Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods

These simple chocolate covered pretzel rods are dipped in melted dark chocolate and topped with holiday sprinkles, and nuts. They make a beautiful and easy gift-able holiday treat for friends and family!

Confession time…I love chocolate-covered pretzels! They are one of my favorite vegan snacks or desserts! The combination of salty and sweet is just so satisfying. These pair nicely with my peanut putter yogurt as a decadent snack!

I always opt for dairy-free dark chocolate over milk or white chocolate. One reason I like it best is milk and white chocolate are not vegan. Secondly, it’s not too cloyingly sweet. The darker the better in my opinion!

When coming up with a holiday gift to make for my friends and neighbors this year, I thought, how about chocolate-covered pretzel rods!

They’re loved by all! I can easily make them vegan by using dairy-free chocolate chips, and the kids can help me add special holiday sprinkles to make them something special!

These were so much fun to make, and they were as easy can be. Not to mention, they’re totally customizable too!

Melt your favorite type of chocolate, or use a variety of chocolates. Decorate with your favorite crushed nuts, holiday sprinkles, or candies!

I used a Christmas sprinkle variety pack I had in my pantry, and I also found some slivered almonds and vegan marshmallows. I crushed the almonds and cut the mini marshmallows into quarters to make them small enough to fit on the pretzel rods.

Depending on the holiday or occasion, you can switch it up. Use pastel sprinkles for Easter, orange and black for Halloween, or multi-colored sprinkles for a birthday celebration.

Packaged in a cellophane bag, and tied with a colorful ribbon they make beautiful party favors, and homemade holiday gifts.

Easy enough to make with the kids, they’re a fun weekend activity.

Why This Recipe Works

• 3 simple ingredients
• Easy Treats
• Homemade Holiday Gift
• Sweet and Salty Treat
• Perfect Treat for a Holiday Baking Sale
• Vegan friendly (when using dairy-free dark chocolate)
• Gluten-Free option (using gluten-free pretzel rods)
• Customizable for any holiday or special occasion (change up the sprinkles)

Recipe Ingredients and Notes

Chocolate Chips: You’ll need one 12 ounce bag of dairy-free chocolate chips. I prefer to use Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels. If you don’t need vegan chocolate chips you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate or white candy melts, milk chocolate, or even colored chocolate melts. You can also opt to use dark chocolate bars over chocolate chips. For the holidays you could use red and green melts. For Easter, you could use pink or blue. For the 4th of July, you could use red, white, and blue melts. Or for Valentine’s Day do red melts with white heart sprinkles!

Sprinkles/Nuts/Other Toppings: Although not necessary, using holiday-themed sprinkles really makes these pretzel rods look professional and festive. Try adding chopped nuts, mini marshmallows, colored candies, or any of your favorite toppings!

Pretzel Rods: You’ll need one 12 ounce bag of pretzel rods. If you need gluten-free, use gluten-free pretzel rods. You can even make your own with this pretzel rods recipe. Or use a different shaped pretzel if you prefer, such as pretzel twists.

Tools and Equipment

You need a glass mixing bowl to melt the chocolate.

A spatula is needed to stir the melted chocolate and help spread the chocolate over the pretzel rods.

You need 2-3 baking sheets lined with parchment paper to place the pretzel rods on and allow the chocolate to set.

Instructions

Step 1: Pour chocolate chips into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between until chocolate is melted. If chocolate is almost there but not quite melted reduce it to 15-second intervals.

Step 2: Dip pretzels rods in chocolate. Use the spatula to help you cover ¾ of the rod. Lightly shake to remove any excess chocolate.

Step 3: Placing rod over the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper, sprinkle with your choice of sprinkles, nuts, or candies. Gently twist the rod to make sure all sides are covered. Place rod on lined baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the pretzel rods until all chocolate or pretzels are used. This recipe makes about 30 in total.

Step 4: Place baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. Remove from the refrigerator and enjoy!

Top Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods

• Do not heat the chocolate in the microwave for too long. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between. If you overheat the chocolate it will burn and be unusable.
• Another option to melt the chocolate is to use the double boiler method. With this method, you place a glass bowl over boiling water so that the bowl does not touch the water, and the steam warms the chocolate. This is a more gentle way to melt the chocolate.
• Yet another option to melt the chocolate is to place warm water in a crockpot. Place mason jars willed with chocolate chips in the jars and place the jars in the water, this will gently melt the chocolate and keep it melted while you dip your pretzels. The challenge with this method is that you need to be careful not to get any of the hot water in the jars of chocolate.

Substitutions and Variations

Try different varieties of chocolate! As mentioned above you do not need to use vegan dark chocolate. You could use a combination of different chocolates including white, milk, or colored chocolate melts.

Homemade Caramel: If you’re not a chocolate person, you can dip these in a homemade caramel sauce.

Use different sprinkles or decorations! Depending on the holiday or occasion use festive colored sprinkles. For a more neutral year-long pretzel stick, leave the sprinkles and decorations off, or top with your favorite nuts!

How to Package as a Gift

These make an easy and fun gift that when packaged has a beautiful presentation!

I packaged these in clear cellophane bags. I tied it with a colored twist tie. Then used red and white striped string and a snowflake holiday tag to wrap around the top.

I placed three rods in each bag, but feel free to add as many as you like!

How to Store and Keep

If not giving as a gift, transfer the rods to an airtight container. A holiday cookie tin or zip-lock baggie will do. Then store at room temperature in a cool dry place such as your pantry. The pretzel rods will keep for several weeks if stored properly.

Check out these other homemade holiday gifts!

• Vegan Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Chocolate
• No-Bake Vegan Snowball Cookies
• Christmas Chocolate Bark
• Vegan Peppermint Bark
• 15 Homemade Vegan Christmas Gifts

If you’ve tried these Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!

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