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With a sweet and salty pretzel crust, fluffy peanut butter layer, and silky chocolate pudding, this peanut butter pretzel dessert is a decadent twist on peanut butter pie.
One of my favorite things to make right now are big, layered desserts.
My brownie trifle is super popular any time I make it for a party and you all have been loving my layered pistachio pudding dessert.
This time, I’m combining pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate for a decadent layered dessert that you’ll want to take to every single cookout this summer.
Between the salty-sweet pretzel crust, the fluffy peanut butter-and-cream-cheese layer, and the silk chocolate pudding, you are guaranteed to love this peanut butter pretzel dessert!
PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL DESSERT INSPIRED BY PEANUT BUTTER PIE
If you’re a fan of peanut butter pie, then boy do I have a great treat for you today.
I recently saw someone make a peanut butter pie with a pretzel crust and knew I had to do something like it soon. I mean, have you ever had those peanut-butter-filled pretzels from Trader Joe’s? They’re such a great snack, so how could a dessert like that not be a hit?
Since I’ve been really into making layered desserts lately, I decided to make a mash-up of a layered pudding dessert and peanut butter pie.
This recipe has a sweet-and-salty pretzel crust. On top of that, we’ll layer on a peanut-butter-and-cream-cheese filling. A chocolate pudding layer goes on top of that, followed by a layer of Cool Whip.
This is a dessert that feeds a crowd, so it’s perfect for summer cookouts and parties.
HOW TO MAKE THIS LAYERED DESSERT
In addition to feeding a crowd, this is what I call a “low-bake” recipe – the crust is the only part that gets baked and the rest is no-bake. So it’s great for summer when you don’t want to turn your oven on for very long!
It also needs to refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving but can easily be made the night before, making it a great make-ahead dessert option.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make my peanut butter pretzel dessert, you will need:
- 8 ounces salted pretzel twists, coarsely crushed
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups creamy peanut butter
- 16 ounces thawed Cool Whip or TruWhip, divided use
- 2 (3.9-ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
- 3 cups whole milk
This is one of my favorite types of comforting desserts to make because none of the ingredients are fancy. In fact, if you bake a lot of my recipes, you may already have a lot of these items on hand.
If you forget to set your cream cheese out ahead of time, check out my tips for how to soften cream cheese quickly.
When measuring powdered sugar, follow the same method as you would use for flour. Learn how to measure flour correctly and apply those tips here!
If you run out of powdered sugar, you can learn how to make powdered sugar for a substitute to use instead.
When buying the chocolate pudding mix, make sure you purchase instant pudding mix, NOT cook-and-serve pudding.
If you don’t like whipped topping, try using my stabilized whipped cream frosting instead.
Making my peanut butter pretzel dessert
Grab your favorite 13×9-inch pan. If you want to cut this dessert into bars, make sure to line the pan with parchment paper and leave an overhang on the sides to help you lift the dessert out later.
To make the crust, stir together crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter, then press this mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then let it cool completely before adding the other layers.
When your pretzel crust is cool, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla for about 5 minutes. Add the peanut butter and mix well.
Switch to a spatula and fold in 8 ounces of the thawed Cool Whip until no streaks remain, then spread this evenly over the crust.
Next is the pudding layer. Whisk together the pudding and milk for about 3 minutes, then pour this over the peanut butter layer and spread it out evenly. Finally, top with the rest of the Cool Whip.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Topping options
You could totally serve this peanut butter pretzel dessert as-is, but why not take it over the top with a few additions?
I like to top this dessert with halved Reese’s mini peanut butter cups, melted peanut butter, and some more chopped pretzels.
Other options include a drizzle of hot fudge sauce, chocolate shavings, Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter chips, or even mini chocolate chips.
MORE DESSERT RECIPES USING PRETZELS
Do you love adding a little saltiness to your sweet desserts? Then you’ll love these dessert recipes, all of which use pretzels to balance out the sweetness!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
Frozen Margarita Bars
Salted Caramel Blondies with Pretzels
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream
Peanut Butter Pretzel Dessert
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 8 ounces salted pretzel twists coarsely crushed
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
For the Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups creamy peanut butter
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed according to package directions
For the Pudding Layer
- 2 packages instant chocolate pudding mix 3.9-ounce packages
- 3 cups whole milk
For the Topping
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed according to package directions
- 1 bag Reese’s Minis halved; 7.6 ounces
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter melted
- ½ cup coarsely chopped salted pretzels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Spray a 13×9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang over the sides. This will help you lift the dessert out of the pan later if desired.
- In a large bowl, combine the crushed pretzels, sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the peanut butter and mix until completely incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the frozen whipped topping into the peanut butter mixture until no streaks remain. Spread evenly over the cooled crust, taking care to spread the filling from edge to edge of the pan.
- In another large bowl, beat the pudding mix and milk for 3 minutes. Pour the pudding onto the peanut butter layer and evenly spread the pudding from edge to edge of the pan. Top with whipped topping. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Top with Reese’s Minis. If desired, drizzle with melted peanut butter and sprinkle with chopped pretzels just before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe turned out delicious, except for one major glitch… The pudding layer quickly turned watery and completely seeped out the sides… I used 3 cups of whole milk with 2 boxes of instant pudding. Any ideas of what went wrong? I’d love to make this again and have it turn out with nice thick, crisp layers, as shown in your photos. Thanks!
I made this for a family get together. They loved it. Will definitely make this again. It was easy to make.
What a great dessert! I changed the recipe up a little bit, using chocolate ganache instead of the chocolate pudding, and it was fantastic! The salted pretzel base was a wonderful companion to the peanut butter center and ganache layer. Solid peanut butter flavour.
Kate
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your feedback.
-Jamie
I love this recipe. It’s so easy to make and it taste so delicious!
Hello-
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving y our feedback. Have a great day and happy baking!
-Jamie