This vegan chocolate pretzel tiffin is an easy no-bake fridge cake that's rich, crunchy, salty and sweet. Made with digestive biscuits (graham crackers), salty pretzels, chewy raisins and dark chocolate, it's a simple traybake that's perfect for lunchboxes, parties, school bake sales and holiday treats. Ready in under 20 minutes and no oven required.
For a similar type of Scottish traybake, try this Biscoff Tiffin or this Easter Mini Egg Tiffin.
Tiffin is a traybake which was created in a bakery in Troon, Scotland in the early 1900s and has been a popular sweet treat served in cafes, bakeries and in homes since then.
It's also become a bit of a hit worldwide with many variations. Many are basically a rocky road, but the base of a true traditional Scottish recipe always starts with butter, golden syrup, cocoa powder and digestive biscuits (graham crackers in the US).
⭐ Why You'll Love this Traditional Scottish Traybake
An old-fashioned snack bar with a modern twist.
- Perfect balance of salty pretzels and dark chocolate
- No oven required
- Easy for children to help make (older children can make it themselves if they use the microwave to melt the chocolate)
- Great for lunch boxes
- Travels well
- Freezes well too
- Uses simple store-cupboard ingredients
- Easy to tweak
- Everybody loves it
At-a-Glance - Pretzel Tiffin
⏲️ Ready in: 19 minutes
👪 Serves: 16 (depending on size of bars)
🍽 Calories: 275
🧾 Main ingredients: Digestive biscuits (graham crackers), pretzels, raisins, cocoa powder, butter (plant-based butter or margarine), golden syrup, dark chocolate
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian
No one ever says no to one of these bites and they always go back for another one.
Summarise & save this recipe:
Jump to:
- ⭐ Why You'll Love this Traditional Scottish Traybake
- At-a-Glance - Pretzel Tiffin
- 💭 What is the Difference Between Tiffin and Rocky Road
- 💭 What's the Difference Between Tiffin & Chocolate Biscuit Cake?
- 📋 What You Need
- 📖 Variations
- 💭 Top Tip for US Readers
- 👩🏻🍳 How to Make Chocolate Pretzel Tiffin
- 👩🏻🍳 Use a Brownie Tin
- 🌡️ Storing Homemade Chocolate Tiffin
- FAQs
- 🍪 More Vegan Snacks to Try Next
- ⭐ Sign up for a free recipe sent to your inbox every morning
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
💭 What is the Difference Between Tiffin and Rocky Road
| Qualities of Tiffin | Qualities of Rocky Road |
|---|---|
| Crushed biscuits | Contains marshmallows |
| Firm texture | Softer |
| Usually contains raisins | Chunkier texture |
| Topped with chocolate | Usually much sweeter |
💭 What's the Difference Between Tiffin & Chocolate Biscuit Cake?
| Tiffin | Chocolate Fridge Cake |
|---|---|
| Scottish traybake | Popular in the UK & Ireland |
| Made with digestive biscuits | Digestive or Rich Tea biscuits |
| Usually contains raisins (dried fruit) | May not contain dried fruit |
| Topped with a layer of chocolate | Chocolate mixed through, not topping |
| Chilled in the fridge to set | Also chilled and not baked |
| Traditionally cut into squares | Cut into squares or bars |
📋 What You Need
Pretzel tiffin is made with a few simple ingredients; you will find the full ingredient list and method in the recipe card.
- Vegan butter - or plant-based margarine
- Digestive biscuits - or Graham Crackers (many supermarket own-brand digestives are vegan, for example Tesco's Molly's brand)
- Golden syrup - get it if you can for best results, but you could use maple syrup if you get stuck
📖 Variations
You can easily change up your tiffin with a few of these ideas.
- Use drinking powder or cacao powder instead of cocoa.
- Only add digestive biscuits and raisins, no pretzels.
- Swap digestive biscuits and pretzels with oreos (but keep the raisins).
- Use chopped dried apricots instead of raisins.
- Use dried cranberries instead of raisins.
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Top Tip for US Readers
Graham crackers are a good substitute for digestive biscuits (which are often vegan here in the UK). You may have to look in British shops or online for Golden syrup. You can use maple syrup instead, but golden syrup is thicker and wonderfully sticky with a toffee-like flavour.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Chocolate Pretzel Tiffin
These are made with a few very simple, but some very British ingredients. If you can't get hold of them, I have suggested alternatives above and in the recipe card, which has the full ingredient list.
First up, let me share some step-by-step photos so you can see the process and how easy these are to make.
- Step 1: Line a brownie tin with non-stick baking paper or parchment.
- Step 2: Add digestive biscuits and pretzels to a mixing bowl and bash with the end of a wooden spoon to crush into pieces, not too fine.
- Step 3: Add raisins to the mixture (I swapped bowls as I realised my first wasn't big enough).
- Step 4: Measure your butter into a bowl.
- Step 5: Add the cocoa powder and golden syrup, then microwave to melt (you can use a small pan).
- Step 6: Pour the melted butter and cocoa mix into the mixing bowl with the pretzels, etc and mix well.
- Step 7: Spoon and press the well combined mixture into the brownie tin, compressing thoroughly.
- Step 8: Pour melted chocolate over the tiffin evenly and pop in the fridge to set, then cut into squares.
👩🏻🍳 Use a Brownie Tin
I find a square 20 cm x 20 cm (8 inch x 8 inch approximately) is a good size tray for so many traybakes, including Chocolate Tiffin.
If your dish is a bit bigger or smaller, it will be fine; it's a very forgiving recipe. You will either end up with deeper or shallower bites of tiffin. It's all good.
🌡️ Storing Homemade Chocolate Tiffin
Once it's set and you've cut it into squares or bars, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
FAQs
The name "tiffin" is thought to come from an old English word meaning a light meal or snack. In Scotland, it became associated with this rich chocolate no-bake treat, which is often served with tea or coffee.
A good quality 70% dark chocolate is the best option, but you can use dark chocolate chips.
It may need to chill longer in the fridge to set completely, or you may have added too much golden syrup, which would make it softer.
Yes, if you use gluten-free digestive biscuits or Graham crackers and gluten-free pretzels.
Yes, wrap individual pieces in baking paper, then seal in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Pop in the fridge to defrost.
🍪 More Vegan Snacks to Try Next
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Pretzel Tiffin
Ingredients
- 225 g vegan butter (or dairy-free margarine)
- 50 g cocoa powder (or drinking chocolate)
- 3 tablespoon golden syrup
- pinch of salt
- 80 g raisins
- 250 g vegan digestive biscuits (about 13 biscuits or graham crackers, might be a different amount)
- 50 g pretzels
- 200 g dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a square brownie pan (see notes).
- Melt the dairy-free spread, drinking chocolate (or cocoa), golden syrup and salt in a bowl in the microwave or over a pot of simmering water. Set aside.
- Crush the biscuits and pretzels and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour in the raisins and the melted chocolate mixture. Mix well.
- Press the filling into the prepared tin and press until they are well packed and the surface is fairly even. Chill I'm the fridge.
- Melt the chocolate (microwave or pan over simmering water) and pour over your chilled tiffin.
- Chill until the chocolate is set, then remove from the pan and cut into small squares treat-size bites.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- I use a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) brownie pan, but the tiffin would be ok in a slightly larger pan, the tiffin would just be thinner.
- Tiffin can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- You can freeze tiffin for 3-4 months. Wrap each piece individually in freezer-friendly baking paper and store in a freezer bag or tub. Defrost in the fridge.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'm glad you like it, but I have re-checked the text and can't see any errors or typos apart from a couple of words smooshed together when the template updated.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes it is good, a real chocolate hit.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes that's so true and you can swap the raisins for cranberries.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes me too. A real choc hit. Enjoy them!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh you made them quickly! Glad you enjoyed the tiffin.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
zyes it's the perfect quick treat and no putting the oven on.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I hope you enjoy the tiffin Jill 😁
Anonymous says
Oh wow that is a whole lot of choc goodness. printing off the recipe now. Jill
Biscuits & Burlap says
I love anything chocolate! Thanks for all of the great tips for making these.
Toni says
My family really loved it! Such an amazing treat!
Luci says
Tiffins are one of my favorite desserts so I knew I'd love your recipe! It is so easy to make and delicious when I want a little afternoon chocolate!
Beth says
Yummy! This looks so delicious and scrumptious! I can't wait to give this a try!
Lizet Flores de Bowen says
Oh! these are going to be good for Christmas! delicious!