Ohhh yes 😍 Strawberry Crackle Salad — sweet, creamy, crunchy, and dangerously nostalgic. This is one of those potluck legends that disappears first.
🍓 Strawberry Crackle Salad
Ingredients
Salad
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1 (3 oz) box strawberry gelatin (Jell-O)
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1 cup boiling water
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1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed
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1 cup crushed pineapple, well-drained
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1½–2 cups mini marshmallows
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1½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced
Crackle Topping
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½ cup crushed pretzels
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¼ cup butter, melted
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¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
1️⃣ Crackle topping
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Mix crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar.
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Spread on a lined baking sheet and bake 8–10 minutes until lightly caramelized.
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Cool completely (it hardens as it cools).
2️⃣ Salad base
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Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water.
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Let cool to room temperature (important so it doesn’t melt the Cool Whip).
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Fold in Cool Whip until smooth and fluffy.
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Gently stir in pineapple, marshmallows, and strawberries.
3️⃣ Assemble
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Spoon salad into a serving bowl.
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Sprinkle crackle topping just before serving to keep it crunchy.
🔥 Pro Tips
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Drain pineapple really well or it’ll get soupy
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Add pretzel topping last minute only
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Chill at least 2 hours for best texture
Fun Variations
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🍓 Swap strawberry Jell-O for raspberry or cherry
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🥨 Use Golden Oreos instead of pretzels for a sweeter crunch
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🍫 Drizzle with white chocolate for a dessert-table upgrade
Storage
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Salad base keeps 24–36 hours refrigerated
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Crackle topping stores separately in an airtight container
If you want, I can also share a no-bake version, a retro 1970s church cookbook style, or a lighter version with Greek yogurt