Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites

These Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites are about to become your new favorite party appetizer. Soft pretzel bites get a flavor boost with chive and onion cream cheese tucked inside. Then they’re coated in ranch-seasoned melted butter and topped with plenty of parmesan before hitting the oven. They’re simple to make, totally irresistible, and disappear fast at any gathering. Whether you’re hosting game day, throwing a fab holiday party, or just want a fun nibble for movie night, these pretzel bites satisfy that snack craving every time.

Bet you can’t eat just one

Appetizers are always a favorite here at Casa SoupAddict. Sometimes, they’re a whole meal — even a holiday meal! So, I’m always on the lookout for finger food that’s easy to make for a crowd and absolutely irresistible.

Soft pretzel bites by themselves are completely delightful nibbles, but sometimes the occasion calls for taking things up a notch. When it comes to snacking, the combination of ranch and cream cheese is a guaranteed crowd magnet, and I was determined to combine the three in a party-manageable way.

I had to flowchart things to get all of these flavors onto the soft pretzel bites lol, but I think I nailed it! A little bit of hands-on attention, a short stint in the oven, and you’ve got a poppable nosh that might become the runaway hit of your next party. And to that point, note that the recipe can be easily doubled for hungry nibblers going back to the bowl. When testing this recipe, I tried eating only one because not a health food, but that’s simply not a thing when it comes to salty ranch snacks.

Best of all you can make these ahead of time. They are, of course, their most perfect selves right out of the oven. But if you need to stash them in the fridge for a bit before party time — remember that cream cheese shouldn’t be held at room temp for more than two hours — just warm them back up in a 350ºF oven for 5 minutes and you’re good to go.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites are —

• Ready in under 30 minutes. Perfect when you need something quick but impressive.
• Just five ingredients with very little prep.
• Crowd-tested and approved. We’re an appetizer people, and these went fast.
• Kid-friendly. Even picky eaters love these.
• Made for ranch lovers!

If you and yours are appetizer fiends like we are, you might also want to try my Mortadella Stuffed Crescent Rolls and my Christmas Wreath Appetizers (which can be enjoyed any time of year!)

Key Ingredients

Pretzel bites — This recipe is not soft pretzel-brand specific. Use your favorite brand or bake from scratch (represent!). Even frozen bites will work, if you bake them up before starting. I used King’s Hawaiian Original Pretzel Bites, which (as of this writing — looking at you, shrinkflation) are packaged in 10.2 ounce clear box containers. There are approximately 30 bites per container, so plan your needs accordingly.

Butter — I used unsalted butter for this appetizer because there are plenty of salty flavors in the ranch seasoning mix and the Parmesan cheese.

Ranch seasoning — A simple packet of dried seasoning mix is perfect here. Or, if you have a favorite recipe for the ranch spice blend, feel free to substitute. I call for one tablespoon of the seasoning, which might seem underwhelming at first glance, but it’s actually plenty. Mostly, I wanted to avoid the butter being overwhelmed by the spices and turning clumpy.

Cream cheese — A spreadable chive and onion cream cheese is the perfect partner for the cheesy ranch flavors in this appetizer. You’ll note that I don’t call for the exact amount of cream cheese you’ll need to stuff the bites. Just buy a small container and know that you’ll have as much as you need for the pretzels with some leftover.

Parmesan cheese — You have a lot of flexibility here as to the type of parm that you choose. I’ve tested the recipe with both Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. Both were lovely. I could also see Gruyere or Asiago working well, too.

Flaked finishing salt — Most soft pretzels from the grocery store sadly lack a crusty coating of salt. And especially if you’re handling the pretzels, as you will in this recipe, it’s easy to dislodge the salt. Optionally, you can sprinkle a nice helping of finishing salt (or pretzel salt, if you have it) over the buttered pieces. I like Maldon sea salt for its bright pop.

How to Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the appetizer.

Prep notes

There’s very little prep required for this appetizer! There are only five ingredients, and mostly it’s measuring or cutting.

• Grate a block of Parmesan cheese on the fine-holed side of a cheese grater. A microplaner or zester works, too.
• Slice off a 4-tablespoon piece of butter from a stick. You don’t need to slice it into small pieces.
• Try not to nibble the soft pretzel bites. JK — you’re the cook, nibble away!

Slice the pretzel bites

Start the butter melting low and slow in a small pan. Cut shallow slits into the tops of each pretzel bite.

Stuff the pretzel bites

Use a small spoon or butter knife to push a small amount of cream cheese into the slits of the bites. Be sure to hold the bite with your free hand, in case it breaks apart. If that happens, give the bite a gentle squeeze: the cream cheese will act as glue. Keep an eye on the butter. Once it melts, turn off the heat.

Mix the ranch butter and coat the pretzels

Whisk the ranch seasoning into the butter in two batches to prevent clumping. Place the stuffed pretzel bites in a large mixing bowl and pour the ranch butter over the bites. Fold gently with a large spoon to coat all the pieces.

Transfer to a baking sheet and cheese it up

Arrange the bites on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with the optional finishing salt, if desired, and top each bite with lots of Parmesan cheese.

Bake

Bake until the cheese has started to take on golden tones. Let cool until the bites can be handled, and serve immediately.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites are built to be snackable: Once you try one, it might be difficult to stop! If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out, or tag me on social media so I can see your pretzel bites in action.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites

by Karen Gibson

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Cream Cheese Stuffed Ranch Pretzel Bites are easy, flavor-packed appetizers featuring soft pretzel bites filled with chive and onion cream cheese, brushed with ranch butter, and topped with parmesan.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 container Kings Hawaiian Pretzel Bites (about 10 ounces with 30 bites)
• 7.5 ounces chive and onion cream cheese spread
• 1 tablespoon ranch dry seasoning mix
• flaked or pretzel salt (optional)
• 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

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• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet — a quarter sheet is the perfect size — with foil or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• As a time-shortcut, before you prepare the pretzels, get the butter melting: heat the butter in a small pan over low heat until melted, then turn off the heat. Do use low heat so you neither burn the butter nor let the liquids cook off.
  4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Using a sharp paring knife, make a shallow cut down the center of the top of each pretzel bite. Avoid slicing all the way through (although all is not lost; read ahead).
  1 container Kings Hawaiian Pretzel Bites
• Scoop a small amount of the cream cheese spread onto a small, thin spoon – like a cocktail spoon – or butter knife and carefully insert the cream cheese into the slot.* Place the filled bite in a large mixing bowl, and repeat with the remaining pretzels.
  7.5 ounces chive and onion cream cheese spread
• When the butter has melted, add about half of the ranch seasoning to the butter and whisk until thoroughly blended. Add the remaining and repeat. This helps the seasoning to be fully incorporated into the butter rather than clumping up.
  1 tablespoon ranch dry seasoning mix
• Pour the seasoned butter over the pretzel bites in the bowl. Use a large serving spoon or flat spatula to gently fold the pretzel bites from the bottom of the bowl up to coat well with the butter.
• Arrange the stuffed, butter coated pretzel bites cut side up on the baking sheet.
• Optional: since the salt tends to fall off of the bites as you’re handling them, you can sprinkle some flaked salt or pretzel over the bites.
  flaked or pretzel salt
• Add big pinches of parmesan cheese to the top of each bite. Some will fall off; that’s okay, just add more.
  3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool to the touch and serve immediately, with or without dipping sauce.

Video

Notes

* For me, the easiest way to stuff a pretzel bite is to hold the bite, cut side up, in my non-dominant hand and gently wedge the tip of the spoon with the cream cheese into the slot. Then lightly squeeze the sides of the pretzel bite together as you pull out the spoon. You’ll see how I did it in the video below. The cream cheese will act as glue to hold the sides together, in case you accidentally cut too far into the pretzel (it’ll happen!).

Keyword cream cheese stuffed pretzel bites, pretzel bites, ranch pretzel bites

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