Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces are an easy and irresistible large batch snack!
The football parties, pot lucks, school events, and holiday gatherings are picking up speed.
Don’t stress! I’ve got you covered on simple, yet fabulous, recipes this season.
For instance, my latest Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces are a 4-ingredient wonder that makes a huge batch of snacks in one crock.
If you love buffalo sauce and ranch flavored foods, you are going to go nuts over these!
Bite-sized pieces of hard pretzel are coated in buffalo sauce, then tossed with ranch seasoning and baked… In the crockpot!
So, why make your own seasoned pretzel pieces when you can buy them in bags? Or better yet, why make them in a slow cooker?
I’m so glad you asked!
- Homemade seasoned pretzel pieces can be easily customized in flavor. Don’t like buffalo sauce? No problem! Try using honey mustard, or italian herbs.
- You can also personalize the intensity of seasoning. That way you can make yours more or less spicy, or more or less salty.
- Making a large batch of seasoned pretzel pieces also saves money.
And why the crockpot?
Making Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces…
- Reduces clean up.
- Saves energy.
- Keeps the house cooler than the oven.
- Leaves room in the oven for other items on heavy cooking days.
- And best of all, protects the pretzel pieces from habitual burners. This recipe is very hard to burn in a slow cooker!
See? This isn’t such a bad idea after all.
You can save money, customize your snacks, reduce dish washing, and “go green” all at the same time.
You can even forget about these little guys, and leave them in the slow cooker for quite a while, without the risk of a smoke filled kitchen!
Still not convinced?
Making this Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces recipe in the oven does take half the time, so if you are in a hurry (or don’t have a crockpot) I’ve included both methods in the recipe today.
You’re welcome. *wink*
Either way, Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces will be a hit at your next gathering. I’d bet money you’ll give this recipe out a few times that day!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Pieces
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large hard pretzels, rods, twists, or nibblers
- 1 1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot or other cayenne pepper sauce
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 packets ranch dip mix
Instructions
- Break all the pretzels into bite-sized pieces. You can cut them with a knife, or leave them in the bag and pound them into pieces. Place the pieces in a large 6 quart crockpot.
- Melt the butter, and whisk it into the cayenne pepper sauce. Pour the mixture over the pretzel pieces and toss to coat well. Then sprinkle both ranch packets over the pretzels and toss to coat.
- Lay a long piece of paper towel over the top of the slow cooker and cover it with the lid. Turn on low and slow cook the pretzels for 3 hours, stirring every hour. The pretzel pieces will seem damp when you first turn off the slow cooker, but they will dry as they cool.
- Once cooled, store in an air-tight container.
These look delicious. Can I use the Franks Buffalo sauce? Or does it have to be the Franks regular RedHot sauce?
Hi Amber,
You can use the wing sauce if that’s what you can find. The flavor will be slightly less strong, but still delicious!
Do I bake for the same amount of time if recipe is halved?
What a great snack mix! Love all of these flavors!
Wow this looks delicious! What a perfect snack idea!
What a great snack idea!
My son has been obsessed with everything spicy and buffalo flavored lately. Can’t wait to try this!
This looks like a fun snack to make. My friends are always so impressed when I produce an item like this, something they thought could only be procured from a store.
Did you let these cool in the slow-cooker or lay them in a single layer on a tray?
Hi Denise,
They dry out pretty well in the crockpot, but you could lay them out flat to cool them quicker to store.