Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzels

♫ Listening to: Butterfly by Kate Rusby ♫

This recipe for vegan peanut butter chocolate pretzels has two different ways for you to make them.

The first is a quick and easy method resulting in a cross between a peanut butter cup and a chocolate covered pretzel. This version is perfect if you’re planning to eat them yourself in bed on a Monday night (heyyyyy don’t judge me! they’re delicious, and I have no willpower).

If you want to make these for a special occasion like a gift, a party, a baby shower, or to decorate a cake with, the second set of instructions details how to make and decorate peanut butter chocolate pretzels to look like beautiful butterflies.

This recipe makes 9 peanut butter chocolate pretzel butterflies or 18 peanut butter dark and white chocolate pretzels.

Table of Contents

(click the links below to skip to the section you’re looking for)

• Quick Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels Recipe
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Butterflies Recipe
• FAQ
• Video

Ingredients you need for Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzels

• 4 ounces (120g) vegan chocolate chips
• 18-30 pretzels
• 6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 36 (18g) vegan white chocolate chips
• vegan food coloring (optional)

How to make the quick and easy version of Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzels

Melt 4 ounces (120g) of vegan chocolate chips using some sort of a double boiler method. I don’t have an actual double boiler, so I set a metal bowl on a small saucepan that has about an inch of water in it.

Stir the chocolate as it melts. This step takes me about 5 minutes on my gas stove. If your stove is electric, it may take longer. If it’s induction, it may take less time. Remove from heat once you no longer see any chocolate lumps.

Spread peanut butter into the holes of one of the pretzels using a butter knife.

Dip the pretzel into the melted chocolate. I usually dip one side, flip it over, and dip the other side. Then set it on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat that’s on a cutting board or baking sheet (wax paper would work too). This will make them easier to transfer to the freezer later.

Repeat this step with each of the 18 pretzels. This step takes about 10 minutes.

Freeze the chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels once they’ve all been dipped.

You can stop here and enjoy your pretzels after they’ve been in the freezer for at least 5 minutes. Or if you want to decorate them with a white chocolate drizzle, continue with the next few steps.

Melt 36 (18g) vegan white chocolate chips. You can use the same method you used for the dark chocolate chips, but I didn’t want to wash the bowl, so I used the microwave to melt mine. I covered the bowl with a cloth napkin and microwaved on high for 20 seconds. Then I stirred it. Then set the microwave for 10 more seconds. Then I stirred it again. Then set the microwave for 10 more seconds, and this time, when I stirred, all the lumps disappeared, and it was creamy. So, you can do this step in less time if you use a microwave in lieu of a double boiler.

Remove the peanut butter chocolate pretzels from the freezer and set them on the counter.

Drizzle the white chocolate on all of the vegan chocolate pretzels. I just used a small spoon, scooped up some melted white chocolate with the spoon, and then quickly drizzled, redipping my spoon into the bowl after each pretzel. If you have a squeeze bottle you prefer using, you can do that, but I was trying to keep my dirty dishes to a minimum. This drizzling step took me between 5 and 10 minutes.

Freeze for at least 5 minutes, and then they’re ready to serve, eat, gift, or transfer to a tupperware for later.

How to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzels that look like butterflies

Melt 4 ounces (120g) of vegan chocolate chips using some sort of a double boiler method. I don’t have an actual double boiler, so I set a metal bowl on a small saucepan that has about an inch of water in it.

Stir the chocolate as it melts. This step takes me about 5 minutes on my gas stove. If your stove is electric, it may take longer. If it’s induction, it may take less time. Remove from heat once you no longer see any chocolate lumps.

Spread peanut butter into the holes of one of the pretzels using a butter knife.

Dip the pretzel into the melted chocolate. I usually dip one side, flip it over, and dip the other side. Then set it on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat that’s on a cutting board or baking sheet (wax paper would work too). This will make them easier to transfer to the freezer later.

Repeat this step with a second pretzel and set it next to the other pretzel on the parchment paper or mat in a way that it’s touching. If there’s not enough melted chocolate to seal those 2 wings together, use a spoon to get a little more melted chocolate from the bowl to drip into that spot where they touch. When the chocolate cools, it should glue the wings together. The picture below shows you where on the pretzels you want to connect the wings.

Optional: If you’re adding antennae, like I did, dip those pieces now and add them to the first butterfly. When I left fingerprints on mine, I just touched up those spots later by adding melted chocolate once the butterflies were on the silicone mat.

Repeat these steps with the remaining 16 pretzels (and pretzel pieces if you’re adding antennae), resulting in a total of 9 butterflies. These 9 butterflies took me about an hour.

Freeze the chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel butterflies once they’ve all been assembled.

Melt 36 (18g) vegan white chocolate chips. You can use the same method you used for the dark chocolate chips, but I didn’t want to wash the bowl, so I used the microwave to melt mine. I covered the bowl with a cloth napkin and microwaved on high for 20 seconds. Then stirred them. Then set it for 10 more seconds. Then stirred them. Then set it for 10 more seconds, and this time, when I stirred, all the lumps disappeared, and it was creamy. So, you can do this step in less time if you use a microwave.

Divide the melted white chocolate into as many bowls as you want colors. I made 4 colors using Color Kitchen all-natural powdered coloring. I have a list of vegan food coloring you can check out if you want to know more.

Remove the peanut butter chocolate pretzel butterflies from the freezer and set them on the counter.

Decorate the chocolate butterflies with the colored white chocolate in any way you like. This is the fun part so there’s no right or wrong way. I spent about 35 minutes decorating mine, and I used the tip of a chopstick to dip into the white chocolate and draw on the butterflies.

Freeze for at least 5 minutes, and then they’re ready to serve, eat, gift, or transfer to a tupperware for later.

If you make this recipe, snap a pic, post to instagram, and tag me @vegandollhouse. I love to see your creations! You can also message me through instagram or email me if you have any questions about the recipe.

I made these for my friend’s birthday because she’s super into butterflies—she even got a butterfly tattoo for her first tattoo! (We got these together in San Diego.) Here’s a picture of her with one of her peanut butter chocolate butterflies.

Youtube short of the process

Questions and Answers

How long will these chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels last?

If you keep these in the freezer, chocolate covered pretzels will stay good for up to 3 months. Honestly, they’ll probably last a year, but I’ve never had them around that long.

Can you freeze chocolate covered pretzels?

Definitely! I recommend storing these in the freezer or fridge at all times (unless you’re storing them in your tummy, which is a more delicious method of storage).

Are these chocolate covered pretzels vegan?

Yes, every recipe on my website is vegan. To make sure these peanut butter chocolate pretzels are vegan, you’ll want to make sure you’re using vegan chocolate chips. I buy the ones made by pascha, because they’re also organic and fair trade (Pascha also makes vegan milk chocolate chips). Trader Joe’s has some less expensive ones, and Enjoy Life also makes vegan ones.

Are these chocolate covered pretzels gluten free?

They can be! Just use gluten-free pretzels, and you should be good to go!

Can I use any nut butter or does it have to be peanut butter?

These are delicious with other nut butters. Just make sure to chill it first, so it’s firm enough to stay in the pretzels and doesn’t try to drip out.

Can I convert this recipe to white chocolate pretzels instead of dark chocolate with white chocolate accents?

Sure! Just replace the 4 ounces (120g) of dark chocolate in this recipe with vegan white chocolate.

Why would I make these when I can just buy Trader Joe’s chocolate peanut butter pretzels?

The peanut butter chocolate pretzels at Trader Joe’s are NOT vegan. They have milk powder in them. Learn why milk is bad.

Can I double this recipe to make more?

Totally! In fact, if you make extra by doubling this recipe, you can even make one of my ice cream recipes and add these during the churning step for an extra yummy and unique ice cream flavor.

If you like this peanut butter chocolate pretzels recipe, you might also like my chocolate pretzels. For other no-bake candy type desserts, check out my hello kitty chocolate peanut butter cups.

If you like peanut butter and chocolate together, check out my vegan chocolate peanut butter cups, my vegan chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, my gluten-free vegan chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, and my peanut butter chocolate cake.

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* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic (or non-GMO) version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.

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