Amazing as a salad or dessert, this incredible Cherry Jell-O Pretzel Salad recipe is the ultimate side dish for any cookout, potluck or backyard barbecue. Made with a salty-sweet pretzel crust, a delicious cream cheese filling, and topped with fresh cherries, this cherry jello salad is a must for any summer get-together. The perfect cherry pretzel salad recipe!
If you love salty-sweet foods, then you’re definitely in for a treat with this amazing pretzel salad recipe! Many call it a salad, as it is made with Jell-o, but it is certainly sweet enough to be considered a dessert.
The strawberry version of this side is fantastic, but if you love fresh cherries, then THIS version is definitely for you. Perfect for a neighborhood cookout, pot-luck dinner for summertime block party, this fun side dish will be a hit with everyone!
What do I need to make cherry pretzel salad?
- Pretzels – mini pretzel twists work well, however, you can also use small pretzel sticks or larger pretzel twists.
- Butter – the butter is used in making the pretzel crust.
- Granulated sugar – also used in making the crust.
- Cream cheese – regular or Neufchatel cream cheese works well. Be sure to let your cream cheese soften to room temperature before starting the recipe.
- Whipped Topping (like Cool Whip) – you can also use my Homemade Cool Whip recipe, which is a great option that uses real whipping cream
- Cherry Jell-O – you will need 2 smaller 3 oz. boxes or one larger 6 oz. box.
- Fresh cherries – if fresh cherries are out of season or unavailable, you can use a bag of frozen cherries from the frozen fruit section. A jar of maraschino cherries (with stems removed) could also be used.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to the recipe card. Thanks!
How do I make pretzel salad?
Begin by making the pretzel crust. To make the crust, break the pretzels into small pieces. To the pretzel pieces, add the melted butter and sugar.
Mix to combine, then pour out the pretzel mixture into a 9×13″ pan. Evenly press into the bottom of the pan.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes to get it to set. This is a step you don’t want to skip, as it helps the crust become firm, crunchy and a good base for the rest of the ingredients.
Making the cream cheese filling
Once the crust comes out of the oven and has cooled completely, top the crust with the cream cheese filling. The filling is made with the room temperature cream cheese, thawed Cool Whip and sugar.
To make the filling, use a hand or stand mixer to cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the thawed Cool whip and combine until fluffy and creamy.
Spread over the cooled crust making sure to seal it all the way to the edges of the pan. This is important, as you don’t want the top Jell-O layer to leak down to bottom, softening the crust.
Once evenly spread and sealed to the edges of the pan, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to help the cream cheese filling firm up.
Adding the Cherry Jell-O Layer
Your last step is to add the cherry Jell-o to the top. While the crust/filling is chilling, begin boiling your water for the Jell-o. The recipe calls for 2-3 oz. packages of cherry Jell-o, or you can use a large 6 oz. package if its available.
Pour the boiling water together with the Jello mix in a large bowl, and let cool at room temperature.
While the Jell-o is cooling, begin slicing the cherries. I sliced mine in half, which makes it easy to remove the pit. If cherries are out of season or unavailable, pick up some frozen cherries in the frozen food section. Jarred maraschino cherries can also be used.
Add your cherries to the Jell-O and stir. Then, pour the cherry/Jell-O mixture on the top of the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until the Jell-O is completely set.
Love cherries? Check out our Cherry Bread recipe, our Cherry Crisp and our Cream Cheese Cherry Scones!
FAQ’s for making Jell-O Pretzel Salad:
The classic Jell-O pretzel salad is made with a pretzel crust (pretzels, butter and sugar), a cream cheese filling (cream cheese, Cool Whip and sugar) and a Jell-O topping made with Jell-O and fruit.
Add pretzels to a zip-loc bag. Using a rolling pin, crush the pretzels into small pieces. Pour the crushed pretzel pieces into a bowl, and mix together with melted butter and sugar. Pour pretzel mixture into a pan, and press evenly into the bottom of the pan forming a crust.
Pretzel salad will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. It is best in the first 1-2 days after it has been made. After this, the pretzel crust will begin to soften and no longer be crisp.
If you loved this Cherry Jell-O Pretzel Salad, check out some of our other sweet side dish recipes:
- Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
- Peaches and Cream Pretzel Salad
- Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff Salad
- Lemon Oreo Fluff Salad
- Snickers Apple Salad
- Pistachio Fluff Recipe
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Healthy Broccoli Salad with Apples and Cherries
- Watermelon Cucumber Salad
- Cherry Milkshake
- Ardelle’s Rhubarb Delight
What can I serve this Cherry Jell-O salad with?
This Jell-O salad recipe is fantastic side-dish for any cookout, backyard BBQ or potluck. Here are some main dish recipes that this Jell-O salad would be perfect with:
- BBQ Bacon Burgers
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken
- BBQ Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Salsa Burgers
- Italian Grilled Chicken
- Brown Sugar Balsamic Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
- Grilled Steak Kabobs
Here’s the easy recipe for this fantastic summer side dish:
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Cherry Jello Pretzel Salad
Equipment
- 9 x 13" Pan This Anolon non-stick 9 x 13" cake pan comes with a lid for easy storage. Great for cakes, brownies and bars!
- Stand Mixer This KitchenAid Stand Mixer is a must-have tool for any home baker!
- Glass Mixing Bowls Ideal for cooking and baking, and great for anything that needs to go into a microwave.
Ingredients
Crust Layer
- 2 cups pretzels roughly crushed
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Filling Layer:
- 1 (8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese room temperature
- 1 (8 oz. carton) Cool Whip thawed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Cherry Jell-o Topping:
- 2 (3 oz. pkgs.) cherry Jell-o mix
- 2 cup boiling water
- 2 cup cherries, fresh sliced and pitted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×13" pan, add the pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Stir together to coat, and then evenly press into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- While crust is baking, empty Jell-o into a bowl, and add boiling water. Stir to disolve. Set jell-o aside to cool to room temperature.
- With a hand or stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Gradually add in the whipping topping and mix until completely combined. Spread mixture evenly over the cooled crust, making sure filling is sealed to the sides of the pan. (This is important, as you don't want the jell-o liquid to leak to the bottom, making the crust soggy.) Refrigerate crust and cream cheese mixture for 30 minutes to set.
- While crust and filling layers are chilling, slice and pit the fresh cherries and add to the cooled jell-o liquid. When the 30 minutes is up, pour the cherries & jell-o over the cream cheese layer, and chill for at least 1-2 hours or until jell-o is completely set.
- Garnish with whipped cream and additional pretzels, if desired. Slice into squares and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up!
I always love sweet & salty combinations and this sounds so good! Thanks for sharing at Share The Wealth Sunday!
This looks amazing! I love anything with pretzels 🙂
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
This sounds delicious! Thank you so much for participating in the Get It Together Link Party this past week! We hope to see you again on Monday! 🙂
This looks like a delicious dessert to take to a summer potluck dinner. I LOVE cherries!
Thank you for sharing this with us on the #HomeMattersParty. We hope to see you when we open our doors on Friday at 12 AM EST.
Looks & sounds really yummy!Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Have a great week ahead. Pinned & shared.
This looks great! My kids would go crazy over it. Thank you for linking up to last week’s Tasty Tuesday linky! I’ve pinned your recipes to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board and hope that you’ll join us again this week.
Oh, delish!! Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday!!
Mollie
This jello salad looks SO good! LOVE that you used cherries. Cannot wait to make this.
I made a salad very similar. It sounds so good with the cherries. I will need to give it a try.
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner link up!
Looks scrumptious! My family does a strawberry jello pretzel cake – but cherries are my favorite so I’m sure I’d like this one! Thanks for linking up with thursday favorite things!
I make this using raspberries and my family loves it. I bet the cherries are delicious! Thanks for sharing with SYC. I would have liked to have featured you this week, but I’m not seeing a link back to the party. That is a requirement. 🙁
hugs,
Jann
Erin, I love pretzels and I love sweet desserts! This is truly the best of both worlds. Thanks so much for sharing this gem, it looks amazing.
Hi Erin,
Your Pretzel salad looks nice; thanks for putting it out here. I will prepare it for my upcoming cookout. Can I mix up the cherries with strawberries?
Yes, you could mix together cherries and strawberries. Keep the total amount of fruit the same. Enjoy!
Looks sooo good!