This Strawberry Pretzel Salad is always a hit at any get together! A pretzel crust, topped with a sweet cream cheese layer and strawberry topping!
Growing up, my mom had a specific jello recipe for each Holiday. At Christmas, she would make her layered jello, Thanksgiving is her blueberry cream cheese jello, and Easter is her strawberry pretzel salad. The strawberry pretzel salad was always one of my favorites because you get the sweetness from the cream cheese/jello, but also the saltiness from the crushed pretzels.
Now that I am older and have a family of my own, it is fun watching my kids experience their favorites each Holiday! My daughter’s favorite is this jello, whereas my oldest son’s favorite is the Thanksgiving blueberry jello!!
This is one of those dishes that is perfect for BBQ’s, side dishes, parties, or sweet treats! No need to wait for a Holiday to make this! If you like a salty/sweet combo, this is perfect for you!
Enjoy!!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 6 oz Strawberry Jello
- 2 cups Boiling water
- 2 cups Pretzels, crushed
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 8 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 8 oz Whipped Topping, thawed
- 1 lb Strawberries, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine the jello package and boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add in 1/4 cup sugar. Mix in crushed pretzels.
- Transfer pretzel mixture to a 9 x 13 baking pan and use a fork to press mixture evenly on bottom of pan.
- Place pan in oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- While pretzel layer is cooling, mix together the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar using a hand held mixer until combined.
- Fold in the whipped topping.
- Spread mixture evenly over cooled pretzels making sure to cover entire pan side to side.
- Refrigerate pan for 30 minutes.
- Mix sliced strawberries into room temperature jello mixture.
- Pour jello over cream cheese layer evenly and place in refrigerator for about 2-3 hours, or until set up.
- Serve and enjoy!!
Launa
Could you use frozen strawberries thawed
Kristin
Sure! That would work great!
Mary
What is the blueberry jello recipe
Kristin
Hi! It actually uses black cherry jello, BUT has blueberry pie filling in it, hence why I call it blueberry jello hehe! Here it is, https://thecookinchicks.com/thanksgiving-jello/
Christa Tillman-Fink
Chilling ours now… I added a couple dashes of lemon juice to the cool whipand cream cheese…. Can’t wait to try it!!
Kristin
Oh yum!! How’d it turn out?? Do you love it?? Hope you do! Its a favorite in my house!!
joanie
We have had no luck with fresh strawberries – only the frozen ones, thawed, have worked.
Kristin
Oh good, glad you found a method that works!!
Barbara Berry
salted pretzels or unsalted
Min Abra
Joanie, I put my strawberry jellomix in the fridge for a little while to get a set established sothat the mixture was not wet but had aeasy set to it so it could be spooned on the coolwhip cream cheese and sugar mixture and could be spread more easily. Worked great.
Kristin
Glad you enjoyed this!!
Kristin
I use salted, but either works great!
Laura
I accidentally got a chocolate squirt on the pretzels after I spread them in the pan. It gave me an idea and I continued squirting a chocolate ice cream topping and then put the cream cheese stuff on top and then the Jell-O. It was amazing! I should’ve put a little more chocolate on top of the strawberries for Effect! Thanks for a great recipe!
Kristin
Oh that’s a great idea!!! I’ll have to try it next time! Glad you enjoyed!
Pam Salerno
Making this tonight for a work party.. can’t wait to try it!!!
Kristin
Yea!! How’d it turn out???
Joy
can Splenda be used instead of the sugar and would like to try raspberries and sugar free raspberry jello too…husband is diabetic
Kristin
Absolutely! That works great, just changes the flavor slightly due to Stevia and sugar tasting somewhat different!
Tanya
Any chance that real whipped cream will work instead of frozen whipped topping? I like to use whole/real ingredients.
Kristin
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work great! Just whip it until it is firm/stiff and use it then! Enjoy!
Kym
What is whipped topping
Wanda
It is perfect and so yummy. I had to double the cream cheese to get enough and I used piowder sugar.
Kristin
Cool Whip, whipped cream 🙂
Kristin
So glad you enjoyed it! Its a favorite in my house!
Jena
While it looks good and I’d probably eat it…… this is in no way a salad! I feel you should change the name its extremely misleading. You made a strawberry jello cheesecake, which is cool. But not a salad.
Kristin
This is a recipe passed down in my family, name included, therefore, I didn’t want to change the name. Yes, you’re right, its not a “salad”, but to give it a 1 star review because of the name is a bit extreme. I hope you’ll decide to try this in the future and if you like it, perhaps give it a rating based on taste and not name. Thanks!
Bee
@Jena. Your one-star rating for something you didn’t even try is unfair and I almost led me to decide not to try this recipe based on your review of its “name.” Thankfully, I decided to read your comment and reversed my decision since your rating is based on nonsense. If I could, I would delete your rating and comment.
Marci
I too have this recipe from long ago. I used to work at Keystone Pretzel Bakery in Lancaster, PA. This was a favorite recipe from their book. Salads come in all forms. If you haven’t tried it, don’t rate it! Everyone knows that.
Kristin
A favorite in my family!!
Connie
How do you get the pretzel layer to come out neatly? Mine seems to stick to the pan!
Pat Lyons
Do you think this could be made a day a head, then frozen ? I want to take it to a luncheon with friends 2 hours from my home.
Kristin
I just use a spatula to flat/press it down evenly!
Kristin
Sure! Or you could put this in a cooler with ice packs around it as well?? Enjoy!!
June
I have made this twice and getting ready to make it again tomorrow. My pastor told me I could make this for his family any time I wanted! It is delicious. How do you think it would be with crushed pecans instead of pretzels (I love pecans).
June
Kristin
Yea! So glad to hear its a hit with you all! As for using pecans, I bet that’s a great idea! Another variation I have tried is using half pretzels, half pecans. It is great as well! Enjoy!
Mary M Bertuzzi
I haven’t made this dessert in years, But it is a favorite of everyone. I have to make it for a meeting on Thursday and can’t wait to eat it again.
Kristin
Its definitely a favorite in my family too! Enjoy!!
Louisa
Since cool whip has coconut oil in it which I’m allergic to, could dream whip be used instead?
Kristin
Absolutely! No problem doing that at all!
Barb
Kristen, thank you for sharing your family recipes. Did you use a 9×13 pan? It appears smaller in the photo.
Kristin
My pleasure!
Yes, I always make this in a 9×13. The pan is smaller because I made (2) 8×8’s instead that day!
Marcia Hendrie
If I make this today, Friday will it hold up well until Sunday? Just trying to get things made ahead?
Kristin
Absolutely! I plan on making it myself today for Easter brunch! Enjoy!
Judy
I accidentally put a half cup sugar in the pretzel mixture will it still work
Kristin
No problem at all, it will just be a little more sweet than usual, but no worries! Enjoy!
Sandi
I’m making it today for an Easter gathering tomorrow, I am contemplating the chocolate idea, yes or no?
Sandi
Also, so don’t follow the directions on the box of jello? Two cups water instead of four?
Kristin
You could definitely do that! A slight drizzle on top?? Adds a nice touch! Enjoy and happy Easter!
Kristin
Correct, 2 cups boiling water! Enjoy!
Debbie
Made this for a work get together today.. everyone absolutely LOVED it!! (It was the only dessert that had no leftovers!!)
Kristin
Yea! So glad you all enjoyed it! Its a favorite anytime I bring it places!!
Angela Burnett
The recipe I usually use calls for 2 cups of whipped topping (16oz) 8 oz doesn’t seem like enough to cover the whole dish. Is it a typo?
Kristin
Nope, not a typo. I use 8oz in mine, but if you wanted to increase, you could! Its combined into the cream cheese, so when combined with the other ingredients, its plenty to cover the dish!
Tia
I made this dessert the other day and while cooking overnight? The cream cheese mixture settled into the strawberry jello and looked splotchy! I let the Jello to too. Temp cool before pouring so not sure why this happened. Does anyone have any suggestions ?? Thanks
Tia
^^^^ Cooling overnight*** sorry auto correct!
Kristin
Hmmm, I’ve never had that happen! The only thing I can think of is that the layers weren’t fully set/chilled? The jello must not have been fully set? So weird! I’m sorry that happened! Hopefully it was still good!
Pat
Thought someone else would ask this question, but I don’t see it. Do you measure the pretzels after crushing or before?
Thanks.
Kristin
After crushing, measure the pretzels!! Hope you enjoy!
Sheryl Rose
Delicious and easy. Prep of strawberies not included in prep time . Neither is heating up the oven!
Kristin
Glad you enjoyed! I will take a look into the prep times and adjust the time accordingly. Thanks!!
Liz
My pretzel mixture never hardens and whip mixture just pulled up the crushed pretzels so I couldn’t spread it. I had to throw it all away :(. This is my 4th attempt at making this over the years and it somehow never has never worked for me! Not sure what I am doing wrong??
Kristin
Are you letting the pretzel mixture cool completely? Are you baking the pretzel mixture immediately or could it be sitting out a bit first, prior to oven? Are you using softened/room temperature cream cheese so the mixture is easily spreadable by the time the whipped topping is added?