We are as baffled as you are as to how this peach pretzel salad got its name since there isn’t any salad in sight. What we do know is that it is a delicious dessert made with a salty pretzel crust, creamy center, and a peach Jell-O layer on top.
Peach Pretzel Salad Ingredients
Peach pretzel salad is a refreshing treat that combines the sweetness of peaches with the saltiness of pretzels.
The smooth and creamy filling of cream cheese and whipped cream provides a contrast in texture that makes this dessert all the more delightful.
With a hint of tanginess from the gelatin and a subtle crunch from the pretzel crust, each bite is a symphony of flavors.
You’ll need:
- 2½ cups of pretzels, crushed
- 1½ cups of granulated sugar, divided into ¾ cup and ¾ cup
- ¾ cup of butter, melted
- 12 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 12 ounces of Cool Whip
- 6-ounce package of peach gelatin
- 2 cups of water, boiling
- 2 cups of ice water
- 4 cups of peeled and diced fresh peaches (about 4 to 5 large peaches)
Substitutions And Additions For This Peach Pretzel Dessert
FRUIT: Pretzel Jell-O salad doesn’t have to be peach flavor. You can use fresh raspberries, blueberries, cherries, mandarin oranges, strawberries, pineapple, or even a mixture of different fresh fruit if you’re feeling fancy.
WHIPPED TOPPING: If you can’t get Cool Whip, an alternative to this whipped topping would be softly whipped cream with a bit of sugar added. Check out our own homemade whipped cream recipe.
PEACHES: You could substitute canned peaches for fresh peaches in this easy recipe.
How To Make This Peach Pretzel Salad Recipe
Our step-by-step instructions below will walk you through creating all the sweet and salty layers of this dessert, starting with the pretzel crust and ending with the peach jello topping.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
STEP TWO: In a medium mixing bowl, combine pretzels, ¾ cup sugar, and melted butter. (You can crush pretzels by putting them in a Ziploc bag and using a rolling pin, wooden spoon, or your hands to crush them.)
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Make sure there aren’t any large pieces of pretzels, be sure to crush them very well – if you would like, you can use a food processor to crush them.
STEP THREE: Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake the pretzel base for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
STEP FOUR: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, and the vanilla until well combined.
STEP FIVE: Fold in the Cool Whip until the mixture is evenly combined.
STEP SIX: Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the cooled pretzel crust.
PRO TIP:
Be sure to really seal the cream cheese mixture all the way to the edges over the pretzels so that when the gelatin is added, it doesn’t seep into the pretzel crust and make it soggy.
STEP SEVEN: In a medium bowl, dissolve the Jell-O in two cups of boiling water. Once it is completely dissolved, add two cups of ice water and stir. Stir in the diced peaches. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until the Jell-O is just starting to thicken but has not yet set.
PRO TIP:
Place the peach pieces into the gelatin while it is hot and as soon as you dice them to prevent discoloration to the fruit. Also, you can tell when the mixture is ready to transfer to the casserole dish because the fruit will stay suspended more evenly in the gelatin when it is just starting to thicken.
Cool the gelatin and peach mixture just until it starts to thicken – that way, it will still pour easily into the pan and form a smooth top.
STEP EIGHT: Carefully pour the peach and Jell-O mixture over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until the Jell-O is set. Slice into squares to serve.
PRO TIP:
If the Cool Whip is your favorite ingredient in this jello pretzel dessert, you can add a little more on top of each serving.
How To Serve This Peach Pretzel Jell-O Salad
Tasty pretzel and Jell-O salad recipes are easy to bring to parties and holiday dinners. They’re easy to transport and don’t require anything additional on the side. The sweet and salty combo will be a huge hit with everyone.
However, if you want to take it to the next level, you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a squirt of whipped cream for an added level of decadence.
If you want even more sweetness on the side, we recommend serving some chocolate chip cookies or brownies too.
More fruity and easy-to-make desserts we love include our strawberry pretzel salad and no-bake strawberry jello pie.
MORE PEACH RECIPES
Storing This Peaches And Cream Jell-O Salad
IN THE FRIDGE: It’s perfectly fine to make this Jell-O pretzel dessert a day or two ahead of your party. Just cover it and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. Peach pretzel salad with fresh peaches will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.
IN THE FREEZER: It’s not a good idea to freeze this delicious recipe. Freezing Jell-O destroys the chemical bonds in the gelatin, which means that it will become runny when you defrost it. The peaches and hard pretzels are likely to go a bit mushy too.
A salty-sweet pretzel crust, sweet cream cheese filling, and an amazing layer of peaches and jello on top make this peach pretzel salad the perfect choice for a light dessert or potluck dish. Everyone will love the combination of sweet and salty that this treat brings to the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
While pretzels are in the name of this easy peach pretzel salad dessert, you could replace the crushed pretzels with graham crackers or vanilla wafers for the crust.
This light dessert recipe is flexible. Change up the fruit and Jell-O flavor to whatever you prefer. Or mix and match. Try blueberries with lemon or black cherry Jell-O for fun combinations.
Salted pretzels should be used for the crunchy pretzel crust as they add that salty element. You can use either pretzel sticks or twists.
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Peach Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 2½ cups pretzels crushed (5 cups of whole pretzels will yield approximately 2½ cups once crushed)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar divided into ¾ cup and ¾ cup
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 12 ounces cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 ounces Cool Whip
- 6 ounces peach Jello two 3-ounce boxes
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups ice water
- 4 cups fresh peaches peeled and diced (about 4 to 5 large peaches)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the crushed pretzels, ¾ cup of sugar, and melted butter until evenly combined, then press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. If you’re crushing the pretzels by hand, place them in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin, wooden spoon, or your hands.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining ¾ cup of sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fully blended, then gently fold in the Cool Whip until evenly incorporated.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled pretzel crust, making sure it reaches all the way to the edges to form a seal that keeps the gelatin layer from soaking into the crust.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the gelatin into two cups of boiling water until fully dissolved, then stir in two cups of ice water followed by the diced peaches. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until it begins to slightly thicken but is not fully set.
- Carefully pour the peach gelatin mixture over the cream cheese layer, then cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until fully set. Slice into squares before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the pretzels are crushed into small, even pieces with no large chunks remaining. If needed, you can use a food processor to achieve a finer texture.
- Spread the cream cheese layer all the way to the edges so it fully seals the crust and prevents the gelatin from seeping through and making it soggy.
- Add the diced peaches to the hot gelatin right after cutting them to help prevent discoloration. You’ll know the mixture is ready to pour when the fruit stays more evenly suspended as the gelatin begins to thicken.
- If you enjoy extra whipped topping, you can add an additional dollop of Cool Whip to each serving before serving.
Nutrition
Comments
Gloria says
This is such a yummy and fun dessert!
Sandy says
Haven’t tried this one, but I’m sure it’s as good as the strawberry one. Grew up having these salads, it’s a Midwest thing. Also we didn’t serve it as dessert, you would eat it with a meal like all jello mold we made, so good.
Shelly says
This was excellent and turned out great…not soggy at all.