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Pretzel Tot Queso Fundido is a glorious combination of delicious soft pretzels and tangy cheese. Soft, chewy homemade pretzels are baked in a cast iron skillet with the center filled with melted cheese and pickled jalapeños. This recipe takes some time to make, but is sure to be a hit at your next tailgating or game day party. Nashville Style Baked Spicy Chicken Sandwiches and a Strawberry Lemonade Sangria.
I’m not a stranger to processed cheeseI fell in love with it years ago and have been making it over and over ever since! Everything from this Charred Corn and Poblano Pepper Queso Fundido, Summer Squash Queso Fundido, and Acorn Squash Pasilla Chile Queso Fundido you have my heart!
Ingredients you will need for Pretzel Tot Queso Fundido
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt are mixed with melted butter and warm water to make soft pretzel dough. You don’t need to use a stand mixer because we knead the dough by hand anyway!
- Cheese – Shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses are mixed with spicy pickled jalapeños to create the cheesy melted cheese center.
- Baking soda – This is a must for making pretzels! It is added to the double boiler that will be used to boil the pretzels before baking them. It gives a chewy exterior and a nice pretzel flavor to the dough.
For the rest of the ingredients, see the recipe index card below!
How to make pretzel tot melted cheese
- Prepare the pretzel dough – Mix the instant yeast with the dry ingredients. Add the water and melted butter and mix everything together, kneading until a homogeneous dough is formed. Let it rest for 1 hour.
- Prepare the melted cheese sauce – During that 1-hour rest, mix the grated cheese with the Rio Luna pickled jalapeños, then set it aside.
- Shape the pretzels – Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Form a ball by rolling and tucking the edges of the dough under.
- Boil the pretzels – Boiling the dough in baking soda will give them that delicious chewy crust and classic pretzel flavor. Dip a couple of balls into a hot baking soda bath for just 30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to a clean kitchen towel to drain.
- Arm. Line a cast iron skillet with the cooked pretzel balls in a circle, leaving room in the center for the cheese mixture. Brush the pretzel balls with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the balls are golden brown.
Tips and tricks
- Boiled pretzels – Boil the pretzel balls for 30 seconds at the most. Otherwise, the baking soda will give them an unpleasant metallic taste.
- Don’t have a stand mixer? You can make the pretzel dough in a large bowl with a spatula.
- Yeast – There is a difference in method depending on whether you use instant yeast or active dry yeast. Instant yeast can be added to the dry flour ingredients, but active dry yeast must be activated in warm water until it foams, which usually takes 5-10 minutes. From here, the melted butter and the rest of the dry ingredients can be added.
- Hot peppers – If you don’t like spicy foods you can omit them or add sweet peppers for a different flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Recipes
Pretzel bites or pretzel tots are basically soft mini 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 beef, shredded cheese, and chili peppers. It is baked until melted and soft and then eaten with chips. My version is made without meat, but you can add some if you like!
More appetizer recipes
If you tried this Pretzel Tot Grilled Cheese Recipe or any other recipe from my website, leave a 🌟 Star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments Below. Thanks for visiting!
Queso Fundido Cheese Dip:
To make the Pretzel Tots:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, instant yeast and kosher salt. Mix until combined.
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***NOTE: If you don’t have a stand 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 you do, start the recipe with the warm water in the stand mixer and then mix the yeast with the water and let it activate. And then, add the melted butter and dry ingredients.***
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In a small saucepan, add the butter and cook until melted. When melted, remove from heat and pour in the water. Mix together and then pour into the stand mixer and mix on low speed until well combined. Switch to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, wipe out the bowl, then grease it well with neutral oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest in a warm place for about 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
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When the dough has finished rising, divide it into 8 equal parts and form balls with them, tucking the dough underneath.
To prepare the melted cheese sauce:
To boil the tots:
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Place a clean dish towel over a plate or baking sheet. Fill a medium saucepan with the 4 cups of water and the baking soda. Bring to a gentle boil. Drop each of the dough balls into the water and cook for about 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to the clean dish towel to drain.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish. Place cooked pretzel balls along the entire outside of the skillet or baking dish. Pour cheese mixture into the center and press into an even layer.
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Brush the tops of the pretzel balls with the beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Transfer to the oven to bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the tops of the balls are golden brown.
Tips and tricks
- Boiled pretzels – Boil the pretzel balls for 30 seconds at the most. Otherwise, the baking soda will give them an unpleasant metallic taste.
- Don’t have a stand mixer? You can make the pretzel dough in a large bowl with a spatula.
- Yeast – There is a difference in method depending on whether you use instant yeast or active dry yeast. Instant yeast can be added to the dry flour ingredients, but active dry yeast must be activated in warm water until it foams, which usually takes 5-10 minutes. From here, you can fold in the melted butter and the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Hot peppers – If you don’t like spicy foods you can omit them or add sweet peppers for a different flavor.
Service: 6gram | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 29gram | Protein: 11gram | Fat: 10gram | Saturated fat: 6gram | Polyunsaturated fat: 1gram | Monounsaturated fat: 3gram | Trans fats: 0.1gram | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 2229mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1gram | Sugar: 2gram | Vitamin A: 406International Union | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information is calculated automatically and should only be used as an approximation.
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