Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

A plate of strawberry pretzel salad with a layer of pretzel crust, cheesecake filling, strawberry jello, annd whipped cream on top.

3.75 from 4 votes

This Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad has the perfect balance of flavors and textures - a crunchy and salty pretzel crust, creamy and tangy cheesecake layer, and a fruity and refreshing strawberry Jello topping. Don't miss my simple technique to prevent the Jello from seeping through the cream cheese and keep those layers distinct, beautiful and delicious every time!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Chilling Time4

Total Time40

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: strawberry, Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Servings:

Calories: 260kcal

Ingredients

For the Jello Layer:

6 oz package of instant strawberry jello
1.5 cups boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sliced strawberries (can use frozen, bring to room temperature and slice)

For the Pretzel Layer:

2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
2 TBS brown sugar

For the Cream Cheese Layer:

8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
8 oz cool whip

Instructions

For the Jello Layer:

Mix your jello with 1.5 cups of boiling water. Stir for 2 minutes till totally dissolved. 6 oz package of instant strawberry jello, 1.5 cups boiling water
Add in the 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir together and allow to cool completely to room temperature. 1/2 cup cold water

For the Pretzel Layer:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium sized bowl, combine your crushed pretzels, butter, and brown sugar. 2 cups crushed pretzels, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 TBS 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 for about 1 hour.

For the Cream Cheese Layer:

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. 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup sugar
Carefully fold in the cool whip. 8 oz 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.
Add the srawberries into the jello bowl. 2 cups sliced strawberries
Carefully and very slowly spoon the jello and strawberries over the cheesecake layer. Pour any that is left after the berries are gone.
Chill for 4 hours, or overnight, until the jello is completely set.
Slice and serve with cool whip on each slice if desired.

Notes

Cool Each Layer Separately: It is very important to let each layer cool before adding on the next layer. This is listed in our recipe, but is often skipped when in a rush. We want to avoid any Jello leaking through to the pretzels and making them soggy. This means we start by making the Jello, letting it cool for about an hour or two to room temperature. While that's cooling you can make the pretzel crust because it ALSO needs to cool to room temperature before adding the cream cheese. We don't want to add our cheesecake mixture on top of warm pretzels. Let it cool for at least an hour. Then make the cheesecake layer, add it on top and stick that all in the fridge so the cheesecake thickens a bit. Yes it takes a few extra hours, but I promise its necessary and worth it for the beautiful layers in this dessert.

Dissolve the Jello According to our Recipe: The original Jello recipe has 4 cups of water added to it. This recipe only has 2 cups. Do not forget that!

Spread the Cream Cheese to the Edges: Make sure the pretzel crust is fully coated by the cream cheese mixture. We don't want any tiny cracks where the Jello can seep down.

Spoon Jello on Top: Stir the sliced strawberries into the room temperature Jello. Then spoon the mixture directly onto the middle of the of the the cheesecake mixture. Slowly pour any leftover Jello from the bowl onto the middle of the mixture.

Nutrition