Pin It!

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details

These homemade Chocolate Covered Pretzels are a quick and easy dessert, with only 4 ingredients! Customize them for any holiday and enjoy this chocolate treat year-round. Perfect for gift-giving too!

Easy Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I used to work in a bakery that had a candy shoppe and the chocolate covered pretzels were always my go-to snack. So, naturally, once I left that candy shoppe I had to find a new way to get my pretzel fix, which turned into making chocolate covered pretzels at home.

Let me tell you, these chocolate covered pretzels are so easy to make and worth the 10 minutes you need to pull them together. If you use a high-quality melting chocolate, then your homemade treat will be just as good or better than buying them at a bakery!

I love the saltiness of pretzels – they’re the first thing I eat from a trail mix – and when you combine it with some sweet chocolate…does a more addictive snack exist? (If it doesn’t, I haven’t found it!) I have to hide these from myself or give them away because otherwise the entire batch will disappear in a day.

A glass full of chocolate covered pretzel rods in a variety of colors

One thing I love about chocolate covered pretzels is how easy they are to customize. Just change the color of the sprinkles or other toppings, and you suddenly have a festive treat. Use white chocolate with red white and blue sprinkles for the 4th of July, crushed Reese’s pieces for Halloween, or red and green M&Ms for Christmas…you get the idea. No matter the occasion, you can easily whip up some pretzels to match it!

Chocolate covered pretzels are also ideal for gift giving – I just package them up in some cute cellophane paper and viola! an easy edible gift! Perfect for teachers, bus drivers, or anyone you want to give a little “thinking of you” gift to.

A bowl of white chocolate covered pretzel twists with pink sprinkles in a bowl

What You’ll Need

Only 4 ingredients necessary to make these easy chocolate covered pretzels!

  • Chocolate wafers – Be sure to use chocolate wafers and not candy melts!
  • White chocolate wafers – These are optional, you can use two bags of regular chocolate wafers but I like the difference in flavor and color.
  • Pretzels – You can use pretzel rods or mini pretzel twists.
  • Garnishes – Whatever you want to use to decorate your chocolate-covered pretzels. Sprinkles, nuts and crushed cookies are a few of my favorites.

What Kind of Pretzels to Use

I like to use pretzel rods and mini pretzel twists. Note that one bag of chocolate wafers will easily cover a 12oz bag of pretzel rods but if you are using a full bag of mini twists, you’ll want 3 bags of chocolate wafers.

Whether you use rods or twists is totally up to you. I think rods can be a little easier to dip sometimes but I use both!

What Kind of Chocolate to Use

The most important thing to note is that chocolate wafers and candy melts are NOT the same thing. Taste-wise, candy are not as good and while they can be great for melting and dipping, they have a thicker consistency. This can make it difficult to get the smooth finish you want when dipping the pretzels.

My go-to are melting wafers made by Ghirardelli or Guittard. They are the best tasting high-quality chocolate I’ve found. They’re made specifically for melting and have the smoothest texture. Another thing I love is that you can also melt small quantities, which is perfect for when you want to add a drizzle of chocolate on top of other chocolate!

How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Homemade chocolate pretzels are not only easy to make but fun too! Get creative with your toppings and have fun decorating this easy sweet treat.

  • Melt the chocolate. Melt half of the chocolate wafers at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until the chocolate is melted.
  • For pretzel twists: Place pretzels in a bowl of chocolate and flip with a fork to coat completely. Place on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
  • For pretzel rods: Fill a glass 1/3 full of melted chocolate. Tilt sideways and dip the pretzel, swirling to coat each side. Place on parchment paper or baking mat.
  • Decorate. If you’re adding sprinkles or other toppings, do so quickly as the chocolate will set. If you’re adding a chocolate drizzle, wait until the chocolate has set and then drizzle the additional chocolate on top.

Tips for Success

After making these time and time again, I’ve discovered a few important tips for making the best homemade chocolate pretzels.

  • Remove excess chocolate. Once placed on the parchment paper (or silicone mat), the chocolate around the pretzel will also harden, so try to remove any excess chocolate from the bottom of the pretzel prior to placing on the mat. To do this, scrape one side of the pretzel on the edge of the glass (for pretzel rods) or scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl if dipping pretzel twists.
  • Prepare toppings in advance. If you want to add a topping to the pretzels, prepare them in advance and have them ready to garnish while the chocolate is still wet. If you want to add a chocolate drizzle, make sure to let the chocolate harden prior to adding the drizzle.
  • Melt chocolate in increments. The chocolate can set or harden quickly, so I recommend melting no more than half a bag at a time unless you are using a melting pot.
  • Melting Pot Directions: I love using my melting pot whenever I’m working with chocolate. It keeps the chocolate at the perfect temperature without burning it! They are perfect for chocolate covered pretzels because you can do them in larger batches.
A mixture of chocolate covered pretzel rods and mini twists, in milk and white chocolate with a variety of sprinkles

Decorating Ideas

There are so many ways to get creative when decorating your chocolate covered pretzels! Here are a few of my favorite toppings and decorating ideas.

  • Crushed cookies -Oreos and graham crackers are two of my favorites.
  • Chopped nuts – Walnuts, peanuts, or even almonds all work!
  • Sprinkles – Perfect for making these a festive holiday treat, whether it’s 4th of July, Christmas, Halloween, etc.
  • Chocolate drizzle – I like to use a different type of chocolate for the drizzle, like white chocolate on milk chocolate or vice versa.
  • Crushed candy – Added crushed M&Ms, Reese’s pieces or candy canes is an easy way to add a holiday vibe.
Mini chocolate covered pretzel twists with white chocolate drizzle

How to Store

You can store your chocolate covered pretzels are room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If you’re making these in summer or notice the chocolate starting to melt, I would recommend keeping them in the fridge instead. Just note that condensation will form on the chocolate if you keep them in the fridge, so eat them as soon as you pull them out – before the condensation makes the pretzel soggy.

Mini pretzel twists covered in chocolate with blue pink and yellow sprinkles

Can I Freeze These?

I don’t recommend freezing chocolate covered pretzels. Unfortunately, freezing them makes the pretzels go stale quickly – and stale pretzels are definitely not a tasty dessert! The condensation that forms on the also affects the taste and texture.

Print
Mini pretzel twists covered in chocolate with blue pink and yellow sprinkles

Chocolate Covered Pretzels Recipe

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 minutes
  • Total Time: 12 minutes
  • Yield: 12-24 servings

Description

These homemade Chocolate Covered Pretzels are a quick and easy dessert, with only 4 ingredients! Customize them for any holiday and enjoy this chocolate treat year-round. Perfect for gift-giving too!

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces (283g) chocolate wafers
  • 10 ounces(283g) white chocolate wafers (optional)
  • 1 bag (12oz) Pretzel rods or 1 (16oz) bag mini pretzel twists
  • Garnishes (sprinkles, nuts crushed cookies etc)

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt half the chocolate wafers at 50% power in 30 second intervals; stir after each interval and continue until chocolate is melted. Reduce microwave time as needed so the chocolate does not burn. Melt additional chocolate as needed.
  2. For pretzel twists: Place a handful or pretzels in the bowl of chocolate and use a fork to flip the, around until completely covered. Use the fork to lift the pretzels out of the chocolate, tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate and scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove additional chocolate. Place on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and repeat with remaining pretzels.
  3. For pretzel rods: Fill a tall glas about 1/3 full of melted chocolate. Tilt the glass sideways and dip the pretzel in the chocolate, swirling to cover each side. Tap of excess chocolate and scrape one side of the pretzel on the edge of the glass. Place on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and repeat with remaining pretzels.
  4. Decorate: The chocolate tends to set quickly, so if you’d like to add sprinkles or other toppings, then it’s best to do so right away.
  5. Chocolate drizzle: To add a chocolate drizzle, wait until the chocolate has set and then apply the drizzle. Fill a small piping bag with 2-3 tablespoons of melted chocolate and cut off the tip of the piping bag. Drizzle and allow to set.

Notes

  • The chocolate can set or harden quickly, so I recommend using no more than half a bag at a time unless you are using a melting pot.
  • One 10-ounce bag is enough to cover a bag of pretzel rods. For a full bag of mini pretzels, you may want three 10oz bags of chocolate.
  • Ghirardelli chocolate wafers are my go-to. They come in milk, dark and white chocolate.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Microwave
  • Cuisine: American

Dip More Things in Chocolate:

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 BAKE FROM SCRATCH SECRETS!
Subscribe to my newsletter and get my fav tips to take your cakes & cupcakes to the next level.