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
I’m looking to make this but swap a few of the ingredients, like sugar-free Jell-O & Cool Whip. Could 6 tablespoons of oil be subbed in for the unsalted butter or maybe something else? I have a hard time trying to find unsalted margarine in my area.
Hi Iris! I have not tested oil to know what the results would be like.
You can use salted butter but it tends to add a bit too much saltiness for mosts preference. However, if you used unsalted pretzels, it may balance out well.
I hope you love the recipe!
Love this…Family favorite.. I lightly grease the glass dish with butter. Easy Clean up..Enjoy
I’m so glad this is your family favorite, Jan! It’s a popular recipe for good reason!
Questions:
About how many quarts of fresh strawberries does it take to equal 1#? Why a glass pan? Can I substitute metal? My old-time recipe calls for 2-10oz frozen strawberries which have not been available for a number of years. Thus, makes me want to try this version.
Hi Judith! We’ve had the best results using a glass pan (the crust doesn’t stick quite as much as a metal pan).
I’ve haven’t measured my strawberries in quarts, I generally use weight but here is what google says: 1 lb = 0.479305709268 qt.
I hope you love the recipe!
We too have had this in the family for years… like 50! We always used the small frozen cans of strawberries. Seemed to work just fine.
it sounds like a bit of a strange crust but it is delicious, give it a try!
Hi Carla! Thank you for the feedback.
Is there any way to make this without cream cheese? I’ve always wanted to try it but I can’t do the cream cheese.
Hi Eileen! I have not tested it without. Let us know if you experiment with it.
I substitute a graham cracker crust for the pretzels as my husband does not care for the pretzel crust. It is delicious!
That’s great, Jeanne! Thank you for the feedback.
So I made this recipe&thoug lht it was tasting good. Brought it to a potluck. The only bad thing was that the pretzels got stuck on the bottom like a rock. I tried scraping it off with a metal spoon but most was impossible to get off. So I’ll try some parchment paper next time. It looked really cool the way the strawberries were sitting in the jello.
Hi Petra! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use a glass pan? There should be enough butter in the crust so that it does not stick. I found this works best in a glass pan. You could try using non-stick spray to coat the pan beforehand. This has not been a necessary step for me, but it could help in your situation. The parchment paper should work too if you decide to do that. I hope you have better results next time.
Can I use sliced, frozen strawberries instead of fresh? Thank you!
Hi Jill! Some of my readers have reported good results using frozen strawberries.
Blast from the past recipe! This is a crowd pleaser (tried and true). You easily have time between each step to prepare for the next step. You do have to be sure to make sure you seal the pretzel crust with the whipped cream mixture but it isn’t hard. And it isn’t a deal breaker if the jello leaks.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Dawnee!
I made this recipe however when I put the jello onto the 2 layers it seeped down to the bottom and mixed with everything. I’m not sure what I did wrong
Hi Paul! See my notes in the blog for tips. This can happen if your jello hasn’t cooled enough or if the whipped cream is isn’t spread all the way to the sides creating a good seal.
Not sure if the refrigerator where I’m going will have room for a 9 by 13 pan. Any idea on how long it can be out at room temperature after it is set overnight?
Hi Mary! Because of the whipped cream, it needs to stay refrigerated and shouldn’t be out more than an hour or two max.
Always a hit!! And great for our gluten free household – the gf pretzels make a great sub that no one has ever noticed. Thanks for making this classic available to the masses!
Hi Katie! You’re very welcome! So glad you loved the recipe!
Natasha, do you know how many pretzel sizes and shapes there are?? Highly suggest you give us a measure after crushing; how hard can that be?
otherwise we are just sucking wind. Have no idea what size, or how many oz. to buy. Thanks in advance,
Hi Patricia, thank you so much for that suggestion. I have an image of the pretzels used for reference. We used the mini hard pretzel twists, but I also used the straight pretzel sticks just fine. I hope this is helpful.
Can you make a smaller version of this? 13+9 pan is to large for two people.
Hi Debbie, yes, you share can! I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
You can make a smaller size but you will regret it. Believe me! It is delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
My mom made this often back in the ’90s. It was always so good and I’m happy to have found a recipe that is actually the same. I always make it just as listed but this time instead of using pretzels, I used a bag of pretzel chips that I had and needed to be used. They worked really well too!
I made this for dessert today for company. It was delicious! Everyone had seconds and even took some home. I WILL make it again but will add more to the pretzel layer. Thanks for sharing your family favorite.
Hi Barbara! Thank you for the feedback. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
A day later and it’s still delicious. I can’t eat enough of this. You were right, it is “dangerously good”! 🙂
Awesome! I’m so glad that you love it even after the next day!
Is there any way to make this recipe without cool whip?! I really don’t use it and prefer more natural ingredients!
Hi Caroline! Yes, see the notes in the blog post above for making your own homemade whipped cream.
Oh my gosh! I took this to a graduation party yesterday. It was DEVOURED. Everyone told me that I’m not allowed at the next party unless I bring two of these. Only change I made to recipe was that I used salted butter.
Hi Eileen! This is always a hit at our parties! I’m so glad it was enjoyed. Thank you for the feedback.
This came out so good! My kids loved it as well 🙂 Thank you for sharing this!
Lovely to hear that, Sharon! Thanks a lot for your great comments and feedback.
First–I love watching your videos.
Second–I made this salad. No time to let things cool to room temp. For jello I set bowl on top of a bowl with ice. Pretzel crust I set on top of sheet pan covered with ice.
Worked great. Thanks for your great recipes, along with entertaining and helpful videos.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Natasha
I made this dessert and it was a great success! Lots of compliments!
The only thing, for the quantity of pretzels, butter and sugar, I could not cover a 9×13 dish…
I had to use an 8×11 1/2 dish.
In Canada, Jello packages are 3 ounces. So you need 2 boxes.
The size of this dish was correct.
Am I the only one who had this problem?
Thank you!
Hi Andrée! I’m so glad it turned out for you. A 9 x 13 dish is correct and I’ve had enough to cover the bottom of my dish. You can watch the video linked in the blog post above to see my process and how my crushed pretzels looked, they were coarsely crushed.
Hello Natasha
Thanks for the reply!
I had watched the video 3 times before making the dessert.
I also watched it while making it. My pretzels were the same size as the ones you used and I crushed them as you did, similar size…
Someone said to measure 2 1/2 cups after crushing them….I’ll try next time.
Even a few days after serving the dessert, other people were texting me to tell me how much they liked it! I’ll be making it again soon to try it! I offered it to a volunteer team!
Thanks, I really like your recipes!
Hi Andrée! You’re very welcome. I hope it turns out better the next time.
I measure the pretzel after crushing and I think the ratio is better.
Love this recipe, my only comment is that it takes WAY longer than started to make. Everything takes lots of time to cook to room temperature and when I glanced at this recipe I thought 2.5 hours was enough time. With cooking to room temp, and cooling in the fridge, and letting the jello set up it’s closer to 4 hours! Not enough time from church to mother’s Day evening to make it!
Hi Andrea, thank you for pointing that out. The recipe card timer was definitely off. I have updated it and you are correct, it will take closer to 4 hours with the setting time.