Strawberry Pretzel Salad

5 from 17 votes

This Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe is a layered dessert salad with a tangy strawberry Jello topping over sweetened cream cheese and a buttery pretzel crust. A family favorite perfect for holidays, showers, potluck dinners and special occasions!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

refrigeration time4

Total Time4 30

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Dee

Cost: $10

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 cups crushed pretzels
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup melted butter melted

Cream Cheese Layer

8 oz package of cream cheese softnened
¾ cup white sugar
8 oz tub Cool Whip thawed

Strawberry Jello Layer

2 10- oz packages of frozen strawberries 20 oz total
6 oz package of Jello strawberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water

Instructions

Pretzel Crust

Preheat oven to 400℉
Grease a 9x13 baking pan with non stick spray or butter
Mix the crushed pretzels, sugar and cinnamon with the melted butter
Press into prepared baking dish
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until firm and crisp. Allow to cool completely

Cream Cheese Layer

Mix the cream cheese and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until creamy, and gently fold in whipped topping
Carefully spread over the pretzel layer, making sure to cover the entire layer all the way to the edges of the baking dish, and refrigerate until firm

Strawberry Jello Layer

In a large bowl, mix the gelatin with the boiling water until dissolved, and let cool slightly
Mix the frozen strawberries into the the Jello, and stir until it starts to thicken
Spoon evenly over cream cheese layer
Refrigerate until Jello is set and firm (4 hours or overnight), and keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Video

Notes

Don't bake crust any longer than 10 minutes for best results.

You can use fresh strawberries, but frozen ones help the Jello set faster. You can also slice fresh strawberries and freeze in a single layer until firm. If using fresh strawberries, allow Jello to cool and partially set before adding strawberries.

Substitute 2 3 oz boxes of Jello if you can't find 1 large box. Follow the directions in this recipe for preparing Jello -- don't follow directions on box.

Cinnamon is optional.

Nutrition