Layers of cream cheese, berries, and buttery pretzels add up to the Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe that is loved by adults and kids alike. The pretzel crust adds a salty-sweet layer to this dessert that makes it irresistible.
Strawberry. Pretzel. Salad. It’s not really a salad and it sure isn’t my mama’s typical Sunday dinner jello either.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
I first tasted this bit of heaven at my Aunt Judy’s house several years ago. It really was quite the experience.
I remember my cousin Lisa saying something along the lines of “you just have to taste it” and “I’ll choose this over dessert every time.” And sure enough, she was right.
This Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe has become one of my favorite holiday dishes to make every single year.
Can you make this recipe year-round? Of course! But, it’s become a family favorite for us and it is ALWAYS on our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables.
With everything going on, and so much of our time spent at home, I’ve been making a lot of our favorite foods over the past few months.
Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad
A few years ago, I decided to make a Strawberry Pretzel Salad completely from scratch. Let’s just say, that in the end all of that extra effort wasn’t worth it to me. Sure, you can make strawberry jello without the box and homemade stabilized whipped cream.
Was it delicious made from scratch? Sure thing. But was the original honestly the same or even better? Yes. In the end, I won’t be doing that again for this super easy treat. Half the beauty of this dish is how easy it is to make!
Jello Pretzel Salad
With a tagline here on the website of “cooking from scratch as simply as possible,” I’ve been hesitant to share a 100% from-scratch version of this recipe here because let me tell you, it wasn’t anywhere near as simple as the original.
And after a whole lot of parenting years and life, my “strict” adherence to only scratch recipes has learned to chill out on occasion. Strawberry Pretzel Salad is the ultimate excuse for me to relax and enjoy the store-bought ease of this recipe.
And if ever there was a prime time to chill out with making every single dish from scratch? Month two of staying at home is the time. (2020 sure has been a year for the books, hasn’t it?) We’ve had more frozen pizza and easy freezer meals over the past few weeks than we’ve probably ever had in our lives.
And I am 1000% okay with it. I don’t know anyone that isn’t tired of cooking these days. So, when I’m in the kitchen, I am usually making something that we love.
Can you use fresh berries for Pretzel Salad?
First choice: FROZEN BERRIES IN SYRUP – Aunt Judy’s recipe called for frozen strawberries in syrup. However, they have become increasingly difficult to find in stores. If you’re lucky enough to find them, this is my first choice for this recipe. You’ll want to use a 16-20 ounce container and include the syrup with the recipe.
Second choice: FROZEN BERRIES – If berries in syrup aren’t available, you can add 16 ounces of frozen berries to the hot jello mixture. Use a potato masher to break the berries into smaller pieces as they soften.
Third choice: FRESH BERRIES – Fresh berries make for the prettiest version. However, this version does not keep as nicely for more than a day or two. The berries on top of the dish won’t hold as nicely as the frozen ones in the jello layer. Pour the jello over the cream cheese layer and then gently scatter the berries across the jello.
Pretzel Salad Recipe
- Pour boiling water into a mixing bowl and add the jello powder. Stir to dissolve. Add the still-frozen strawberries to the hot jello mixture and stir to combine. Set aside until the mixture reaches the consistency of egg whites.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Crush the pretzels in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Combine the crushed pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium-size bowl. Stir to mix well.
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan with butter and press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes until set. Cool completely.
- Combine the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the completely cooled pretzel crust, taking care to spread it well to the edges to seal the crust.
- Use a potato masher to break the berries into smaller pieces as they soften. Pour the jello mixture over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
Strawberry Dessert Recipes
Have you tried a fruit crunch? There’s an extra layer of topping that makes this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch just a little more special than a fruit crisp. Fresh fruits tossed together with citrus and cinnamon sugar, then baked in between layers of brown sugar and oat crust.
If you’re a fan of classic strawberry shortcake, this Strawberry Cobbler is going to thrill you. The cobbler is loaded with strawberries and then topped with a generous cinnamon sugar crust that is both buttery and flaky while never becoming soggy, even after a day or two in the refrigerator.
Strawberry Crisp Ice Cream is amazing as soft serve straight out of the machine with the chunks of crisp added to it, but after a few hours in the freezer? This ice cream really shines with its blend of creamy ice cream and bite-size chunks of strawberry crisp.
Strawberry Coconut Crisp is a simple fruit dessert with layers of fresh strawberries, crisp buttery brown sugar covered oats, and chewy sweet coconut.
Strawberry Shortcake Pie has layers of strawberries, cream, and pound cake in a really fun dessert for a crowd.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is a tangy, sweet ice cream that tastes just like cheesecake. With the addition of a quick strawberry puree made from fresh or frozen berries, this is a treat that can easily be enjoyed year-round.
Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Pie actually tastes like you are eating an ice cream cone. The crust stays a bit crunchy, just like the cones do when they are filled with ice cream, and that sugar cone flavor comes through in every bite.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed pretzels, about 6 cups worth of mini pretzels
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 8 ounce cream cheese
- 1 cup white sugar
- 8 ounce Cool Whip topping
- 6 ounce package strawberry Jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 16 ounces frozen strawberries in syrup, frozen berries, or fresh (see notes for alternate methods)
Instructions
- Pour boiling water into a mixing bowl and add the jello powder. Stir to dissolve. Add the still-frozen strawberries to the hot jello mixture and stir to combine. Set aside until the mixture reaches the consistency of egg whites.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Crush the pretzels in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Combine the crushed pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium-size bowl. Stir to mix well.
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan with butter and press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes until set. Cool completely.
- Combine the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the completely cooled pretzel crust, taking care to spread it well to the edges to seal the crust.
- Pour the jello mixture over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 5/29/20 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/27/22}
Kathryn says
When you say “Strawberries in Syrup”… do you mean canned strawberry pie filling?
Debra Clark says
No she means sliced frozen strawberries in syrup
Ellen Stone says
No. Frozen strawberries in syrup.
Mary Younkin says
You’ll find them in the frozen food section, labeled as strawberries in syrup or in sugar. https://dolesunshine.com/products/frozen/frozen-fruit/frozen-sliced-strawberries-in-sugar
Liza says
Which sugar goes with which part of the recipe? Sugar is listed twice with different measurements and not specified which part goes with what. Sort of confusing! Thanks
Mary Younkin says
Sorry for the confusion, Liza. I’ve added the specific amounts to the directions portion of the recipe card.
Bonnie Edney says
I make this Pretzel Salad Recipe.
Where this calls for strawberries…I use 2 cans of Mandarin oranges, drained. And orange jello.
Its wonderful.
Mary Younkin says
I bet that’s delicious too!
Jill says
I Love your recipes and the ease of making them.
Mary Younkin says
That’s awesome to hear, Jill!
Kathy says
Always a favorite at gatherings! Has anyone tried making the cool whip/cream cheese filling as chocolate with cherry jello?? I think it would be delicious!
Mary Younkin says
I haven’t tried that, but it could be delicious that way too, Kathy.
Joann says
I make this with raspberries and raspberry jello. It’s a hands down favorite in our family. Love the sweet and salty combo.
Mary Younkin says
Mmmm, I bet that’s amazing with raspberries too, Joann.
Edith R. says
Can you make this the night before? Will it keep well?
Mary Younkin says
Absolutely. I make it a day or two early every time.
Nick says
This is one of my favorite desserts. I too have trouble finding frozen strawberries in syrup. So instead I buy whole frozen berries and add sugar to them to make a ‘syrup’ as they defrost. For 16 oz of berries I use about 4 Tbsp sugar and mash them as they defrost. They taste the same as the berries you buy already in syrup.
Arlene says
I LOVE this dish!! I also decided to make one from scratch one year. I found a strawberry jello recipe using gelatin and whipped my own hwc. It was quite as delicious as the regular one. Since we don’t have this often, I thought it was worth the little bit of extra work to continue making it from scratch.
Mary Younkin says
Awe! I love that you enjoy it and also like making it from scratch! What a fun memory.
Lucy Jones says
Mary, I’ve made this for years, it’s one of my grandsons favorites! The last few times I’ve had an issue with the jello not setting up.any advice or suggestions?
Lucy
Mary Younkin says
Hi Lucy! I’m glad you are enjoying the recipe. Unfortunately, without being in your kitchen with you it’s hard to guess what might have gone wrong last time. Did you change the berries (frozen vs fresh?) or any other ingredients? If it’s happened more than once, I’d probably go ahead and slightly reduce the amount of water you’re adding when making the jello. While I can’t say what went wrong previously, that should help it set more firmly.
Debbie says
Love this recipe! In the end I needed 4 cups of whole mini pretzels to make the 2 cups of crushed pretzels called for but I’ll save the extra cup I ended up with and make this again soon! I also used a mix of frozen berries and strawberries since it was cheaper than just strawberries at my local grocery store. In the past I’ve always made it with only strawberries but it was great with raspberries and blackberries added as well.
Mary Younkin says
Sounds perfect Debbie.
Jan Brazell says
Can you use real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, that will work. Just whip it to stiff peaks and you may want to stabilize and sweeten it too. You can use 2- 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar for every cup of heavy cream.