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Strawberry pretzel salad is an old-fashioned Southern recipe that’s popular at potlucks and holiday dinners. But why it’s called a salad is anyone’s guess! This fruity, sweet and salty treat is actually a strawberry dessert with a pretzel crust.
Other fruity and easy-to-make potluck desserts we love include blueberry dump cake and no-bake strawberry jello pie.
MORE STRAWBERRY RECIPES:
Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea | Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
INGREDIENTS for STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD
You will need:
- 5 cups of salted pretzels (You’ll need five cups of whole pretzels. After you crush them, you’ll have about two and a half cups.)
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 3/4 cup of butter
- 12 ounces of cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
- 12 ounces of Cool Whip
- 3 to 4 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced
- 6 ounces of strawberry gelatin
- 2 cups of boiling water
- 2 cups of ice water
SUBSTITUTIONS and ADDITIONS
Strawberries: Pretzel jello salad doesn’t have to be strawberry flavor. You can use fresh raspberries, blueberries, cherries, oranges, pineapple or even a mixture of different fruits if you’re feeling fancy.
Cool Whip: If you’re outside of the US or can’t get hold of Cool Whip, an alternative to this whipped topping would be softly whipped cream with a little sugar added.
HOW TO MAKE THIS STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD RECIPE
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels, 3/4 cup sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 pan. (You can crush pretzels by putting them in a Ziploc bag and using a rolling pin, wooden spoon, or your hands to crush them.)
STEP THREE: Bake the pretzel base for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
STEP FOUR: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, and the vanilla until well combined. Next, carefully fold in the Cool Whip.
PRO TIP: If the Cool Whip is your favorite ingredient in this dessert, you can add a little more on top of each serving.
STEP FIVE: Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the pretzel crust. When adding the cream cheese mixture to the pan, make sure that it goes all the way to the edges. This creates a barrier to prevent the jello from seeping down into the pretzel base and making it soggy.
STEP SIX: In a medium bowl, dissolve the jello in two cups of boiling water. Once it is completely dissolved, add two cups of ice water and stir. Stir in sliced strawberries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until the jello is just starting to thicken but has not yet set.
PRO TIP: When making the jello, don’t leave it in the fridge for too long. If it sets too much it will have chunks and won’t pour evenly. If you just can’t get enough of jello, you can add an extra 3-ounce box of gelatin and an extra two cups of water.
STEP SEVEN: Carefully pour the strawberry jello over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until the jello is set. Slice into squares to serve.
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: It’s perfectly fine to make this strawberry pretzel salad a day or two ahead of your party. Just cover it and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. Strawberry pretzel salad with fresh strawberries will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.
IN THE FREEZER: It’s not a good idea to freeze strawberry jello pretzel salad. Freezing jello destroys the chemical bonds in the gelatin, which means that it will become runny when you defrost it. The strawberries are likely to go a bit mushy too.
Whether you’re hosting a barbecue, bringing a dessert to a potluck dinner or just want a simple dessert for the holiday season, this strawberry pretzel salad recipe is sure to go down a treat. The sweet strawberry jello, creamy Cool Whip and salty, crunchy pretzels together create a taste sensation that kids and adults will love.
More recipes you’ll love
- Strawberry Angel Food Cake
- 6 Strawberry Recipes for Breakfast
- Strawberry Lemonade Popsicle Recipe
- Campfire Dessert Pizza
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 12 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 12 ounces Cool Whip
- 3-4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- 6 ounces strawberry gelatin (2 packages)
- 2 cups water, boiled
- 2 cups cold water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels, ¾ cup sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 pan. (You can crush pretzels by putting them in a ziploc bag and using a rolling pin, wooden spoon, or your hands to crush them.)
- Bake the pretzel base for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, and the vanilla until well combined. Next, carefully fold in the Cool Whip.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the pretzel crust. When adding the cream cheese mixture to the pan, make sure that it goes all the way to the edges. This creates a barrier to prevent the jello from seeping down into the pretzel base and making it soggy.
- In a medium bowl, dissolve the jello in two cups of boiling water. Once it is completely dissolved, add two cups of ice water and stir. Stir in sliced strawberries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until the jello is just starting to thicken but has not yet set.
- Carefully pour the strawberry jello over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until the jello is set. Slice into squares to serve.
Video
Notes
- When adding the cream cheese mixture to the pan, make sure that it goes all the way to the edges. This creates a barrier to prevent the jello from seeping down into the pretzel base and making it soggy.
- When making the jello, don’t leave it in the fridge for too long. If it sets too much it will have chunks and won’t pour evenly over the strawberries.
- If you just can’t get enough of jello, you can add an extra 3-ounce box of gelatin and an extra two cups of water.
- If the Cool Whip is your favorite ingredient in this dessert, you can add a little more on top of each serving.
this is the perfect dessert for every occasion!
This looks like a really great salad, I’m always looking for pretzel crust recipes. I do have just one little problem with this recipe, it calls for strawberries. Have you ever subbed out strawberries with another fruit? I’m highly allergic (like don’t go grocery shopping or shopping at farmer’s markets during strawberry season) and would like to use something else. Maybe blueberries? Or mango? Any ideas?
Hi, Genia – you could definitely sub out something else. I haven’t personally made it with another fruit, but I am sure it would work easily. Enjoy 🙂