football Party on Friday! (Go Big Red!
Oh yay! I hope you loved them Michele!
oh my, those pretzels. The colour is suberb. I always put beer in my pizza dough as it enriches the flavour really well. Now I’m just going to have to try out making these pretzels.
Ooh, great idea to put beer in pizza dough Jane!
I want to talk about all the things I love about this post but I really just love everything. The beer. The pretzels. The cheese. The beer IN the pretzels and the cheese. And the gorgeous photos. I’m on a mission to find that beer in Brooklyn now.
Awww, thank you so much Christine! I hope you found a beer 🙂
Ha! Ha! I like how the hubby started the taste testing even before you started whipping up these beauties. Gotta love that. And gotta love these pretzels. . .and that cheese! I’m not much of a beer drinker myself. . .but I think it is a fantastic ingredient to use in cooking. Will be thinking about these beauties (and that cheesy goodness) for the rest of the day!
Thanks so much Lynn!
I love everything about this. I was never a big beer fan but the local pub now has wing and beer specials on Monday’s. They are my new go to and need to branch out my beer selection! Next I’ll work on my pretzel
Game!!
There are so many great beers to try! Thanks Jennifer!
Why can’t you be my neighbor? I’d be banging on your door waiting for this baby to come out of the oven. I can’t wait to try it!
Haha, I wish you could come over to share them sometime Julie!
These speak to me on a primal level! Oh Em Gee!!
Katie xoxo
Haha, thank you Katie!
Omg this is my perfect snack. I could eat a thousand of these!!!
Thanks so much Mariana!
I love Northwest beers, and this is not one I’ve gotten to try! I will be on the lookout for sure 😉
There is so much to love about this recipe/post… beer and cheese, chcese and beer. Yum! I know it has to be doubly delicious! I can’t wait to try it. This would be fun to do when we’re with our kids in Las Cruces for Christmas. I’ll have them look for the Ninkasi Lager!
Thank you so much Tamara!
I will be making these for our Christmas Eve get together. Cannot wait to make them and eat them. I will even get all my ingredients st Fred Meyer. Woot! Thanks for the recipes and the gorgeous pics!
Hi Kelley! Thank you so much, I hope you and your guests love them!
Have you ever made in a slow cooker? Im concerned it will separate.
Hi Amy, I have not made it in the slow cooker but I did have a reader try it and this is what she said about it: “I just put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and kept it on low. I added a little more beer when it got thick. Also since I started it way to soon, I removed the crock from my slow cooker and stuck it in the fridge. When I was ready to take it to the party I nuked it in the microwave, stirring it at intervals until smooth and it warmed right up nice and creamy. I kept it on low at the party and it didn’t separate.” She said to keep it on low because someone accidentally turned it to high and it burned. I hope that helps!
Living in the Midwest I am not sure I will be able to find this exact beer. Are there any other beers you suggest or what type of beer? Thank you.
Hi Susan, I would just go with your favorite lager. You want a beer that is not too “hoppy”. I tried it with an IPA as well and I found that it gave a slightly bitter flavor that I didn’t like as much. However, I would try to go with a craft beer rather than one of the big name macrobrews just because microbrews tend to have more flavor. I hope that helps!
Hello Meghan…Quick question: for the pretzels…can you cut them or roll them for bite size pieces before boiling & cooking? Would there be any reason they wouldn’t turn out right? For my family I think the knotted pretzel would work…but for a tailgate or football party I think the bites would work better. Thank you!
Hi there! Sorry for my delayed response, I am out of town with limited internet access. Yes, you can absolutely make these into pretzel bites, it works just was well. Just roll the dough into ropes and cut into bites, then boil and bake. Let me know how they turn out!
I just made the pretzel portion (I used a different cheese sauce). The dough mixed beautifully in my bread machine on the dough setting and was very easy to handle. Really pinch the dough after shaping. After boiling 4 pretzels, my water was super foamy. The remaining 4 fell apart when bpiling and I had to reshape. Next time i will use 2 wster baths. Taste wise these were very good. I used a local lager from Silver City Brewery (WA).
Hi Stacia, thanks for the feedback! I used a 5 quart dutch oven with 10 cups of water, did you use the same amount? Usually that works for me, but using two batches of water is another option. I will add a note to the recipe about pinching the dough so they don’t fall apart. I’m really glad you liked the taste of them!
I have wanted to make beer cheese and pretzels for some time now. I decided on this recipe. It was very good! I used an IPa and half the amount of garlic. It was almost exActly what I was looking for. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Jennifer, I’m glad you liked it!
can you make the dough without a stand mixer? I’ve never made dough before so I have no idea how something like this could be adapted!
Hi Kathleen! Yes, you can knead them by hand, it should take 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Hope that helps!
Made both and they both turned out great! I didn’t bake the cheese I actually boiled it on the stove and placed it in a mini crock pot for a party. I added about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and about a teaspoon of worcheshire sauce. Very popular At the party:)
Hi Katie! Yay, so happy to hear that it was a hit!
I Made a big german dinner and wanted these for an appetizer. I didn’t have time to make the pretzels so I bought frozen soft pretzels and made the dip. Oh my! Liquid heaven. Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try it with the fresh home made pretzels!!
So happy to hear you loved the dip! Let me know how the pretzels turn out!
What kind of hot sauce did you use for the beer cheese dip? I’m from Texas and hot sauce could be many things 😉 thanks!
Hi Krista, I use either Tabasco or Tapatio. I hope that helps!
i followed the direction exactly. Why did my dough still come out sticky?
Hi Nancy, it is really hard for me to say without being there. Did you measure the flour by weight or in measuring cups? Measuring by weight should give you a more accurate amount of flour. If the dough is still too sticky you can add just a little flour at a time until you have the dough is easier to work with. Try just adding one tablespoon at a time until you can work with the dough.
Can the pretzels be made ahead of time and frozen until ready to be made?
Hi Marisol – I have never tried freezing them so I can’t say for sure. If you want to try freezing them, I would say follow the recipe through shaping them into pretzels. Freeze them individually so that they don’t stick together (you can put them in a freezer on a baking sheet, then when they are frozen you can put them into a freezer bag). When you are ready to bake them, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw completely, then continue with the recipe, starting with boiling them. Again, I have not tried this so I can’t be sure of how they will turn out. I hope that helps, let me know how they turn out!
Do you think you could make the beer cheese dip in a crockpot?
Hi Deea, I have not made it in the slow cooker but I did have a reader try it and this is what she said about it: “I just put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and kept it on low. I added a little more beer when it got thick. Also since I started it way to soon, I removed the crock from my slow cooker and stuck it in the fridge. When I was ready to take it to the party I nuked it in the microwave, stirring it at intervals until smooth and it warmed right up nice and creamy. I kept it on low at the party and it didn’t separate.” She said to keep it on low because someone accidentally turned it to high and it burned. I hope that helps!
Hello how many Pretzels would this recipe make? I’d love to make for our annual Oktoberfest party, I’ll only need to make about 24 pretzels.
Hi Kathy,
I believe this makes about 8 pretzels so you would probably want to triple the recipe. I have also made pretzel bites with the dough as well.
MEGHAN, WHY LAGEr?
Hi! I like lager because it gives a nice flavor without being overpowering. I have also tried an IPA and it made the dip and pretzels too bitter for my liking. But feel free to use whatever type of beer you prefer!
Made these last night and they were amazing! However, they stuck like crazy to the parchment paper and i have no idea why!
Hi Eleny – Hmm, that is odd! I haven’t had them stick before. I have also used my silpat baking sheet liners and those are great for keeping things from sticking! The only reason I can think that they might have stuck is if the egg wash ran under them and sort of glued them to the parchment paper. Try spraying your parchment paper next time with non-stick spray and see if that helps. I’m glad you enjoyed them anyway!