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Strawberry Pretzel Salad has a sweet and salty pretzel crust, cream cheese middle, and a jello strawberry layer on top. Perfection! Everyone loves this salad!
Strawberry pretzel salad is summer potluck perfection! If you love creamy and sweet fruit salads, here are a few other recipes you need to try out: creamy grape salad, red white and blue cheesecake salad, and pineapple fluff! Not only are they absolutely delicious and refreshing, but perfect for feeding a crowd!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
If you’re looking for the perfect summer dessert salad, this is it. Each layer of strawberry pretzel salad is so delicious! The crunchy saltiness from the pretzel crust covered with a smooth and tangy cream cheese middle, and finished off perfectly with a fresh, sweet strawberry jello layer on top! This was everyone’s new favorite fruit salad and it didn’t last long at all! I am so glad I finally gave this recipe a try because it is a keeper!
When I am in the mood for something sweet but not too rich, this is my first choice. There is just something about how perfectly balanced all the flavors and textures are that keeps me coming back for more! Adding big chunks of fresh strawberries to the jello is part of what makes this pretzel salad so special. It’s the perfect hint of juicy freshness. I also like to finish it off with a big swirl of whipped cream on top! Altogether, it’s like heaven on my fork! This strawberry pretzel salad should be at the top of your list of new dessert recipes to try this week! Trust me, your friends and family will thank you!
Pretzel Salad Ingredients
Strawberry pretzel salad uses a bunch of simple ingredients, which is just another reason why it’s the perfect fruity side dish! You can find exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Pretzels: Use small, salted pretzels (either sticks or twists are fine) so they will be easier to crush.
- Brown Sugar: Gives a rich sweetness to the pretzel crust.
- Butter: The melted butter helps bind the pretzel crust together.
- Instant Strawberry Jello: Both regular and sugar-free work!
- Fresh Strawberries: I love the fresh sweetness the strawberries add!
- Cream Cheese: Make sure it’s at room temperature so that it can beat together with the sugar easily.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to the creamy layer.
- Cool Whip: Folded into the cream cheese layer for extra sweet, fluffy goodness.
How to Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad
This creamy, berry-filled dessert is so easy to make and only takes 10 minutes of prep! Just make sure you leave yourself enough time for it to chill in the fridge. This takes about 4 hours.
- Preheat Oven, Prepare Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, combine crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter. Press into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. Let cool completely.
- Make Jello: While the crust is baking, make the jello according to the package directions. Let the jello sit at room temperature for an hour or until it cools. Allow each layer to cool/chill completely before adding the next layer.
- Cream Cheese Layer: Beat the cream cheese and sugar together with a hand mixer until creamy. Fold in the cool whip with a spatula. Spread the mixture over the top of the pretzel crust completely to the edges so the jello won’t leak through. Chill in the fridge.
- Jello Layer: Once the jello has cooled, layer the sliced strawberries over the chilled cream layer and top with the room-temperature jello.
- Chill and Serve: Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Tasty Variations
Looking to switch things up? Here are a couple simple ways to make strawberry pretzel salad your own:
- Use Different Fruit: Mix up your fruits and try an orange pretzel salad with orange jello, crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges, or any fruit and jello flavors/colors you like!
- Use Whipped Cream Instead of Whipped Topping: If you decide to use whipped cream (by beating 1 cup heavy whipping cream until stiff and fluffy), I would add 2/3 cup sugar to the cream cheese to add back in some of the sweetness. Also, refrigerate the cream portion for 45 minutes to give it more time to firmly set.
- Frozen Strawberries: Feel free to use frozen strawberries instead of fresh! Just keep in mind that they will release a lot of liquid once they thaw, so your jello may need a little more time to set up.
Can You Make This Ahead of Time?
Strawberry pretzel salad is best when made at least half a day in advance. It needs at least four hours to set up, or preferably longer. It will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. If you are making it ahead, be sure to use cool whip instead of whipped topping because it doesn’t soften the pretzels overnight.
More Fresh Strawberry Salads
Take advantage of strawberries being in season with a few more of these fresh and delicious salad recipes! They’re light, fresh, and the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day.
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Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups pretzels crushed
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 1 (6 ounce) box instant strawberry jello
- 1 (16 ounce) container of fresh strawberries sliced (or 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries)
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 (8 ounce) container of cool whip, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, combine crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter. Press into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. Let cool completely.
- While the crust is baking, make the jello according to the package directions. Let the jello sit at room temperature for an hour or until it cools.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar together with a hand mixer until creamy. Fold in the cool whip with a spatula. Spread the mixture over the top of the pretzel crust completely to the edges so the jello won't leak through. Chill in the fridge.
- Once the jello has cooled, layer the sliced strawberries over the chilled cream layer and top with the room-temperature jello. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you substitute the crushed pretzels for crushed walnuts?
Sure! That sounds delicious.
I make mine with Mandarin oranges & orange jello…The results are the same!!
Please make it again….
I’ve done the strawberry way too and again, I get requests to make it again.
You can’t go wrong with great recipe!
This looks so good! And is delicious. One thing I would do (and maybe people have more common sense than me and already thought of this) is to used room tempurature/softened cream cheese when mixing with the granulated sugar. I tried it when the cream cheese was cold and the sugar wouldn’t dissolve. So I let it sit while I waited for everything else to cool.
Can you use gluten free pretzels
Sure!
In steps 1 and 3 it just says “sugar” not specifying brown sugar or white sugar. Is the brown sugar for step 1 or 3?
The brown sugar is for the crust, the granulated sugar is for the filling mixture. 🙂
If using frozen strawberries do I need to thaw them first? Or use straight from the freezer? Thanks
I would thaw them first and then drain any extra liquid! Let me know how it turns out!
I always use frozen strawberries and add them to the hot jello. It thaws the strawberries while thickening the jello. No need for the sit time before pouring over cream layer. Perfect every time. I also use one black cherry (or cranberry jello at Thanksgiving if you can find it) with one strawberry jello. Gives it another depth of flavor. Yummo!!
Can you use heavy cream whipped instead of cool whip.
I haven’t tried this before. It might not hold up as well underneath the jello. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Can this be made a day ahead of serving it?
Yes, that will work!
Have you tried using sugar free jello and a sugar substitute?
I haven’t but I’m sure that would work just fine!