My Strawberry Pretzel Salad is the most popular dessert on my blog, for nearly every holiday. The combination of sweet cream, salty pretzels, and tangy fresh strawberries makes it irresistible. This layered strawberry pretzel dessert is loved by adults and kids.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Awesome. Best directions on the internet to make this recipe. My family loves this dessert. Bookmarked forever!” – MZee ★★★★★
Strawberry Pretzel Salad Video Tutorial
This Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe is near and dear to my heart, because it is the first video recipe that went viral on Facebook, and now has been viewed over 57,000,000 MILLION TIMES! I’m so thankful for everyone who watched and shared!
Easy Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Jello recipes, like our Jello Cake and classic Raspberry Pretzel Jello, are the perfect potluck desserts because they keep well and are easy to make and take, which is why this Strawberry Pretzel Salad is so popular during the holidays, and it makes me so happy that it graces your holiday table.
It’s easy to make a day ahead and is served right out of the fridge. Easy! Leftovers–if you have any–last for up to 4 days. It’s so simple to make with my easy step-by-step directions, and I increased the crust since there was a clear consensus that more is better!
Is it a Salad or Dessert?
There is a massive debate on Facebook as to why this is called a “salad,” and it is a passionate debate and very entertaining to read. So let me know in the comments–salad or dessert?
Strawberry Pretzel Salad Ingredients
This creamy, crunchy, sweet, salty Strawberry Pretzel Salad has a little of everything in a single bite, and requires just a few staple ingredients.
- Strawberry Jell-O – get the larger 6-oz box. Make sure to follow my recipe instructions for adding water and NOT the box instructions. If you use too much water, it won’t set properly.
- Pretzels – salted, small sticks or mini pretzels are easiest to crush. The amount of whole pretzels can vary depending on the type you use; about 4 cups of whole pretzels will yield 2 cups coarsely crushed.
- Cream cheese – soften so it mixes well – Tip: place unopened package in warm water for 15 minutes to warm quickly.
- Cool Whip – 1 tub, thawed in refrigerator – see my notes below for substituting
- Strawberries – Fresh sliced strawberries work best, but you can use thawed and drained frozen strawberries.
- Pantry staples – sugar and unsalted butter
Can I Substitute Cool Whip?
Instead of 8 oz of Cool Whip, beat 1 cup heavy cream with 2 Tbsp powdered sugar to stiff peaks, and add 2/3 cup sugar mixed into the cream cheese. In my testing, heavy cream can make the pretzel layer soften and take longer to set, so let it chill for 45 minutes in step 4 and serve the same day.
How to Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad
This layered strawberry pretzel salad dessert is so easy to make with my easy directions!
- Dissolve the Jell-O in 2 cups of boiling water and stir (**do NOT follow package instructions), and then preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a x-large measuring cup makes it easier to pour.
- Crush the pretzels in a zip-top bag. Aim for coarse texture, since the crust can become hard if the pretzels are crushed to a powder.
- Pretzel layer – melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan, and then mix in the pretzels. Press mixture into the bottom of a 13×9″ dish (glass is nice to see all the pretty layers). Bake at 350°F for 10 min, and then cool completely.
- Cream layer – beat the cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer, and then fold in the Cool Whip. Spread it over the room temperature pretzel layer all the way to the edges to seal out moisture so the pretzels stay crisp and to keep the Jell-O from seeping down. Chill in the fridge for 30 min.
- Jell-O layer – stir sliced strawberries into the room temperature Jell-O from step 1. Pour it gently over the cooled cream layer (to prevent cracks), and then cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. It’s best within 24 hours, but can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days before serving.
Natasha’s Pro Tip:
For a different flavor, swap the strawberries for other sliced or small fruit. Try well-drained canned mandarin oranges with orange Jell-O or raspberries for Raspberry Pretzel Jello. Avoid fruits that release too much liquid and will prevent gelatin from setting, such as pineapple, mango, kiwi, or watermelon.
Helpful Reader Review
“I added a handful of scattered blueberries on top of the strawberry layer for my family 4th of July party, and it looked so cute!” – Tanya ★★★★★
My classic Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe brings back all the nostalgic memories from childhood with the three layers of salty crunch, creamy sweetness, and bright fruity gelatin. This dessert is a favorite at BBQ’s and holiday dessert tables, since it’s simple to make and easy to transport.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 6 oz strawberry Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups crushed salted pretzels, (about 4 cups whole pretzels)
- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 8 oz cool whip, thawed in the fridge
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Instructions
- Dissolve – Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Combine strawberry Jell-O with 2 cups boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Crush pretzels in a sturdy ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.
- Pretzel layer – In a medium saucepan, melt 12 Tbsp butter, then add 1/4 cup sugar and stir. Mix in crushed pretzels. Transfer to a 13×9 glass casserole dish, pressing the pretzel mix evenly over the bottom of the dish, and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature.
- Cream layer – When pretzels have cooled, use an electric hand mixer to beat 8 oz cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar on med/high speed until fluffy and white. Fold in 8 oz Cool Whip until no streaks of cream cheese remain. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels, spreading to the edges of the dish to create a tight seal. Refrigerate 30 min.
- Jell-O layer – Hull and slice 1 lb strawberries, then stir them into your room temperature Jell-O. Pour and spread the strawberry Jell-O mixture evenly over your cooled cream cheese layer and refrigerate until Jell-O is set (2-4 hours).
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Party Desserts
I love potluck dessert recipes that are easy to make, bring, and serve at an event. Try these favorites:
- Tiramisu
- Banana Pudding
- Mini Cheesecakes
- Angel Wing Cookies
- Pumpkin Roll
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Apple Roses
- Lemon Posset
- Date Snickers
HELP!!!!!!! Everything came out beautiful but my crust is falling apart. Followed recipe to the t what did I do wrong?
Hi Mark, watch the video to see if anything was done differently in the preparation – any substitutions made possibly? Also, be sure to pre-bake the crust which helps it to set before adding the toppings.
This is the first time making this dish. Just a question: Do I need to defrost the frozen strawberries? Thanks!
Hi Sandra, it will still work with frozen strawberries. Just ensure the frozen strawberries are either sliced or smaller.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! Any hints or recommendations on cutting thru the pretzel crust? Maybe I baked it for too long?
Hi Lenna, I like to use a very sharp serrated knife to cut through.
My sugar did not dissolve well in the cream cheese..what can I do?
Hi Cleta, I haven’t had that experience but I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. Was it lumpy – that could indicate using cream cheese that was too cold. If it was cold cream cheese, you may want to let it stay at room temperature for 15 minutes longer and then beat again until fluffy and smooth. If the cream cheese was softened, I suggest beating it for a couple more minutes.
I would like to make this for Thanksgiving, but have a question.
Can you use frozen, sliced strawberries for this dish?
Hi Polly, we fresh them fresh, but I bet that could work here! I used frozen raspberries for the raspberry pretzel jello, and that worked well! be sure your frozen strawberries are either sliced or smaller.
I make this all the time and use two 16 oz. packages of frozen strawberries with syrup, with everything else being the same. It is one of my top 5 foods to eat.
Natasha
I can never understand why when a number of ounces are indicated in a recipe it doesn’t state whether it’s by weight or by volume. Case in point…. 8 oz cool whip???? Not a mind reader.
Hi Ron, Cool Whip is sold by weight as an 8 oz Tub which is 226 grams.
Cool Whip is sold in 1 litre containers here in Canada. So an indication that the 8 oz is by weight would be a help.
Hi Ron, another thing that may help is that most of our recipes have metric measurements. In the recipe card, if you click metric, you can see the weight in grams as well.
A favorite in my family for years. Instead of water , I use pineapple juice heated up. Adds to the other flavors.
That’s a nice addition to the recipe, Katherine. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can you substitute pretzel sticks instead of the twisted ones using the same measurements?
HI Mary, yes that would work great. I have used both depending on what I have on hand.
Hi! I am making this for thanksgiving. How far in advanced can I make this?
Hi Rebecca, I usually like to make this the night before or max 2 days before so the strawberries stay fresh.
Really good, easy! I added some blueberries too, just about a 1/4 cup. This in addition to the amount of strawberries the recipe called for. It was a very pretty and yummy dessert!😀
Hi Dee, I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
Hi Natasha. I made this strawberry pretzel salad EXACTLY how you said to make it. The only thing I can’t figure out is WHY the crust was not “crunchier”….just soggish!!! NOT wet just blah. Honestly I totally followed what you said to do and YES the cool whip mixture went to the very ends. What could it have been? thanks, Ruth
Hi Ruth, make sure to pre-bake the crust. Also, if the crust seemed soggy or if jello was mingling with the pretzels, that means either there was a crack in the seal of the cream at the edge or the jello was too warm when added. I hope that helps!
I’ve made this recipe for 30 years but with varying results. Thanks to your easy-to-follow directions, this strawberry pretzel salad attempt was a huge success! The sweet layers looked so clean and pretty, and the pretzel crust was crunchy, salty, perfection! Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Jacqueline!
I had a friend in high school whose mom used to make this all the time and I loved it! I had a random craving for it recently and wanted to try making it. I found a bunch of similar recipes and ultimately decided on this one. I would try it again but maybe a little differently next time. I crushed the pretzels by hand and left them in decent sized chunks, but probably should’ve done even smaller ones. The crust also stuck to the pan and was hard to get out, even though there was a lot of butter in it. I think the issue was from the crust being baked so long. I used closer to 3.5 cups of pretzels because when I tried just 2.5 cups, it didn’t spread across the whole pan very well. When I pulled it out of the oven, the butter had really bubbled up. Once it cooled, it was pretty hardened. Like the sugar solidified it too much? Not really sure. It all tastes fine but the crust was a bit of a bummer. I’ll do smaller pieces next time and bake it for less time.
Hi Stephanie, it sounds like maybe the pretzels weren’t crushed enough to form a good crust. I haven’t had an issue with sticking even with using a glass pan. I suggest watching the video tutorial to see where things looked different from my process.
I have made this at least 4 times before. Always a hit! I am planning on making them into cupcakes because we need a grab and go setup (‘cause pandemic). Any tips would be welcome. Thanks!
Hello Donna, great to hear that this recipe was a hit! I haven’t tried that but see others do it online. If you test it out, make sure to send me a picture and let me know how it goes.
Family loved this dessert. I had to use a lot more pretzels than 2.5 cups to which I added equivalent amounts of sugar and butter. I am not fond of cool whip, so I stabilized whipped cream. The whipped cream substitute may have softened the pretzels but it wasn’t soggy. Will make again. May try oranges.
I bet this would be so good with oranges! We have a Raspberry Pretzel Jello that is so delicious!
My family really enjoyed this recipe. I made two versions of it (regular and sugar-free). While they were both delicious. The only issue was that I found the recipe to be a little too sweet. I tasted the components individually and they were amazing but for some reason all of them together took it just a little over the edge. I definitely would make it again though just with a little tweak to get the sweetness level down to my liking. Overall all though, wonderful recipe!
Hi Charlotte, Thank you so much for sharing that with me. It should be overly sweet but feel free to make adjustments to your liking.
Hi Natasha………You are my go to chef for everything. My mother used to make this recipe, I loved it…..I made your version, unfortunately it was a fail. I poured the jello over the two layers ….it turned into mush…..what did I do wrong?
Hi Michele! It is a popular one, and I haven’t had it turn to mush before. Did you make sure to follow each step and refrigerate? Make sure your jello is fully cooled also. Also, make sure to spread your cream cheese center all the way to the edges of the pan so your Jell-O does not leak down to your pretzels. If the Jell-O reaches the pretzels, then it gets soggy.
Wonderful! Everyone at the party loved it!
I added some blueberries to make it the perfect 4th of July red, white and blue!
Great to hear that the recipe was a hit!
The strawberry pretzel salad recipe was perfect. I followed all the directions except I put the jello strawberry mixture in the freezer to chill down quicker. Other than that we followed all the directions and it came out perfect. We did push a lot of cream to the sides to seal it so the jello didn’t leak on the pretzel crust. Our guests loved it. Thank you for the video it made following and understand the recipe much easier!
Thanks for your fantastic feedback, Cindy! I’m glad the recipe was a success.
great stuff! highly addictive! i used an extra cream cheese, a tad more sugar in it, and a spoon of vanilla….it was wonderful! i highly recommend it!
Thank you for this great review, Nora! I agree, this recipe is addictive!
Have you tried to substitute the sugar ? So it would be less carbs?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tried this with a sugar substitute, but a couple of my readers have reported good results with sugar-free jello, sugar-free cool whip, and sugar substitute. Without testing it myself, I can’t really recommend it or tell you how much to substitute. I hope you enjoy it if you try sugar-free.