Sweet and Salty Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Strawberry Pretzel Salad is not a salad at all but an iconic layered dessert that marries salty and sweet, creamy and crunchy. You'll get rave reviews any time of year!
Here at Farmers’ Almanac, we love exploring many of the different regional foods enjoyed by our readers and learning about their history and origin. Recently, we asked what your favorite go-to pot luck treat was, and Strawberry Pretzel Salad was mentioned over and over. So, we decided to do some culinary digging to learn about this sweet and salty favorite (which is ours now, too!).
What is Strawberry Pretzel Salad?
Strawberry Pretzel Salad is not a salad at all, but a light dessert that resembles a cheesecake with a sweet-salty pretzel crust made with pretzels, butter, and brown sugar, and a fruit topping. For many, this dish is a staple at the holiday dinner table but can be found at potlucks and barbecues all throughout the year. Second, pretzel crust is so delicious, we think it should be the base of every dessert! Lastly, the recipe is said to have originated in a 1960s cookbook called The Joys of Jell-O™. From there, it took off and became an iconic southern tradition, but it’s catching on in all parts of the country.
With its pretty red and white layers, this dessert definitely looks festive enough for the holidays, but it’s light and airy enough to serve in warm weather months as well.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups pretzels, crushed (small pretzel sticks or mini twists work best)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 12 ounce tub of whipped topping, such as Cool Whip®, thawed
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
For the Topping:
- 2 3 ounce packages of strawberry gelatin dessert
- 2 cups water, boiling
- 2 cups sliced strawberries, fresh (in summer) or frozen (in winter, no sugar added)
Instructions
Crust
- Place the pretzels in a resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Make sure to crush the pretzels until they’re still a little bit coarse. Pour into a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar to coat the pretzels and then pour the melted butter over the top, making sure to mix well.
- Press the crust mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 baking pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is lightly toasted and firm. Cool completely before adding the filling. This is very important!
Filling
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped topping and spread the mixture over the cooled crust, ensuring to cover the pretzel crust completely to seal out the gelatin layer. Allow cream cheese mixture to chill and set up in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before adding the topping.
- As the crust and filling are chilling, slice strawberries (if you’re using pre-sliced frozen strawberries, simply add them directly to the dissolved gelatin. Just be sure they are not in sweetened liquid).
Topping
- Dissolve the strawberry gelatin in the boiling water. When dissolved and it has reached room temperature, add the strawberries and coat completely in the liquid (note: if using frozen strawberries, reduce boiling water by 1/4 cup). Chill briefly for about 10 minutes until partially set but still runny.
Assembly
- Once the crust and filling are chilled, pour the strawberry topping over the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until completely set, about 2 hours, or overnight. Slice into squares, garnish with sliced strawberries and mint sprigs, if desired and serve! Makes 12 servings.
Note: Refrigerate any uneaten portion, however, this recipe does not keep for very long and should be consumed within 24 hours for best flavor.
Weigh In:
Do you serve this iconic dish as an Easter dessert, summer treat or Christmas delight? Tell us in the comments below!
Amber Kanuckel
Amber Kanuckel is a freelance writer from rural Ohio who loves all things outdoors. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics.
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Amber Kanuckel#molongui-disabled-link
I have had this salad it is wonderful. Can be served as salad or as dessert.
Thank you so much for sharing – I have never heard of this dessert before my kids will LOVE it!
I wish I could just print this, but cannot find the option. I had the book years ago and remember eating a lot from it. My Mother made Jello Chiffon Pie!
If I use real whipping cream instead of Cool Whip,do I still use 1-1/2 cups? Liquid measure or after it is whipped? Thanks.
Yes you can use real whip topping for this. After it is whipped.
Hi D Smith, Our apologies for having to install CAPTCHA, but if you saw the horrific posts from spammers (using poor language, fake links, and the like), you would agree it’s a necessary evil. Thank you for your note about Cool Whip.
At our monthly Church Potluck….this is one of the most popular deserts! I hear lot’s of people saying…..”What is this and who made it?” Love to say…..me me me!
Thank you for posting the recipe here so I can share it easier!
My mom used to make this dessert but slightly different and it’s the BEST desert I’ve ever had. She used a tub of Cool Whip and whipped everything together, light and fluffy, folded in strawberries, no brown sugar, then put it in the freezer. We kept it in the freezer and it could stay good a couple of days (if only one person was eating it)! This is so good, it’ll almost make you slap your grandmother! Almost!
Folks almost lost their minds when I made this!
Not just a Southern favorite. Favorite here in PA too.
I make mine with pineapple instead of strawberries. I drain a 20oz can of pineapple chunks or crushed pineapple(preferred) and use the juice and cornstarch to make a topping, instead of Jello, which I dislike. It is requested at all the summer gatherings I attend with family.
May I have your recipe?
I remember having this years ago at our pastor’s house. It was yummy.
I’ve made this dish for years, but with some minor variations. The crust in this article is pretty much the same as in my family recipe sans the brown sugar. The filling, I use just 8oz of cream cheese and a 9oz tub of Cool Whip. It is important to make sure the sides are completely sealed with the filling or the Jell-O topping causes the crust to get soggy.
Regarding the topping on this recipe, that sounds like a lot of Jello and not enough strawberries. My recipe calls for one 6oz box of Jell-o to 20oz of frozen sweetened strawberries. (I’ve used stlightly more depending on how they come, but I err to having more than fewer strawberries.).
I just happen to have the Joys of Jell-O cookbook, published by General Foods Corporation. (And no, I do not, and never have, lived in the South!) Sorry, there is no such recipe in that book. It did have a similar recipe for the topping, however.