Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad is so good! The salty, buttery pretzel crust is perfect with the creamy Cream Cheese and tart Raspberry Jello layers. My nephew called it weird but great. This is a popular recipe on Pinterest and I had to try it. My version of a Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad uses a double layer of cream cheese topping, extra thick pretzel crust and lots of raspberries. It is very easy to make, just allow for time for each layer to set before assembling. By using frozen raspberries, it can be made all year long making it is a great dish to bring to a Fourth of July party or Christmas Eve buffet.
Here are my tips and step-by-step guide for Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad:
Line a 9″x 13″x 2.5″ pan with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Next, crush the pretzels with a meat mallet in a ziplock bag.
Mix the crushed pretzels with sugar and lots of melted butter. Press firmly into the pan to form a crust. The key is crush the pieces small enough to pack down nicely but still have a little crunch. This will make the cutting after chilled much easier. The ones shown in this picture should be crushed smaller. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. It will make your kitchen smell divine! Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool.
To make the cream cheese layer, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Gently beat in the whipped cream topping to create a thick and luscious sweet topping layer.
Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cooled crust.
To make the raspberry jello mixture start with a box of jello mix, two cups of boiling water and 2 bags of thawed frozen raspberries. Allow the dissolved jello to cool a bit and add the raspberries. Give a good stir. It should make about 4 cups.
To assemble the final layer of the Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad, ladle the raspberry jello over the chilled cream cheese layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to overnight. It is easiest to cut when chilled.
Serve the Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad and enjoy as a salad or a dessert!
Rasperry Pretzel Jello Salad
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 1 (16-ounce) bag salted pretzel sticks about 6 cups crushed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter melted
Cream Cheese layer
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 (8-ounce) tubs frozen whipped topping, thawed
Raspberry Jello layer
- 1 (6-ounce) package Raspberry Jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 (10-ounce) bags frozen raspberries thawed
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13” X 9” X 2.5” pan with parchment paper. I like to use binder clips to hold the paper in place while I assemble. Remove them before baking.
Make the Crust
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To make the crust, place the pretzels in a ziplock bag and crush using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Be sure to get the pieces small so that a solid crust can be formed. Transfer the crushed pretzels to a large bowl.
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Add the sugar to the pretzels and toss to combine. Pour the melted butter over the pretzel/sugar mixture and mix well with a rubber spatula. The pretzels will absorb the butter.
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Press the pretzel mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Be sure to firmly press the crust down to ensure as few air pockets as possible. This will help form a solid crust for cutting later. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool approximately 20 minutes.
Make the Cream Cheese Layer
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While the crust is cooling, Add the softened cream cheese cream cheese and sugar to a medium bowl and beat on medium speed with hand beaters until combined. Add one tub of whipped topping to the cream cheese and beat until incorporated. Add the second tub and beat on low until combined.
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When the pretzel crust is cool, dollop the cream cheese mixture evenly on the crust and spread out in a even single layer. Be sure the corners and edges of the crust are covered so the next layer does not seep through. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 - 60 minutes.
Make the Raspberry Jello layer
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While the cream cheese layer is chilling, make the jello layer. In a medium bowl, mix Jello with the boiling water and set aside. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Add the 2 packages of thawed raspberries and stir until evenly combined. Let the jello sit at room temperature until the ready to add to the pan.
Assemble
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Remove the pan from the refrigerator and ladle the Jello raspberries mixture over the cream cheese layer to create an even single layer. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until the Jello layer is set a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight.
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To serve the salad, remove the chilled pan from the fridge and cut into squares. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Note: This recipe was created for a crowd with thick layers and will fill to the very of top of the pan. You can substitute a 11”x17” pan but the layers will be thinner.
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