Cranberry Pretzel Salad
A sweet-and-salty layered dessert with a buttery pretzel crust, fluffy cream cheese filling, and a topping made with two cans of whole berry cranberry sauce. Make it the day before; the assembled salad needs an overnight chill.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 465kcal
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking dish
- Mixing bowls, including a heatproof bowl
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- rubber spatula
- Thin knife and wide serving spatula
- Lid or foil for covering
Ingredients
Pretzel crust
- 2 ½ cups crushed pretzels measured after crushing; coarse crumbs
- ½ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Cream cheese layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese fully softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
Cranberry layer
- 2 boxes cranberry Jell-O 3 ounces each; regular, not sugar-free; 6 ounces total
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce 14 ounces each; 28 ounces total
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Crush the pretzels to coarse crumbs, leaving some texture, and measure 2½ cups after crushing. Stir together with the melted butter and granulated sugar. Press firmly and evenly into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes and longer if the crust or dish is still warm.
- Beat the fully softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth with no lumps. Fold in the thawed Cool Whip. Spread over the cooled crust all the way to the edges and corners, sealing against the pan on all four sides. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- In a heatproof bowl, dissolve both boxes of Jell-O in 1½ cups boiling water, stirring for a full 2 minutes. Stir in both cans of whole berry cranberry sauce, breaking up the sauce so the berries distribute evenly.
- Refrigerate the cranberry mixture for about 90 minutes, until cool and syrupy, roughly the texture of raw egg white. It should still be spoonable, not fully set. Keep the cream cheese layer refrigerated while the topping chills.
- Gently spoon the cranberry mixture over the chilled filling and spread carefully without dragging through the layer underneath.
- Cover with a lid or tented foil that stays above the surface, and refrigerate overnight. Alternatively, leave uncovered in the refrigerator for the first hour until the surface firms, then cover without pressing on it.
- Cut with a thin knife, wiping the blade clean between slices. Use a wide spatula to support the pretzel crust when lifting each serving.
Notes
- Yield: 12–15 servings. Nutrition is estimated for 1/12 of the recipe.
- Timing: About 30 minutes active preparation and 10 minutes baking, plus complete crust cooling, 1 hour chilling the filling, about 90 minutes chilling the cranberry mixture, and an overnight chill after assembly. The displayed total is a planning estimate using 30 minutes crust cooling and an 8-hour allowance for overnight; actual time can be longer. Make the day before and chill overnight until fully set.
- Seal the filling to every edge to keep the gelatin from reaching the crust. The cranberry mixture must be cool and syrupy before layering; warm gelatin can melt the filling.
- Keep foil off the surface to prevent an indentation. Same-night slices can be ragged; overnight chilling gives cleaner cuts.
- Raspberry or black cherry Jell-O can replace cranberry Jell-O in the same two 3-ounce boxes. Whole berry cranberry sauce provides the cranberry flavor and fruit; the gelatin sets and colors the topping and contributes its own flavor. Use the water amount in this recipe, not the box directions.
- Keep covered and refrigerated. Use within 3–4 days; the crust will soften over time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 398mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
