These spinach artichoke stuffed pretzels are homemade soft pretzels stuffed with a creamy, cheesy spinach artichoke dip filling! They're a fun, delicious appetizer for game-day or any party!
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Ingredient Notes
These spinach artichoke stuffed pretzels are pretty simple, but there are a couple special ingredients I recommend!
Bread Flour - I use bread flour to make the pretzels a little bit chewier, but you can easily substitute all purpose flour. You just made need 2-3 extra tablespoons of flour.
Instant Yeast - The yeast is what helps the dough rise! I like using instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) because you don't need to bloom it first.
Whole Milk - The whole milk helps add flavor to the pretzels and keep them tender, but you can substitute skim milk or water if you prefer.
Non-diastatic Malt Powder - You can leave this out if you can't get your hands on it, but I highly recommend it! Non-diastatic malt powder gives both pretzels and bagels their distinct flavor and shiny crust.
Baking Soda - Boiling the pretzels in baking soda is crucial for helping them rise properly and get the perfect texture!
Pretzel Salt - This is a MUST! Pretzel salt doesn't dissolve when it gets slightly wet or melt in the oven, so those big beautiful crystals are still intact after baking. A big container of pretzel salt will last you a long time so you can make pretzel bites as much as you want!
Sour Cream - I like using sour cream in the filling for a tangy flavor, but you can also substitute Greek yogurt or cream cheese instead.
Monterey Jack - For a neutral flavor that melts well, I love Monterey Jack cheese! But you can also substitute shredded mozzarella, cheddar, or gouda.
Frozen Spinach - Make sure the spinach is fully thawed and all the excess water is squeezed out. Otherwise you'll end up with a watery filling and the pretzels won't cook properly.
Marinated Artichoke Hearts - Marinated artichokes are best because they already have lots of flavor. Make sure to drain any excess liquid and chop them up into smaller pieces before adding to the filling.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Stuffed Pretzels
In a large bowl mix together the thawed and drained spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, garlic, sour cream, shredded parmesan, shredded Monterey Jack, and red pepper flakes. Taste and add salt as needed. Chill until ready to use.
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, malt powder, melted butter, instant yeast, salt, and milk) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour; it will rise minimally.
Turn the dough out onto your work surface (you shouldn't need to flour your work surface) and fold 2-3 times to gently deflate it. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Take your first piece and roll into a rope that's about 18 inches long. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the rope and make it about 4 inches wide.
Spoon about 4 tablespoons of the spinach artichoke filling along the center of the dough, leaving ½ inch border. Then pinch the edges of the dough together to seal the filling inside.
Make the dough rope into a large U shape, then twist the ends of the rope together 2 times. Pull the twisted ends down to the bottom of the U and press firmly to make the classic pretzel shape.
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a nonreactive baking sheet with parchment paper.
Fill a large nonreactive pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add in 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Boil the pretzels for 30-60 seconds on each side and then place on your lined baking sheet. You will only be able to boil about 3 pretzels at a time. Do not skip this step! It might seem unnecessary, but this is what gives the pretzels that signature look and texture.
If desired, sprinkle the pretzels with coarse pretzel salt and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy the spinach artichoke stuffed pretzels while warm!
Tips for Stuffed Soft Pretzels
- Don't overstuff the pretzels! It's tempting to add a bunch of filling, but you just need a small amount per pretzel. You want to be able to easily pinch the dough closed around the filling so they don't burst in the oven.
- Be sure to pinch the dough closed as well as you can! If you don't properly seal the dough, the pretzels will leak all the filling out in the water bath!
- Don't skip the baking soda bath! Boiling the pretzels in baking soda is what gives them the classic chewy texture!
Recipe FAQ's
This spinach artichoke stuffed pretzels are best eaten the same day. But you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat the pretzels in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Boiling the dough causes it to instantly puff up, creating a chewy interior and helps the outside crisp up while baking. The baking soda also helps the stuffed pretzels become a dark, golden brown color. It helps give that classic pretzel texture and flavor!
Since these soft pretzels are stuffed with spinach dip, they're a bit larger than normal soft pretzels and this recipe only makes 6 large pretzels. However, you can easily double the recipe if you need more for a crowd!
A "reactive" pot refers to metal cookware that can react chemically with certain ingredients that are either especially acidic or alkaline. It can make food taste metallic and also discolor your pans as the metal is literally leeching into your food. The most common culprits are tomatoes, citrus, and vinegar because they're highly acidic. However, baking soda is highly alkaline and will also react with certain metals. So since the stuffed pretzels are boiled in baking soda and then transferred to a baking sheet, it's important that both your pot and baking sheets are nonreactive.
Some metals that are considered "reactive" are uncoated aluminum, unlined copper, and cast iron. Whereas "nonreactive" materials are stainless steel, ceramic, aluminized steel, and enamel coated metal (so enameled cast iron is fine).
Most baking sheets are either aluminum or aluminized steel. So just remember that aluminized steel is what you want to use when working with baking soda!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Pretzels
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Spinach Artichoke Filling
- 12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- ½ cup sour cream, substitute Greek yogurt or cream cheese
- ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, substitute shredded mozzarella or cheddar
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- salt and pepper , to taste
Pretzel Dough
- 3 ½ cups bread flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, optional for flavor
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons baking soda, for boiling
- pretzel salt, for topping
Instructions
Spinach Artichoke Filling
- In a large bowl mix together the thawed and drained spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, garlic, sour cream, shredded parmesan, shredded Monterey Jack, and red pepper flakes. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Chill until ready to use.
Soft Pretzels
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, malt powder, melted butter, instant yeast, salt, and milk) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
- The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour; it will rise minimally.
- Turn the dough out onto your work surface (you shouldn't need to flour your work surface) and fold 2-3 times to gently deflate it. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Take your first piece and roll into a rope that's about 18 inches long. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the rope and make it about 4 inches wide.
- Spoon about 4 tablespoons of the spinach artichoke filling along the center of the dough, leaving ½ inch border. Then pinch the edges of the dough together to seal the filling inside.
- Make the dough rope into a large U shape, then twist the ends of the rope together 2 times. Pull the twisted ends down to the bottom of the U and press firmly to make the classic pretzel shape.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a nonreactive baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a large nonreactive pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add in 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Boil the pretzels for 30-60 seconds on each side and then place on your lined baking sheet. You will only be able to boil about 3 pretzels at a time. Do not skip this step! It might seem unnecessary, but this is what gives the pretzels that signature look and texture.
- If desired, sprinkle the pretzels with coarse pretzel salt and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Jerilea says
My kids love homemade pretzels. My husband too. I'm going to have to put these on the list, not sure they'll like them but I know I will. Very grown up.