My (mostly) from-scratch strawberry pretzel salad is made without gelatin or cool whip. It tastes even better than the classic version you’re used to! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad From Scratch
Those of you who have never had strawberry pretzel salad may be surprised to discover that it’s actually not quite a salad at all. Instead, it’s an old-fashioned layered dessert with a crumbly-crisp pretzel base, fluffy cream cheese/whipped cream filling, and a fresh strawberry topping. All are easy to make–the hardest part is waiting for it to chill before serving!
I’ve gotten a lot (a LOT) of requests to share my own version of strawberry pretzel salad over the years, but personally, I’ve never been a fan of the “traditional” version (not to mention we just don’t really “do” Cool Whip or Jell-O here). You can find those versions anywhere, so I knew that I wanted my version to be at least mostly from scratch (the pretzels aren’t, that’s it!).
It’s a tiny bit more work than its classic, more jiggly counterpart, but worth every second of the effort. I love this version and I think you will, too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No gelatin or Cool Whip! By making the top and middle layer from scratch we avoid the artificial additives and preservatives and just make for a much better, fresher-tasting dessert.
- Sweet, salty, creamy, and fresh. This dessert has all the flavors and textures.
- Great for parties and holidays. It easily feeds a crowd and is perfect for making in advance! We enjoy this just as much at Christmas as we do on the Fourth of July.
- Can be made with fresh or frozen berries, so use whatever you have on hand or what’s in season.
Ingredients
Despite being almost entirely from scratch, my recipe doesn’t require a bunch of extra ingredients. You’ll really only need 10, unless you opt to use brown sugar to the crust (then you’ll need 11!).
- Strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen sliced strawberries. I usually recommend using fresh when they are in season (and try my strawberry cake too, while you’re at it!). If you use frozen, there is no need to thaw them first.
- Pretzels. Just like when making my pretzel crusted chicken, I recommend mini twist pretzels for today’s recipe. Crush them finely so they can compact nicely into your baking dish; I use a food processor to do this, but you can alternatively use a rolling pin and ziplock bag.
- Cream cheese. Use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese like you would for cheesecake (or my strawberry cheesecake). Make sure you let this soften to room temperature for the smoothest and creamiest filling (if mixed cold it could make the filling lumpy).
- Cornstarch. This helps thicken our strawberry topping and encourages it to set into a firm consistency. It won’t be quite as firm and jiggly as gelatin, but it will still have a lovely, jammy consistency.
- Sugar. Using a blend of white and brown sugar in the crust adds a nice depth of flavor. I do this in my graham cracker crust too! Alternatively, you could use all of one or the other–in the photo above, I only show granulated.
SAM’S TIP: I always recommend fresh lemon juice for the best flavor, but since we are using such a small amount, bottled will work just fine here. Don’t you dare use bottled for my strawberry lemonade though!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Before we get into the nitty gritty, I just want to note that the photos and instructions below are just meant to be helpful, visual guidelines to accompany the recipe card (at the bottom of the post) and aren’t intended for you to try and bake from. I provide these photos and details because I think they’re helpful, but for the full recipe in its entirety scroll down to the recipe card.
Make the Crust
- Crush your pretzels into fine pieces using a food processor or rolling pin.
- Toss with butter and sugars until everything is combined and the pretzels are moist.
- Firmly press into the bottom of your pan. I like to use the (clean!) bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup or kitchen glass.
- Bake for 12 minutes and let cool completely before adding your filling.
Make the Strawberry Topping
- Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan, then stir in half of the strawberries and lemon juice.
- Cook over medium low until the berries are juicy. This will take a few minutes, especially if you are using frozen berries.
- Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly as the mixture boils. Once it thickens, remove from the heat. You can test this by dipping a spoon into the mixture; if it coats the back of the spoon, it’s ready! You can also run your spatula through the middle–it should leave a clear trail. I demonstrate this in the video below if you need a visual.
- Stir in the remaining strawberries and the butter (the butter adds a glossy color and richer mouthfeel), then pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool completely before proceeding. You can pop it in the fridge while you make the filling to speed up the process!
Make the Filling and Assemble
- Whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to stiff, fluffy peaks, then set aside. If you have struggled with whipping cream in the past, check out my post on how to make homemade whipped cream for lots of tips!
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in a separate bowl, then fold in the whipped cream until everything is nicely combined.
- Assemble: spread the filling over your (completely cooled, if it’s warm the filling can start to melt) pretzel crust, making sure it goes all the way to the edges. If there are any gaps, the strawberry topping can leak through and make your crust soggy.
- Add the (cooled!) strawberry topping evenly over top, then cover and place in the fridge to chill for a few hours or overnight.
SAM’S TIP: I recommend freezing your “salad” for 10-30 minutes before slicing; this makes for the cleanest, neatest slices. Otherwise it can be a bit messy to cut and serve (but no less delicious!).
Frequently Asked Questions
One thing about my recipe is it does not cut as neatly as the classic version. You can just scoop it onto a plate with a large serving spoon and it’s just as good (I mean salads were never meant to be neatly sliced, anyway, right?), but if you really want tidier slices just pop the dish in the freezer for up to 30 minutes before cutting.
I will gladly take the trade-off of having a messier-to-slice version for better taste though!
I haven’t tried this recipe with other fruits, but I would suspect it would work fine with other berries or peaches without alteration. If you do try this recipe with a different fruit, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This is actually standard for ANY strawberry pretzel salad, not just my homemade version! The crust will be pretty crumbly, but it should still be crisp. Crushing the pretzels into finer pieces helps make it less crumbly and more like a graham cracker crust.
I’m so excited to hear how you like my homemade take on this classic dessert! Please leave me a comment below if you try it 😊
Enjoy!
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Strawberry Pretzel Salad (no Cool Whip or Jell-O)
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Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 358kcal
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Instructions
Crust
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Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
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In a medium-sized bowl combine crushed pretzels, butter, and sugars and mix together until well combined and pretzels are thoroughly moistened.
2 ¼ cups (230 g) finely crushed pretzels, ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, 2 Tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons (25 g) brown sugar
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Press pretzel mix firmly and evenly into the bottom of 13”x9” pan.
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Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and allow crust to cool completely before adding the filling, but in the meantime you can prepare the strawberry topping.
Strawberry Topping
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In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add half of the strawberries and the lemon juice, stir to combine.
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 2 lbs (908 g) strawberries, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
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Cook mixture on stovetop over medium/low heat until berries release their juices. Increase heat to medium and cook/boil, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened (spatula will leave a brief trail through the mixture, it will coat the back of a spoon, see video for visual reference).
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Remove from heat and add remaining strawberries and butter, stir until butter has melted and strawberries are evenly mixed throughout. Set aside and allow to cool completely before making the filling and assembling the “salad”.
½ Tablespoon butter
Filling
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Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until thick, fluffy, and stiff peaks form. Set aside.
1 ½ cups (360 ml) heavy cream, ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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In a separate, medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer (you can use the same “dirty” beaters from the whipped cream!) to beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
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Add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold together until mixture is combined, smooth, and creamy.
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Spread mixture evenly over cooled pretzel crust. Be sure to spread all the way to the edges of the pan (so the next layer can’t soak into the pretzel layer and make it soggy). Set aside.
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Spread prepared, slightly cooled strawberry mixture evenly over the filling. Cover with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator to chill for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight) before serving. Serving tip! This strawberry pretzel salad does not cut as neatly as its Jell-o counterpart so slicing can be a bit messy. For neater slices, chill the pretzel salad in the freezer for 10-30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Pretzels for crust
You’ll need between 5 and 6 cups of the “tiny twists” pretzels. I pulverize mine in a food processor, 15 1-second pulses usually does the trick. You can place the pretzels in a large Ziploc bag and smack with a rolling pin, just make sure you have finely broken the pretzels.
Strawberries
Fresh or frozen strawberries will work. No need to thaw the frozen strawberries, just start the saucepan on a lower heat to help them gently thaw while cooking and they’ll just likely need to cook longer to cook out the excess water.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 856IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.