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Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry pretzel salad is an easy dessert with lots of contrasting textures and flavors. It isn't too sweet, nor too salty, and looks really pretty when you make it in a glass dish.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12 people
Calories 2498.4 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 inch Baking Dish Essential for baking the crust and assembling the layers.
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl For preparing the cream cheese and gelatin mixtures.
  • 1 Electric Mixer To achieve a smooth, lump-free cream cheese filling.
  • 1 Rubber Spatula or Offset Spreader For evenly spreading the cream cheese and gelatin layers.
  • 1 Small Saucepan For boiling water to dissolve the gelatin.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 2 cups crushed pretzels
  • ¾ cup butter melted
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 2 3 ounce packages strawberry flavored Jell-O
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 2 10 ounce packages frozen strawberries

Instructions
 

  • Gather all ingredients and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Stir crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar together until well-combined; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 8 to 10 minutes; set aside to cool. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Place cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth; fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still-frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. Pour and spread over cream cheese layer; refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Serve and enjoy! Allrecipes / Qi Ai

Notes

For the crust, ensure pretzels are finely crushed for a uniform texture; a food processor works best. Press the mixture firmly into the dish to prevent crumbling when serving. Allow the baked crust to cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer to prevent melting. For the cream cheese layer, make sure the cream cheese is truly softened to room temperature for a smooth, lump-free consistency when beaten. When incorporating the whipped topping, fold it in gently to maintain its airy volume. The use of still-frozen strawberries is crucial as they help to cool the hot gelatin mixture rapidly, preventing the cream cheese layer from melting and speeding up the setting process. Chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours, ideally longer, for firm, clean slices.