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Soft Pretzel Bites with Vegan Cheese Sauce

3.04 from 66 votes
These soft, buttery pretzel bites pair perfectly with the vegan cheese sauce.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 42 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, German
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the pretzels:
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 tsp fast rise yeast
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
  • 4+ cup flour
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
For boiling:
  • 3 quarts water
  • ⅓ cup baking soda
For topping:
  • Oil or melted vegan butter
  • Pretzel salt
For the cheese sauce:
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup plain, unsweetened rice milk we prefer rice milk for its neutral flavor
  • 3/4 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds can sub with your favorite vegan cheese shreds
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • paprika, for topping optional

Method
 

For the pretzel bites:
  1. Whisk together warm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to activate.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 4 cups of flour and salt.
  3. Add the melted vegan butter and yeast mixture (once activated) to the flour. Mix until a ball forms, then knead for 5-7 minutes, by hand or using a stand mixer with the hook attachment. Add flour, as necessary, so that the dough does not feel too sticky (it should still be a soft dough).
  4. Lightly oil a bowl. Form the dough into a ball, place it into the bowl and roll it around to cover in oil.
  5. Place a wet towel over the bowl. Let sit for one hour (ball should approximately double in size).
  6. Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
  7. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to a large rectangle that is ~1/2 inch thick. Cut into ~3/4" x 1" pieces.
  8. Boil the 3 quarts of water in a large pot. Once it's boiling, carefully add the baking soda (the water will rise quickly, so do this slowly and carefully).
  9. In small batches, add the pretzel bites to the boiling water. Boil for ~1 minute, then flip over and boil for another minute. Remove and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all the pieces have been boiled.
  10. Brush each with melted vegan butter or oil and top with pretzel salt.
  11. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden-brown.
For the sauce:
  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add in the flour and whisk until fully mixed.
  3. Pour in the rice milk and whisk until there are no clumps. Mix in the garlic powder and salt.
  4. Whisk in the cheese until fully combined. Finally, whisk in the vegetable broth until creamy.
  5. Top with paprika, if desired. Enjoy by dipping warm pretzels into the sauce!