Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe is always a hit at any holiday or potluck! It starts with a crunchy pretzel crust, then is topped with a layer of sweet cream cheese and Cool Whip filling,  and a strawberry Jell-O topping. It’s a comfort food recipe that can be called a salad or dessert, whichever you would like.

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This salty, crunchy, creamy and sweet recipe is a staple at any Midwestern holiday dinner! Strawberry Pretzel Salad is delicious and so popular. It can be served as a side dish or easy dessert recipe in the summer at potlucks.

What’s your favorite part of this strawberry salad? Personally, I love the salty crust and creamy combination. It’s just so tasty together! Plus, hands down I love strawberries!

I’ve also tried it with orange flavor and it’s delicious that way too! Just substitute orange for the strawberries and orange Jell-O for the strawberry Jell-O!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad Or Strawberry Pretzel Dessert?

It really doesn’t matter what you call this, either way it’s delicious!

In the Midwest we often times call sweet dishes like this salads, but it’s probably a dessert.

I’ll eat it either way!

Strawberry Jello Dessert Ingredients

• Cool whip – We recommend not substituting this with homemade whipped cream because it will change the pretzel crust texture after it sits, plus it is sweetened more than whipped cream.
• Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are the best, but you can substitute frozen strawberries.
• Pretzels – Use the small stick pretzels or pretzel twists.
• Strawberry Jell-O – Change it up with orange flavored Jell-O and mandarin oranges instead of fresh strawberries!
• Sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the cream layer.
• Butter – We recommend salted butter to balance out the sweetness in this recipe.
• Cream cheese – This will need to be room temperature to it mixes easily.

What pretzels should I use?

How To Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1. Prep – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the Jell-O as per package direction. Allow it to cool until soft set.
2. Crust – Mix together crushed pretzels, butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Press into a 9” x 13” pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes cool completely
3. Creamy Layer – Now beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled pretzel crust. Make sure to get it all the way over to the edge to prevent the strawberry layer from running into the other layers. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Strawberry Layer – Slice strawberries and arrange on top of cream cheese layer. SLOWLY pour the Jell-O mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate until set.

FAQs

More Holiday Recipes!

• With mashed potatoes, cheese, bacon and sour cream this easy Twice Baked Potato Casserole is the perfect holiday side dish that’s make ahead friendly!
• Want traditional Mashed Potatoes? This recipe is the BEST. So light, creamy and delicious!
• You can’t go wrong with a delicious fluff salad especially when it’s this Strawberry Tapioca Salad!
• Another layered salad is this 7 Layer Salad with layers of chopped lettuce, peas, celery, onions, bacon, cheese and a dressing this is always a favorite recipe!
• Ambrosia Salad is the perfect side dish, also known as 5-Cup Salad.
• Light, fluffy and creamy Cottage Cheese Jello Salad is a Midwestern classic fluff salad!
• If you make this around Christmas, use leftovers pretzels and make these Reindeer Pretzels!

Recipes You’ll Love:

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

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5 from 25 votes

Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

This traditional Strawberry Pretzel Salad is always a hit at any gathering! The recipe has a pretzel crust, cream cheese filling and is topped with a strawberry Jell-O layer! 

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:10 minutes mins

Cooling Time:2 hours hrs

Total:25 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Strawberry Layer

• ▢ 6 oz strawberry Jell-O package
• ▢ 16 oz fresh strawberries sliced
• ▢ 2 c. boiling water

Pretzel Crust

• ▢ 2 1/2 c. pretzels crushed
• ▢ 1/4 c. sugar
• ▢ 1/2 c. butter melted

Cream Cheese Layer

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese softened
• ▢ 8 oz Cool Whip
• ▢ 3/4 c. sugar

Instructions

• Combine Jell-O with boiling water in mixing bowl. Whisk until Jell-O is dissolved. Let cool until soft set.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Next prepare the pretzel crust by mixing together crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl until combined. Press into a 9” x 13” pan.
• Bake crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let cool.
• In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over cooled pretzel crust. Make sure to get it all the way over to the edge to prevent the strawberry layer from running into the other layers. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Place sliced strawberries on top of cream cheese layer. SLOWLY pour Jell-O mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate until set. 
• Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Tips

You can substitute 10 oz frozen strawberries for the fresh strawberries.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 295kcal (15%), Carbohydrates: 48g (16%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 10g (15%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Cholesterol: 27mg (9%), Sodium: 502mg (22%), Potassium: 102mg (3%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 23g (26%), Vitamin A: 325IU (7%), Vitamin C: 13.4mg (16%), Calcium: 34mg (3%), Iron: 1.7mg (9%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.