Spicy Pretzels are the absolute best party snack. A mixture of ranch and cayenne and garlic powder make the most delicious pretzel!
There are few things on this blog that I claim to be “the best.” All of the recipes I share are great, or else I wouldn’t share them of course, but I am sure that depending on your preferences, there may be better versions of my dishes. Well, that is not the case for these spicy party pretzels. They are absolutely hands down the best party snack there is. I love dips and chips and all those types of goodies, but there is no better pretzel than these spicy pretzels. You will never convince me otherwise 🙂
My Mother in Law has been making these for as long as my husband remembers and I first tried them when she brought them on a beach trip and I was instantly in love. I am not even the biggest pretzel fan. Give me a salty chip any day over a pretzel. But put a bowl of these spicy pretzels in front of me and it is all over, I will eat them all.
These are so easy to make. Mix all the ingredients together and then bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Once they cool, the seasoning is so nicely coated on the pretzels. The best pretzels are the ones with lots of seasoning clumps on them…you’ll want to grab those off the sheet pan for yourself! These store really well so you can definitely make them ahead of time. These are perfect for holiday entertaining. Spicy Pretzels are a no fuss snack and everyone will definitely want the recipe.
Worried about the spice factor? My four year old can put these pretzels down. I think she may love them even more than I do, so they aren’t that spicy. You can certainly adjust the cayenne pepper amount to be more or less if you’d like. In addition to the spicy, you have the delicious flavor of the ranch and the garlic powder. The three spices work so well together.
You have to try these soon. You will be hooked, I promise! And if you want a delicious duo of sweet and salty, make a batch of my cinnamon sugar pretzels too!
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. bag mini pretzel twists
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together oil, cayenne, garlic, and ranch.
- Spread the pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet. You will probably need two sheets.
- Pour oil mixture over the pretzels and stir well to coat.
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container for at least 1 week.
Want to save this recipe for later? Pin It!
This is a snack my family would surely love. I can’t believe this is so easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
It is such a great snack! My whole family loves it!
cayenne pepper and ranch dressing what an interesting combination! These sound amazing
They are so good! I don’t use dry ranch dressing for many recipes, but this is definitely a great one!
I wish I would’ve seen this last week! We had snack day at work and these would’ve been perfect. I can’t wait to try these.
Save the recipe for the next snack day! Your co-workers will love them!
YUM! I love a good pretzels and it’s so fun to have a different flavor to go with it! Thanks
Yes! This flavor is amazing!
That looks like a pretty cool combo! So fun for parties!
My teens always wanted a pretzel spicy. I’m gonna saved this one they will surely love it.
They will love it!
What a fun party snack idea! So often around the holidays, everything becomes about the rich, sweet, chocolatey recipes. This is a nice variation for your party snacks.
These look so addictive. How much sodium do they have? I like to keep things low sodium, but I would love to make them.
Kim, I imagine it has more sodium than you would want if you are on a low sodium diet. Maybe you could use unsalted pretzels? I would think you could probably find a low sodium ranch mix as well if you looked!
I’ve actually never heard of spicy ones before outside of Chex Mix! Love this!
They are so good! I hadn’t heard of them before I met my husband either!
These would be so great for game day treats! And the recipe is super easy! Love it!
I am always nibbling on pretzels as a snack, but my husband loves the spicy stuff. This recipe will be a perfect thing for me to make to keep both of us happy (and not hungry!)
We are big pretzels fans and these look super yummy!
I’ve never been a fan of pretzels, however, I’m always ready to try something with Cayenne pepper involved. I love spicy food.
I don’t mind plain pretzels but they certainly aren’t my favorite snack! Once they become spicy pretzels though, I can’t stop eating them!
Wow my husband is going to flip out. Going to love it. It’s perfect timing for the holiday parties that will start soon.
This sounds like a fantastic snack and so easy to make. I would love to try
These look awesome! I think I am going to have to make some this week. My kids love spicy too, so that helps!
I’m always on the lookout for awesome snacks especially since we often have movie night at home! These are perfect, I love the flavors that you added and they’re really easy to make. I can’t wait to make my own batch at home.
I don’t like spicy at all but my hubs loves it! He also loves pretzels, so that is the perfect game day snack for him!!! I guess I know what I am making this week!
These are so good for gameday! They will be gone by halftime for sure 🙂
My husband would love these. I’ll have to share this recipe with him. Thanks! 🙂
Oh my gosh this sounds delicious! What a great snack idea!
These look so simple to make and I’m sure I’d down a handful of these no problem. I might swap out the ranch but either way I’m sure it’s great.
-M
Violet Roots || Instagram
How long will these keep? I know the recipe says at least a week. Will they last longer than that? I’d like to make them now for a Christmas gift.
Hi Wendy, I’m sorry but I am really not sure! They honestly never last more than a day or two in our house because we are it so fast! I would say that if you sealed them in mason jars, they may be fine! Otherwise, I would wait till next week to make a batch! Please come back and let me know if you make them early!
Can I use olive oil instead of canola?
Hi Linda, I have never tried it but I can imagine that it would be fine. You may have a flavor from the olive oil though since canola is flavorless, especially if you use a stronger olive oil. Let me know if you try it!
Thank you for this recipe! I have grandchildren with allergies (the latest and toughest is wheat) and my job, as Nana, is to make things so no one feels deprived. This recipe, adjusted to use gluten free pretzels and homemade spice mix to replace the ranch dressing, is phenomenal!! It will become a staple for holiday events. Thank you, again!!
I m so glad that this recipe will work for your family!! Food allergies are so tough and can make kids feel so left out! You are a great grandma for going out of your way to make them feel special and included in all the holiday snacks!
These are awesome!! I have made two batches and they are loved where ever I take them!! Thank you for sharing!!
I’m so glad you liked them Lori! They are my favorite!
1/2 c. Canola oil
1 tsp garlic pwdr
1/2 tsp onion pwdr
1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your spice preference) I like mine hot!!!
1 pkg dry spicy Ranch dressing
16 oz bag of Rold Gold or Snyders Mini twists
Put pretzels in a gallon ziploc
Whisk ingredients and pour over pretzels and shake until coated.
Yummy! No baking required!
Thanks for sharing Cristie!
This doesn’t even need to be baked. Just put everything in a gallon ziploc bag and turn it every few minutes. I usually leave it in the bag for a couple of hours and flip the bag around. When all the liquid is absorbed it’s ready. I also add a teaspoon of lemon pepper.
Thanks Anne! I will have to try that! Although I love how toasty the pretzels get from baking!
Do you use salted or unsalted pretzels?
salted! But you could use unsalted as well, I don’t think it would make much of a difference since the ranch is so salty.