One the great joys in life is a freshly made pretzel, warm out of the oven. This was my first attempt at making Tavern Style Beer Pretzels and I have to say they were just as good as the pretzels I had in Germany!
This post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery. The opinions, recipe, and images are 100% my own.
If you’ve never made pretzels, you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re really easy to make and are great for a game day snack or family night.
And when you serve those ah-mazing warm pretzels with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce made with Cabot Cheddar Cheese….. well, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
If you were to look in my fridge at any time (even when vacationing) you’ll find a variety of Cabot cheese (this is the cheese I have in my fridge now). And when I’m lucky enough to find in my local grocer, Cabot 10% Greek Yogurt, Butter and Cream Cheese….sigh.
Cabot has a full line of dairy products including dips, yogurt, whipped cream, sour cream, and more. So if you see the name Cabot on any dairy product in your grocer, buy it, you won’t be disappointed!
What do I need to make Beer Pretzels?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Tavern Style Beer Pretzels In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use beer to make the pretzels?
No, you don’t. You can use a non-alcoholic beer or simply substitute the same amount of water or sparkling water for the beer.
What kind of beer should I use to make beer pretzels?
It really doesn’t matter what type of beer you use for the pretzels, I used an amber ale for mine, but feel free to use a wheat beer, or Guinness stout or your favorite craft beer.
In other words, use what you like to drink.
How do I make Tavern Style Beer Pretzels?
Using a sauce pot or the microwave, heat the beer to 105 -110 degrees.
*If you get the beer too hot it can kill the yeast. Too cool and it will take longer for the dough to rise.
In a large bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warmed beer. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
**If the mixture hasn’t foamed, the yeast is dead and you need to try again with new yeast. If it doesn’t foam the recipe will not work.
While the beer mixture is resting, mix the sea salt into the flour.
Start by adding two-thirds of the flour into the beer mixture. Work the flour in with a large spoon until blended. Add the remainder of the flour and work it into the dough until fully incorporated.
Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the pretzel dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Can I use a Stand Mixer to make the pretzels?
Yes, you certainly can. I was away from home and my three mixers when I decided to make the pretzels. So I went old-school and made them by hand. Feel free to use your mixer. They weren’t hard to make but a mixer would definitely make the process easier.
Here is the process for the stand mixer:
- Whisk together the beer, yeast, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit for 5-7 minutes to activate yeast, then add the melted butter.
- Attach dough hook to stand mixer. Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to mix for 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature in a warm draft-free area of your kitchen for one at least one hour, or until the dough has doubled in volume.
Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide and shape the dough into 8 balls.
**Alternatively, you could work the dough out to an 8-inch by 14-inch sheet and cut it into eight strips.
Chef Dennis Tip:
Keep the dough covered with plastic wrap as you work with individual pieces so the dough doesn’t dry out.
To make the iconic pretzel shape, start by forming the rolled out dough into a “U”. Cross the two ends over each other twice, leaving a circle at the other end.
Take the ends and secure them to the bottom of the circle. Place the formed pretzel on a parchment-lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet. Keep the pretzels covered with plastic wrap while you repeat with remaining strips of dough.
**Allow shaped pretzels to rest for 15-20 minutes.
After the pretzels have rested, it’s time for the boiling step. Add 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a deep skillet or large pot and bring to a boil.
Carefully add the pretzels 2 at a time and cook for 30 seconds. With a ladle or large spoon pour the water over the tops of the pretzels as they cook.
**Carefully remove the pretzels with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain well on a wire rack or paper towels.
Brush the pretzels with the egg yolk wash, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt. Use as much or as little salt as you like.
What do ingredients do I need to make beer cheese sauce?
While the pretzels are baking, start making your beer cheese sauce.
As with the pretzels, you don’t have to use beer in the cheese sauce, but it does add a nice flavor. And all the alcohol will burn off as the cheese sauce cooks.
**If you decide against adding beer, use can replace the beer with milk.
Start the cheese sauce by adding the beer and milk to a small saucepan. Once the mixture starts to get hot add in the cream cheese, using a wire whisk to blend the cream cheese into the liquids.
Next add in the Cabot cheddar, mozzarella, and the optional seasoning. I like adding mozzarella to the sauce because it adds a stretchy quality to the finished cheese sauce.
But the Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar is definitely the star of the show!
**I honestly like the cheese sauce without the seasoning, but it is a way to add some heat or other flavors to the sauce.
The only thing left to do is enjoy those delicious beer pretzels and cheddar cheese dipping sauce. I promise there won’t be a pretzel left in the house after you serve these beauties to your family and friends.
Chef Dennis Tip:
If you want to make your pretzels a little more decadent, brush them with. melted butter right after they come out of the oven. They’ll be even better than your favorite mall pretzel!
If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like these:
- The Best Homemade Artisan Bread
- Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls (no-knead)
- Apple Butter Sticky Bun Recipe
- Pan Dulce Recipe (no-knead)
Tavern Beer Pretzels with Cheddar Sauce
Ingredients
Beer Pretzel
- 12 ounces beer heated to 105-110 degrees in microwave
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 ounces unsalted butter melted (½ stick)
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (for greasing bowl)
Boiling Pretzels
- 10 cups water
- ⅔ cup baking soda
Baking Pretzels
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or pretzel salt use more or less to your taste
Cheese Sauce
- 1½ cup Cabot's extra sharp cheddar cheese grated
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 ounces milk
- 2 ounces beer
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan heat the beer to a temperature of 105- 110 degrees F. **You can use the microwave instead for about 30 seconds.
- In a large bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warmed beer. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. **If the mixture hasn’t foamed, the yeast is dead and you need to try again with new yeast.
- Mix the flour and sea salt together.
- Add the melted butter to the beer mixture.
- Add two-thirds of the flour to the beer mixture and mix the flour until fully incorporated. Add the rest of the flour in and mix well until all the flour has been worked into the dough.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide and shape the dough into 8 balls.
- Roll each into a 20 – 24-inch rope.
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- To make the iconic pretzel shape, start by forming the rolled out dough into a "U". Cross the two ends over each other twice, leaving a circle at the other end. Take the ends and secure them to the bottom of the circle. Place the formed pretzel on a parchment-lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet. *Keep the pretzels covered with plastic wrap while you repeat with remaining strips of dough.
Boiling Pretzels
- Add the baking soda to a large pot with the 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Carefully add the pretzels 2 at a time and cook 30 seconds. With a ladle or large spoon get the water over the tops of the pretzels. **Carefully remove the pretzels with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain well on a wire rack or paper towels.
Baking Pretzels
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease the baking sheets with oil. Set aside until needed.
- After draining for a few minutes, transfer the pretzels to the prepared pans. Brush the pretzels with the egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt.
- Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes, depending upon how you like your pretzels. Allow the pretzels to cool for 5 minutes before eating.**I love dark pretzels so I let them go a little longer.
Beer Cheese Sauce
- Add the beer and milk to a small saucepan. Once the mixture starts to get hot add in the cream cheese. Use a wire whisk to blend the cream cheese into the liquids.
- Add in the Cabot cheddar, mozzarella, and the optional seasoning. *Adding mozzarella to the sauce gives a stretchy quality to the finished cheese sauce.
- Mix all the ingredients until well blended and remove from the heat.*Don't let the cheese sauce get too hot, or it will get grainy.
- Serve the cheese sauce with the pretzels and enjoy!
Notes
- If the yeast doesn’t foam, it is dead, Don’t use it your recipe will fail.
- When pressing the two ends of the U to form the pretzel shape, pinch them in with enough force to make them stick together.
- Don’t over-boil the pretzels.
Nutrition
Keith Caron
I found your site today and will definitely try a couple of your recipes and surely be back for more.
Thanks Keith
Gail Montero
We love pretzels so this would become an instant favorite for us! Love the cheesy dipping sauce as well. A perfect complement to the pretzels!
Paula Montenegro
These are a hit at my house! I never knew making pretzels could be so great homemade.And that cheese sauce, so easy. Thanks for sharing a great recipe Dennis.
Beth
Oh, that perfect golden brown color of these pretzels is so appetizing! And I could probably just devour the cheese sauce with a spoon.
Loreto Nardelli
Pretzels have become really popular in our neck of the wood. There is a pretzel place close to us and it is always lined up. I love the color and texture on you pretzel which means absolutely delish to me!
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli
These Tavern Beer Pretzels with Cheddar Sauce look absolutely delicious. Cannot wait to make some to enjoy with my husband on a movie night.
Alexis
These pretzels are delicious! They were the perfect addition to a recent family gathering, thank you for sharing your recipe.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I’m gonna need you to step away from the pretzels and beer cheese, k? They look fantastic!!! I LOVE Cabot and use them all the time! Your pretzels are perfect and that cheese looks epic!!!
Emily
Pretzels are one of my all time favorite foods! And cheese dipping sauce is a must!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
Oh my gosh! What a great recipe for pretzels and the cheese sauce is incredible. Loved this and will make again.
Kushigalu
What an interesting version of pretzel and sauce. Great snack for parties. Pinned. Thanks for sharing
Tammy
Big fan of Cabbot and I love the variety you keep on hand. These pretzels look perfect…I LOVE soft pretzels. I’ve not yet tried making my own but I’m feeling inspired to now…great fall treat to try!
Amanda
This pretzels look delicious, and the cheese sauce is the perfect finishing touch. I always love a good pretzel — they just always hit the spot!
Sandra Shaffer
Now this is the way I like to celebrate Octoberfest! With a cold Bier too. The cheese sauce comes out nice and creamy. This is a keeper!
Jere Cassidy
Beer, cheese and pretzels, YUM! I like using beer in my bread making and thanks for the all the photos showing the steps to make and form the pretzels.
Stine Mari
These would be perfect for Octoberfest! They look so soft and delicious and I love the cheese dip!
rika
I am planning to make some pretzels this week! These beer pretzels look incredibly delicious and easy to make!
Ruth I
Who would thought a beer can be mixed into pretzels. I love reading and watching cooking tips and discover new flavors like this one. Looks yummy and i love cheese. Will definitely try to make me some and my husband. I’m sure he will love this!
Candice
Can’t wait to give these pretzels a try… that sauce looks amazing!
Jessica Formicola
Pretzels and cheese is one of my absolute favorite snacks! I’ll have to give Cabot a try!
Swathi
Beer pretzels looks yum. I need to try great for enjoying games in the weekend.
Marta
I totally missed Oktoberfest this year, so I made up for it by making these pretzels. They absolutely redeemed my faux paux.
Tami Zimmerman
This recipe is absolutely amazing! Made this recipe as a treat for movie night and it was a huge hit! Fun to make and super tasty! The best recipe for pretzels I’ve come across! Thanks so much for sharing!
Lynndee
I enjoy a good pretzel but I have never tried preparing it myself. Going to save your recipe for later.
Jennifer Van Haitsma
Beer pretzels are always one of my favorite appetizers! These look amazing, and I definitely want to try making them now.
Catalina
Pretzel at home it’s something I wanted to try. Sounds to be so easy to make them with your recipe!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
It looks delicious. I wish this were in front of me right now.
Nathalie Vorche
I love pretzels! It is so yummy and can comfort you everywhere you go. Dipping it into cheese is much more fantastic! I love trying it!!
Nikki Wayne
Great recipe! I might use a craft beer for this one. Thanks!
Alexandra
These are absolutely delicious! Thanks for all of your great tips for success – we loved the pretzels!
Terri Oliver Steffes
Thanks for including the nutritional info! These pretzels look amazing. I like the tip about melted butter! Yum.
Tasheena
This looks so yummy. I wish I had everything on hand to make this right now.
Beth
I love soft pretzels! I’m excited to try and make this recipe, the pretzels and sauce look delicious! Cabot cheese is so delicious!
Janelle
I have to agree, pretzels fresh out of the oven are a real pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed making these and the family loved them. Thank you for making it easy to follow.
Monica Simpson
These look so comforting and delicious! Cabot cheese is also the best brand of cheese.
Swathi
This beer pretizels looks delicioous I would love to next this for next game.
Deanna
These pretzels along with the cheese dip are amazing! I love soft pretzels and I’m so happy I found a great recipe I can make myself.
Amy
These were absolutely delicious! I can’t take a lot of cheese so I had mine with hot mustard!
Marla
As a Philadelphia girl, I absolutely love soft pretzels! They were a part of my childhood and we ate them all the time as an after-school snack. I’m excited to try making them at home! Thanks for these great tips!
Bolupe
Oh this looks so lush, Pretzels are one of my favourites snacks to have at restaurants now I know how to make them.I can’t wait to try it out.
Taleen | Just As Tasty
I love soft pretzels with cheese sauce! What a fun treat.
Bernice Hill
This post has arrived just in time! I’ve been craving fresh pretzels something fierce. I’ve never made them with beer before so this is a must try. That cheese sauce looks perfect too, an excellent combination.
Amber Myers
I will be making this for sure. I LOVE soft pretzels so much. This looks like the best dip for them.
Brandy Ellen Writes
This is one of my favorite options to snack on at a restaurant, and I often wondered how I could make pretzels and cheese dip at home. I am so grateful I happened upon your recipe, I’m giving it a try this weekend.
Chocoviv
Looks good!
melissa chapman
Those pretzels look amazinng. I have never made pretzels but now i have the template for a real happy hour treat and accompaniment to a good beer.
Emily Flint
I’ve made pretzles before, but never with beer, and that sauce sounds AMAZING!!
Emily Nicol
These look delicious! I feel confident to make my own pretzels now with your easy to follow steps. Thank you!
Angela
I always bought them ready! The time has come to prepare the Pretzels at home. Thanks Chef for the recipe
Sue
Oh yum! Fresh pretzels are the best! I’ve never tried making them, but your process looks very straightforward. Gonna give it a try!