BERRY JELLO PRETZEL SALAD

Berry Jello Pretzel Salad is a combination of strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry flavors all in an easy-to-make salad recipe! The pretzel crust ends up tasting like chopped pecans. It adds a wonderful flavor and texture to this light & sweet easy jello salad recipe. It’s perfect for any occasion!

How to make Berry Jello Pretzel Salad

Here’s how to make this delightful berry jello salad:

Butter Pretzel Crust

To make Berry Jello Pretzel Salad you first start with preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. Then you spray a 9 x 13 pan with a non-stick cooking spray.

Crush your pretzels thoroughly by placing them in a ziplock bag and crushing them with a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Then combine the crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter into the pan. Gently stir to mix the ingredients together and to spread them around evenly within the pan.

Bake it for 10 minutes and then let it cool completely.

Jello Pretzel Salad Filling

In a medium sized mixing bowl stir 2 cups of the berries, the yogurt, and the pudding mix together until they are well mixed. After it’s all mixed together fold in the whipped topping.

Pour the mixture on top of the pretzel crust. Spread it on top of the baked pretzels, and make sure it reaches all the edges. After it’s all covered put the pan in the fridge to keep it cool while you’re making the Jello.

Jello Pretzel Salad Top

Take the remaining 2 cups of berries and arange them on top so that they are evenly spread out on the entire surface of the salad. They’ll be set in with the jello once it cools.

Cover the pan and refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, until salad is completely cooled and set. Cut squares to serve, and store leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!

Why won’t my Jello set?

In order for jello to set, it has to be mixed according to package directions and then chilled. If your jello didn’t set, you likely added too much water, added fruit with too high of water content or are attempting to make it set in a location other than the refrigerator. You can attempt to fix jello by combining 1 cup boiling water with a small 3 oz box of jello in the same flavor. Whisk until jello is dissolved, then stir into your not-set jello recipe. Refrigerate until set. On the side of the box of Jello it gives fruit addition suggestions. I’ve found that I can use fruit even they don’t recommend if I simply decrease the water by 1/2 cup in my recipe.

Ingredients needed for Berry Jello Pretzel Salad

Jello Salad Crust:

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 3 TBSP sugar

Jello Salad Filling:

• 1 3-oz box Strawberry Creme or Vanilla pudding mix
• 1 8-oz tub whipped topping*
• 1 8-oz Strawberry Greek yogurt
• 2 cups fresh or frozen berries

Berry Jello Topping:

• 1 3.4-oz box strawberry, raspberry or cherry Jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups fresh or frozen berries

Step-by-Step Instructions for making Berry Jello Pretzel Salad

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.
2. Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter in pan. Gently stir to combine and spread around pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.
3. Pour 2 cups of berries into a medium sized mixing bowl. Scoop in the yogurt. Sprinkle the pudding mix on top and stir until completely incorporated. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Transfer mixture to 9×13 pan, spreading on top of baked pretzels, making sure mixture reaches all of the edges. Set pan in fridge to keep cool while you mix the jello.
5. Combine 1 cup boiling water with box of jello. Stir until jello is completely dissolved. Let sit 10-15 minutes, until jello cools slightly. Pour on top of whipped topping layer. Arrange remaining fruit so that it covers the entire surface of the salad. (They’ll be set in with the jello once it cools.)
6. Cover salad and refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, until salad is completely cooled and set. Cut squares to serve. Store leftovers in fridge.

*In lieu of pre-made whipped topping, you can use 2 cups homemade whipped cream. See below for instructions.

If you can’t find Cool Whip where you live or you prefer not to use it in recipes, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead. If you just use regular whipped cream, the consistency will be too light and the cream will not hold up very well when mixed into the jello salad. It’s very simple to make your own stabilized whipped cream and it just takes a few minutes!

How do you make stabilized whipped cream?

To make stabilized whipped cream, you will need the following ingredients:

• 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream.

1. Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft and smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream just until soft peaks form.
3. Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

A little tip for making whipped cream faster. Use a metal bowl for whipping the cream and place the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will significantly decrease the amount of time that you will need to beat the whipped cream – the process will go much faster!