Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad is the perfect side dish or dessert. It’s the perfect sweet and salty food, with a crunchy pretzel crust, sweet cream cheese middle, and a strawberry jello topping.
Pretzel jello salad is my favorite of all jello salads. The salty and crunchy pretzel crust with the smooth cream cheese layer, all topped with strawberry jello; it’s the perfect combination!
I first made a raspberry pretzel salad, and this strawberry version is made the same way, but with strawberry jello and strawberries. But it’s such a good side dish, I need to share it anyway.
This is the perfect side dish for any occasion. It’s perfect to go on the menu for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, or Easter dinner! But it would also be so good to take to a summer bbq or potluck!
This strawberry pretzel jello salad needs to be made several hours before you want to eat it. I like it make it the night before, so that the jello can really set. Each layer takes time to make.
You’ll start with making the jello because it needs to cool a bit before you pour it over the top. You’ll make the jello with 3 cups of water, instead of the 4 called for on the box to make it a little thicker.
The pretzel crust is easy to make with pretzels, sugar, brown sugar and butter. The pretzels are crushed up for a few minutes, mine usually has some crumbs and some bigger pieces. Mix those up with the sugar and brown sugar and melted butter and press into a greased baking pan. Bake the crust up for about 10 minutes. Then you’ll let the crust cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer.
The cream cheese layer is almost like a no bake cheesecake. It’s made with cream cheese that is mixed up with sugar, for a couple minutes to make it nice and creamy. Then fold in some cool whip. This layer is spread all over the top of the pretzel layer, and you need to make sure to spread it all the way to the edges. You don’t want the jello to leak through to the pretzel layer so you need to make sure there are no cracks.
The jello that has been sitting at room temperature for the last bit, should now be cooled enough to pour over the top of the cream cheese layer. Spread the strawberries over the top of the cream cheese then carefully pour the jello over the fruit and the cream cheese.
Set it all into the fridge until the jello is completely set. Once it is set you can slice it up and serve it. I like to top each of my pieces with a little more cool whip and 1 piece of fresh fruit.
Every layer of this dish is amazing, and they come together perfectly to make the best combination of sweet and salty. Every time I make this strawberry pretzel jello salad it is gobbled up!
Looking for more fruit salad recipes:
- Winter Fruit Salad
- Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad
- Strawberry Fluff
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Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad
Ingredients
- 6 oz package of instant strawberry jello
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
- 2 TBS sugar
- 2 TBS brown sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 oz cool whip
- 2 cups sliced strawberries (can use frozen, bring to room temperature and slice)
Instructions
- Mix your jello with 1.5 cups of boiling water. Stir for 2 minutes till totally dissolved.
- Add in the 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir together and allow to cool completely to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine your crushed pretzels, butter, sugar and brown sugar.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Beat your cream cheese and sugar together for 3 minutes, until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the edges with a rubber spatula as you mix.
- Carefully fold in the cool whip .
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the pretzel crust. Make sure to spread it all the way to the edges and corners, creating a seal, so the jello doesn't leak through. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Place your strawberries over the top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Carefully and very slowly pour the jello over the strawberries and place the pan in the fridge. (It can be helpful to pour it over a spoon to make it slower)
- Chill for 4 hours, or overnight, until the jello is completely set.
- Slice and serve with cool whip on each slice if desired.
Aline C. says
When I first got the recipe, I couldn’t FIND Acini de Pepe. Orzo looked sorta like it, so I used that. Great! I was also told drained mandarin oranges go in there, and I like them, so I do. One time at church, the Young Women were going to plan a Mexican Pot Luck, then tell the grown ladies who they would like to bring what. They decided to have a Mexican Dinner and proceeded to tell us: Will YOU bring 8 cups of shredded cheese and will YOU bring taco flavored hamburger and YOU bring 3 containers of sour cream and so on. They turned to me at last and said, “We would like YOU to bring ‘Frog Eye Salad’! When I questioned it, saying that I didn’t think it was Mexican, I was met with ‘But we like it and you do it best!!’
Tracey says
Hi,
This is my first time making this recipe and I’m wondering if I can make the pretzel bottom tonight and leave it in the fridge to finish the rest of it tomorrow night? So it would cool in the fridge for like 22-24 hours?
Aimee says
Yes, it should be fine in the fridge! I’d just make sure to cover it well so no moisture gets in
M says
Well, I messed this up. My plan is to set it and remove, then redo pretzel layer. Then try the jello again. Has anyone been able to salvage this recipe like this?
Aimee says
Sorry! So you’re wondering if you can scoop the cream cheese layer off to reuse it? I’ve never tried this, I’m not sure why it wouldn’t work but it may not end up as smooth? Maybe if you do, try chilling the cream cheese layer after you spread it (literally it needs to be up the sides/all the way to the edges to make sure no jello leaks) to see if that helps? Good luck!
Sabra says
This version will help it set up better:
Heat oven to 350°F.
2
Combine pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 13×9-inch pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.
3
Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk with mixer until blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4
Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened. Stir in berries; spoon over cream cheese layer.
5
Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
Sabra says
My mom has made this for years. This recipe was sadly a flop. You cannot put the jello on just at room temp! I had my cream cheese layer completely covering the crust. The jello seeped thru and made everything mush.
You have to let the jello gel some in the fridge before adding. Also, it is best to use frozen strawberries that are sliced. I should’ve consulted with my mom first and gotten her recipe beforehand. 😉 It still had a good taste, but I’m having to dump the rest b/c it will be even worse the second day bc of the mush.
Aimee says
I’ve made this several times as well as others without chilling the jello before pouring it over the top. You have to pour it on super slowly in the middle to keep it from going to the edges quickly. Sorry it didn’t work for you.
Jess says
I wish I would have used a recipe with more specific instructions. It should be stated that after the crust cools and after applying the cream cheese and cool whip layer, you need to chill it before adding the strawberries and jello. My ingredients were not hot, but they were not chilled and the jello seeped into the cream and to the crust creating an ugly mess. Make sure you chill each layer before adding the next or you’ll have a mess to bring to your families’ Easter dinner.
Aimee says
So sorry it didn’t turn out for you, in step 2 it says in regards to the Jell-O to “set on the counter till cool” In step 6 after baking the crust it says “Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.“ So they shouldn’t have been warm. The cream cheese should have been room temperature, but as long as you spread it to the edges as stated and poured the jello slowly it shouldn’t have seeped through. Hope you’ll give it a try another time.
Sabra says
It will not work this way. Room temp does not let the jello set up enough…Please correct the steps. Thank you!
Aimee says
If you look at step 12 the whole thing is placed in the fridge to chill and that is when the jello sets
Jaylene says
Is there anyway to fix it if the jello does leak down into the pretzel??
Aimee says
Sorry about my late response. There is not way to fix it, some of the dish may still be edible if the jello only leaks down a little, just don’t eat the pieces where the pretzels got wet.