Strawberry Pretzel Salad is always a hit at parties. It’s dangerously good! The combination of sweet, salty and tart make it irresistible. This layered strawberry pretzel dessert is loved by adults and kids.
Jello recipes are the perfect potluck dessert because they keep well and are easy to make which is why this Strawberry Pretzel salad is so popular during the holidays. Our jello cake and classic raspberry pretzel jello are also reader favorites this time of year.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Why is it Called “Pretzel Salad”?
There is a massive debate on Facebook as to why this is called a “salad” and it really is a passionate debate (very entertaining to read). can a pretzel jello salad be a salad? I just want to put it out there that I did NOT name this dish. So, what do you think: Salad? or Dessert?
Can I Substitute Cool Whip?
Cool Whip provides the best results because it doesn’t soften the pretzels and keeps better overnight. You may substitute with more natural version like “True Whip“.
If using whipped cream (by beating 1 cup heavy whipping cream until stiff and fluffy) and although this substitution tastes good, it softens the pretzel crust so the crust isn’t as crisp. If using whipped cream, add 2/3 cup sugar to the cream cheese to reach the same sweetness and refrigerate the cream portion for 45 minutes for it to set better.
What Kind of Pretzels are Best for Pretzel Jello?
Use small, SALTED pretzels (either sticks or traditional pretzel twists). Salted hard pretzels add the salty element which is surprising but so good. Smaller pretzels are easier to crush and measure.
Tips for Strawberry Pretzel Salad:
- Dissolve the jello according to recipe instructions (NOT package instructions)
- Use softened cream cheese and thaw cool whip in the refrigerator
- Measure 2 1/2 cups of whole pretzels
- Spread cream portion all the way to the edges for a tight seal before adding jello
- Pour room temperature jello gently over the top to prevent cracks in the cream layer
Watch How to Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad:
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Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Ingredients
- 6 oz strawberry Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 1/2 cups salted pretzels, (measured before crushing)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 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
- 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 2 1/2 cups pretzels in a sturdy ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.
- In a medium sauce pan, melt 8 Tbsp butter then add 1/4 cup sugar and stir. Mix in crushed pretzels. Transfer to a 13x9 glass casserole dish, pressing the pretzel mix evenly over the bottom of the dish and bake for 10 min at 350°F, then cool to room temp.
- 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.
- Hull and slice 1 lb strawberries then stir into your room temperature jello. Pour and spread strawberry jello mixture evenly over your cooled cream cheese layer and refrigerate until jello is set (2-4 hours).
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Tools We Used for this Strawberry Pretzel Jello (affiliate links):
2 Quart Ovenproof Glass Batter Bowl
Glass baking dish
Breville Stainless Steel Electric Kettle
Glass mixing bowl
Stainless Steel Saucepan
Le Creuset Silicone Spatula
Wusthof Classic Ikon 6-inch Utility Knife
OXO Good Grips Nylon Flexible Turner
I hope this pretzel ‘salad’ becomes a new favorite for you! If you have a suggestion for something you want to see on our blog, I’d love to hear about it in a comment below.
Could you substitute whipped cream for the Cool-Whip?
Hi Marcia, please see the note under the second picture of the ingredients for more info on using whipped cream 🙂
If I only have pretzel rods how many would I use
Hi April, I have no idea to be honest without crushing and measuring them. Try to get about 2 cups of crushed pretzels.
Would frozen strawberries work in this recipe??
Hi Inez, I have used frozen raspberries before, so I think frozen strawberries would work fine. If they are large, you may need to halve or a quarter them so they are submerged beneath the surface of the Jell-O.
Could i replace the pretzel with anything else? around where i am we don’t get pretzels easily, is there something i can use instead?
A couple of my readers have reported great results using graham crackers. You might look online for proportions with other recipes that use graham crackers. I hope you love it!
So disappointed. I followed this exactly and when I went to spread cool whip on top of cooled off pretzels, they didn’t stick together and I couldn’t even spread the cool whip mixture on top. 😔
Hi Ashley, I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. If you maybe used a different sized pan, that could have spread the pretzels too thin, or if the pretzels were too large of pieces, or that can happen if you use less butter or sugar. Also, it REALLY helps to put the cream part on top in scoops before spreading just like I did in the video – did you have a chance to watch the video tutorial to see if you missed anything in the recipe or method? I hope that helps!
I am very excited to try this & I really don’t care to be in the EVIL room. lol. Just saw the news this evening on the fighting in Ukraine & hope none of your people are involved. Sending prayers.
Thankfully it hasn’t affected our relatives there because they live on the other side of Ukraine from where the fighting is happening, but I’m sure it is adversely affecting everyone in Ukraine 🙁 Thanks Stephanie!
Can this be done at advance and be freeze ? Thank you so much!
Hi Ana, I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure how the dish would hold up in the freezer. I’ve never frozen jello before! Also, I don’t think the pretzels would stay crunch, but may become soft/mushy when it’s thawed which is why I probably would not want to risk freezing it.
I know this is old, but we also love this! We have found that the pretzels don’t come near covering our 9×13 enough to make a crust, so we do increase the pretzel/sugar/butter by one half (an additional 4T of butter, 1 1/4 c pretzels, and 1/8 c sugar). So good and I love that the crust stays crispy – I have had this one too many times with run-away jello in the pretzels.
I’m so glad you enjoy it!! 🙂
We love this recipe, i’ve made this recipe so many times due to requests of my family:) Thankyou Natasha for such amazing recipes, i love making recipes from your blog because they are easy to follow and super delicious:):):) God bless you and your family:)
Thank you so much Tatiana! These are the best kind of reviews!
Hi Natasha, do you think this will work if I use a 13×9 baking pan instead of a glass baking dish?
I do think it would but keep in mind if you’re using a non-stick pan, it will get scraped up because you have to cut the slices out of the pan. Enjoy!
Made it for the first time. Everyone eat the whole thing.
Love to hear that Barbara! 🙂
I refuse to make this…. because when I do.. I end up eating the whole thing!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! 😂
I’m so glad you enjoy it Dee! Thanks for sharing your review 🙂
I make this regularly and always get raving reviews. I shared this recipe several times (by lining to your website) and I noticed there is a confusion with Canadians about how much Cool Whip to use. Your recipe calls for 8oz tab of Cool Whip, In Canada it comes as 1Little and lots of people assume that both are volume measurements and use only approximately quarter of the Cool Whip.
When in reality 8oz in your recipe in weight (226g) and they need to use entire tab of Cool Whip. I thought I would mention it, I had to explain this 3 times.
But the recipe is just great! I do exactly the way you tell us and it turns out wonderful. I had friend ask me to just caramelize pretzels for him.
Thank you again for your recipe.
That’s good to know! Thank you for sharing Allan. 🙂
Thank u Natasha for this awesome recipe. Made it last sunday for my church members and it was a hit!😃 There was not a single piece left…😀
I am so glad hear that! Thank your for sharing Soumya! 🙂
I made this last night for a potluck at work and it was such a big hit! It tasted amazing, except I noticed that I had a bit of trouble with the crust; it crumbled really easily and didn’t really stay together. I had the perfect amount to cover the bottom of the pan, but do you have any suggestions on how to keep the crust together?
Hi JoElle, did you pre-bake the crust? It may help to crush the pretzels a little finer to help them stay together better.
I pre-baked it 🙂 I’ll definitely try to crush them finer next time and maybe add a little more pretzels so they’re packed in the baking dish! Thank you! 🙂
If I make sure I see all that cream layer, do you think I could make this dish the day before?
Yes, that will work. The only time the pretzels got soft on my the next day was when I used whipped cream instead of cool whip. Otherwise, absolutely you can make it the day before 🙂
Could you use orange jello and Manderin oranges (well drained)?
I think that would work fine 🙂
I’ve tried this recipe a few times and everyone has LOVED it.
Raquel, thank you for sharing such a nice review with us 😀.
This recipe was great but my pretzels came out soggy. Any tips for keeping them crunchy? Thank for sharing such a good recipe!
Hi Allison, the usual cause of pretzels becoming soggy is if the cream portion isn’t sealed correctly and the jello seeps down into the pretzels before it sets. This is why it is super important to seal the cream part. Also, I have tried it with whipped cream instead of cool whip which caused the pretzels to be soft the following day. I hope that helps! 🙂
can you use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?
Hi Joyce, frozen strawberries would work ok, but if using frozen fruit, I prefer to use frozen raspberries. This post should help with the quantity 🙂