Description
Enjoy these Soft Pretzel Bites with a creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce for a delicious and satisfying snack or appetizer. The pretzel bites are perfectly golden on the outside and soft on the inside, while the vegan cheese sauce adds a flavorful and cheesy touch without any dairy.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pretzel Bites:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup baking soda (for boiling)
- coarse salt (for topping)
For the Vegan Cheese Sauce:
- 1 cup peeled and diced potatoes
- 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Prepare the Pretzel Bites: In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and brown sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour, salt, and olive oil, and knead until a smooth dough forms, about 5–7 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add baking soda carefully. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each into a rope and cut into 1-inch bites. Boil the pretzel bites in batches for 30 seconds, then transfer to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make the Vegan Cheese Sauce: Boil the potatoes, carrots, and cashews together for about 10 minutes or until soft. Drain and add to a blender along with plant milk, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, turmeric, and smoked paprika. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust consistency with extra plant milk if needed.
- Serve: Serve the warm pretzel bites with the vegan cheese sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Use oat or almond milk for a neutral-flavored cheese sauce.
- Pretzel bites can be frozen after baking and reheated in the oven.
- For a spicier version, add hot sauce or chipotle powder to the vegan cheese sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking, Boiling, Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
