Here’s a nostalgic and crowd-pleasing Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe — a sweet-and-salty Southern classic that’s more dessert than salad, with a crunchy pretzel crust, creamy middle layer, and a fruity strawberry topping.
🍓 Strawberry Pretzel Salad
🍽️ Serves: 12
🕒 Total Time: About 4 hours (including chilling)
(Active prep: ~30 minutes)
✅ Ingredients:
Pretzel Crust:
- 2 cups crushed pretzels (salted mini pretzels work great)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 (8 oz) tub whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed
Strawberry Layer:
- 1 (6 oz) box strawberry Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced (or 1 (16 oz) bag frozen sliced strawberries, thawed)
👩🍳 Instructions:
1. Make the Pretzel Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Mix crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl.
- Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool completely.
2. Prepare the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold in whipped topping (Cool Whip).
- Spread mixture over the cooled crust, all the way to the edges to create a seal (this prevents the Jell-O from leaking down).
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Make the Strawberry Jell-O Layer:
- Dissolve Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water; stir well.
- Add sliced strawberries and let mixture cool until it starts to thicken slightly (about 15–30 minutes in the fridge).
- Carefully pour over the cream cheese layer.
- Chill for at least 2–3 hours, or until fully set.
🍽️ Serving Tips:
- Slice and serve chilled.
- Top with extra whipped cream or a few fresh mint leaves for garnish.
- Great for potlucks, summer BBQs, and holidays!
🔁 Tips & Variations:
- Use raspberry Jell-O and raspberries for a twist.
- Don’t skip sealing the cream cheese layer to avoid a soggy crust.
- Want it less sweet? Cut the sugar in the cream cheese layer to ¾ cup.
Let me know if you’d like a from-scratch whipped topping version, or a mini individual serving idea!