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This easy chocolate peanut butter bark is loaded with salty peanuts and crunchy pretzels, and it takes just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on time! It’s no-bake, naturally vegan, and the perfect sweet and salty treat for snacking, parties, and homemade holiday gifts.
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Melt the chocolate and peanut butter together, stir in the peanuts and pretzels, then let it set in the fridge. That’s it!
Quick Glance
- Recipe Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark
- Why You’ll Love It: Sweet, salty, crunchy, and made with just 4 ingredients.
- Time and Difficulty: 10 minutes hands-on plus 1 hour to set, easy.
- Method: Melt, stir, spread, and chill. No baking needed.
- Texture and Flavor: Rich chocolate and peanut butter with salty crunch in every bite.
- Quick Tip: Break it into large shards so the pieces hold together.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Peanut Butter Chocolate Bark
Just 4 ingredients: Chocolate chips, peanut butter, peanuts, and pretzels.
No baking: All you need is a microwave or a pot on the stove.
Sweet and salty: The salty peanuts and pretzels balance the rich chocolate.
Great for gifting: Pack it in a jar or bag for an easy homemade holiday gift.
If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, try my peanut clusters, easy muddy buddies, chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars, and peanut butter bonbons. For more holiday bark, don’t miss my vegan peppermint bark, dark chocolate chickpea bark, and matzo bark.
The Ingredients
- Vegan chocolate chips: Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips both work. Many store brands are accidentally vegan, so check the label.
- Peanut butter: Creamy or crunchy. It makes the chocolate softer and adds peanut butter flavor in every bite.
- Salted peanuts: They add crunch and the perfect salty contrast.
- Pretzels: Break them into small pieces. Use gluten-free pretzels to make it gluten-free.
You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
- Date layer: Press whole Medjool dates into the bottom of the pan before pouring in the chocolate for a Snickers-style treat.
- Strawberry layer: Lay down sliced strawberries, spread them with peanut butter, then top with the melted chocolate and toppings.
- Cracker or matzo base: Spread the chocolate over crackers or matzo, like my matzo bark.
- Keto-friendly: Use sugar-free chocolate chips and skip the pretzels.
- Peanut butter swirl: Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter without stirring, then drag a knife through it for swirls.
More Topping Ideas
Shredded coconut, freeze-dried fruit, banana chips, dried fruit, flaky sea salt, crushed vegan sandwich cookies, mini vegan peanut butter cups, or mini marshmallows like Dandies.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark
Step 1: Melt the chocolate and peanut butter: Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, or in a double boiler. Here’s my guide on how to melt chocolate.
Step 2: Stir in the peanuts and pretzels: Take the bowl off the heat and fold in the peanuts and pretzel pieces until coated.
Step 3: Spread and chill: Spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, or freeze for 30 minutes, until firm.
Step 4: Break and serve: Lift the bark out using the parchment and break or cut it into pieces.
Layered version: Spread the peanut butter in the pan first, pour the melted chocolate over it, then sprinkle the peanuts and pretzels on top.
Common Problems To Avoid
- Seized chocolate: Melt it slowly in short bursts and keep water away from it.
- Bark that won’t set: Make sure it chills for the full hour, or pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Crumbly pieces: Break it into large shards rather than small squares.
- Messy cuts: For clean squares, run a sharp knife under hot water, dry it, and then cut.
- Soft or melting bark: Store it in the fridge, since peanut butter softens the chocolate at room temperature.
FAQs
Yes! Almonds, cashews, or hazelnuts all work, along with their nut butters.
Yes. If it’s extra chunky, use a few less peanuts.
Yes. Use more peanuts instead, or leave them both out for a simple chocolate peanut butter bark.
Yes! It’s easy to make in big batches and packs well. Layer the pieces with parchment paper in a jar, tin, or bag, and keep it cool until you give it away.
Storage Instructions
Freezer: You can freeze it for up to 3 months, but the chocolate may turn cloudy and the pretzels can soften. If you plan to freeze it, leave the pretzels out.
Fridge: Store it in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers for 7 to 10 days.
Other Vegan Desserts to Consider….
Vegan Desserts
Super Simple Chocolate Mousse (Vegan + Protein Packed!)
Vegan Desserts
Banana and Chocolate Chip Bars (Vegan!)
Vegan Desserts
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
If you tried this peanut butter chocolate bark recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark.
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Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 170 g)
- 3 Tablespoons peanut butter (48 g)
- 1 cup salted peanuts (about 145 g)
- 1 cup pretzels broken into small pieces (about 50 g)
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, or in a double boiler.
- Take the bowl off the heat and stir in the peanuts and pretzels until coated.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, or freeze for 30 minutes, until firm.
- Lift the bark out using the parchment and break or cut it into pieces.
Notes
- Break it into large shards so the pieces hold together.
- For clean squares, run a sharp knife under hot water, dry it, and then cut.
- Store it in the fridge with parchment between the layers for 7 to 10 days.
- An 8×8 or 9×9 pan both work. A 9×9 pan makes thinner bark.
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Hi! I’m not a fan of pretzels. Could I just use extra peanuts?
You sure can! Or you can just omit them and not add the extra peanuts 🙂
for the optional dates on the bottom would it be whole date or date paste?
Hi! Whole dates 🙂 Let us know how it turns out for you!