Brian Nagele
Auntie Anne’s is a chain of specialty restaurants that serves a pretzel-based menu. Auntie Anne’s menu offer a variety of products, including pretzels, hot dogs with pretzel buns, bite-sized pretzel nuggets, and more.
Building on the popularity of the in-store items, this soft pretzel franchise is the world’s largest.
From humble beginnings, “Auntie” Anne Beiler has transformed her hobby into a major business, and we’re the beneficiary each time we enjoy their delicious menu items.
Since there are so many to choose from, here are some of the best Auntie Anne’s menu items you should try!
Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Pretzel
The Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Pretzels are like a piece of garlic bread, but instead, the aromas and flavors are baked into Auntie Anne’s signature soft pretzel.
It pairs well with a bit of marinara sauce for dipping.
A standard pretzel comes brushed with butter and salt, but you can order these pretzels without butter for a vegan treat that also cuts down on the fat content.
Each Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Pretzel has 380 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 1250mg of sodium. The fat content drops to just one gram without the final butter dip.
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel
The Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel from Auntie Anne’s is a sweet and sugary treat.
After baking, it goes for a dip in butter and is then coated with fresh cinnamon and sugar. It has 470 calories and 12 grams of total fat, but with only 400 mg, less salt than some of the other pretzels on offer.
If you need even more sugary flavor, try dipping this pretzel into the signature, Sweet Glaze Dip.
Jalapeño Pretzel
When I think of soft pretzels, I think of sweet and savory spices.
But the Jalapeno Pretzel from Auntie Anne’s is a spicy blast that’s a home run. There are slices of cored jalapenos laid out on top of this pretzel for its final moments in the oven.
It has 330 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 1060mg of sodium.
Since the peppers have most of their seeds removed, they’re not too spicy, but there is enough zing that my mouth tingled a bit.
I didn’t pair this one with a dip because I wanted to try the flavor all by itself. But I did have a cool and refreshing Mango Lemonade Mixer to wash it down with.
Original Pretzel
I’ve been lucky to try almost everything on Auntie Anne’s menu.
Even though I’ve tried many flavors, I think that their Original Pretzel might be the best food at Auntie Anne’s.
I enjoy the other flavors too, but the original recipe has the right chew, texture, and plain pretzel flavor that keeps me coming back for more.
I like to eat mine plain, but for a little treat, I sometimes pick out a signature Auntie Anne’s dip to pair it with.
It has five simple ingredients (flour, water, baking soda, sugar, and yeast), and since they’re made fresh, you can opt to skip the melted butter and the extra salt typically added at the end.
The standard treatment results in a pretzel with 340 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 990 mg of sodium. Skipping the butter drops the fat to just one gram.
Pepperoni Pretzel
Sometimes, I’m in a mood for a savory snack, and I find myself craving a Pepperoni Pretzel.
It starts with the standard recipe pretzel, and before it’s baked, a blend of three kinds of cheese gets folded into the batter. Then, after baking in the oven, nine thin slices of pepperoni go on top for the last few minutes of cooking.
The result is a pizza-flavored pretzel that’s perfect for dipping in Auntie Anne’s Marinara Sauce. This pretzel has 480 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 860mg of sodium, and that’s without the sauce.
So, I like to pair this one with a diet soda from their menu.
Raisin Pretzel
I wasn’t a big fan of the concept of a Raisin Pretzel, at least not until I bit into one.
I was surprised how the sweet raisin and warm dough delivered an impressively sweet snack without being cloying.
Instead of tasting overly sweet or fake, the fresh ingredients combine into a delicious snack that smells amazing when it comes out of the oven.
The still-warm dough with the notes of cinnamon and bites of raisin is my go-to Auntie Anne’s snack whenever I stop in before noon or if I’m cutting back on salt.
It’s like a cinnamon raisin bagel, but in a warm pretzel with 360 calories, 5 grams of fat, and only 390 mg of sodium, that’s less than half the salt of some other options.
Sour Cream & Onion Pretzel
I love sour cream and onion potato chips. So, the Sour Cream & Onion Pretzel was the first Auntie Anne’s pretzel I ever tried.
The familiar notes of savory, tangy sour cream balance out the notes of sweet onion flavor. And since the ingredients are well-incorporated into the dough, the flavor permeates every bite.
Plus, the surface dusting of powdered onion adds a bit of extra punch to this pretzel with 380 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 1240mg of sodium.
I only indulge in this pretzel from time to time for a special treat, so I usually pair it with a sweet drink, like a Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola.
Sweet Almond Pretzel
I love pairing sweets with saltiness and crunch.
So, I wasn’t surprised that the Sweet Almond Pretzel made my mouth water a bit.
Even though this pretzel is loaded with a salty, crunchy, toasted almond topping, I can’t resist dipping it into a container of Auntie Anne’s Caramel Dip. The combination is just too good for my sweet tooth to resist.
One pretzel has 390 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 400mg of sodium, so it’s not too salty to enjoy reasonably guilt-free.
Skipping the butter drops the fat and calorie count a bit, but I prefer it with butter.
Marinara
Pairing an Auntie Anne’s with one of their dipping sauces is part of the fun for me.
I enjoy mixing and matching flavors, so I’ve tried their Marinara Dip quite a few times. It features a blend of tomatoes, herbs, spices, garlic, and salt.
The ingredients come together into a sweet and slightly salty sauce that smells like the inside of a pizzeria.
A full container has only 45 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 240mg of sodium. It pairs especially well with the next item on this list, Pepperoni Nuggets, and the larger Pepperoni Pretzel.
Pepperoni Nuggets
Sometimes when I’m on the go, I don’t have the time or patience for a full-size pretzel.
For a road trip, I grabbed some Pepperoni Nuggets for myself and the kids, and we were in bite-sized pizza-flavored heaven.
Of course, we had some marinara dip to share, and it was the perfect sauce to complement these pretzel nuggets — each nugget having a full slice of thin pepperoni and a dusting of three kinds of cheese blended on top.
One order of bite-sized Pepperoni Pretzel Nuggets has 480 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 760mg of sodium.
Original Pretzel Dog
I like hot dogs, but I sometimes hate the bun, especially when it’s soggy.
I was intrigued the first time I saw someone eating a Pretzel Dog — a Nathan’s Famous hot dog wrapped in a bun made from Auntie Anne’s pretzel dough. Instead of an open-top, like on a traditional dog, the Auntie Anne’s version has the dough all the way around the meat, with just the tips sticking out at each end.
The dough is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the snap from the dog in the middle is just like the one out at Nathan’s on Coney Island or at the ballpark.
This combination of hot dog and pretzel treat has 360 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 740mg of sodium. I enjoy pairing this snack with either the sweet Honey Mustard Dip or the plain Cheese Dip.
Cheese Pretzel Dog
I’ve never had a hot dog with a cheese topping. That’s usually a burger thing.
But I’m glad the wizards at Auntie Anne’s dreamed up the Cheese Pretzel Dog. Now I know what I’ve been missing out on!
Start with an Original Pretzel Dog, and then add the three-cheese blend that kicks this combo up a notch.
It’s great paired with their Cheese Dip or Honey Mustard Dip, but I might even like it better plain. It already has all the flavor it needs! This pretzel dog has 370 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 640mg of sodium.
Melted Cheese
The Melted Cheese Dip from Auntie Anne’s is my personal favorite out of all their dips.
It’s the exact right blend of cheesiness to complement their pretzels, pretzel nuggets, or pretzel dogs. One time, I even accidentally paired it with one of the sweet pretzels, and it was still delicious!
The dip itself is the right consistency, too. It’s gooey but not overly runny, so you don’t drip it all over yourself when you dip and eat.
I usually only get messy at the end when I try to get the last few drops out of the container and onto my snack. It’s too good to leave any behind. Plus, it just has 90 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 370mg of sodium.
Mini Pretzel Dogs
One of my favorite game-day snacks is old-fashioned pigs in a blanket.
I also happen to really like the Original Pretzel Dogs from Auntie Anne’s, so trying the Mini Pretzel Dogs was a no-brainer.
I was very surprised at how good they were because every single bite was the perfect mix of a snap from the meaty dog and the softness of the pillowy dough of the pretzel.
Plus, the crust of the ‘bun’ is flaky and light, and there’s even a bit of peppery spice to these bite-sized dogs. They have 630 calories, 35 grams of fat, and 1290 grams of sodium, so I only enjoy them on special occasions.
I brought them to a friend’s house the day of the big game, and they were a huge hit. I was smart, though, and kept one order for myself after the party!
Jalapeno & Cheese Pretzel Dog
For anyone who’s a fan of the Original Pretzel Dog and the Jalapeno Pretzel, try combing them as a Jalapeno & Cheese Pretzel Dog.
It features a three-cheese pretzel bun, a Nathan’s Famous hot dog at the center, and a few slices of spicy jalapeno peppers on top. It’s a tasty treat with a bit of a kick to add some pep to your step.
It has 370 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 700 mg of sodium.
Original Nuggets
For a quick snack, one of my go-tos from Auntie Anne’s is the Original Pretzel Nuggets.
They go down quickly, so if it’s the kids and me, I often get three orders and pile them up on one plate together. This way, since I eat them faster, I can get a few extra for myself!
I don’t even need any dipping sauce. These little pretzel bites are perfectly crispy and golden brown, with a light sprinkling of coarse salt stuck to their butter coating.
With 390 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 1280mg of sodium, these snacks are fairly hearty, so they’re great for a mid-day or after-school treat that carries you all the way through to dinner.
Strawberry Smoothie
The Strawberry Frozen Lemonade Smoothie is a perfect summer-time drink.
It has all the fresh tartness of Auntie Anne’s Lemonade, with a refreshingly frozen consistency and a twist of strawberry sweetness.
It’s not so thick that you have to hurt yourself drinking it through a straw, but it’s frozen enough that it stays slushy for quite a while.
Unlike some smoothies, there is actually a difference between flavors, so you can taste the different fruits in the Frozen Lemonade Mixers.
Choose from Blue Raspberry, Mango, and Strawberry versions. There are different sizes, but the middle twenty-ounce cup is standard for me. It has 310 calories, no fat, and only 30mg of salt per serving, regardless of flavor.
Auntie Anne’s has a lot of delicious treats, drinks, and snacks to choose from. Part of what makes the selection so much fun is that you can combine different items to create different flavors or suit different times and people.
Pick a savory Pretzel Dog and a soft drink for an afternoon meal. Or, grab a Raisin Pretzel for a late morning brunch on the go. It’s up to you, so head over there to try some of the best Auntie Anne’s menu items!
Recreate your favorite Auntie Anne’s pretzels with these Auntie Anne’s copycat recipes!
