Strawberry Cream Cheese Pretzel Dessert is a sweet and salty classic with a buttery praline pretzel crust, creamy whipped cheesecake filling, and a bright layer of strawberry gelatin topping with fresh strawberries. Cool, crunchy, fruity and creamy in every bite – the perfect summer treat!
This dessert is often called strawberry pretzel salad and I think it really needs a rebrand, because that name doesn’t do it justice. I waited forever to make this dessert because that name just doesn’t sound appealing. I’m sorry now that I waited so long though because this dessert is amazing! The sugar/butter/pretzel mixture forms almost a praline crust which is perfectly compliments the creamy filling and bright fruit topping.
This recipe will definitely be on repeat at my house in the future! This is a great pot luck or party dessert too. You should definitely try this recipe if you are on the fence. Check out my full collection of our favorite desserts here.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pretzel Dessert
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3 cups pretzel sticks or twists
- 11 tbsp butter melted
- 3 tbsp sugar
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cups cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temp
For the topping:
- 6 oz strawberry jello powder
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 cups fresh strawberries washed and quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9×13 pan with butter or pan spray. Place the pretzels in a food processor and process in pulses until they are broken down into small pieces but not completely pulverized.
- Mix the pretzels, butter and sugar together well and spread into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla using the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Transfer to another bowl. Then whip the cream using the whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until smooth, taking care not to deflate the cream. Spread over the pretzel crust, making sure the mixture goes all the way to the edges of the pan so that no jello can leak down into the crust. That way the crust stays crisp.
- Add the jello mix to a bowl that is heat safe and add the boiling water. Stir well. Place in the fridge for about an hour until it has the consistency of egg whites. Add the strawberries and pour over the filling. Place in the fridge for 2-4 hours, then serve. Store in the fridge.
One thought on “Strawberry Cream Cheese Pretzel Dessert”