Red White and Blue Pretzel Salad
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This patriotic red, white and blue pretzel salad will be the star of your 4th of July party. Filled with layers of fresh berries, Jell-O, cheesecake, and piled on a pretzel crust for the ultimate sweet and salty dessert.
We’ve been making Strawberry Pretzel Salad for what seems like forever. With the patriotic holidays coming up, we wanted to create a red white and blue version of this classic recipe. It’s a pretty addition to your Memorial Day, 4th of July and patriotic themed parties.
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We’re sharing tips to help you get the best results with this recipe. If you don’t need the tips, scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and a printable recipe card.
While it may look like a lot of work at first glance this festive adaptation isn’t much harder to make than the original salad recipe. And most of the time is non-active chilling time. It’s definitely worth the extra effort for themed parties and potlucks.
If you like the flavor combo of creamy, salty, and sweet then you’ll find our layered pretzel salad recipe checks all of the boxes! It’s one of those refreshing desserts that hits the spot in the middle of Summer and one that everybody goes crazy for at parties.
Since we are talking about Jell-O, friends, and summertime… we’ve been experimenting with cocktails for the over 21 crowd. Grab an extra box of blue gelatin and whip up a batch of our Blue Hawaiian Jello Shots. And our Tequila Sunrise Jello Shots are as pretty as a summer sunset. They are festive and super easy to make for parties.
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Ingredients Needed for Summer Pretzel Salad
Crust Layer:
- crushed pretzels
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
Cream Filling Layer:
- cream cheese, softened
- whipped topping
- granulated sugar
Jell-o Layers:
- blueberries – fresh or thawed frozen berries
- raspberries – fresh or thawed frozen berries
- blue mixed berry Jell-O
- raspberry Jell-O
- boiling water, divided
Get the complete ingredients & directions in the recipe card below.
How to Make Red White and Blue Pretzel Salad
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl and mix together.
Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Once it’s done remove it from the oven and let cool completely.
Use a clear baking dish so the layers and colors are visible.
While the crust is baking, combine the cream cheese and ¾ cup of sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth using an electric mixer. Fold in the whipped topping using a spatula.
Spread half of the cream cheese filling on the cooled pretzel crust and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Cover and refrigerate the remaining cream cheese mixture until you are ready to use.
While you wait on the filling to set, dissolve the blue Jell-o in half of the boiling water. Whisk until the powder is dissolved and allow it to cool completely.
Place the blueberries on top of the cream cheese layer and pour the cooled blue Jell-o over the berries.
Return to the refrigerator to chill for another 2-4 hours or until it has set.
Then gently spread on the remaining cream cheese mixture, and chill for another 30 minutes. While you wait, combine the raspberry Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
Add the raspberries on top of the chilled cream cheese layer, then pour the cooled raspberry gelatin over the berries.
Chill for another 2-4 hours or overnight so the top layer of gelatin sets up completely.
Slice and serve with additional whipped cream if desired.
Tips for Making
- Be sure to let the crust cool completely or it may break apart when you add the cream cheese layer.
- Take the reserved cream cheese out of the fridge 20 minutes before you need it so it’s easier to spread.
- Swap out the Jell-o flavors for something different if desired. If you choose to use strawberry gelatin, replace the raspberries with strawberries.
How to Store
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The crust will soften the longer it is stored. We do not recommend freezing this pretzel salad recipe.
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**Save Red White & Blue Pretzel Salad for Later**
Red White and Blue Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
For the cream filling:
- 16 ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 16 ounce whipped topping, thawed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
For the Jell-o layers:
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or thawed frozen
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen
- 1 6 ounce package blue mixed berry Jell-o
- 1 6 ounce package raspberry Jell-o
- 4 cups boiling water, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 Tablespoons of sugar until combined. Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow the pretzel crust to fully cool before proceeding.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the cream filling. Add the cream cheese and ¾ cup granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping until just combined.
- Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the cooled pretzel crust and place the baking dish into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- Cover remaining cream cheese mixture and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- While the filling is setting, prepare the blue Jell-o by mixing together half the boiling water and jello powder with a whisk until dissolved. Allow to fully cool.
- Place the blueberries over the top of the chilled cream cheese mixture and pour the cooled jello mix over the berries. Return to the refrigerator and chill for 2-4 hours until the blue gelatin is set.
- Carefully spread the remaining cream cheese mixture over the top of the set blue Jell-o. Place back into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- While the dish is cooling, prepare the raspberry Jell-o by mixing 2 cups of boiling water with the gelatin powder and stirring until dissolved. Allow to fully cool.
- Place the raspberries across the top of the cream cheese mixture and pour the cooled raspberry gelatin over the top.
- Return the dish to the refrigerator to chill for another 2-4 hours (or overnight) to fully set the top layer of Jell-o.
- Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- Don’t skip cooling the pretzel crust or you risk breaking it apart when you add the cream cheese layer.
- Remove reserved cream cheese from the frig about 20 minutes before using to make it easier to spread.
- Substitute any flavor of red or blue jello, or even try other flavors. Coordinate the fruit with the jello flavor.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The crust will soften over time.
- We don’t recommend freezing this dish.
Nutritional Estimate
Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently for accuracy.
