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Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Strawberry pretzel jello salad is a layered pretzel dessert with a golden, salty-sweet crust and a fluffy cream cheese middle topped with shimmering strawberry Jell-O studded with berry slices. Bake the pretzel base, spread the cream cheese layer, then chill until the red Jell-O sets into clean, sliceable rectangles.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pretzel crust
  • 2 cup pretzel twists coarsely crushed
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
For the cream cheese layer
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 8 oz whipped topping (Cool Whip) thawed
For the Jell-O layer
  • 6 oz strawberry Jell-O
  • 2 cup boiling water
  • 2 cup cold water or ice
  • 2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries sliced

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pretzel crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, then mix crushed pretzels with melted butter and granulated sugar until evenly coated.
  2. Press the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish, then bake for 8–10 minutes until set and slightly golden.
  3. Cool completely before adding the next layer.
Make the cream cheese layer
  1. Beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in thawed whipped topping.
  2. Spread over the completely cooled pretzel crust, sealing to the edges so Jell-O doesn’t seep through.
  3. Refrigerate the cream cheese layer for 30 minutes while you prepare the Jell-O.
Build and chill the strawberry layer
  1. Dissolve strawberry Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water, stirring until fully dissolved.
  2. Stir in 2 cups cold water (or ice), then let cool to room temperature but do not let it set.
  3. Stir sliced strawberries into the cooled Jell-O, then gently pour over the cream cheese layer.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until Jell-O is completely set, then slice into rectangles and serve cold.

Notes

For the cleanest rectangle slices, make sure the pretzel crust is completely cool and the cream cheese layer is sealed to the edges before pouring the Jell-O. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended because the texture of the Jell-O and whipped topping can change. For a lighter version, use reduced-fat cream cheese (and a low-fat whipped topping if desired) to cut calories without changing the layering method.