Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls! They’re easy to make, which means you can whip up a batch for movie nights, lunchbox surprises, or whenever you need a quick pick-me-up between meals.
These Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, crave-worthy bites that nail that addictive sweet-and-salty balance we can’t get enough of. They’re made with crushed pretzels for that signature crunch, plus peanut butter for rich, creamy goodness, and a wholesome mix of oats and dates sweetened naturally with maple syrup. The result? Flavor-packed no-fuss snack balls that taste like a treat but still feel satisfying and energizing.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We love a good sweet-and-salty combo, and these crunchy peanut butter pretzel snack balls are pure heaven in bite form. Imagine the salty snap of pretzels paired with the creamy sweetness of peanut butter, then sweetened with maple syrup and dates, it’s the kind of flavor that keeps you reaching for “just one more.”
If you’re looking for a simple, satisfying snack that feels special without being complicated, you gotta give this one a try, seriously, it might become your new go-to sweet treat.
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: These Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls are the perfect play on sweet and salty. Pretzels, oats, dates, and maple syrup makes for an utterly delicious treat. They are easy to make and are the perfect pick-me-up to help you power through until your next meal. Perfect as a snack or treat.
- Utz Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets: Utz Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets are made from genuine sourdough, they are baked and have minimal processed ingredients. They are oil-free, and fat-free. They are on the healthier side for store-bought snacks as the only ingredients are wheat flour, salt, yeast, and baking soda. Our local grocery stores carry them, you can also find them on Amazon, Utz Sourdough Nuggets Pretzels. You can use your favorite pretzels to make this recipe.
- Gluten Free: This recipe is not gluten free; however, it can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free pretzels.
- Measurement of the Crushed Pretzel Nuggets: The 1 ¼ cups of chopped pretzel nuggets is measured AFTER the pretzels have been reduced to small pieces. In other words, crush the pretzel nuggets, then measure 1 1/4 cups of small pretzel pieces.
- Texture: The texture is somewhat relative based upon the runniness of the peanut butter and the pretzel nugget pieces. The peanut butter should be runny, or you could end up with a grainy overly thick mouthfeel. The good news is that you can taste the mixture to get a really good idea of how the balls will taste and feel in your mouth before committing to the final end-product. As the balls sit in the refrigerator, then will begin to lose some of their crunchiness.
- Size of the Balls: You can make them any size you wish. We enjoyed 1 Tablespoon. If you change the size, obviously the amount will change accordingly.
- Peanut Butter: Be sure to use runny peanut butter. Do not use thick, clumpy peanut butter. We use Teddie All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter . It is unsweetened (dry roasted peanuts and sea salt only). Feel free to use your favorite unsweetened smooth peanut butter. Be sure to mix it well so it is smooth and creamy.
- Breaking the Pretzels: We tested both using the food processor and freezer bag/rolling pin methods. We landed on using a freezer bag and rolling pin simply because the food processor broke the pretzels down too much.
- Starting with 2 cups of Pretzel Nuggets: The key to success is using 1 ¼ cups of broken pretzel nuggets. In order to get the correct amount of broken pretzel nuggets, we started with 2 cups of pretzel nuggets. After crushing the pretzel nuggets, we scooped out 1 ¼ cups, leaving behind the ground pretzel dust at the bottom of the freezer bag. You may have a tiny bit left over (from the full 2 cups), but that is fine. We simply ate them as a snack and discarded the pretzel dust.
- Taste the Mixture: The beauty of these tasty Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls is that you can taste them before fully committing to shaping them into balls.
- Medjool Dates/Water: Medjool dates are naturally very soft and pliant. They work perfectly with this recipe because of this. If you have very dry dates, consider placing them in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and allow to sit for 3 minutes. Discard the water, drain off any excess water, pat dry, and place into the food processor at the appropriate time. If you soaked the Medjool Dates, they may create a slightly stickier mixture than anticipated and to adjust by adding a tad bit more of finely chopped pretzels.
- Amount of Medjool Dates: The measurement for the dates was 5.3 oz. with pits, and 4.9 oz. pitted.
- Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completely divided over the amount of sea salt needed for this recipe. This recipe is a perfect play on sweet and salty. If concerned, start with a pinch and increase from there. We felt ½ teaspoon was perfect; however, this was based upon using Utz Pretzel Nuggets. If you use a different brand or a different type of pretzel this amount could change.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
This pretzel balls can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets: We used Utz Sourdough Nuggets Pretzels. Feel free to use your favorite pretzels.
- Peanut Butter: We use Teddie All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter . It is unsweetened (dry roasted peanuts and sea salt only). Feel free to use your favorite unsweetened smooth peanut butter.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Food processor (for chopping the oats and dates)
- Medium saucepan
- Small (1 Tablespoon) cookie scoop (optional)
If you try this delicious treats, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 Minutes
- Yield: 26 Bliss Balls 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, crave-worthy bites that nail that addictive sweet-and-salty balance we can’t get enough of.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 cup rolled oats, fine chop
- 1 ¼ cups crushed pretzels *
- 7 Medjool dates, pitted *
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons runny natural peanut butter *
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch to ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Instructions
- Place the rolled oats into the food processor and pulse on and off until finely chopped. Do not over process as you want fine pieces, but not Then place into a large bowl.
- Next place approximately 2 cups* (see notes) of the pretzels into a gallon freezer bag, press out the air, seal, then place on a flat surface. Take a rolling pin and starting from the bottom, pressing and roll back and forth on the pretzels until they break into small pieces. Continue rolling and pressing until all the pretzels have been broken up into small pieces about the size of a mini chocolate chip.
- Then measure out 1 ¼ cups* of chopped pretzel (leaving behind the finely ground pretzels) and place into a large bowl with the chopped oats. Add the sea salt and mix thoroughly, set aside.
- Add the pitted Medjool dates into the food processor and process until they are all broken up into fine pieces, then place in a medium saucepan. Note: Process until a huge ball forms.
- Add the maple syrup and peanut butter into the medium saucepan with the chopped Medjool dates and heat over medium heat, making sure you try to break apart the Medjool dates as much as possible to evenly distribute the chopped dates throughout the mixture. Heat until hot, stir well, then remove from the stove.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Then pour/dump all the warm peanut butter mixture over the chopped oats/pretzels and thoroughly mix to ensure that everything is evenly coated with a stiff wooden spoon. You may find that using your hands works well to get all the mixture thoroughly coated. This may take several minutes of mixing and pressing.
- Test the “dough mixture” by pinching and rolling it to see if it holds together easily. Roll a pinch of the mixture into a ball, if needed, to test the cohesiveness. If too dry or doesn’t hold together really well, then add 1 teaspoon of runny peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Continue adding 1 teaspoon of runny peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup until the mixture holds together nicely when test rolling. If too wet, add an additional teaspoon of chopped pretzels. Repeat until the mixture rolls into nice tight balls.
- When the mixture holds it shape easily, scoop up 1 tablespoon (or a small cookie scoop) of the mixture, roll into a firm, tight ball and set on a plate. Repeat until all the mixture has been rolled into firm, tight balls.
- Place the plate of rolled balls in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes or until very firm.
- Once firm, move to an air-tight container, then store them in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Products Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Equipment Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Servings: Makes 26 balls
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