This easy Spicy Pretzels Recipe with ranch seasoning is irresistible! These crunchy, salty, buttery pretzels are the perfect finger food.
My son was totally craving Dot’s Pretzels, and our little local grocery store doesn’t sell them. So instead, I bought some pretzel sticks and spices to make my own copycat version at home. The homemade spicy pretzels were a huge hit not only with my son but also with our friends and family, who say they are even BETTER than the store-bought version!
What You’ll Find In This Post
What You’ll Need To Make Them
- Pretzels: If butter-flavored pretzels are unavailable in your area, you can use regular pretzel sticks instead. We prefer the added flavor of the butter pretzels. Also, these pretzel sticks are twisted, creating little groves, and the seasoning mixture really sticks to the groves!
- Oil: For the oil, we used a combination of melted butter and canola oil. The butter provides flavor, and the canola oil coats the pretzels well without adding additional moisture. You can substitute olive oil or vegetable oil for the canola oil.
- Ranch Dressing: You’ll need two packets of powdered ranch dressing mix. The dry, powdered mix adds the flavors of ranch dressing without making the pretzels soggy as the salad dressing would.
- Sriracha: We added a teaspoon of sriracha sauce for heat; add more for even spicier pretzels. Or you can add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper instead of the sriracha or in addition to it.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and onion powder provide additional flavor.
- Parmesan: The grated Parmesan adds flavor and helps the oil and seasonings stick to the pretzels. We used the powdered kind from a green shaker can.
Seasoning Options
There are so many spices that can be added to make seasoned pretzels, so go with what you prefer. Other popular pretzel spices include dill weed, cayenne pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. You can add them in addition to the spices already in the recipe or as a substitution.
How To Make Spicy Pretzels
Spread the butter-flavored pretzel sticks on a large, rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.
Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Add the canola oil, Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing mix, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, sriracha sauce, and onion powder.
Whisk the seasoning mixture until combined, and immediately pour over the pretzels.
Stir until all of the pretzels are coated with the oil and spicy pretzel seasoning mix.
After you coat the pretzel sticks with the seasoning, sprinkle them with grated Parmesan cheese and stir to coat.
Bake the spicy seasoned pretzels at 220˚F for 20-30 minutes stirring after 15 minutes, until the oil is absorbed.
How To Store Spicy Ranch Pretzels
Store the spicy pretzels in an airtight container in the pantry. You can put all of the pretzels in a large zip-top bag or container with a lid.
We’ve also found that dividing the spicy ranch pretzels into snack-size servings in separate baggies makes it super easy to grab a snack and go.
Other Ways To Make Them
No Bake Spicy Pretzels
To make a no bake version, substitute the melted butter and canola oil with 8 ounces of butter-flavored popcorn oil! After coating the pretzels, cover the pan and set it aside. Then stir the pretzels every 15 minutes for three hours total, or until the oil is absorbed.
Spicy Snack Mix
Another fun way to make these seasoned pretzels is to add other snack items such as Goldfish, oyster crackers, Cheezits, Chex cereal, and nuts to the mix. Just remember to use fewer pretzels when adding additional ingredients.
Southwest Pretzels
To go for even more of a tex-mex flavor, use a southwest spice blend! It includes spices similar to the taco seasoning. Substitute 3 teaspoons of southwest seasoning for the garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and onion powder called for in this recipe. Then follow the recipe as directed.
What Others Want To Know
You can use any of the pretzels you want, from twists to sticks and squares to circles. Or you can also use a combination of pretzel types. But we prefer the butter flavor pretzel sticks.
The seasoning mixture for this spicy pretzels recipe starts with melted butter and canola oil. Then, to those two ingredients, we add sriracha sauce, powdered buttermilk ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and onion powder.
Top them with cheese sauce, bacon bits, blue cheese sauce, or honey mustard.
Additional Pretzel Recipes
- Crack Pretzels – An yummy snack any time of the year!
- Cheese Pretzels Recipe – Crunchy, buttery, cheddar cheese-flavored pretzels.
- Garlic Parmesan Pretzels – The most popular flavor combination!
- Honey Mustard Pretzels – For a sweet and tangy snack.
- Buffalo Sauce Pretzels – Perfect for buffalo wings fans!
Spicy Pretzels
Equipment
- Sriracha Sauce
- Cajun Seasoning
Ingredients
- 24 oz butter-flavored pretzel sticks two 12 oz bags
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce add more for spicier pretzels
- 2 oz powdered ranch dressing mix two 1 oz packets
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220˚F.
- Pour the pretzels in a large rimmed baking sheet (or roasting pan).
- Whisk together the melted butter, canola oil, sriracha sauce, buttermilk ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and onion powder.
- Pour over the pretzel sticks and stir until coated.
- Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and stir until coated.
- Bake at 220˚F for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.
Video
Aunt J says
So, so, so much better than Dot’s! Plus, you can adjust to your family’s tastes and preferences. We like heat, so more cayenne suits us well. I’d made a similar recipe without the parm. Going forward I’ll always opt for the upgraded version with parm.
Jennifer Bowman says
How long can these be stored? I’m going to a wedding at the end of the month and I’m making snacks for after and trying to plan.
Maur Wrobel says
I’m confused about the Hidden Valley Ranch mix. I got the Aldi’s brand but it contains 1 oz. which I measured out & it was approx. 3 Tbls. Is the HV brand really only .4 oz? I’m going to have to look the next time I’m at a store that carries HV brand bc they seem to be the same size (?)
Tonia says
Hi Maur,
Yeah, that is kind of confusing. When I made the recipe I used the buttermilk version which shows .4 oz on the package. I’m not sure how available that version is so I updated the recipe. You just need two packets.
Enjoy,
~Tonia
Patricia Kieren says
Why does the dressing mix glob up on the bottom of the pan????
Tonia says
I’m not sure why that happened when you made these pretzels. Here are a few possibilities: the dressing mix wasn’t fully whisked into the oil/butter and therefore clumped together, the dressing sat for a while and the seasonings clumped together, the pretzels weren’t stirred long enough to allow the coating to stick to them (I like using a silicone spatula when stirring because it allows me to scoop any of the butter/oil mix off of the pan so that it can coat the pretzels), the dressing mixture didn’t evenly coat the pretzels and therefore the parmesan wasn’t able to stick to it, or the pretzels weren’t stirred long enough during baking to redistributed any oil/butter/seasonings that dropped to the pan.
Joan ficken says
Is this recipe for one 12oz.bag or 2 12oz. bags?
Tonia says
You will need two 12 ounce bags of pretzels! Enjoy!
Sheila says
They make spicy hidden valley that has alot of the spices in it. Spicy & NOT Feista
Destiny says
I’m making these now but there kind of chewy instead of crunchy what did I do wrong followed recipe exactly
Tonia says
They may crisp up as they cool down. If not, I would continue baking them, stirring occasionally, until they are crunchy.
Tiffany says
To add to my comment—-this recipe is spot on!
Tiffany says
Seriously! If you love Dot’s pretzels but don’t love spending 5.99 a bag you have to make these!!!
Lisa says
These were fantastic, added 2 Tbs of sriracha instead of 1 and added 1 tps of cayenne pepper to give it a little more of a kick , and boy were they a hit !!!! Made 3 bags of these and not 1 pretzel left , not even a broken piece….
Michelle says
Are you just using the kind of Parmesan cheese that is shelf stable with the green lid… That you put on pizza etc. Or are you talking fresh Parmesan that you store in the fridge and grate?
Tonia says
Hi Michelle,
Yes, the shelf-stable kind with the green lid!
Enjoy!
~Tonia
Kerry says
Excellent! How would it change if you did all butter or all oil?
Tonia says
Hi Kerry,
I’ve never tried using all butter but I have made seasoned pretzels with all oil. No changes are necessary. Just use one cup of whichever one you decide to use.
They also sell a butter-flavored popcorn oil that is excellent for seasoned pretzels!
~Tonia
Kerry says
Excellent! How would it change if you did all butter or all oil?
Beth W. says
LOVE DOT’s Pretzels!! I will definitely have to try and make these at home!
Tonia says
So does my son! I bought him Dot’s pretzels recently when I was short on time and couldn’t make a batch of these pretzels and he was disappointed because he said this recipe for spicy pretzels is better than Dot’s pretzels.
Enjoy!
~Tonia
Liv says
This looks so delicious! Is there something I can sub for Cajun seasoning that’s similar if I don’t have that?
Tonia says
Hi Liv,
Cajun seasoning is made with a mix of salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. You can leave it out or add your own combo of spices.
Enjoy!
~Tonia