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This Strawberry Pretzel Salad layers a crunchy pretzel crust, a fluffy cream-cheese filling, and a jewel-bright strawberry gelatin topping. It’s nostalgic, make-ahead friendly, and always the first empty pan on the dessert table!
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This strawberry pretzel salad is a family favorite! I make it several times a year, especially when I have extended family coming! I think that’s why some of them come, just for the salad!” – Linda
“Love this recipe! It’s the perfect sweet treat for any occasion! My kids and husband go crazy for this… YUM!!” – Angela
Why I Love This Salad (Dessert)
I grew up on this retro “salad,” and even though the name says salad, it absolutely eats like dessert. The combo sounds quirky—crushed pretzels, a silky cream-cheese/Cool Whip layer, and a glossy strawberry Jell-O with berries—but one bite and you’re hooked. I serve it all summer on the patio after a cookout, and it fits right in on a Christmas buffet, too. Confession: If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, I love a bowl the next day when the pretzels soften a little… it’s so good.
What to serve it with: Homemade Burgers or Pulled Pork Sandwiches at BBQs, Easter Dinner or Christmas Dinner, or any potluck spread where you want an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert.
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pretzels – Sticks or twists; crush into small pieces (not dust) for the best crunch.
- Butter – Melted; binds the crust so it bakes up crisp.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the crust and the cream layer.
- Cream cheese – Softened to room temp so the filling whips smooth.
- Whipped topping (Cool Whip) – Gives the center layer its light, fluffy texture.
- Strawberry gelatin – Regular or sugar-free JELL-O.
- Boiling water – Fully dissolves the gelatin for a clear, even set.
- Strawberries – Fresh is best; frozen works if thawed and well drained.
Ingredient Additions & Substitutions
- Gluten-free: Use a good GF pretzel brand; the rest of the ingredients are typically gluten-free (always check labels).
- Less sugar: Use sugar-free gelatin; reduce sugar in the cream layer to ½–¾ cup or swap in a 1:1 sweetener like allulose/monk fruit; sweeten whipped cream lightly if using homemade.
- Homemade whipped cream: Substitute 3 cups lightly sweetened stabilized whipped cream for Cool Whip (see FAQ for stabilizing).
- Fruit swaps: Try raspberries, blueberries, mixed berries, or mandarin oranges with pineapple.
- Zest it up: Add 1 tsp lemon or orange zest to the cream layer.
- Crunch ideas: Replace part of the pretzels with finely chopped pecans or almonds.
- Chocolate or caramel finish: Drizzle melted chocolate or warm caramel over the chilled top right before serving.
How to Make Our Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
- Pretzel layer – Mix the first three ingredients and press in the bottom of a baking dish. Bake in the oven. Then, let cool completely before adding the next layer.
- Creamy Middle – For the middle layer, use an electric mixer and beat the sugar, cream cheese, and Cool Whip on medium speed in a medium bowl. Spread cream cheese filling over pretzel crust.
- Jell-O layer – Boil cups of water in a large mixing bowl. Mix Jello and boiling water in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add strawberries. Pour over the cream cheese mixture for the strawberry jello layer.
- Chill – Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Crushing pretzels – Crush the pretzels in a food processor or use a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Try to crush them evenly for the best results.
- Thawing strawberries – If using frozen strawberries make sure to thaw them and drain them before adding to the gelatin layer.
- No soggy layers – To avoid soggy pretzels, make sure the cream cheese layer covers the pretzels completely before adding the strawberry jello mixture. That way, the cream cheese filling creates a buffer for the liquid before it sets up.
- Double layers – Typically, I like to double the cream cheese layer, especially if I want to serve a crowd or serve it as more of a dessert than a salad.
- Flip Twist – A sweet reader suggested actually making this strawberry pretzel salad upside down, with the jello on the bottom, the cream cheese layer, and the salty pretzel crust on top to keep the pretzels nice and crunchy. Great suggestion!
- Time – Give yourself time to make this strawberry pretzel salad. It is an easy recipe that takes a bit of time to allow each layer to set up before adding the next layer.
- Clean slices – Warm a chef’s knife under hot water, wipe dry, and slice in straight down presses.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but the dessert will be noticeably saltier. If using salted pretzels, make sure your butter is unsalted and expect a more pronounced sweet-salt contrast.
Yes. Use stabilized whipped cream so the layer holds up: whip 1½ cups heavy cream with 2–3 Tbsp sugar to medium peaks; beat in a cooled, melted 1-tsp gelatin bloom; fold into the cream-cheese mixture.
Usually the pretzels were crushed too finely/coarsely, there wasn’t enough butter, it wasn’t pressed firmly, or it was underbaked. Aim for pea-to-rice-sized crumbs, press firmly into an even layer, and bake until lightly fragrant.
Let the crust cool completely; spread the cream layer all the way to the edges to “seal” it; and pour the gelatin on only when it’s cooled to room temperature. Keep the dessert well-chilled until serving.
The gelatin was still warm or the cream layer wasn’t chilled/firm. Cool the gelatin to room temp and chill the cream layer 15–20 minutes before adding the gelatin.
Yes—thaw completely, drain very well, and pat dry. Excess liquid can keep the top from setting cleanly.
Sure thing! This is a fun opportunity to share the strawberry pretzel salad for showers or get-togethers. Divide the layers evenly into individual serving dishes or glasses you are serving it in.
Make Ahead & Storage
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours in advance for best texture.
- Store: Cover tightly and refrigerate 2–3 days. The crust softens over time, but the flavors are still delicious.
- Freezing: Not recommended—gelatin weeps after thawing.
More Strawberry Recipes
This Strawberry Pretzel Salad hits every note—sweet, salty, creamy, fruity—and it never lasts long. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it went and what fun twists you added. Please leave a star rating and a comment so other readers can find and love it, too! 🍓❤️
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups pretzel sticks crushed
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- 6 ounces strawberry gelatin unprepared
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 cups fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Mix the first three ingredients and press in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
- While the crust is baking, wash and slice fresh strawberries.
- Beat sugar, cream cheese, and Cool Whip in a medium-sized bowl.
- Spread cream cheese filling over pretzel crust. Be sure to cover all edges of the pan to keep the jello from seeping into the pretzel crust.
- Mix Jello and boiling water until dissolved. Add strawberries.
- Carefully spoon and arrange the strawberries first over the the cream cheese cool whip filling. Pour Jello over the strawberries. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
- Raspberry Version: Fresh raspberries and raspberry gelatin can be used instead of strawberries and strawberry gelatin.
- Crunch insurance: Make sure the cream layer touches all sides to prevent soggy crust.
- Frozen berries: Thaw and drain very well before adding.
- Gluten-free: Use GF pretzels; verify labels on other ingredients.
- Less sugar: Sugar-free gelatin + ½–¾ cup sugar (or 1:1 substitute) in the cream layer.
- Extra creamy: Double the cream layer or serve “upside-down” with pretzel crumble on top.
Great recipe, my mom used to make this for church picnics, or family dinners. It was even in the church cookbook. But my copy burned in a fire, now I can make it again. Thank you.
That’s awful about the fire. So glad you found our recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was a big hit at our Easter dinner and everyone loved it!
I absolutely love this recipe and my 9 year old daughter loves it also
I’m so happy you both like it! Thank you for your comment!
Loved this dessert
This strawberry pretzel salad is a family favorite! I make it several times a year, especially when I have extended family coming! I think that’s why some of them come, just for the salad!
I’m so happy you like this salad as much as we do! Thank you!
Oh my does this dessert look delicious! I’ve never heard of strawberry pretzel jello salad, but I’m pinning and saving for the upcoming holidays!
My family loves jello salad. I can’t wait to take this for Thanksgiving.
Love this recipe! It’s the perfect sweet treat for any occasion! My kids and husband go crazy for this… YUM!!
Love the pretzel crumb crust!
YAS! This is the very best side dish for our Thanksgiving dinner. SO good!
This is such an amazing dessert. It incorporates the sweet and salty perfectly! Yum.
this is the best dessert ever
Oh my goodness, amazing so so yummy! We have a family gathering this weekend and I plan on making this again!
I’ve made this with raspberries, so I’m excited to try it with strawberries. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks so yummy! A perfect blend of textures and sweet and salty. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I make this upside down so much easier and the pretzels stay crispy on the top.
What a great idea! I’ve never tried it that way before. Thank you, Colleen!
Great idea but I’m confused about the pretzels–are they still combined with the butter and sugar? Are they baked and then broken up and sprinkled on top? Or is the top layer just crushed pretzels?
BTW made this the original way and it was really good. I’m just curious about this new version.
I stir in a can of drained, crushed pineapple to the cream cheese mixture. Yummy!!! So good!!!
I made this a few weeks ago, but when I poured the strawberry/jello topping on top, the jello just drained down to the pretzel crust. :o( The ladies still loved it! Can you tell me how long I need to let the strawberry jello mixture “set” before I pour it on top? Do I just stir until it thickens a little more?
You want to make sure the cream cheese layer really covers all the crust and all the way to the edges of the pan before you pour on the jello. If that still doesn’t work, try doubling the cream cheese layer (this is really good!) and the jello shouldn’t get through.
I know I am replying over two months later. Put the cream cheese mixture on top of the pretzel crust and seal it really well .. Leave no spaces at the edges. Then it helps to refrigerate it for like a half hour before putting the jello/ strawberries on top. I also let it cool til it gets like to egg white consistency and some people add a couple ice cubes to cool it down. Then pour it over. In my opinion makes a great difference!
I am making this for a local function. I am letting the jello set just a little before I add it . It sure looks yummy and I think it will be a big hit.
I have the same recipe, but it only calls for 1 cup boiling water and not 2 cups. you can try this, to see if it works for you.
I’ll have to try it with 1 cup next time. I’m guessing there isn’t much difference in taste, but the strawberry layer probably is set up more firm with 1 cup than 2. Thank you for the suggestion!
One cup of boiling water to a 6 ounce box of Jell-O isn’t going to give you very much Jell-O volume to cover up the top of a 9X13″ pan. Two cups is already half normal volume since you’re leaving out the cold water completely. Be careful with that, because your strawberry layer may not have enough Jell-O to hold it all together.
Your are right, Shari. It’s best to use two cups. If the jello sets a little before adding it to the cream cheese layer, it works just fine every time.
oH my gosh, we love this dessert!! It's so easy to make!!!www.lifeofamodernhousewife.com
I LOVE this salad/dessert! It's also really good with raspberry Jello and raspberries instead of strawberries.