An old-fashioned recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Salad that is perfect for the summer bbq, holidays, and get-togethers. Easy to make, refreshing, and delicious.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
I love easy dessert ideas that are easily transported, just like these delicious Blonde Brownies, old-fashioned Peach Cobbler, and classic Coconut Dream Bars
I grew up with this dessert as a staple in my mom’s kitchen, and always served at Thanksgiving and Christmas. She made it for every summer picnic. Now, it’s my turn to surprise everyone with this delicious dessert. The flavor is just as good as I remember it. I’m happy to report that the family still dives in for seconds and thirds. But why is it called a salad? Does anyone know?
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Tips and Tricks for making this Strawberry Pretzel Jell-O Salad
- use softened cream cheese and softened cool whip (whipped topping)
- cool the layers completely before adding the next layer
- spread the cream cheese layer all the way to the edges of your pan so it seals the edges and your Jell-O layer won’t creep down
- spoon the Jell-O mixture over the cream cheese mixture or you can pour it very gently to avoid mixing the two layers together
- using a blender or a food processor is an easy way to crush the pretzels but to have more control over the size of the pretzel pieces, you can place them into a large zip-tight back and use a rolling pin to crush the pretzels
Make-Ahead and Storage:
- Strawberry pretzel salad should keep well when covered and placed in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days. After that, the pretzels might get soggy
Are you ready to make this delicious Jell-O Salad? Let’s make sure you have everything you’ll need:
Ingredients
- coarsely chopped pretzels
- granulated sugar
- melted unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- softened cream cheese – I use 1/3 less fat, but original cream cheese would be delicious
- Cool Whip
- strawberry Jell-O (strawberry gelatin)
- water
- sliced strawberries – I use fresh strawberries, but I’ve seen other recipes that use sliced frozen strawberries
How do you make Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, stir to combine the crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter.
- Press mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish
- Bake the pretzel crust in the oven for 10 minutes
- Let it cool. While that cools off, cream the sugar and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl.
- Fold in the Cool Whip (whipped cream), and spread that over the cooled pretzel crust.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill
- Add the strawberry jello to the 2 cups of boiling water or water hot enough to dissolve the Jell-O crystals.
- Add the sliced strawberries.
- Place the Jell-O mixture in the refrigerator to chill – for about 20 minutes – (It should still be liquid, just cold now)
- Pull the pan out of the fridge and gently pour or spoon the chilled strawberry jello mixture over the cream cheese spread
- Let the dessert chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so the jello can set up
- slice and serve
Other Desserts You’ll Enjoy
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Easy Family Recipes – Just Like Mom Used to Make
Recipe
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
An old-fashioned dessert salad that is the perfect treat for any potluck or picnic
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Servings: 10 -12 servings
Calories: 433cal
Cost: $10
Ingredients
- 2 cups pretzels coarsely chopped
- 3 tsp. sugar
- ½ cup butter melted unsalted
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 8 oz. Cool Whip – softened
- 6 oz. strawberry jello
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 lb. strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl – Combine the pretzels, the 3 tsp. of sugar, and melted butter
- press the pretzel crust into a 9×13 (or smaller) pan
- Bake the pretzel crust in the oven for 10 minutes
- Let it completely cool
- While that cools, use a large mixing bowl to cream the sugar and cream cheese together
- Fold in the Cool Whip
- Spread that over the cooled pretzel crust
- *tip – spread the cream cheese all the way to the sides so the Jell-O does not seep down
- Place in the refrigerator to chill
- Now, add the strawberry jello to the 2 cups of water that is hot enough to dissolve the Jell-O crystals, and stir to dissolve
- Add the sliced strawberries to the Jell-O
- Place the Jell-O and strawberry mixture into the refrigerator to chill – for about 20 minutes – (It should still be liquid, just cold now)
- Pull the 9×13 pan out and use a large ladle or spoon to spoon the chilled strawberry jello mixture over the cream cheese spread
- Let the dessert chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so the jello can set up
Notes
Tips –
- Spoon the Jell-O mixture over the cream cheese mixture…
- cool each layer completely
- use softened cream cheese and cool whip
Storing:
This dessert is best served within two days of making it. The pretzel crust can get soggy after too long Nutrition facts are only an estimateNutrition
Calories: 433cal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 233mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 639IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg
If you enjoyed this Strawberry Jello Salad recipe, don’t forget to follow along for more recipes, crafts, fun foods, party ideas, DIY, and more!
~Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com
Adapted form Calvin Christian School Cookbook
