This easy Pretzel Bark recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make and is the perfect sweet and salty treat, made with layers of melted chocolate, caramel and crunchy pretzels.
Pretzel Bark is the #1 Easiest Sweet and Salty Treat
Pretzel Bark is the #1 Easiest Sweet and Salty TreatIt hits all the right notes of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chocolatey, without any complicated steps (and they're easy enough for my little kids to make!). All you need is a sheet pan (here's my favorite one), chocolate chips, caramel, and sea salt.
Pretzel Bark tastes like a homemade candy bar but only uses four ingredients, and you don’t need a candy thermometer or any special tools. It's one of our favorites for the holidays or when we want a sweet and salty snack. I like to gift pretzel toffee in these cute holiday cookie boxes or plain white boxes for any time of year.
Try my other candy recipes, like Rocky Road, Graham Cracker Toffee, Chocolate Fudge, or Chocolate Covered Marshmallows!
How to make Pretzel Bark:
Melt and Spread Chocolate: Grab some high-quality chocolate chips (Ghirardelli and Guittard are my favorite brands for smooth melting. Other chocolate chips wont melt properly.) and microwave in 30 second intervals until completely smooth. Spread melted chocolate on a lined baking sheet. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Add Pretzels: Gently press mini pretzels into the melted chocolate. Don’t worry about making them even, just scatter them on for a fun, rustic look.
Melt and Drizzle Caramel: I use Kraft Caramel Bits but you could also use my homemade caramel recipe if you prefer from-scratch. Drizzle the warm caramel generously over the pretzels. It acts like glue to hold everything together!
Add More Chocolate and Sea Salt: Drizzle a little more melted chocolate over the top, then finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt. YUM! Let the bark set in the fridge until firm (about 30 minutes). Break or cut into pieces and start snacking!
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Recipe
Pretzel Bark Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips , good quality chocolate divided into pieces (I like ghiardelli or baker's chocolate bar best for melting)
- 8 ounces mini pretzel twists , half of a regular 16-ounce bag
- 11 ounce bags Kraft Caramel Bits , or homemade caramel
- flake finishing salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt Chocolate: Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate chips gently in the microwave (on low heat, stirring every 15 seconds) until smooth.12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Spread chocolate evenly over the parchment. Immediately add pretzel twists over the top (it's ok if they overlap!) and gently press them into the chocolate.8 ounces mini pretzel twists
- Melt caramel: Add caramel bits to a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons water and melt according to package instructions (on high for 2 minutes). Stir well and drizzle melted caramel over pretzels.11 ounce bags Kraft Caramel Bits
- Top with remaining chocolate. Melt remaining 4 ounces of chocolate and drizzle over the caramel. Sprinkle with flake salt.flake finishing salt for sprinkling
- Refrigerate until set. Cut or tear into pieces, Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated August 2019 and November 2025.
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These pretzel bares are AMAZING❤️❤️ the were the perfect Christmas treat to pass our to friends and neighbors!
Holy buckets amazing!!!! I used the whole package of chocolate chips for the bottom and a whole bag for the top drizzle. I put Christmas sprinkles on top to make it festive. Hubby loves it and so do I, thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!!!
This is addictive. ? ?
I couldn’t get caramel bits at the supermarket in my rural Australian town but found Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips (go figure!) and used them instead – YUM! This recipe was an absolute hit at my daughter’s baby shower and has become my new favourite! My husband is gluten-free so next time I’ll look for a GF substitute for the pretzels. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Hello from Australia! I’m so happy you liked them, and found a good substitute for the caramel. Thanks so much for your comment and for following TBFS!
This recipe looks amazing!! I am going to make it for my Memorial Day get together this weekend.
Thanks Kris! Hope you love it 🙂
How big of a cookie sheet did you use?
Hi Amy,
I used a traditional jelly roll/sheet pan!
Made these for Christmas and everybody loved them! They are SO addicting and delicious and perfect. Thanks for such an easy, delicious recipe!
Hi Lauren! Thank you so much for this super easy & extremely tasty snack!! I just have one question, I made this yesterday & really had a hard time cutting it & it also stuck to the parchment paper. So, we have been just trying to break chunks off to eat it. Is there an easy way to cut it & keep it from sticking to the parchment paper? Thanks so much in advance. Merry Christmas.
Hi Julie, so happy you liked them. I’ve never had the parchment paper issue–is it because some of the caramel got stuck on the paper? Maybe try doing a thicker base layer of melted chocolate next time. Or you could even spray a really light layer of non-stick cooking spray, or grease the parchment really lightly with butter before pouring the chocolate on. After they refrigerate and set up, I usually put the whole thing on a big cutting board and chop it into squares with a knife. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the tips. I think I’m making it again this weekend so I’ll try that.
Hi and thank you for your recipes! How much of your caramel recipe would you use in this recipe?
Hi Jess. You would probably only need about 1/4 of the recipe. Also be sure you cook the caramel barely to the soft ball stage so that it doesn’t hard too much once it’s on the pretzel bars!
I’m wondering how long these typically take to set up? I’m wanting to make them during my Life Skills class at school, but only have a given amount of time. Could they set up in the freezer to make it go faster? Thank you!
Hi Jody, they set up really quickly. I’d give them 10-15 minutes in the fridge 🙂