Strawberry Pretzel Salad is a refreshing, chilled dessert perfect for summer parties with layers of buttery, creamy, sweet and tart flavors.

During the Summer it’s great to find refreshing Fruit Dessert Recipes to enjoy the season’s best flavors. This summer dessert is made with fresh strawberries; try Peach Cobbler and Key Lime Pie for more summer fruit recipes.

Collage of strawberry dessert in pan and bowl of strawberries

Sabrina’s Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe

This Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe is the perfect simple treat for sharing with a crowd. The layers of pretzel, cream cheese, and strawberry are easy to assemble, then it’s just a simple matter of giving it enough time to set in the fridge. Once it is done, the crunchy base, creamy center, and sweet Jell-O strawberry layer are sure to make this an instant family favorite!

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Ingredients

Crust:

▢ 2 cups pretzels , crushed
▢ 3/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
▢ 1/4 cup sugar

Cream cheese filling:

▢ 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
▢ 1 cup sugar
▢ 8 ounces Cool Whip

Strawberry Jello layer:

▢ 6 ounces Strawberry Flavored Jello
▢ 2 cups boiling water
▢ 4 cups strawberries , sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray.
Mix the pretzels, butter, and sugar and spread evenly in the baking dish.
Bake for 8-10 minutes then cool.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together cream cheese and sugar.
Stir in Cool Whip until well blended.
Spread cream cheese mixture over the pretzels (make sure you don't leave ANY gaps on the side of the baking pan or jello will seep into the crust and ruin it).
Cover and freeze for 1 hour.
Whisk jello into boiling water until completely dissolved.
Add strawberries to jello mixture and let sit for 10 minutes to cool.
Pour over the cooled baking dish.
Refrigerate for 4 hours or until completely set before slicing.

Nutrition

Note from Sabrina

For clean, picture-perfect layers, make sure the pretzel crust is completely cooled before adding the cream cheese layer, then spread the filling all the way to the edges of the pan. This creates a seal that keeps the strawberry gelatin from soaking into the crust, so every bite stays crisp, creamy, and beautifully layered.

Sabrina’s Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Recipe Card
About this Recipe
How to Store
Ideas to Serve
Variations
Related Recipes

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About this Recipe

Strawberry Pretzel Salad is an incredible combination of flavor and texture. The simple pretzel base is made with just butter, sugar, and pretzel crumbs. It gives the dessert a nice solid base and the pretzels bring some delicious saltiness to the recipe. On top of that, the cream cheese adds a little sour flavor and a rich, creamy texture. Then it’s all topped off with the fresh sweetness of strawberries for the perfect summer treat! The bright red color and multiple layers also make this a beautiful dessert. It is fun to take to BBQs or potlucks because it is easy to make, but it always looks like a showstopper.

How to Store

Serve: Let Strawberry Pretzel Salad set in the fridge for a full 4 hours before serving it. The Jello and cream cheese topping will be at their best while chilled, so don’t leave them at room temperature for more than an hour or so.
Store: If you have any leftovers, cover the dish in tin foil and put it back in the fridge. It will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze: You can also cover and freeze the dish for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before serving chilled.

Ideas to Serve

For an extra sweet and creamy addition to the recipe, serve it with a whipped topping. You can buy whipped cream from the store or make your own whipped topping with my recipe for Whipped Cream. Wait for the dish to set in the fridge before slicing it into squares and adding a dollop of whipped cream to each one. You can also add slices of fresh strawberries for garnish.

Variations

Crust: Instead of a pretzel crust you could use graham crackers, vanilla Oreos, or vanilla wafers to make the crumb crust.
Nuts: For some crunch try adding pecans, walnuts, or almonds over the strawberry layer. Sprinkle the nuts over the Jello before putting it in the fridge to set.
Berries: You could also add some more flavor and color with different frozen berries. Add frozen blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries to the jello mixture before you pour it into the casserole dish.