The Retro Strawberry Dessert Recipe That's Always a Hit
Some call it "salad."
This dessert is a polarizing one. Not because of how it tastes, but because it’s often not called a dessert at all, but rather a salad.
Yes, we’re talking about Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Now, the use of the word salad in this context is…generous. It's a recipe that falls into a category of congealed sides made with things like Jell-O, cream cheese, canned fruit, and frozen whipped topping.
It’s a retro category of dishes that go by "salad," but eschew leafy greens and often come together in a fun or funky shaped mold. Although constructed in a 9x13 pan, Strawberry Pretzel Salad is one of those vintage Jell-O dishes. While many of us love it for dessert, don’t be surprised to find it sitting next to the carrots at your next holiday dinner.
Related: 30 Southern Salad Recipes That Don't Include Any Lettuce At All
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
What Is Strawberry Pretzel Salad?
The bright red layered dish starts with a pretzel crust. Much the same way you would build a graham cracker crust for a cheesecake, crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter form the base. On top of the crust is a cream cheese layer, lightened up with whipped topping (or freshly whipped cream if you prefer). And then a top that is a Jell-O layer with frozen or fresh strawberries suspended inside. We call for frozen strawberries, which makes it a year-round classic, but if available, feel free to use fresh.
After chilling, the final touch is a sweetened sour cream layer sprinkled with chopped pecans. It has everything, a bit of saltiness, plenty of sweetness, and a touch of tang. Yes, it’s a lot of stuff, but it’s fairly easy to assemble, and it doesn’t require any hard-to-find ingredients.
The hardest part is waiting eight hours for the Jell-O layer to fully set. And once chilled, the large-format dessert pays off in spades, as it can easily feed a crowd and then some.
Where Did Strawberry Pretzel Salad Originate?
It appears to have originated from the Joys of Jell-O Gelatin Dessert, a promotional cookbook put out by the gelatin company. The cookbook first came out in 1961 and was annually updated throughout the 1960s. In Jell-O: A Biography - The History and Mystery of America's Most Famous Dessert, it's noted that by 1966, 2 million Americans had ordered copies of it.
The cookbook was a clever marketing tool on the behalf of the Jell-O company, who used recipe books as advertising for their product, educating consumers on how to use their gelatin in a variety of ways, including in this "salad."
While other Jell-O salads, fluffs, and molds have fallen out of popularity, this one has stuck around, making an appearance at many Southern potlucks, holidays tables, and dinner parties. (To be fair, it’s popular outside the South too, especially in the Midwest.)
No matter when you serve it, with the ham or after the dinner plates have been cleared, this retro salad will hit the spot, even if it doesn't count toward your daily servings of fruit and vegetables.
Related: 21 Retro Gelatin Salad Recipes For Your Holiday Table
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