Strawberry Pretzel Salad is the ultimate summer dessert! Made with a crunchy pretzel crust, a sweet cream cheese layer, and finished off with fresh strawberries set in jello, it is an irresistible dessert!
Alongside a creamy potato salad or a BLT pasta salad, it is the perfect potluck dish!
Strawberry Pretzel Dessert
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Ingredients & Variations
CRUST The bottom layer consists of crushed pretzels, melted butter, and a bit of sugar. The combination of sweet and salty is what every dessert needs and the crunch this layer adds plays nicely with the top two layers.
Out of pretzels? While it will definitely change the flavor you can replace the pretzels with graham cracker crumbs with delicious results as well!
CREAM CHEESE LAYER The middle consists of cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip.
You can use homemade whipped cream if you plan on serving it right away in lieu of the cool whip, or even better you can make some stabilized whipped cream and it will hold up really well. Be sure to really whip that cream cheese so it’s creamy!
STRAWBERRY LAYER The top layer is a combination of fresh strawberry slices and strawberry jello. They really compliment each other and anytime I eat jello, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood.
You can easily replace the strawberries with your favorite fresh fruit! Try pineapple slices with pineapple jello, raspberries with raspberry jello, or peach slices with peach jello just to name a few.
Get creative and try mixing flavors too! Try cherries with pineapple jello for a pina colada inspired pretzel dessert.
How to Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad
This dessert is quick to prepare with 3 tasty layers!
- Crust: combine all crust ingredients and bake in a baking dish (see recipe below).
- Cream Cheese Layer: Combine all ingredients and layer on top of baked pretzel crust.
- Strawberry Layer: Combine jello with hot water and let cool before mixing in the strawberries.
Let the strawberry pretzel dessert sit in the fridge until the jello layer is fully set before serving.
Tips for Success
With these simple tips, it is so easy, delicious and different. It will wow your friends and family!
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature when you whip it.
- Spread the cream cheese layer out entirely over the crust to make a full seal. This prevents the strawberry layer from getting to the pretzel layer and turning the crust soggy!
- When making the strawberry layer let the jello cool to the point where it begins to thicken but you can still easily stir in the fresh strawberries. This will help it set on top of the cream cheese layer.
More Yummy Strawberry Desserts
- Strawberry Shortcake – great summer dessert
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars – ready in 10 mins!
- Easy Strawberry Fruit Dip – 4 simple ingredients
- Strawberry Fluff – a family favorite
- Strawberry Lemonade Donuts – baked not fried!
When you are looking for a unique and delicious dessert to bring along to your next BBQ or potluck, look no further than this Strawberry Pretzel Dessert!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 2 ½ cups pretzels crushed
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 (8 ounce tub) whipped topping such as Cool Whip
Strawberry Layer
- 6 ounces strawberry Jell-O 2-3 ounces packages
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 cups strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Mix well and press mixture into bottom of prepared 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake 8-10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and white sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto fully cooled crust. To avoid a soggy crust, just be sure the creamy layer reaches all edges of the pan. Set in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Dissolve strawberry jello in boiling water. Allow to cool until mixture is about the consistency of egg whites. Stir in sliced strawberries and spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
- To serve, cut into squares and add additional whipped topping, if desired.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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