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Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake

Strawberry pretzel ice cream cake combines a golden pretzel crust, creamy strawberry cream cheese layer, and a glossy strawberry ice-cream top for a no-bake-style frozen slice. Salty-sweet layers with a vivid strawberry finish capture the classic pretzel strawberry frozen salad vibe in an easy frozen cake.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
freezing 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pretzel crust
  • 3 cups mini pretzels finely crushed
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter melted (1-1/2 sticks)
  • 3 tbsp sugar
Cream cheese layer
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups whipped topping
Strawberry layers
  • 0.5 gallon strawberry ice cream softened
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the pretzel crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine finely crushed mini pretzels, melted unsalted butter, and sugar, then stir until evenly coated.
  2. Press the pretzel mixture into a 9x13 pan in an even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes until set and golden.
  3. Cool the crust completely in the pan. Let it come to room temperature before adding the cream cheese layer.
Build the creamy strawberry layer
  1. Beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping until no streaks remain.
  2. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled pretzel crust. Freeze for 30 minutes to firm up.
Layer strawberries and ice cream
  1. Layer the sliced fresh strawberries over the cream cheese layer. Arrange them evenly for consistent coverage.
  2. Spread the softened strawberry ice cream over the strawberries in a smooth, even layer. Freeze at least 6 hours until fully firm.
  3. Top with fresh strawberries before serving. Slice and serve straight from the freezer for clean layers.

Notes

Pro tip: chill the cream cheese layer for the full 30 minutes so the strawberry and ice cream layers don’t slide. Store covered in the freezer up to 2 months. Freeze yes. Dietary swap: use a gluten-free pretzel crust (gluten-free mini pretzels) to accommodate gluten-free diets.