This recipe has become very popular in the Russian/Ukrainian community – and for good reason. It makes your taste buds dance! I have zero self-control around this dish, so I was concerned about making a 13×9 -inch pyrex filled with this dreamy goodness, for just the two of us. We made it last night…. it’s half gone. Try it and you’ll understand. If you have “issues” with Cool Whip, just replace it with your own whipped cream. I picked up this recipe from Tanya – a gal at our church who never fails to impress her guests with scrumptious food.
Cost to Make: $6 to $7
Servings: 12-15 (unless you live at my house)
Ingredients for Raspberry Pretzel Jello Recipe:
6 oz package Raspberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese – softened
1 (8oz) package Cool Whip – thawed
1 cup sugar
1 bag frozen raspberries – thawed in refrigerator
How to Make Raspberry Pretzel Jello:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine Jell-O and boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature
3. Crush pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.
4. Melt butter and 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together.
5. Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13×9 -inch pyrex dish.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
7. Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined.
8. Stir in Cool Whip using a spatula.
9. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and refrigerate 30 minutes.
10. Pour Jell-O over cream cheese mixture and drop raspberries evenly on top. Refrigerate until jello is set.
Note: I mixed the raspberries into the jello, then poured it over, but you have to do that very fast or it starts to solidify before you can spread it evenly.
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
that looks delicious! I want to make it
Thanks for posting this recipe. I am Ukrainian and for Easter we always have a version of this made with strawberries and strawberry jello along with all our traditional foods like paska, babka, kovbassa, yeyechnik, poppyseed rolls and nutrolls, hrin, ham of course, other salads, and sometimes stuffed cabbage . I will try your version this year. I was hoping you might post your recipe for paska?
My mom makes paska – I’ll have to talk to her about that. What is babka? Also what is yeyechnik? Maybe we call it something else?
Babka is similar to paska-it is a bit sweeter than paska with a rich yellow color due to adding a lot of eggs to the dough. It can contain orange peel, lemon peel and raisins and it is usually baked in a small diameter but tall coffee can. It is iced with a confectioner’s sugar mixed with lemon juice glaze on the top. “Yeyechnik” — My spelling may be off–in English we call it “egg-cheese”. You make it by placing a lot of eggs in a double boiler and adding milk. You cook it until the eggs curdle sort of like scrambled eggs. Then you place the mixture into a cheescloth bag and tie the top. You then place it between two boards and weight it with bricks and let the whey drain out. Then you eat it cold (room temp too) and slice it. It is great with the ham and kovbassa because it’s somewhat bland in comparison to the rich and spicy meats and hrin. I think Slovaks or Hungarians make something similar and call it “hrudka”.
Debra, what you are calling paska I learned as kulich.
And paska, also called cheese paska, is a rich, sweet spread made with cream, eggs, cream and farmers cheese, and golden raisins.
As a side – kulich makes WONDERFUL french toast on Easter morning. Just the thing to fortify yourself before scraping wax off of the floor of the church. And scraping it is better than having to iron it out of carpeting.
Do you have any more cake recipes like NAPOLEON TORTE? thanks!
Someone did send me a recipe for their “famous napolean torte” and It’s on my to-do list, so check back.
Can you plez post more asian recipes like chicken teriyaki or so other?
I have a nice recipe for beef stir fry. I’ll try to post it soon. It’s also on my to-do list. Yes, my to-do list is getting long, but it will get done!
Your sweet Nastasha Thanks a bunch looking forward to it!
Aww this sounds divine! The combination of creamy filling, refreshing berries and crunchy pretzel crust sounds addictive! I should try this some day – it doesn’t sound like a very time-consuming recipe!
It really wasn’t difficult at all. We finished our jello in less than 3 days (me & my husband) – it’s soo good!
Natasha, do you have a good chocolate cake recipe? Thanks : )
My husband isn’t a big fan of chocolate cake, but The Korolevsky cake has a chocolate layer in it – you could just make a double chocolate layer cake, but besides that, I don’t have anything that’s fully chocolate.
Natasha, I made this recipe a few days ago and absolutely LOVED IT! So did everyone in my family! You’re right, it makes your taste buds ‘dance’ with the different flavors. Will definitely be making again!
So glad to hear that. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure!
I made this a few days ago for tea party I had with a few friends and at first everyone kinda gave it the “not-so-sure” look but after they all tried it, they were amazed how delicious it was!
thanks for the recipe! I’ve tried it before at a potluck and liked it a lot, but never came accross the recipe so I was excited to see u post this! thanks again 
P.S. keep up the good work
ur insipiring me to fall in love with cooking!
I’m glad it was a hit at your tea party – this would be a nice dish at a tea party. It’s pretty and delicious!
Love that dessert…it’s a must try for this Easter.
yes……..I can hardly wait till you post that Napolean Torte…..I don’t have a recipe for it and can’t find one. So Natasha please hurry and whip one up.
is the jello going to the lumpy or still in liquid when you pour it over the frosting?
If you put the raspberries in the jello before you pour it over the frosting, it starts to get lumpy, unless you pour it right after you mix in the raspberries, since the raspberries are cold. To be on the safe side, you can pour the jello and then drop the raspberries evenly over the jello so it’s not lumpy. Mine got a little lumpy because I was photographing and not pouring it right after I added the raspberries, but it still tasted amazing and looked fine to me
What size bag did you use for the frozen raspberries? I’m finding various sizes at the store.
I think it was 16 oz
Hi Natasha,
I try your receipts time from time and they are delisious. I will for sure try this one next week, as I am in a process of making a Napoleon torte right now. ))) Maybe you would like the one I am trying http://www.kyxarka.ru/news/1169.html Keep up a good job.
Hi Natasha
Just wanted to say i made this last night and it was amazing very good and easy recepie, i did replace rasberries with straberries that also tastes amazing. thanks for this recepie. You inspire me to cook more ukrainian food.. Thanks
Are the pretzels salted?
Yes, just regular salted pretzels. I bought the little pretzel sticks.
Does the sugar counteract the salt of the pretzels in that layer?
It’s an amazing mix of flavors – trust me you will love it! It’s sweet, sour and has a hint of salt from the pretzels. It’s hard to describe it but it’s soooo good!
I finally made it! My sisters said it was the best desert they ever tasted. They couldn’t stop eating it hehe. Thanks for the recipe
In the process of making this right now… can’t wait to try it!
Hi, Thanks for your website.
Does Jello have to be liquid when I will be pouring it? Wont it blend with the cream cheese/whip cream???
If you make it according to the recipe it will not blend. It should still be liquid and you should refrigerate the cream after it is in the dish.
By far.. BEST. DESSERT.EVER.!!!!!!
Natasha, in regards to measuring pretzels, is that two cups of crushed pretzels or whole?
Whole pretzels. It works well with 2 1/4 cup whole pretzels too. It doesn’t have to be exact
Very good recipe, we loved it but I dont know why the jello leaks through into pretzels, is there a way to prevent it? Thanks I did put it into fridge for like 30 min
Did you use the large box of jello with the amount of water in the recipe instead of what it says on the box? I have never had that problem. That’s all I could think it might be if you refrigerated the white layer before putting the jello on.
Hi, yea I made this today for a party, and everyone loved it, some people asked for a recipe. No I used the right amount, it just maybe the cheese wasn’t all the way to the edge or, not enough fridge time, because i heard it go through one crack when i was pouring it in. It didn’t do that last time. Oh well it was still good. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making it soon again.
hello i have a quick question.. does the pretzel/butter mixture always get so stuck to the bottom? i made it a few times and it always gets stuck that i have to scrape it off when cutting into pieces and it doesnt stay in one piece anymore so its not as pretty when serving :/ any ideas what might help? maybe im doing something wrong or maybe its like that for everyone?
It does stick somewhat to the bottom and you have to push the knife through pretty hard when cutting into the pretzels, but I haven’t had too much trouble with it sticking to the bottom. Are you using a glass pan? .
Yes I was using a glass pan also, I guess maybe it just sticks no matter what
thanks for the reply. At least now I know I’m not doing anything wrong 
Natasha, I made this twice already in the past week; first time, just for my husband & I and the second time was for yesterday’s Bible study group and everyone loved it so thank you so much for posting the recipe. My only thing is, both times the cream cheese filling seems a bit more runny then it probably should even after all the refrigeration before the jello and after the jello is added. As soon as you cut into it and try to place a piece on a plate, it falls apart as if the jello is weighing it down and it comes out of every side. Do you by any chance have any suggestions on this?
Personally, the only time I had that problem was when I tried to substitute the cool whip with real whipped whipping cream – it was too soft and didn’t hold up well. (I don’t recommend substituting). I’ve had a couple people ask me similar questions: Make sure it’s the large 6oz package of jello and add 2 cups boiling water (it’s NOT according to the directions on the package).Otherwise the jello will be too runny and heavy. Hope that answers your question. P.S. glad you liked it
I made this a few days ago and my husband and I really like it! The only thing is that the jello with raspberries seems to be a bit too sour for our taste buds. So I think next time I might substitute it with a different flavor of jello and maybe no fruits
Thanks for the recipe.
I love the sour/sweet/salty combo but if the sour is too sour for you, try strawberries. I’ve seen some variations online using strawberries.
That sounds like a good substitute
My husband really loved the pretzel layer, he said he would eat a cake just made out of that!
First of, i LOVE your blog! I have tried sooo many food already and i loved them all!!
I have made the jello a couple of times and my whole family absolutely loves it! And its so easy to make!! I passed it down to my 2 sisters and now they make it all the time! Thanks so much!!!
This is my favorite jello, i always end up eating more of it than i should. Thanks for the post.
Great Great dessert! My mother loved it and usually she’s very picky eater… Love the combination only going to do less creme next time, for me it’s a little too much
Thank you!
When I was little my mom would make this dessert very often for us! I have a question though: do you use salted or unsalted pretzels? My mom would always find unsalted ones but it looks like you used salted ones here! I love your blog! Keep up the good work:)
I always use the salted ones. I like the sweet, salty and sour combination. Thank you Inna
Thanks for the recipe! This dish is absolutely amazing!
Where can I find a package of jello that is 6oz? Normal boxes are .6oz I believe. Should I use 10 of those boxes then?
Normal boxes are 6 ounces each. The smaller packages of jello are 3 oz and the larger are 6 oz. You can either buy two smaller ones or 1 larger one.
Love your recipes, have been using them for the past 4 months (that’s when my friend told me about it). Everything is soooo good and I just have one question for you Natasha. How do you stay skiny and look so good with all this food??? I just had my baby and need to loose a few more pounds (well like 20
) but I love your site and make all this food and then what do I do??? Any tips??? Keep up the good, hard work 
Thank you
I am really glad you enjoy the site. To be very honest, I lost alot of weight through breast feeding (14 months!). At one point I looked “too thin” (not good) but then my body balanced out. Anyway, that was effective for me. I’m not a very good role model in terms of exercise or diet advice (not much self control in that arena).
So good! thanx hon
Can I use fresh raspberries instead of frozen?
That should be fine; it would just take a little longer for the jello to set in the fridge.
Made this tonight…. it was delicious!!!! A great dessert for kids and adults! Thank you!
Alla, it’s one of my favorites! Thank you
Hello!
My friend just brought this dish to my welcome baby shower. It was a hit! Everyone absolutely loved it. I have never tasted anything like it before. All in all, I was impressed (and surprised by the pretzels) and grateful that my friend sent me to your site.
I’m looking forward to borrowing many more of your recipes.
That’s wonderful! Thank you and welcome to the site!!
My fave dessert. I can probably eat the whole thing by myself, but I restrict myself from doing so, lol…. I also made it with strawberries and blueberries, something different but tAsty:)
Natasha, which do you like best; strawberries, raspberries or blueberries? Isn’t it just so incredibly addictive?
My choice would be strawberries or raspberries, they give some extra taste in my opinion. And it is so addictive, especially since I’m craving sweets most of the time:) (I’m 19 weeks pregnant:))
Awwww! Congratulations!! I guess you’ll be finding out soon if you’re having a boy or girl. God bless you in your pregnancy!
Thank you:)
love the whipping cream with the jello but i like to make gramcrackers at the bottom. its just crushed gramcrakers and melted and cooled butter mixed with the crushed gramcrackers. then just make a layer at the bottom. delicious stuff. thanks for the ideas. i sometimes struggle with ideas but this helps its awsome! thank u:):)
Oh gram crackers sounds nice; it’s probably a more consistent crust, it just won’t have anything salty in it like the pretzels.
This dessert is so good! The only thing I’d like to try differently is to run the raspberries through cheese cloth to help illuminate some of the seeds. Ibises raspberries from our garden and they were a bit seedy, if you will. Love the combo of flavora though! So good! Thank you for sharing !
Carol, you can also try strawberries. As long as it’s a fruit that has some tartness to it. Blueberries don’t taste quite as good.
Natasha, have you tried adding pecans to the pretzel/ butter mixture? It’s delicious!!!!
No, but I will now! That does sound great. Thank you so much Natasha!
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