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Chocolate covered pretzel rods are an easy no-bake dessert that’s sweet, salty, crunchy, and made with just three ingredients. I’ve been making them for years for parties and holidays because they’re simple to customize and always look festive.
My favorite trick is dipping them in a tall, narrow glass for an easy, even coating. Add your favorite sprinkles, serve them on a dessert board, and that’s it!
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“These are a go-to for just about any occasion for me. They are super simple, super delicious, and always a hit!”
— Wilhelmina
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe
- Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods Ingredients
- How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
- Fun Pretzel Toppings
- Eden’s Recipe Tips
- How to Melt Chocolate
- How to Store Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
- Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods FAQs
- More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe
Only 3 ingredients: Pretzel rods, chocolate, and sprinkles. That’s it!
No baking: They’re quick, easy, and the chocolate sets right at room temperature.
Perfect for parties: Change the colors and toppings for practically any holiday or celebration.
Easy to make ahead: Make them before a party, wrap them for gifts, or add them to a dessert table.
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods Ingredients
Pretzel rods: Use long, thick pretzel rods rather than skinny pretzel sticks. My go-to is Snyder’s of Hanover pretzel rods. They’re sturdy and don’t snap easily when you’re dipping them.
Chocolate chips or candy melts: Milk, dark, semi-sweet, and white chocolate all work. I love Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips when I want really good chocolate flavor. For colorful pretzels, Wilton Candy Melts are SO easy because they’re made for melting and dipping.
Sprinkles and toppings: This is where you get to have fun! Use seasonal sprinkles, crushed candy, chopped nuts, cookies, or whatever fits the occasion.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
1. Prep the pan: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have your sprinkles and toppings ready to go.
2. Melt the chocolate: Add 10 ounces of chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each round, until smooth.
3. Pour it into a tall glass: Transfer the melted chocolate to a tall, narrow glass or jar. This is my FAVORITE trick because the deeper chocolate makes dipping the long pretzel rods so much easier.
4. Dip the pretzels: Dip each of the 24 pretzel rods about three-quarters of the way into the chocolate. Tilt the glass if needed, then let the excess chocolate drip back into the glass for a few seconds.
5. Decorate: Place each pretzel on the parchment and immediately add sprinkles or toppings while the chocolate is still wet. You’ll need about ¼ cup of sprinkles for 24 pretzel rods.
6. Let them set: Leave the pretzels at room temperature until the chocolate is completely firm. That’s it!
Fun Pretzel Toppings
This is where you can completely change the look depending on the party or holiday.
Sprinkles: Match the colors to a birthday, baby shower, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or whatever you’re celebrating.
Chocolate drizzle: Let the first coating set, then drizzle another type of chocolate over the top. I do this with my chocolate covered strawberries, too.
Caramel: Drizzle a little homemade caramel over the chocolate. These are best eaten sooner since the caramel stays softer.
Candy, nuts, and cookies: Try M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, crushed candy canes, toffee, chopped nuts, or crushed Oreos.
For Halloween, I make my Halloween pretzel rods with colorful candy melts and spooky toppings. At Christmas, I love white chocolate with crushed candy canes or festive sprinkles.
Eden’s Recipe Tips
Have everything ready first: Chocolate starts setting quickly, so get your parchment and toppings ready before you melt anything.
Work in small batches: I dip and decorate about 4 to 5 pretzels at a time so the chocolate doesn’t set before I add the toppings.
Don’t overheat the chocolate: Melt it slowly and stir between every interval. If it gets too hot, it can become thick and difficult to work with.
Use a tall glass: As the chocolate level drops, tilt the glass instead of immediately adding more. You’ll get more out of the chocolate and still have enough depth for dipping.
How to Melt Chocolate
The key to smooth chocolate is melting it slowly and gently. You can use milk, dark, semi-sweet, or white chocolate.
Microwave: My go-to! Heat the chocolate in 15-second intervals, stirring between each round until smooth.
Double boiler: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and stir until melted.
Crock pot: Great if you’re making a large batch. Melt the chocolate on low, stirring occasionally.
How to Store Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Let the chocolate set completely, then store the pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place. If you’re stacking them, put parchment or wax paper between the layers.
They’re best within about one week, so they’re easy to make ahead for a party. You can also wrap them individually in cellophane bags with ribbon for the CUTEST little homemade gift.
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods FAQs
Milk, dark, semi-sweet, and white chocolate all work. I prefer chocolate chips when chocolate flavor is the priority and candy melts when I want a specific color or really easy dipping.
No. I let mine set and store them at room temperature in a cool, dry place. This also helps the pretzels stay crisp.
Make sure you haven’t overheated it. Chocolate should be melted slowly in short intervals and stirred often. If it starts thickening while you’re dipping, gently warm it again for a few seconds and stir.
I make them up to one week ahead. Let the chocolate set completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Breads
Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Snacks & Appetizers
How to Make a Fruit Platter
Snacks & Appetizers
Easy Dessert Charcuterie Board Anyone Can Make
If you love easy chocolate-covered treats, try my chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate dipped spoons. I also have a whole collection of no-bake desserts!
These really are one of the EASIEST treats to make, and changing the sprinkles makes them feel completely new every time. If you make them, leave a star rating and comment below. I want to hear what toppings you used!
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Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ounces chocolate chips, any type of chocolate works
- 24 large pretzel rods
- 1/4 cup sprinkles, or other toppings
Instructions
- 1. Prepare the pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have your sprinkles and toppings ready.
- 2. Melt the chocolate. Add 10 ounces chocolate chips or candy melts to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each round, until smooth.
- 3. Transfer to a tall glass. Pour the melted chocolate into a tall, narrow glass or jar. This makes it much easier to evenly coat the long pretzel rods.
- 4. Dip the pretzels. Dip each of the 24 pretzel rods about three-quarters of the way into the chocolate. Tilt the glass if needed, then lift the pretzel out and let the excess chocolate drip back into the glass for a few seconds.
- 5. Decorate. Place each dipped pretzel on the prepared baking sheet and immediately add ¼ cup sprinkles or your favorite toppings while the chocolate is still wet.
- 6. Let them set. Leave the pretzel rods at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely firm.
Video
Notes
- Work in small batches: Dip and decorate about 4 to 5 pretzels at a time so the chocolate doesn’t set before you add the toppings.
- Don’t overheat the chocolate: Melt it slowly and stir between every interval to keep it smooth.
- Keep everything dry: Even a little water can cause melted chocolate to seize.
- Storage: Store completely set pretzel rods in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
- Make ahead: These can be made several days before serving, which makes them perfect for parties and gifting.
- Candy melts: These are especially easy to use when you want colorful pretzel rods and don’t require tempering.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
To drizzle another color over the dipped rods, do we wait until coating has dried and hardened or drizzle before coating sets?
I would wait until the chocolate has hardened a bit.
Easy and addicting!! Yum!
Thank you for the comment!!
I followed this recipe. Packaged my pretty rods for sale, but a few days after the chocolate looked bad, whiteish. What do you think?
It is called chocolate bloom, either temperature fluctuations or the way it was stored.
So fun and easy to make. I love how customizable these are!
These are a go-to for just about any occasion for me. They are super simple, super delicious, and always a hit!
The best!! The combination of sweet & salty is so good! These are so pretty & also make great gifts!
These really are perfect for any occasion- so easily customizable! I love that with the pretzel rods you can have help from kiddos, regular pretzel twists would just be too small and messy.