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Strawberry Pretzel Salad – A guaranteed hit at any parties! In one bite, you will get the saltiness from its pretzel crust, sweetness from the creamy and smooth cream cheese, and the fresh flavor from the strawberry and jello top layer! So irresistible! Great for holiday and birthday parties. Easy recipe, party desserts. Vegetarian. Video recipe. | Tipbuzz.comStrawberry Pretzel Salad – A guaranteed hit at any parties! In one bite, you will get the saltiness from its pretzel crust, sweetness from the creamy and smooth cream cheese, and the fresh flavor from the strawberry and jello top layer! So irresistible! Great for holiday and birthday parties. Easy recipe, party desserts. Vegetarian. Video recipe. | Tipbuzz.com

Old-fashioned Strawberry Pretzel Salad has mouthwatering layers of pretzel crust, filling of cream cheese mixture, topped with fresh strawberries in jello. This strawberry pretzel dessert is a perfect summer dessert!

This Strawberry Pretzel Salad has mouthwatering layers of crushed pretzels and cheesecake topped with sliced strawberries in jello. It's the perfect dessert you can make ahead of time for a party or holiday with friends and family.

WHY DO THEY CALL IT STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

Strawberry pretzel salad is actually not a salad but a 3-layer dessert that tastes like a no-bake cheesecake. It’s an iconic southern tradition and has been called pretzel salad since the 1960s. It’s also called strawberry pretzel dessert, strawberry pretzel pie or pretzel jello salad.

Whatever you call them, it’s a southern classic that’s creamy and crunchy, with the perfect balance between sweet and salty flavors.

Strawberry pretzel salad is a 3-layer dessert consisting of a strawberry jello topping, a cheesecake filling and a caramelized pretzel crust. It's often called strawberry pretzel dessert or simply jello pretzel dessert.

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL DESSERT MADE WITH 3 LAYERS

Pretzel salad requires just a few simple ingredients, but there is some technique involved since there are three layers. Let’s go over some of the basics:

Pretzel Crust:  Made with crushed pretzels, melted butter and sugar.  Bakes for 10 minutes in a 350°F oven.

Cream cheese filling:  Cool whip is ideal because of its stability and stiffness, but you can substitute with homemade whipped cream.

Mixing the cream cheese layer in a mixing bowl for Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry Jello: Simply dissolve strawberry gelatin with boiling water to make liquid jello. Add fresh strawberries and combine into the cooled jello for the topping.

All you need to do now is give it a final chill in the refrigerator.

Slicing the strawberries and combining with jello in a mixing cup when making Strawberry Pretzel Salad

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST PRETZEL SALAD

  • Use fresh, ripe strawberries for this recipe to get the gorgeous red color on top.
  • Spread your cream cheese filling all the way to the edges of your pan and separate the pretzel layer completely from the jello layer, as you can see from the video below.
  • When you place your assembled strawberry pretzel salad in the fridge, make sure your shelf is flat, and you’ll be good to go.
  • It’s a great make-ahead dish for parties, and you can make it in advance for up to 2 days, as longer than that the strawberry jello will start to bleed red color into the filling.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad: adding the strawberry jello layer on top of the smooth cream cheese layer in a rectangular baking pan

RASPBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

You can easily turn this recipe into raspberry pretzel salad:

  • Swap strawberry jello powder for raspberry jello powder;
  • Swap strawberries for raspberries.

While strawberry pretzel salad is a holiday staple for Memorial Day or Fourth of July, it’s perfect to make for BBQs, potlucks and parties year round.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

Strawberry Pretzel Salad closeup of the 3 layers in this delicious Southern dessert
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4.29 from 14 votes

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert has mouthwatering layers of a pretzel crust, filling of cream cheese mixture, topped with fresh strawberries in jello. 
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 18 servings

Ingredients 

Pretzel Crust

  • 3 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 8 oz cool whip, or whipped cream (stiffly whipped)

Strawberry Jello Topping

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
  • Place pretzels in a ziplock bag, seal and pound with a rolling pin to crush lightly.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add in the crushed pretzels and mix to coat.
  • Press the pretzel mixture into the baking dish, and then bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
  • In a medium bowl, combine jello powder with boiling water. Stir slowly for one minute until dissolved and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
  • Using a large spatula, fold in the cool whip until evenly blended.
  • Once the baked pretzels are cool, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top until flat across the pan. Then chill for at least 30 minutes.
  • While chilling, you can rinse, hull and slice the strawberries.
  • Gently place the sliced strawberries onto the filling in a single layer. Add any remaining strawberries on top as a partial second layer.
  • Once the jello mixture is room temperature, dribble on top of the strawberries using the back of a spoon for even distribution.
  • Chill for at least two hours. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Your fridge shelf should be flat and level to ensure the jello layer sets evenly across the baking dish.
Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Amount per Serving
Calories
286
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
10
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
30
%
Cholesterol
 
29
mg
10
%
Sodium
 
335
mg
14
%
Potassium
 
129
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
45
g
15
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
29
g
32
%
Net Carbs
 
44
g
88
%
Protein
 
4
g
8
%
Vitamin A
 
355
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
29.6
mg
36
%
Calcium
 
38
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1.1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Please read our nutrition disclaimer.

Author: Cindy
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pretzel salad, strawberry pretzel dessert, strawberry pretzel salad
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