Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Classic Strawberry Pretzel Salad is perfect for potlucks, BBQs and other gatherings! The combination of the salty pretzel crust, sweet cheesecake filling and fresh strawberries with jello is perfection. It’s a cold and creamy treat that always gets rave reviews!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 259kcal
Cost: $8
Ingredients
Strawberries:
- 1 6-ounce box strawberry Jell-o
- 2 cups boiling water
Crust:
- 2 cups crushed pretzels about 5 cups of twists, see note
- 3 tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake:
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
Instructions
- Place Jello powder in a medium sized bowl. Carefully pour boiling water over the powder, stir until it’s all dissolved. Let sit at room temperature until it is completely cool.
- While the Jello is cooling, make the crust. Stir together the crushed pretzels with sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth, then mix in the whipped topping.
- Spread cheesecake mixture on top of the crust. Make sure that the cheesecake completely touches all edges of the pan – leave no holes or areas where it’s open, otherwise the jello will soak through when you pour it on. Chill 1 hour.
- Assemble the dessert: place the strawberries in a single layer on top of the cheesecake mixture. Carefully pour the cooled jello mixture evenly over the berries and cheesecake. Chill until set, at least 3 hours.
- Dessert can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Enjoy within 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Approximately 5 cups mini pretzel twists = 2 cups crushed pretzels. It’s best to use a food processor to crush the pretzels so you don’t have large chunks.
- I like to use my food processor to crush the pretzels because it’s really easy. Plus, it chops them evenly. You don’t want a lot of big pretzel pieces otherwise your crust won’t hold together well when you slice it. If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the pretzels in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin. It will take longer to break them down, but it will work.
- Make sure to cool the jello to room temperature so that it doesn't melt the cheesecake or cause the strawberries to weep.
- Make sure to chill the crust, then the cheesecake as noted in the recipe. This is to ensure it sets up properly.
- Make sure to spread the cheesecake layer all the way to the edges of the pan and seal it with the pan, so the jello doesn't soak through.
- You should make strawberry pretzel salad the night before, as it needs time to set.
- Use fresh or frozen berries! To use frozen strawberries, let them thaw then drain them very well.
- Store leftovers covered with plastic in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 488IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg