Cranberry Pretzel Salad

Cranberry Pretzel Salad is a fun no-bake festive dessert that the whole family will love! Sweet, creamy, salty, and slightly tart. It's a welcome addition to the holiday table.

Add this creamy and delicious cranberry pretzel salad to the list of "salads" that aren't really "salads." Along with my recipes for lazy cheesecake salad, and berry cheesecake salad of course!

I think most of us by now know that in some areas (particularly the South and the Midwest), there is an entire group of foods known as salads that don't contain lettuce, tomatoes, or any of the typical things found in a regular ol' salad.

These dessert salads are often made with cream cheese, Cool whip, fruit, and other sweet treats. And while they can be confusing for some, the rest of us are totally on board!

This cranberry pretzel salad is a sliceable, layered dessert that is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a seasonal potluck! Featuring a layer of crushed pretzels, a no bake cheesecake filling, and a topping of firm cranberry sauce, it's as delicious as it is easy to make.

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

1. It's a no bake recipe that requires zero oven time! This makes it perfect for those days when your oven is full or you just don't want to turn it on.
2. A festive take on the ever popular strawberry pretzel salad!
3. It's the perfect potluck dessert for holiday get togethers.
4. Easy to make with basic ingredients that are available at average grocery stores.

Ingredients

• Cranberry sauce: You'll want to use the whole-berry kind for this recipe, as it adds some texture and mixes perfectly with the raspberry gelatin.
• Raspberry Jell-O: The mixes with the cranberries to form the top layer of the dessert. If you prefer strawberry, you could use that instead. Just make sure you're using a red gelatin.
• Cream cheese: This is used in the center layer and makes a sort of no bake cheesecake filling. Make sure to let it stand out for a few hours to soften first.
• Cool whip: You'll need some thawed whipped topping to combine with the cream cheese for the middle layer. You can use the brand name (Cool Whip) or your favorite generic brand. You could even make your own if you wanted to!
• Pretzels: This puts the "pretzel" in cranberry pretzel salad! These are crushed to form the base layer. You'll need more if you're doing a no bake version, and a little less if you want to do the baked version with larger pieces of pretzels.
• Butter: Just a bit of melted butter is added in with the pretzels to form a base layer.
• Sugar: You'll need to add a bit of sugar in with the pretzels too. This balances their saltiness perfectly.
• Powdered sugar: This is used to make the middle layer. Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar.
• Vanilla: Just a touch to add a nice hint of vanilla to the middle layer.

How to Make Cranberry Pretzel Salad

This holiday-inspired dessert is perfect for taking to potlucks, and requires absolutely no oven time! All you need is enough time to chill the layers in between and you're good to go.

How to Make a No Bake Pretzel Crust

To get started you'll have to make the pretzel base. While other pretzel salad recipes call for baking this layer, we are going to crush the pretzels finely and chill them instead (see the recipe card for instructions for making a baked crust if desired).

In order to do this, crush the pretzels to fine crumbs in a food processor.

Transfer the pretzel crumbs to a medium sized bowl, and add in the sugar and stir well to combine.

Add in the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are completely coated.

Add the crumbs to a parchment lined 9X13 pan and press them into an even, tight layer.

Place the dish in the fridge and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 1 hour.

The No Bake Cheesecake Filling

Once your pretzel crust has been chilling for awhile, you're ready to get started on the center layer: the cheesecake filling.

Add the powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, and thawed whipped topping to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, blend everything together until it is smooth and uniform.

Add in the thawed whipped topping (Cool Whip) and mix again until everything is combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Adding the Cream Cheese Layer

Once your pretzel crust has chilled for at least 30 minutes and is firm, you're ready to add the cream cheese layer!

Remove the pretzel crust from the fridge and add the filling mixture right on top of the pretzel base.

Spread the cheesecake mixture in a smooth, even layer. Make sure to spread it right up to the edges, as that "seals" the crust and prevents anything from leaking down there later and causing a soggy bottom.

Chilling

Once everything is spread out nice and evenly, cover the dish with plastic wrap and place back in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. This will ensure the cheesecake layer and jello/cranberry layer don't bleed together.

The Cranberry and Jell-O Layer

Around the time your middle layer is done chilling, you'll want to get started on the Jell-O and cranberry sauce layer.

To get started, empty the contents of the raspberry (or strawberry) Jell-O packets into a large bowl.

Pour in 1 ½ cups of boiling water and whisk well with the powder to dissolve the gelatin.

Add in the full 2 cans of whole berry cranberry sauce, folding them in with the liquid gelatin mixture until completely uniform.

Pour the cranberry and gelatin mixture on top of the chilled cream cheese layer and spread it out in an even layer.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until set (approximately 4-8 hours). Once set, slice into bars and serve immediately!

Storing Leftovers

Keep your leftovers tightly covered in the fridge and they should stay in good shape for up to 5 days. The layers will start to weep a bit after day 2-3, and the crust may become a little less firm, but it will still taste delicious!

If you want to make ahead, you can make the entire recipe up to 24 hours in advance. This gives it plenty of time to firm and chill. Just make sure to wait the required amount of time between layers for the best results!

Variations and Substitutions

Baked Crust Option: Add 2 ½ cups of pretzels to a freezer bag and seal. Crush with a rolling pin into small bits. Combine ½ cup of butter and ¼ cup of sugar and pour it over the pretzels. Toss to combine. Transfer to a 9X13 baking dish and press them into the bottom of the dish. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes, then allow to cool completely before adding the remaining layers.

Lighter/ Lower calories: Substitute the cream cheese for light cream cheese, and the Cool Whip for the low fat/no sugar type. You can also use a sugar free raspberry Jell-O if desired.

Gluten free: You might be surprised to know that Cool Whip, Jell-O, and cranberry sauce are all gluten free! This cranberry pretzel salad can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free pretzels as the base.

Tips for Success

• It's super important that you allow each layer to chill for the required amount of time. This ensures that the layers don't bleed into each other and the entire mixture sets up. If you ignore the chilling time you could end up with a mess!
• Make sure to spread the cream cheese mixture to the very edges. This seals the pretzel layer, ensuring the jell-o layer doesn't seep down and make the crust soggy.
• Measure your pretzels after crushing - this will give you the most accurate measurement.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Festive No Bake Recipes:

• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Pumpkin Fluff
• Pumpkin Fluff Pie
• Butterscotch Haystacks
• Lazy Cheesecake Salad

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