These chocolate Pretzel Reindeer Bites make a fun and healthy Christmas treat that’s low in sugar and made with only a few simple ingredients! Prep these cute reindeer balls in advance for an easy snack to serve to the kids or guests during the holiday season. {Vegetarian, dairy-free & gluten-free-friendly}
Pretzel Reindeer Bites – Easy Holiday Treat!
If you’re looking for some easy and healthy Christmas treats, these Pretzel Reindeer Bites are super fun to make (and eat) and will totally get you in the holiday spirit!
The base of these reindeer Christmas treats are made with nuts, dates and cocoa powder, so they contain no added sugar.
Next, it’s the fun part — once you’ve rolled up the sweet chocolate flavoured balls into little reindeer heads, you can accessorize them with eyes, a pomegranate nose and pretzel antlers for a tasty snack or fun holiday dessert that the kids (and grown ups) will adore!
They’re almost too cute to eat and everyone will love that delicious sweet and salty combination!
As an added bonus, this easy reindeer snack is completely no bake, so it’s a great way to save on oven space, especially during that busy holiday season where the oven is in high demand.
Serve these cute little snack bites during your Christmas gatherings, make them for a holiday gift, or save them for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve. Either way, this fun recipe is sure to be a hit!
For more healthy Christmas treats, be sure to check out this Christmas Fudge and 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms!
Why We Love These Healthy Christmas Treats
- They make such a cute little treat and edible craft to make with kids and they’re easy enough for them to assemble themselves! They can help prep the mixture, roll the energy balls and place on the antlers, nose and eyes. Perfect holiday treat to keep those little hands busy over the holidays ;)
- These reindeer pretzel treats also contain no added sugar (other than the candy eyeballs, if you choose to use them). I highly recommend that you serve them to Santa this year. It’s no secret that he could use a little bit of help with his diet. I’m sure his blood sugar goes through the roof at this time of year, so do the guy a favour and give him some lower sugar treats. They’re also great for his reindeer too! ;)
- They’re also perfectly portion-controlled and a good source of fibre, healthy fats and antioxidants, which we could all use a little more of during the holiday season. And did I mention that they’re super cute?!
Ingredient Notes
- Dates: Use pitted Medjool dates or regular baking dates. Be sure to soak them for several minutes if they seem too hard to blend.
- Nuts: I typically use a combination of unsalted almonds and cashews for a nice nutty flavour. Use toasted to enhance the flavour even more.
- Coconut oil: Is used to add some moisture to the mixture and helps the bites to harden slightly after refrigerating. Use unrefined coconut oil for a subtle coconut flavour or sub in refined if you don’t like that coconut taste.
- Seasonings: Cinnamon and a pinch of salt are used to enhance the flavour of these bites.
- Pretzels: Are used for the reindeer antlers. For more realistic antlers, break the round pretzel twists in half rather than using the straight stick-like pretzels.
- Pomegranate: Pomegranate arils are used for the red nose to resemble Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer. You can also use goji berries or candy such as red smarties or m&ms if preferred.
- Candy eyes: You can use candy eyeballs which you can find in the baking aisle of many grocery stores, sometimes in craft stores, or you can also get them here. If you want to avoid all added sugar, use puffed brown rice cereal or dark chocolate chips for the eyes instead.
How to Make Pretzel Reindeer: Step By Step Instructions
- Combine the almonds, cashews, cocoa, cinnamon and salt in the food processor. Process until crumbly.
- Add the soaked dates, vanilla and coconut oil. Process until mixture is combined. If mixture still seems dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until mixture adheres together, but isn’t overly sticky. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to harden up slightly.
- Meanwhile, break the pretzels into pieces that resemble antlers.
- Once the energy ball mixture has firmed up a bit, remove from the fridge and form into approximately sixteen 1-1/2 inch balls. Place the balls on a large plate.
- Carefully poke the pretzels into each side of the reindeers’ head. Next, stick on the candy eyes and gently place the pomegranate aril underneath for the nose.
- Place balls in fridge to allow chocolate to harden. Serve immediately or store in fridge for later.
Tips for the Best Reindeer Balls
- If the energy ball mixture isn’t sticking together after processing it for several minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the mixture until it starts to adhere. It should be sticky enough to roll into balls.
- Place the energy ball mixture in the fridge for several minutes to harden up slightly so that it won’t be as sticky (because sticky = messy!) before rolling into balls.
- Have some extra pretzels on hand in case they don’t break quite right. The pretzel antlers don’t have to be perfect, since it gives each reindeer character, but you want to be able to break it in such a way that you can poke it into the reindeer head so that it resembles an antler. I usually break a pretzel and use each half as an antler. If one pretzel breaks in a weird place, just get another one and try again. This part can be a little tricky, but once you’ve done a few, you start to get the hang of it.
- For the eyes, you can use edible candy eyes, or I’ve also had success using puffed brown rice cereal or dark chocolate chips for a healthier option.
- Be careful when sticking the pomegranate arils on for the reindeer nose. If you squeeze it too hard, the aril may burst and the juice will squirt right back at you. If preferred, you can also use a goji berry or a red m&m or Smartie for a red candy nose.
Recipe FAQs
I usually break a pretzel in half and use each half as an antler on each side. You may need to break off some smaller pieces of pretzel here and there to adjust the size and shape of the pretzel antlers so that they look right when you poke them into the reindeer heads.
Yes, they freeze really well! Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just be sure to not overcrowd them in the container as the pretzel antlers may break.
Yes! They’re the perfect treat to make in advance! Make up a batch and store them in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.
Storage Guidelines
Refrigerator: You can store these cute little guys in the fridge for up to one week in an airtight container.
Freezer: Store this fun treat in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. If stacking the reindeer balls in the container, place a piece of parchment paper in between to prevent the bites from sticking together. Allow them to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Serving suggestions
These Pretzel Reindeer Bites are delicious on their own or along with a hot drink like this healthy hot chocolate, apple spiced tea or this warm and comfy turmeric latte. Or, for something on the cooler side, try this Christmas Punch.
You can also serve these cute little reindeers up on a tray, for a classroom holiday party (if nuts are allowed) or for a cookie exchange along with some other festive treats like:
- Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies {Gluten-free}
- Peppermint Cheesecake Bites
- Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies
- Christmas Fruit Wreath
Recipe variations
- Different base: Instead of the dates, you could also try subbing in raisins.
- Different nuts: Use all almonds or all cashews, or try a different combo. Pecans or walnuts would work well too.
- For extra chocolatey flavour: Poke a lollipop stick or straw into each reindeer head. Dip each energy ball in melted chocolate before adding the eyes, nose and antlers.
- For no added sugar: Skip the candy eyeballs and instead use puffed brown rice cereal for the reindeer eyes.
- To make gluten-free: Use gluten-free pretzels for the antlers.
More Healthy Treats
- Healthy Christmas Snacks
- No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
- No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Balls
- Larabar Recipe {4-ingredients}
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Pretzel Reindeer Bites
Ingredients
For the reindeer heads:
- 1 cup pitted dates soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften
- 1 cup almonds unsalted
- 1 cup cashews unsalted
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1-2 tablespoons water or more if necessary
To decorate:
- Pretzels for antlers (can use gluten-free pretzels if necessary)
- Pomegranate arils for nose
- Candy eyeballs for eyes (or sub in puffed brown rice cereal)
Instructions
- Soak the dates in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften.
- Combine the almonds, cashews, cocoa, cinnamon and salt in the food processor. Process until crumbly.
- Add the soaked dates, vanilla and coconut oil. Process until mixture is combined. If mixture still seems dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until mixture adheres together, but isn’t overly sticky. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to harden up slightly.
- Meanwhile, break the pretzels into pieces that resemble antlers.
- Once the energy ball mixture has firmed up a bit, remove from the fridge and form into approximately sixteen 1-1/2 inch balls. Place the balls on a large plate.
- Carefully poke the pretzels into each side of the reindeers’ head. Next, stick on the candy eyes and the pomegranate aril underneath for the nose.
- Place balls in fridge to allow chocolate to harden slightly. Store in fridge for one week or freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
- If the energy ball mixture isn’t sticking together after processing it for several minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the mixture until it starts to adhere. It should be sticky enough to roll into balls.
- Place the energy ball mixture in the fridge for several minutes to firm up slightly so that it won’t be as sticky before rolling into balls.
- The pretzel antlers don’t have to be perfect, since it gives each reindeer character. I usually break a pretzel in half so that it resembles an antler that you can poke into the reindeers’ head. If one pretzel breaks in a weird place, just get another one and try again. This part can be a little tricky, but once you’ve done a few, you start to get the hang of it.
- For the eyes, you can use candy eyeballs, or I’ve also had success using puffed brown rice cereal or dark chocolate chips for a healthier option.
- Be careful when sticking the pomegranate arils on for the reindeer nose. If you squeeze it too hard, the aril may burst and the juice will squirt right back at you. If preferred, you can also use a goji berry or a red candy such as a smartie or m&m.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in November 2018 and was updated in December 2022 to include more helpful tips and photos.
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