The Pretzel Bites Costco Shoppers Recommend For The Air Fryer

Pretzel bites are the perfect party snack — they're easy to serve, fun to eat, and taste delicious, especially when dipped in a yummy cheese or mustard sauce. When you're looking to buy a big box of pretzel bites, what better place to shop than your local bulk retailer, Costco? Costco shoppers are discussing on Reddit whether the Bistro 28 Pretzel Bites are worth it, and the majority agrees that they are super tasty, especially when made in the air fryer. 

Air fryers are perfect for making breaded and doughy finger foods super crispy and delicious. They circulate hot air around your food in a confined space, cooking it faster and more evenly than in a conventional oven. According to the instructions, Bistro 28 Pretzel Bites can be cooked in the oven, microwave, or air fryer, but it's clear from this Costco subreddit that the air fryer is the best cooking method — one user went so far as to say they are "phenomenal in the air fryer." 

After brushing them with water or melted butter and sprinkling on the salt, simply cook them in the air fryer for pretzels that are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A few air fryer pretzel bites fans recommended using melted butter instead of water to get the salt to stick, while one Redditor said they sprayed theirs with cooking oil. For a major flavor boost, another said they use garlic salt instead of the included salt pack.

Besides agreeing that the air fryer is the ideal cooking method, another consensus on the post, "Does anyone know if these pretzel bites are worth it?" is that the cheddar cheese dip fails to deliver. Comments from Redditors included that they were "not a fan of the cheese sauce," "the cheese sauce was awful," they loved the pretzels but "tossed the cheese sauce," "the cheese sauce is way too salty," and that "the cheese sauce was super disappointing" and they would make their own next time. 

No one seemed to be sticking up for the cheese dip but the mustard sauce gained significant praise. One person said they would prefer to have two mustard dips and one cheese or to just ditch the cheese altogether. Another posted, "The honey mustard sauce is delicious. Came in clutch during the Super Bowl!" Several others agreed that the mustard sauce is exceptional and preferable to the cheese sauce. While mustard lovers can rejoice, some might find this disappointing, especially considering how tasty pretzels dipped in cheese can be. 

You could always try making your own pretzel bites with spicy cheddar dip. While they require more effort, homemade pretzel bites are super yummy and are a surefire way to impress your party guests. This cheese dip won't disappoint and only requires a few main ingredients like shredded cheese, ground cayenne pepper, and hot sauce, as well as butter, milk, and flour to make it extra creamy. 

While plenty of Costco shoppers agreed that these pretzel bites are worth buying because they are super tasty, some have issues with the price. The post shows them at Costco listed for $12.99 for a 36.5-ounce box or 5.697 per pound (prices may vary per location). A couple of Redditors balked at the price stating, "$5 a pound for pretzels is a hard sell IMO" and "They're good in my opinion, but not worth $12 or whatever it is." Others agreed they were good but "a bit overpriced" and "wish they didn't cost so much."

Redditors also agreed that the pretzel bites are good for a party, but not necessarily for feeding the family on the regular — One person said, "They fall in my 'good if on sale' category." They might not appeal to everyone for everyday snacking but they could be the perfect quick and yummy air fryer food for your next Super Bowl party. For example, for the ultimate Super Bowl spread, make a snack stadium including pretzel bites as one of the tasty options. They also make a great movie night or slumber party snack to feed a group of kids. 

If you plan to eat or share them right away, you could always order a bucket of pretzel nuggets from Auntie Anne's. However, you won't necessarily save on cost: Their pretzel nugget bucket includes 90 to 100 nuggets and costs around $35 for the original flavor although prices vary per location.