Can I make strawberry pretzel salad in advance?

This Strawberry Pretzel Salad is perfect for make-ahead entertaining. It requires several hours of refrigeration to set properly so prep it in the morning and it will be ready for your afternoon or evening events. It is best served the same day as the pretzel crust will begin to soften over time. However, it can be refrigerated for up to two days, but the crust may be slightly softer.

What are the best pretzels to use in this recipe?

Selecting the right pretzels is key for the success of this strawberry pretzel salad recipe. For the best flavor, choose plain pretzels—avoiding buttered, excessively seasoned, or unsalted varieties—to best complement the filling and topping. Mini pretzels, regular pretzels, or pretzel sticks work best; their size and shape create a crust that's easy to bite and serve. Thicker or larger pretzels result in a crust that's both difficult to serve and potentially too hard to eat.

Why is this recipe called Jell-O® salad?

It is thought that gelatin salads were so named because they typically are made with fruit and/or veggies suspended in or layered with gelatin and served as a side. These dishes with a myriad of ingredients, are reminiscent of the appearance of tossed or layered fruit or vegetable salads. In the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s gelatin molds were very popular. They were served as a salad with a meal; thus the name “salad” has stuck for Jell-O® recipes containing fruit, mayonnaise, cream cheese, veggies, and/or nuts.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Name: Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 6 h 5 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 boxes (4-serving size each) Jell-O® strawberry-flavored gelatin; 2 cups boiling water; 2 containers (16 oz each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed; 6 cups mini pretzel twists; 3/4 cup salted butter, melted; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip frozen whipped topping, thawed; 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened; 1 cup sugar

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Prep Time 20 min
Total 6 hr 5 min
Servings 12
Ingredients 9

Ingredients

Topping

2 boxes (4-serving size each) Jell-O® strawberry-flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 containers (16 oz each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed

Crust

6 cups mini pretzel twists
3/4 cup salted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar

Filling

1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar

Instructions

Step
1

Heat oven to 350°F.
Step
2

In medium heatproof bowl, place gelatin. Pour boiling water over gelatin; whisk until completely dissolved. Let cool 10 minutes. Stir in thawed strawberries and any juice. Refrigerate uncovered until partially set (should resemble the texture of raw egg whites), about 1 hour 45 minutes.
Step
3

Place pretzels in resealable food storage bag, press out the air, and seal. Crush with rolling pin until largest pieces are no bigger than 1/2 inch. Crush enough pretzels to yield 2 cups crushed pretzels.
Step
4

In medium bowl, mix the 2 cups crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press evenly in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
Step
5

In medium bowl, beat thawed whipped topping, softened cream cheese and 1 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until cream cheese mixture is set.
Step
6

Carefully spoon and spread the gelatin topping over the cream cheese filling. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or until gelatin is set. To serve, cut into 4 rows by 3 rows.

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