This easy gluten free strawberry pretzel salad recipe uses frozen strawberries, cream cheese, jello and a pretzel crust. It is the best pretzel salad to serve as dessert or a side dish at gatherings. This is a classic Christmas dish!
I like to use Glutino Gluten Free Pretzel twists with this recipe. They are just like what I remember regular pretzels tasting like and have a nice crisp texture. I process them in my food processor on the pulse setting to get a fine texture while still having some larger pieces for crunch.
I don't eat food coloring. It is really bad for my inflammation and tends to give me joint pain. So regular jello is out for me. Instead I'm a big fan of Simple Delish Jel Dessert for lower carb or Simple Mixes Gelatin Mix if you want regular cane sugar. Both options use natural ingredients for coloring of the strawberry gelatin.
Can strawberry pretzel salad be made ahead?
Yes! Making this salad a day or two in advance is my favorite way to serve this side dish or dessert. I think the flavor intensifies and gets even better when this gluten free strawberry pretzel salad has at least a day in the refrigerator.
Being able to make this dish ahead of a gathering is one of my favorite things about it. Not having to worry about making dessert the day of an event is such a relief.
How long will strawberry pretzel salad last?
This gluten free strawberry pretzel salad will last in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Make sure you store it in a sealed container to keep the dessert fresh. Since there is dairy in this jello salad make sure it doesn't stay out in the heat for very long if you are serving this during the summer.
Who invented strawberry pretzel salad?
This is a classic southern dish. From what I can tell this dish originated in the 1960's after the Joys of Jello cookbook came out. It was really popular in the 60's to serve jello as a side dish or refreshment after a meal.
When jello salads first originated they were usually served with lettuce, fresh fruit or vegetables and mayonnaise. Sometimes the jello, fruits or vegetables and mayonnaise were all combined into a mold and served over a bed of lettuce.
If you like this recipe you might also enjoy:
Gluten Free Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Gluten Free Cranberry Apple Crisp
Cranberry Fluff Salad
Gluten Free Strawberry Icebox Bars
Seven Layer Salad
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Gluten Free Strawberry Pretzel Dessert
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy gluten free strawberry pretzel salad recipe uses frozen strawberries, cream cheese, jello and a pretzel crust. It is the best pretzel salad to serve as dessert or a side dish at gatherings. This is a classic Christmas dish!
Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups Gluten Free Pretzels, crushed
6 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted
Filling:
8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Whipped Cream:
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
½ cup Powdered Sugar
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
Strawberry Layer:
1 package Strawberry Gelatin
2 cups Boiling Water
1 cup Frozen Strawberries, thawed and chopped into chunks
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
Topping:
1 - 16 ounce container Sour Cream
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
½ cup Toasted Pecans, chopped
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In your food processor pulse the pretzels until there is a mixture of fine and small chunks. Add the sugar and melted butter. Pulse just until combined.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or coconut oil. Press the pretzel mixture into the baking dish in an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. Set aside.
In your mixer add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment beat on hight until the whipped cream forms heavy peaks.
Using a mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together. Add the whipped cream and gently fold together with the cream cheese mixture. Spread this over the cooled pretzel crust. Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set.
In a medium heat safe bowl add your gelatin, thawed and chopped strawberries, and sugar. Pour the boiling water over this mixture. Stir until all the gelatin is mixed in. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the gelatin is slightly set.
Spread the strawberry gelatin mixture over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Place back in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. I prefer to chill overnight to let the gelatin get firm.
Mix together the sour cream and sugar. Spread this mixture over the gelatin layer. Sprinkle the top of the dessert with chopped toasted pecans.
You can serve this dessert immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Side Dish
- Method: Refrigerated
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Keywords: gluten free, strawberry, gelatin, jello, salad, side dish, dessert, southern, classic, frozen strawberries, cream cheese, pretzel, Christmas, holiday
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