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A slice of a three layer dessert with a pretzel base.

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.
4.70 from 13 votes
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Course: No Bake Desserts
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 24 Squares
Calories: 102kcal
Author: Dolly (Dash for Dinner)

Ingredients

Pretzel Crust

  • 2 cups pretzel crumbs 5-6 cups pretzel sticks
  • ½ cup melted unsalted butter
  • cup granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Layer

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 8oz container Cool Whip, thawed

Cranberry Layer

  • 2 3oz packages raspberry flavored Jell-O
  • 2 14oz cans whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 ½ cups boiling water

Instructions

  • Add your pretzels to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until they are fine crumbs.
  • Measure out 2 cups of crumbs into a medium sized bowl, and pour in the melted butter and sugar. Mix well to combine.
  • Grease a 9X13 baking dish (or line with parchment paper) and press the pretzel mixture into the bottom in an even layer. Apply firm pressure with your hand, but don’t push too hard.
  • Place the dish in the fridge and chill for 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
  • Add the confectioners 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.
  • Transfer the whipped mixture to the top of the chilled pretzel base using a silicone spatula. Smooth it out evenly, making sure to get to the edges to completely seal the layer.
  • Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
  • Empty the contents of the raspberry Jell-O packets into a large bowl.
  • Pour in the boiling water and whisk well to dissolve the gelatin.
  • Add in the two cans of whole berry cranberry sauce, and fold them together with the gelatin mixture until everything is uniform.
  • Pour the cranberry and gelatin mixture on top of the chilled cream cheese layer, and spread it out evenly.
  • Cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set, or approximately 4-8 hours.
  • Slice into bars and serve!

Notes

Storing Leftovers: Leftovers will last in the fridge, when tightly covered, for up to 5 days.
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: Use gluten free prezels to make the base.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 57mg | Sugar: 11g