My strawberry pretzel salad recipe turns salads on their head! You won’t put this dish with your other salad recipes, or even your sweetest Easter side dishes — no sir, this is straight-up dessert!
Cheesecake, strawberries, and a salty pretzel crust make a retro recipe that’s a common staple at potlucks and Sunday suppers — and will be a welcome addition to your Easter recipes and jello salad recipes!
You’ll want to serve this salad alongside sweet treats like strawberry cobbler, strawberry sheet cake, and of course, strawberry pie.
Great for spring holidays or summer picnics, strawberry salad is where it’s at!
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What I Love About This Recipe
Salty. Sweet. Tart. Creamy. If you have a craving, this strawberry pretzel salad recipe will satisfy it!
- Fruit served in the best way
- Party-ready!
- Crowd-pleasing YUM
- A salad you’ll want to eat again and again
How To Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Pulling pretzel salad together is super easy — the time comes in letting it set!
You’ll need a 9×13 pan. I like using a glass pan so you can see the lovely layers! Start by blitzing the pretzels to crumbs, combining with sugar and butter, and baking.
While the crust is cooling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and whipped cream. Spread the mixture onto the completely cooled crust. If there’s any heat left in the crust, it will melt! Put this in the fridge for at least an hour.
Meanwhile, make the top layer by dissolving the Jell-O in boiling water and mixing in the cold water. Allow this to set up in the fridge for about 90 minutes before stirring in the strawberries and pouring it over the cream cheese layer.
Let the entire thing cool for at least 4-5 hours, but overnight is best! Chilliness is the name of the game.
Enjoy!
Strawberry Salad Recipe Notes
Want to make sure your strawberry pretzel salad is the crowning king of all strawberry salad recipes? Here are my tips!
Ingredient Notes
From berries to cream, make everything taste like a DREAM!
Strawberries: I use frozen berries for convenience, but you can make strawberry pretzel salad with fresh strawberries. Want even more fruit? Add a can of crushed pineapple to create strawberry pretzel salad with pineapple!
Pretzels: The salty part of this salad has to be perfect! What kind of pretzel should you use? That’s up to your personal tastes, but there are certainly some yummy types to test try!
Cool Whip: I use store-bought Cool Whip, but you can easily make your own whipped cream with heavy cream and sugar, or you can buy another type of store-bought whipped cream! There are so many yummy options now. Have fun!
Storing Tips
I treat this strawberry pretzel salad like I would a strawberry pie — which means fridge storage only!
Can You Freeze This?
Unfortunately, no. With the thick layer of cream cheese filling, this pie won’t do well in the freezer. Dairy can separate and start to taste yucky!
Make Ahead Tips
You’ll definitely want to plan ahead for making this salad! So much of its final taste and texture depend on setting in the fridge, so make sure you start a day ahead of whenever you’re going to serve it.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
The only way to store this salad is in the fridge! Keep it chilled to lock in the flavor. You can let your strawberry pretzel salad leftovers sit in the fridge for up to a week. Any longer and the berries will start to leak, making your dessert watery.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 Sticks) butter melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
CREAMY FILLING:
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 (8-ounce) carton cool whip thawed
STRAWBERRY TOPPING:
- 1 (6-ounce) box strawberry flavored Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix together pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons of sugar until evenly combined. Evenly press mixture into a 9 X 13-inch glass baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, then allow cooling completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar on medium speed, until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gently fold in the Cool Whip. Spread mixture evenly over the completely cooled pretzel crust. Cool in the fridge for at least 60 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add Jell-O and pour boiling water over it. Stir until the Jell-O is completely dissolved, at least 2 full minutes. Mix in the cold water. Refrigerate for 90 minutes or until the mixture has slightly thickened. Mix in the sliced strawberries, then pour into the baking dish, over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until firmly set, 4-6 hours, or better overnight.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
More Fruit Salad Recipes
Want more fruit salad recipes? Let’s whip up something yummy!
- Grilled Peach Salad – Summer wouldn’t be the same without it!
- Nectarine Salad – Set peaches aside to give this a try!
- Mango Black Bean Salad – Great for your next Taco Tuesday!
- Strawberry Spinach Salad – spinach, strawberries, avocados all in one salad!
Conclusion
Whether you’ve got a fancy party coming up or just want to spruce up your normal spring and summer dinners, my strawberry pretzel salad recipe is the finishing dessert for you! Salty, sweet, tart, creamy — I can’t decide what I love best.
Which is your favorite layer? Tell me in the comments!
I Make This Very Often An Enjoy Take It Somewhere An Not Any Lrft
So happy to hear you enjoy the recipe Dorothy <3