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Pretzel Tot Queso Fundido is a glorious combination of delicious soft pretzels and spicy cheesy goodness. Chewy homemade soft pretzels are baked in a cast iron skillet with the center filled with melty cheese and pickled jalapeños. This recipe takes some time to make but it’s sure to be a hit at your next tailgating or game day party served with Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches and a Strawberry Lemonade Sangria.
I’m no stranger to queso fundido. I fell in love with it years ago and have been making it on constant repeat ever since! Everything from this Charred Corn and Poblano Pepper Queso Fundido, Summer Squash Queso Fundido, and Acorn Squash Pasilla Chile Queso Fundido has my heart!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Pretzel Tot Queso Fundido
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, yeast, and salt are combined with melted butter and warm water to make the soft pretzel dough. You don’t have to use a stand mixer because we will knead the dough by hand either way!
- Cheese – Shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses are mixed with spicy pickled jalapeños to create the cheesy queso fundido center.
- Baking soda – This is a must in order to make pretzels! It gets added to the water bath that will be used to boil the pretzels before baking. It gives a chewy exterior and a nice pretzel flavor to the dough.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How to Make Pretzel Tot Queso Fundido
- Make the pretzel dough – Mix together instant yeast with the dry ingredients. Add the water, melted butter and mix it all together, kneading until you have a smooth dough. Let it rise for 1 hour.
- Make the queso fundido cheese dip – During that 1 hour rise, mix together the shredded cheese with the Rio Luna pickled jalapeños, then set it aside.
- Shape the pretzels – Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Form a ball by rolling and tucking the edges of the dough underneath.
- Boil the pretzels – Boiling the dough in baking soda will give them that delicious chewy crust and classic pretzel flavor. Drop a couple of the balls into a hot baking soda bath for only 30 seconds then immediately transfer to a clean kitchen towel to drain.
- Assemble. Line a cast iron skillet with the boiled pretzel tots in a circle leaving room in the center for the cheese mixture. Brush the pretzel tots with an egg wash and a sprinkle of salt.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the tots are nicely golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
- Boiling pretzels – Only boil the pretzels tots for 30 seconds MAX. Otherwise the baking soda will give them a weird unpleasant metallic taste.
- Don’t have a stand-up mixer? You can make the pretzel dough in a large bowl with a spatula.
- Yeast – There is a difference in method depending on if you are using Instant Yeast or Active Dry Yeast. Instant yeast can be added to the dry flour ingredients, but active dry yeast needs to be activated in warm water until it’s foamy, which usually takes 5- 10 minutes. From here, you can stir in the melted butter and the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Hot peppers – If you don’t like spicy foods you can leave them out or add sweet peppers for a different flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Pretzel bites or pretzel tots are basically mini soft pretzels. They are made with flour, warm water, melted butter, salt and yeast. They are then boiled in a baking soda bath to give them that classic pretzel flavor.
This is a cheesy Mexican appetizer traditionally made with sausage or ground meat, shredded cheese and chile peppers. It’s baked until melty and gooey then eaten with chips. My version is made without meat but you can certainly add some if you like!
More Appetizer Recipes
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Queso Fundido Cheese Dip:
To Make the Pretzel Tots:
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In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, instant yeast and kosher salt. Give it a mix until combined.
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***NOTE: if you don’t own a mixer, you can do this in a large bowl with a spatula. If you’re using active dry yeast (instead of instant yeast), you’ll need to activate it in the warm water until it’s nice and foamy. If doing so, begin the recipe with the warm water in the stand-up mixer and then mix the yeast into the water and allow it to activate. AND then, add the melted butter and dry ingredients.***
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In a small sauce pan, add the butter and cook until melted. When melted, remove it from the heat and pour in the water. Give it a mix and then pour it in the stand-up mixer and mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with neutral oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
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When the dough is done rising, divide it into 8 equal pieces and roll those pieces into balls, tucking the dough underneath.
To Make the Queso Fundido Cheese Dip:
To Boil the Tots:
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Place a clean kitchen towel on a plate or baking sheet. Fill up a medium saucepan up with the 4 cups of water and baking soda. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Drop each of the balls of dough into the water and cook for about 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to the clean kitchen towel to drain.
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or oven-proof baking dish. Place the boiled pretzel tots all along the outside of the skillet or baking dish. In the center, pour in the cheese mixture and press it into an even layer.
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Brush the tops of the pretzel tots with the egg wash mixture and a sprinkling of sea salt. Transfer to the oven to bake for 12-13 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the tops of the tots are golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
- Boiling pretzels – Only boil the pretzels tots for 30 seconds MAX. Otherwise the baking soda will give them a weird unpleasant metallic taste.
- Don’t have a stand-up mixer? You can make the pretzel dough in a large bowl with a spatula.
- Yeast – There is a difference in method depending on if you are using Instant Yeast or Active Dry Yeast. Instant yeast can be added to the dry flour ingredients, but active dry yeast needs to be activated in warm water until it’s foamy, which usually takes 5 – 10 minutes. From here, you can stir in the melted butter and the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Hot peppers – If you don’t like spicy foods you can leave them out or add sweet peppers for a different flavor.
Serving: 6g | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 2229mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.