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perfectly cut square of jello pretzel salad with whipped cream & strawberry garnish.
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5 from 4 votes

Jello Pretzel Salad

This Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad rocks!! It’s the ultimate sweet-and-salty combo that you didn’t know you needed in your life. Healthy folks might try to call it a 'dessert,' but honestly, I wouldn’t even limit it to that. It’s like a party in your mouth—salty pretzels, creamy layers, and that sweet jello finish. It’s the kind of thing you could eat at any time of day—breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner… who’s judging? No one, because it’s that good. It’s sweet, salty, and totally addictive.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chill Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 600kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 6 cups pretzels
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks), melted

For the jello

  • 2 and 1/4 cups water
  • 1 (6-oz) package instant raspberry jello or strawberry jello*
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries
  • 4 cup fresh strawberries (buy 2 and 1/2 pounds strawberries total)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar for the strawberries

For the cream cheese

  • 1 (8-oz package) cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup heavy cream* see note for sub
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350. Add 6 cups of pretzels and 1/4 cup sugar to a food processor.* Blend on low until the pretzels are almost powdered. Pretzels are pretty stubborn, so let the processor run for a solid 2 minutes at least.
  • Add 3/4 cup melted butter to the food processor, and whir until combined. Scrape the pretzel mixture into a glass 9x13 inch pan. (Glass because it's pretty to see the layers. You can use any pan you want!)
  • Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool completely (I like to stick it in the fridge or freezer to speed this up)
  • Prep the strawberries: Slice 5 cups of strawberries. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes to macerate.**
  • Make the jello: In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 2 and 1/4 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the 6 ounces of raspberry jello powder and whisk to combine. Make sure all the powder is dissolved.
  • Add 1 cup of the sliced strawberries to the jello mixture. If you have an immersion blender, blend the strawberries into the jello. This will create a slightly creamier texture to your jello, rather than the bouncy clear version you are used to. You can skip it if you want! The mixture will be foamy. (you can transfer the mixture to a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender.)
  • Add the remaining 4 cups of strawberries and all the juice to the pot with the jello. Stir to combine. Put this in the fridge for about 2 hours, stirring about halfway through. You want the jello to be partially set. Leave it in a little longer if necessary. If it is not set enough, it will leak through your cream cheese layer and make your pretzels soggy.
  • Make the cream cheese mixture: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt until smooth. There should be no lumps. Scrape the mixture into another small bowl and set aside.
  • In the same bowl you beat the cream cheese in (no need to clean it out) add 1 cup cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until you have soft peaks. Read my Whipped Cream post for all the details about whipping cream.
  • Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream. Don't mix too hard, you don't want to deflate the whipped cream. Just gentle folds until it's combined. Refrigerate this until you are ready for layering.
  • Spread the cream cheese mixture over the pretzel crust. Make sure you spread completely to the edges to create a seal, so your jello doesn’t leak through.
  • Pour the jello over cream cheese layer. Arrange the strawberries in the jello on top so they look pretty. Refrigerate until set! Serve cold.

Notes

*CRUST: If you don't have a food processor, add the pretzels to a ziplock and crush with a rolling pin. Then add to a bowl, add the sugar and melted butter, and carry on with the recipe as written. 
*FROZEN STRAWBERRIES: You can totally use frozen strawberries for this recipe! Sprinkle them with sugar and let them defrost in the microwave at 50% power for a minute or two, to help them absorb the sugar. They don't have to be fully defrosted; just until the sugar is dissolving.
*RASPBERRY JELLO? Yes, I like to use raspberry jello sometimes. It's a little more tart! Strawberry is great too, it's totally up to you!
*HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM: You can skip the whipped cream and fold an 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture! Whipped cream tastes better, but sometimes you just gotta git er done, I feel you!
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST: Pretzel crusts have their place in the world, but I love me some graham cracker crust. If you are weirded out by the pretzels (or just in the mood for something sweeter and less salty), then make this with a graham cracker crust:
  • 2 packages graham crackers (18 full sheets), crushed into powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
Mix this all together and press into a 9x13 inch glass pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and then cool completely. Continue with the cream cheese layer as directed. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 600kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 969IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg