Pretzel dogs are extremely delicious and fun to make. With some basic ingredients and a homemade nacho cheese sauce, you can cook them in your air fryer. Kids love to have them for lunch.
They are categorized among traditional cuisines. The more cheese, the better the taste. You can also include your favorite sauces or dip that pairs perfectly well with these!
Let’s find out how to make delicious pretzel dogs in the air fryer.
What You’ll Need
- Hot dogs: 1 package of eight hotdogs
- Cheese: 2 cups of cheddar cheese sticks cut quarter-wise, nacho cheese sauce
- Pizza Dough: 11 ounces of pizza dough
- All-purpose flour: 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- Spices: 1 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of flaky salt,1 tsp of black pepper & 2 tsp of Sriracha
- For the dough: 1 tbsp dry yeast, 1 cup warm water, and 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tsp cream cheese
- For egg wash, 2 tsp of water and 2 medium eggs
Procedure
1. Preparing the hot dogs: Slit the hot dogs down the middle. Melt the butter and add the cheese slice to the hot dogs.
2. Making the dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and yeast in a large bowl to make the pretzel dough. Use a spatula to combine everything until the dough is flaky. Knead the dough and form a ball. Place plastic wrap over it and let it rise for 10 minutes at room temperature.
3. Wrapping the hot dogs: Take the dough and place it on a dusted surface or a slab. Then, cut it into eight equal pieces with a pizza cutter or knife. Make 12-14 inches of rope out for the dough.
After that, wrap each hotdog in the pretzel dough.
Once all of the hot dogs have been wrapped, Egg washes the hot dogs & season them with salt. Top with your preferred pretzel garnish, such as pretzel salt, sesame seeds, or oregano.
4. Preparation of the air fryer: Use air fryer parchment paper to prepare the air fryer basket. Alternatively, you can lightly grease the basket with olive oil. Set the air fryer to 390°F for 5 minutes.
Place the wrapped dogs in the air fryer and cook for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through, in a single layer with lots of space between them.
Make the cheese dip while the pretzel dogs are cooking.
Nacho Cheese Dip
Here’s a quick guide to making nacho cheese dip at home:
Combine flour and melted butter in a saucepan to make a roux. Add the milk gradually, then bring it to a boil. Let it simmer by lowering the heat.
Add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, black pepper, and sriracha. Stir until the cheese is melted. Serve the pretzel dogs on a plate with cheese dip, and enjoy!
Suggestion
- This recipe uses a Cosori 5.8-quart air fryer. You might need to adjust the cooking time by one or two minutes, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Do not overfill the basket. Cook three to four pretzels at a time, working in batches.
- Use your preferred bratwurst, sausage, or hot dog for these.
- It’s better to make the pizza dough at home.
- Nacho cheese sauce makes an excellent dipping sauce. You may alter the dipping sauce choice according to your preference.
- Add baking soda to give the dough a texture that is a deeper shade of brown.
Nutritional Information
A single serving of these air-fried pretzel dogs contains 408kcal. These calories contain the following nutrients:
| Nutrients | Amount (g/mg) |
| Carbohydrates | 29g |
| Fat | 24g |
| Protein | 19g |
| Cholesterol | 108mg |
| Sugar | 4g |
| Calcium | 250mg |
| Iron | 3mg |
Tips for storage
- Refrigerate the hot dogs in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 to 5 minutes in the air fryer or warm them in a microwave.
- Use your favorite bratwurst, sausage, or hot dog for this recipe. It can also be used in a variety of different recipes.
- You can prepare them ahead of time. If you’re stacking dogs in a container for refrigerator storage, place a piece of parchment or waxed paper between each layer.
- Place the uncooked hot dogs on parchment paper and freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Gently place the covered dogs in 4 cups of boiling water with 1/3 cup of baking soda before cooking in the air fryer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve pretzel dogs with:
- Plain mustard, Pub Cheese, sugar-free pizza sauce, and healthy ranch dressing.
- Roasted vegetables are also an option. They pair well with roasted frozen broccoli, air-fried asparagus, garlic butter green beans, and air-fried asparagus & blistered peppers.
Here’s a short tutorial to get the most impressive results!
FAQs
Do you make pretzel dough at home?
Effort and time are required to prepare the meal from scratch. It is always better to prepare the dough at home. It is the safe and healthiest option.
However, to get quick results, you can opt for ready-to-use dough. You can buy pretzel dough from any grocery store. Ready-made dough saves time and makes serving dinner at the table easier.
Does the recipe require nacho cheese?
No, it’s completely optional. Any dipping sauce is fine!
You could simply keep the recipe and adapt it to various uses. Pretzel dogs are enjoyed with cheese, ketchup, and BBQ sauce.
Which hot dogs are best for this recipe?
Any hot dog can work for this recipe. Thicker hotdogs are better as they can be cooked evenly without being overcooked.
You need to be careful with thin or shorter hot dogs. Continue with what you have, but the thicker and more durable they are, the better.
What should be the internal temperature of air-fried pretzels?
Bake pretzels at 425°F for 20 minutes. Cook until the food reaches an internal temperature of 205 °F. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
After baking the pretzels, give them 10 minutes to cool before removing them from the paper. Serve them warm after placing them on a wire cooling rack.
Which pretzel is the healthiest?
Whole-grain, low-salt pretzels are healthy.
You can also find pretzels produced with potato, cassava, or cauliflower flour, which are alternatives to traditional flours like gluten.
Are pretzels dogs healthy?
Pretzel dogs are rich in sodium. Consuming a lot of sodium might harm your kidneys. It increases the blood volume and may cause the kidneys to work harder, which harms them.
Because of this, it becomes difficult on your heart and blood vessels, leading to problems such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.
What Pretzel Dog Toppings Are Available?
Serve with cheese sauce, chili sauce, ketchup, mustard, or brown mustard on the side. The decision is entirely yours. My favorite pretzel dipping sauce is a creamy nacho cheese sauce.
Homemade Pretzel Dogs are just as good as those from the mall or carnival. It’s easier to make than you think, and with a few optional toppings, you can create something out of this world.
Can I Make Air Fryer Pretzel Dogs With Other Meats?
Wrap sausage, brats, or even flavored hot dogs, such as Nathan’s Famous Cheese Stuffed Hot Dogs!
To assist with the cooking process of the pretzels and hot dogs, use a lower temperature. If you overcook them, the hot dogs will be scorched and the pretzel dough will be undercooked.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, I’d like to say that;
- The air fryer is famous for making delicious recipes. Air-fried pretzel dogs are the new rage in the town.
- Cook at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 7–10 minutes or until golden brown. Nacho dipping sauce is the most preferred sauce for dipping. But adjusting with BBQ sauce, chili sauce, or mustard sauce can work too.
- Pretzel doughs are available on the market, while you can use homemade doughs prepared from scratch only if you have time.
- Store these pretzel dogs for 3–4 days up to a month by placing them in an airtight container. Prepare them beforehand to add them to traditional dinner meals.
- You can make changes to this recipe to suit your preferences.