You might ask if this is a salad or a dessert, but here in the South it can be both! Crispy pretzel crust, topped with a creamy center, and topped with tart and sweet pineapple jello. This pineapple pretzel salad is perfect for any gathering!

Pineapple pretzel salad on a white plate

After living the South for most of my life, I have come to realize that you can serve just about anything, any time of the day, for any occasion. If it has the right name, of course!

I grew up eating jello, like most kids from the 70s and 80s did, but it wasn’t until we moved to Georgia that I had it with cream cheese and pretzels. And when everyone called it a salad, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

A salad has lettuce, but this has cream cheese, pretzels, and jello. This is definitely my kind of salad.

Don’t let the title keep you from serving it when and how you want. It doesn’t have to be at the start of the meal, serve it as a side dish or even a dessert.

After testing the recipe and sharing with my friends (permanent, unpaid, taste testers, LOL) they say it’s refreshing, creamy, unique, and perfect for a crowd. Or a tennis match, where you can find most of us during the week!

This dessert salad is perfect for Spring or Summer like this orange fluff salad, this no bake chocolate lasagna and cherries in the snow, and this pineapple casserole.

ingredients for a jello salad with pineapple in individual bowls with text overlay labeling them

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.

Ingredient Notes

Pretzels – Since the pretzels are crushed it’s not a big deal what shape they are. After a few rounds of testing I like the minis or the twists because they have better texture than the sticks. Meaning even when you crush them larger pieces are still present.
Pineapple – Use canned pineapple, crushed or tidbits. Just be sure to use the one in syrup and not juice. And don’t use fresh pineapple *see notes lower down in post*
Jello – Regular or sugar free pineapple jello powder. Use plain or lemon if you can’t find pineapple.
Whipped topping – I like Cool Whip but use your favorite brand. Just don’t use the canned stuff. It doesn’t have the stabilizers in it to keep the layers from sliding apart.

Looking for more leftover worthy dishes? Follow LTB on Pinterest and pin to a board!

How To Make Pineapple Pretzel Salad

pretzels and sugar in a clear mixing bowl

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter. Stir to combine and evenly coat the pretzels with the melted butter.

pretzel crust in the bottom of a white baking dish

Press the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes to get it crispy. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

cream cheese mixture in a silver mixing bowl

In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and sugar. Fold in the whipping topping by hand with a spatula. This keeps you from over mixing the whipped topping and causing it to separate.

pineapple jello in a clear bowl with a whisk

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the baked pretzel crush into an even layer. Place in the fridge while you make the fruit topping. Drain the crushed pineapple(the one with water).

pineapple jello with crushed pineapple and a white spatula

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the jello mixture to dissolve it. Stir in the drained crushed pineapple and the can of crushed pineapple in syrup. Stir to combine.

pineapple pretzel salad in a white casserole dish

Pour the pineapple mixture over the cream cheese and spread into an even layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the top jello layer is set. Cut into squares and serve.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

side view of pineapple pretzel salad in the dish

Serving Suggestions

There is a debate as to whether this is a salad or a dessert. It’s all about how and when you serve it.

This is a delicious dessert for your Easter dinner or any Spring gathering like Mother’s day or a bridal shower. Serve it with a baked ham or roasted chicken and some green beans.

It’s also a fun side dish for your BBQ with chicken, hot dogs, or ribs. Light and sweet but also with a crunch and a little tartness from the pineapple.

Storage

This does make a 9×13 pan of thick slices so you might have leftovers unless you are feeding a crowd. If you do need to store any, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The pretzel crust will soften after the first 24 hours but it is still very tasty!

Technically you can freeze this, but I have noticed that when I thaw it out, the crust is much softer and the jello and cream cheese layers can separate a little bit. It still tastes great but not as pretty.

close up of side view of a layered jello salad with pineapple

Variations

Use different kinds of fruit! You might have seen strawberry pretzel salad because it’s more common. Basically any canned fruit I can find with a matching Jello flavor is fair game. Like this cherry pie jello salad.
Switch out the jello gelatin and use pudding instead. The top won’t be “clear” with fruit and will have a creamy look but it’s just as delicious.
Top with toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts for texture and make it more “tropical” feeling.

Fresh Or Canned Pineapple

Unfortunately, you can’t use fresh pineapple or pineapple in juice. Fresh pineapple has an enzyme called Bromelain in it. This will keep the jello from setting and getting firm.

The canning process destroys this enzyme so it doesn’t affect the gelling process. But I have noticed that using pineapple in juice can have the same effect. Be sure to use the one with heavy syrup or drain the juice.

hand holding slice of pineapple pretzel salad

Tips For No Leftovers

If you can’t find pineapple jello, use plain. The syrup from the pineapple used to make the jello layer will flavor it along with the pineapple chunks.
I like to crush the pretzels in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or a can. You can use a food processor but I find that it gets the pieces too small if you’re not careful. Smashing them by hand, you can control the size of the pieces. If they are too large, the crust falls apart, if too small, you lose the crunch.
Be sure to chill the cream cheese layer while you are making the jello. I like to run a fork lightly over the cream cheese layer to create some texture for the jello to cling to. This will help keep the layers from separating.
Depending on the size of your dish, the jello layer might be thick. To keep them even, I like to poke a toothpick in the creamy layer and mark how tall it is. Then place that same toothpick on top when pouring the jello. If it reaches the same mark and you have jello leftover, pour into other containers and save as a treat for later.
Garnish with additional whipped cream, pretzel pieces, pineapple bits.
When cutting, clean the knife between cuts to keep the slices pretty.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!

Pinterest Pin image of pineapple pretzel salad recipe

This pineapple pretzel salad recipe is crunchy, creamy, sweet, and tart all at the same time. Perfect as a side dish for a BBQ, a pot luck, or any Spring get together.

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

This sweet and tart salad is creamy with a crispy crust and full of pineapple flavor. Serve it as a salad, a side dish, or a dessert!

Give me a rating:)

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Chill: 4

Total Time: 4 20

Servings:

Author: Jennifer Stewart

Ingredients

Crust

2 ½ cups crushed pretzels roughly 4-5 cups of pretzel sticks before crushing
4 ounces butter melted
4 tablespoons sugar

Filling

12 ounces cream cheese softened
16 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
¾ cup sugar

Topping

6 ounces pineapple jello
20 ounces crushed pineapple in water drained
20 ounces crushed pineapple in syrup not drained
1 cup boiling water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter. Stir to combine and evenly coat the pretzels with the melted butter.
Press the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.
Bake at 350F for 10 minutes to get it crispy. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and sugar.
Fold in the whipping topping by hand with a spatula. This keeps you from overmixing the whipped topping and causing it to separate.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the baked pretzel crush into an even layer. Place in the fridge while you make the fruit topping.
Drain the crushed pineapple(the one with water)
Bring the water to a boil and stir in the jello mixture to dissolve it.
Stir in the drained crushed pineapple and the can of crushed pineapple in syrup.
Stir to combine.
Pour over the cream cheese mixture and spread into an even layer.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until the top jello layer is set. Overnight is best so everything is chilled.
Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

This calls for 40 ounces of crushed pineapple. These are usually available in 20 ounce cans. They come as crushed pineapple in water or in syrup. I like to get one of each. The one with water, I drain and press out the extra water. The crushed pineapple in syrup, I don’t drain. The extra liquid (syrup) I use instead of crushed ice or cold water in the jello mixture.

You can also use pineapple tidbits (small pieces in juice). Just drain and use water to make up the rest of the liquid volume.

Be sure to crush the pretzels into small pieces. If the pretzel sticks are still long, they can be hard to cut and break apart easily meaning the crust will fall apart when serving.

Nutrition

LeftoversThenBreakfast.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encourages and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.