If you love chocolate covered potato chips, wait until you try them with pretzels, roasted peanuts, toasted coconut, and peanut butter chips. Every cluster is packed with salty crunch and coated in smooth semisweet chocolate.
These Chocolate Potato Chip Clusters take only 10 minutes to prepare with no baking. Portion them in mini muffin liners and refrigerate until firm for an easy homemade candy that is perfect for parties, holiday treat trays, and gifting.
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Potato chips: Use one 5.25 ounce bag of sturdy kettle style potato chips. This should give you about 4 cups after crushing. Their thicker texture holds up well when mixed with the chocolate and other ingredients. Avoid thin chips, which can turn into fine crumbs.
- Pretzels: Mini pretzels are easy to crush into evenly sized pieces. Crush them along with the potato chips, but leave some texture.
- Peanuts: Use salted roasted peanuts. The chips and pretzels are also salted, so no additional salt is needed. Leave the peanuts whole or crush them with the chips and pretzels.
- Coconut: Use sweetened shredded coconut. Toast it in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove it from the skillet as soon as it turns lightly golden and allow it to cool completely.
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet chocolate balances the sweetness of the peanut butter chips. Dark or milk chocolate chips can also be used.
- Coconut oil helps the melted chocolate coat the dry ingredients more easily. Make sure the bowl and stirring utensil are completely dry, since water can cause melted chocolate to seize.
How to Make Chocolate Potato Chip Clusters
Here is a quick look at how the clusters come together. You will find the complete ingredients and detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
Recipe Tips
- Crush the potato chips and pretzels into small pieces, not fine crumbs. Reserve a few larger potato chip pieces to sprinkle over the clusters before they set.
- Microwave the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and coconut oil for 45 seconds first. Stir well, then continue heating in 15-second intervals until smooth. Stop heating as soon as the remaining pieces melt while stirring.
- Stir the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients gently so the potato chips retain their texture.
- Divide the mixture evenly among 24 mini muffin liners using a small cookie scoop. Work promptly because the chocolate will begin to thicken as it cools.
- If you do not have mini muffin pans, scoop the clusters onto a parchment-lined baking sheet instead.
- Refrigerate the clusters for at least 1 hour. They are ready when the chocolate is completely firm and releases cleanly from the paper liners.
- Serve the clusters chilled or allow them to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. The coconut oil causes the coating to soften in a warm room, so return any leftovers to the refrigerator.
Storage
Store Chocolate Potato Chip Clusters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Place parchment paper between layers to keep the clusters from sticking together or breaking.
More Easy No-Bake Treats to Try
For more easy no-bake treats, try Avalanche Cookies, Cornflake Peanut Butter Cookies, Scotcheroo Truffles, and Christmas Haystack Cookies. Avalanche Cookies combine white chocolate, peanut butter, crispy rice cereal, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Cornflake Peanut Butter Cookies pair crisp cornflakes with a chewy peanut butter coating. Scotcheroo Truffles have peanut butter and crispy rice cereal centers dipped in chocolate, while Christmas Haystack Cookies turn crunchy chow mein noodles into festive chocolate-coated clusters.
Chocolate Potato Chip Clusters
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Microwave safe bowl
- 24 cup mini muffin pan
- 24 mini muffin liners
Ingredients
- 5.25 ounces kettle style potato chips about 4 cups once crushed
- 2 cups mini pretzels
- 1 cup salted roasted peanuts
- ⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut toasted
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 2 tablespoons virgin unrefined coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with paper liners.
- Crush the potato chips and pretzels into small pieces. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the crushed potato chips for topping.
- Add the remaining potato chips, pretzels, peanuts, and toasted coconut to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Place the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds and stir well, then continue heating in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the potato chip mixture. Stir gently until everything is evenly coated.
- Divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved crushed potato chips.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Kettle style potato chips work especially well in this recipe because they are thicker and crunchier than regular chips. They hold their texture once coated in chocolate and are less likely to become crushed into fine crumbs.
- Choose salted chips with a fairly simple flavor. Avoid strongly seasoned varieties since they can compete with the chocolate, peanut butter, and toasted coconut. You will need one 5.25 ounce bag, which should give you about 4 cups once crushed.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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