This copycat version of Dot’s Pretzels is pretty indistinguishable from the real thing and is utterly irresistible and savoury. One of the keys to success is your choice of pretzels, and I’ll clue you in on what type to use and where to find them in a moment.
When I was out in Iowa visiting my friends at the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, we spent quite a lot of time in a bus heading from meeting to meeting. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but I am completely incapable of riding in a car for longer than 15 minutes without needing a snack.
My friends Shannon and Natalie must have known this. In what might go down as the understatement of the year, they popped open a bag of something they simply described as being “really, really good” and passed it back along the line of bloggers sitting in the bus. A hush fell.
Guys. If you know any bloggers, you know hushes don’t fall easily. The silence was because we were all cramming Dot’s Pretzels in our mouth and marveling at how a SNACK FOOD could be THAT GOOD. And yes, all-caps yelling was in order there.
I’ve never in my life had a flavoured pretzel that good. The silence continued until that bag was empty and each of us had opened our phones and ordered two-packs from Amazon because the store locator indicated ZERO stores where I could buy it in driving distance from my home.
As soon as I ordered it, though, I realized -egads- I had just paid $17 for two one-pound bags of pretzels. It was going to be unrealistic to pony up $17 for a two-pack of pretzels as often as I was going to want those pretzels. Thank HEAVENS my husband doesn’t read my blog often.
They’re not JUST Ranch Pretzels
I admit I studied the ingredients list of the Dot’s Pretzels bag pretty carefully. The flavour of the pretzels had reminded me a lot of ranch dressing and the ingredients list seemed to bear it out. But there was more to it than just that as I found when I tried to make some with regular old pretzel sticks.
While the regular ranch pretzels were tasty, they lacked some of the magic of Dot’s Pretzels. I found that the key to the iconic Dot’s Pretzels flavour was to use a specific type of pretzel.
What kind of pretzels make Dot’s Pretzels?
Butter Braids are the very best pretzel to use if you’re making copycat Dot’s Pretzels, and you can nab those at Target or Walmart just about anywhere in the country. If you can’t find them, use butter snap pretzels.
If you want some seriously amazing Dot’s Pretzels, try using these butter braided pretzels from Nuts.com. They’re about $5 per one pound bag, so they’re still a pretty good price compared to $17 for two pounds of Dot’s Pretzels.
I do not advice trying to make your ranch pretzels with honey wheat pretzel twists, though. I think the flavours compete a bit and it tastes a little off.
As for which ranch dressing mix to use, I prefer to use my homemade buttermilk ranch dressing mix, but I’ve also made it with the big brand of ranch dressing mix and the recipe tasted perfect.
Cayenne pepper is optional in this recipe. If you use it, there’s just a little background heat and kick that some folks find to be a more accurate match to the original Dot’s pretzels. We like it both with or without.
Dot’s Pretzels
- Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- Toss the pretzels with the melted butter to coat, then toss with the Ranch dressing mix and cayenne pepper if using to coat evenly.
- Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed half sheet pan.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes; just until the coating is set.
Use a half sheet pan, parchment paper, and tongs to make your Dot’s Pretzels.
Pretzel Recipe
If you love these Dot’s Pretzels, you should try these garlic butter soft pretzel bites, best sourdough soft pretzels, pretzels, pretzel bread, and perfect soft pretzel rolls. You will be a very happy camper if you serve them with Hot Corn Dip, Chili Con Queso Dip, or Dill Pickle Dip.
And honestly, I love this Dot’s Pretzels copycat recipe by itself, but they make magical croutons on all sorts of salads like cheeseburger salad, Tex Mex Cobb Salad, and Pizza Salad.
Are you a big ranch fan? Try these homemade Cool Ranch Doritos, Cool ranch Baked Tortilla Salad Bowls, Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheese Balls Bites, and Cool Ranch Dorito Cheese Curds.
Dot's Pretzels
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound butter braid pretzels or butter snaps
- 4 tablespoons butter melted, preferably unsalted
- 3 tablespoons ranch dressing mix
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, but delicious
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- In a bowl (or in the pretzel bag itself) toss the pretzels gently with the melted butter to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix and cayenne if using over the pretzels and again toss to coat evenly.
- Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a half sheet pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or until the pretzels are dry to the touch and the seasoning is set on them.
- Eat warm, or let cool completely to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container or bag for storage.These are good for about a week at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!
This post was originally published December 2, 2018 and republished January 13, 2021 with improved notes.
Reader's Thoughts...
Moz Bourne says
It is misleading to post the nutrition label from Dot’s Pretzels.
You should be posting the nutrition label (and calorie count) from:
The 1 lb bag of pretzels,
The Butter package
The Ranch Dressing Mix (if commercial is used).
Since yours is a copycat and not an exact recipe, the calorie count is most likely higher than the genuine article.
Rebecca says
Actually, the nutrition and calorie label on my blog post is what was calculated from the ingredients used in this homemade version, so there’s nothing misleading about it at all… The reason the label says “Dot’s Pretzels” is because that is what I called this recipe.
Mallory says
I make something called Christmas Crack Pretzels and they are fabulous -I’m sure the recipe in on Pinterest.I recently tried Dots pretzels and they are addicting.It tastes to me like they put a little Cajun spice in.
Amy R says
I’m from Iowa and I am familiar with Dots pretzels. You are correct that they are SUPER expensive. I was so excited to find this recipe. After making it, I (and my family), think that they while they are tasty, taste more like Little Cesar’s Crazy Bread.
Vittoria says
Very good. I added garlic and onion powder for an extra flavor and it is very good.
Lisa says
Similar, but definitely lacking the spiciness of Dots pretzels .
Ami says
The pretzels look tasty but I NEED that bowl!!! Where can I find it????
Rebecca says
I got mine at Home Goods!
Mandi says
You can buy the seasoning in their website. Dotzpretzels.com
Tedina Mayfield says
I went to there website and nowhere on there fo they sell seasoning mix.
Rhinda says
They call it “Dot’s pretzel rub”. Google it and you can buy it online. I actually prefer this recipient to the real thing though
Jean says
Not at all like Dots. It’s missing that snap taste.
Kim says
I just tried these and love them!! These are my favorite pretzels and sometimes can be hard to find!!! I always try to stock up! I like this little twist!!
Gail says
You can order just the dots seasoning
Rebecca says
That’s fun, but it’s super easy to find ranch dressing mix at just about any old grocery store. 🙂
Beth says
I bought what I thought was Dot’s seasoning at Target in Iowa, thinking I’d make my own at home. Turns out it was a bag of ground up Dot’s pretzels, like breadcrumbs. Not what I was expecting but AMAZING to coat pork chops with! I’ll be making my own Dot’s pretzels for family Christmas, thanks for the recipe!
Dedee says
I added a pinch of ground cayenne pepper to ranch dressing mix. The little bit of zing made all the difference!
I totally agree on NOT using the whole wheat pretzels. Too sweet and icky.
Marvin Stimmel says
Will try this recipe asap. Thanx for sharing. What gives Dot’s the spice?
Rebecca says
I think any heat is just from the granulated garlic, personally. I don’t find Dot’s spicy, really, and when I tried adding a tiny bit of cayenne, the flavour just stood out as not being like what I tasted in Dot’s pretzels. that said, I don’t think it’s BAD with cayenne. 🙂
James G Vielbig says
Dot’s are $4.99 for a 1 pound bag at Menards all day, every day
Shirley Shipley says
Where does the spiciness come from…
Rebecca says
If you dunk your finger into a packet of dry ranch dressing mix, you’ll find that it has a hint of spice to it. I theorize that it’s a hint of spice from garlic. Dot’s pretzels don’t have any heat that would rise above that level for me. 🙂
Karen says
I added a little Old Bay and garlic powder.
Terese says
Can you purchase these pretzels and have them shipped?
Rebecca says
Hi Terese- You sure can! You can buy them on Amazon, but they’re pretty pricey at $7 and change per pound! https://amzn.to/2EAdA7E
James G. Vielbig says
$4.99/# at Menards, all day. Actually slightly cheaper now because of their dumb 11% rebates. You can ship as well.
Lori says
Was so happy when I saw them at Menards
MrsK says
You can purchase him directly from the dots website.
Holly A Love says
What about the spiciness that I taste, is that from the ranch mix too?
Rebecca says
I’ve played around a little bit with it and I think it’s just from the Ranch, personally. I tried adding cayenne pepper to the mix and it just tasted like cayenne pepper to me vs. tasting spicier when I added enough to boost the spice appreciably. 🙂
Bob says
Hidden Valley now makes a spicy ranch dressing!! Using it today to see how they come out.
Rebecca says
Ooooh! That sounds brilliant!
Stan says
I added citric acid, a bit of onion powder, and some paprika but still used mostly ranch powder. I also mixed cheese crackers into the pretzels to make it more of a snack mix. No regrets – outstanding.
Mary says
These pretzels are incredible!! There’s no way you can eat just one handful.
RK says
Dot’s are wonderful, but they do not stock them in Texas either! I am surprised to read the copy cat recipe is using Ranch Dressing flavoring…I thought they had a little dry mustard flavor. My taste buds must have been mistaken 🙂 I’ll have to try making them at home because I too couldn’t justify the amazon price!
Rebecca says
Hey there, RK. I studied the ingredients list on the Dot’s bag and didn’t see dry mustard. I think the tang you got might have been from the buttermilk powder in the ranch!
Xavier says
They do have them in Texas. I found them at Total Wine in Plano and at Market Street in McKinney.
Millicent says
They are also sold as Ace Hardware Stores. I know… weird, but I buy them from there all the time.
Sarah says
Ace is oddly where I find mine too! lol
Roni Rawlins says
I am in Killeen, Texas and found them at Ace Hardware Stores & also at Spec’s in Austin!
Julie says
I was SO excited to see the title of this recipe. I first tried Dot’s pretzels at a party and have been addicted ever since. Everyone I serve them to is amazed at their addictive flavor. I am in the midwest so can buy them at almost any grocery store, and while not quite $17 for two bags here, they are definitely expensive for a snack. I had read somewhere about the special butter pretzels Dot uses to make these; I can’t wait to try your version. The only thing I would note is I find that after the “ranchy/buttery” taste, there is a bit of a spicy aftertaste. I may add a little cayenne to replicate that mild heat. Thank you!!
Rebecca says
Yes! I tried it with cayenne, and it was tasty, but I have to say, though, that ranch dressing mix has a little (VERY LITTLE) kick in it and we found that more than 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne was strangely too much. (I say strangely because we love the spicy stuff here. It wasn’t even hot, it was just too CAYENNE-y if that makes sense.) I opted to leave it out of this recipe because I know that it’s delicious without it and I think it is easy to overdo. That said, if you keep it under 1/8-teaspoon, I think you’ll love it!
Merry Christmas! May yours be full of homemade Dot’s Pretzels!
Julie says
Oh honestly thanks so much for this reply. I know what you mean about the “cayenne-y” flavor that can result from overuse. I think I will just stick to your recipe with your homemade ranch seasoning. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas to you too!