Cheetos Cheddar And Flamin' Hot Pretzels Review: We Can't Stop Eating Them
It seems odd that the words "Cheetos" and "pretzels" have never lived together in harmony before, but the time is now — enter Cheetos Pretzels. This new snack comes in not one, but two flavors to satisfy fans — and perhaps lure in new ones: Cheddar and Flamin' Hot. Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay said in a press release, "Cheetos pretzels maximize the fan-favorite seasoning in each bite with the perfect product texture, ultimately bringing the Cheetos flavor experience to life in pretzel form."
We couldn't wait to get our clean hands all orange and cheesy as we tried each flavor to find out what they're all about. So, are these pretzels the next great leap in Cheetos' evolution, or are they destined to become yet another discontinued Cheetos item we'll never see again? Without further ado, here is our chew and review!
What do Cheetos' Cheddar Pretzels taste like?
With Cheetos, you sort of know what kind of mess your hands are going to encounter, and the cheddar-flavored Cheetos Pretzels are no different. The orange residue, aka "cheetle," instantly resi-does the same dirty magic here.
Pulling the thick little pretzels out to observe, they conjure up the Halloween spirit, looking like a ghoulish pumpkin. Taking a whiff, more familiarity sets in, but instead of Cheetos, the essence of cheddar Combos fills the air.
In the front-facing, rounded part of the pretzel, the Cheetos dust was at a minimum, but flipping it over revealed a wall of bright orange. The cheddar flavor has a nacho bent to it, and when paired with the excellent crunch of these pretzels it brings about a great combo that almost outdoes Combos itself. With no salt in sight, just wonderful bite-size fun, it's easy to find yourself with an empty bag and orange-caked hands in no time.
What do Cheetos' Flamin' Hot Pretzels taste like?
The Flamin' Hot flavor of Cheetos Pretzels has a bark with its own distinct bite. With a magenta-colored dusting of spices, these pretzels show themselves to be an exotic treasure worth taking a chance on.
The pretzel shape remains the same, but this version has a darker hue. They also smell similar to the cheddar variety, giving off no hint of the spice or spiciness within. Taking a bite does reveal a little kick, but nothing that would need an instant extinguishing with water. It's actually a bit surprising that there isn't more of a peppery punch to these pretzels, but they do have enough of a flavor profile to separate them from the cheddar. We quite enjoyed these based on their own delicious merits.
What are Cheetos Pretzels made of?
Both of the pretzels contain milk and wheat products and include enriched flour, corn oil, salt, corn syrup, and less than 2% of cheddar cheese, monosodium glutamate, natural flavors, artificial colors, corn syrup solids, yeast, malt extract, ammonium bicarbonate, citric acid, and yeast extract. The Cheddar pretzels also include whey, maltodextrin, lactic acid, and lactose. The Flamin' Hot variety also includes onion powder, garlic powder, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate.
The two pretzel flavors also share very similar nutritional values. The serving size is 10 pretzels, and each bag contains about 10 servings. One serving has 130 calories, 2 grams of protein, 19 grams of carbs, 5 grams of total fat, 1.1 milligrams of iron, and 80 milligrams of potassium. The Cheddar flavor has 350 grams of sodium, 1 gram of sugar, and 20 milligrams of calcium, while the Flamin' Hot version has 360 grams of sodium, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 10 milligrams of calcium.
How, when, and where to buy Cheetos Pretzels
The two new flavors of Cheetos Pretzels are now available at participating retailers nationwide. You can grab a bag both in the store and online.
Cheetos Pretzels are available in two sizes: a 10-ounce bag and a 3-ounce bag. The 10-ounce bag retails for $5.69, and the 3-ounce size for $2.49.
The final verdict
The new Cheetos Pretzels are a great middle-ground where Cheetos fanatics can enjoy the taste they yearn for in the form of yet another eating vessel. While the Flamin' Hot Cheetos Pretzels would benefit from a bit of the Cheddar's cheesiness, they are still a worthy addition to the Cheetos catalog, and we expect both will have quite the staying power in the years to come.
If you really want to mix things up, buy both the Cheddar AND the Flamin' Hot Cheetos Pretzels and pour half of each kind into a bowl. But be warned: This provides the ultimate level of cheese and spice and makes it incredibly hard to stop munching on them.