Pineapple Pretzel Salad makes a delightful cool and creamy dish perfect for holiday gatherings, potlucks, and BBQs. This easy, sweet and salty recipe has a layer or buttery crushed pretzels, sweet cream cheese filling, and refreshing crushed pineapple topping.
Easy make-ahead recipes are essential when preparing for festive gatherings, such as 4th of July, Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. Pineapple pretzel salad not only looks mouth-watering, but pairs perfectly with holiday dinners, or a great side dish for ham, BBQ meats, and hamburgers on the grill.
Ingredients needed
To make pretzel salad with pineapple you will need a simple list of affordable ingredients. Cream cheese mixed with a little sugar and Cool Whip whipped topping makes the cheesecake layer. Mixing together the crushed pineapple with instant vanilla pudding adds sweetness and acts as binder for the fruit, similar to jello in strawberry pretzel salad.
- Pretzels (regular or gluten free)
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Cool Whip whipped topping
- Crushed pineapple
- Vanilla instant pudding
How to make pineapple pretzel salad recipe
(Note: This is a step-by-step tutorial with pictures. For more specific instructions, along with ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- In a small bowl mix together the crushed pretzels with the melted butter. Stir to combine and press firmly in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.
- Bake in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature then chill briefly to set.
- In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Fold in the thawed whipped topping. Spread evenly over the pretzel crust.
- Combine the well-drained pineapple and instant pudding mix. Spread evenly over the cream cheese layer. Chill until ready to serve.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes. To make a gluten free pretzel salad recipe, simply replace the pretzels with gluten free ones.
To cut back on the sugar in the recipe, decrease the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup and use 1/2 box of the instant pudding mix. A sugar-free pudding mix may also be used for a low sugar recipe.
For a healthier pretzel salad with pineapple follow the suggestions above for lower sugar. You may also use light cream cheese, non-fat Cool Whip whipped topping, and decrease the amount of butter to 6 tablespoons.
Yes. You may prepare this recipe up to one day in advance, which is ideal for busy holidays, such as Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving! Cover securely with plastic wrap before storing in the refrigerator.
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Best tips and tricks
- For a tropical flavor replace the vanilla pudding mix with instant banana or coconut pudding mix.
- To make a decorative topping add dollops of whipped cream, toasted coconut, or crushed nuts.
- After baking the pretzel crust it will not be fully set, but do not bake it longer. This will make the bottom layer very solid and hard to cut.
- Drain the crushed pineapple for at least 20 minutes, but ideally an hour before preparing. Extra moisture from the pineapple will prevent the top from setting.
More cool and creamy recipes
- Cream Cheese Jello Salad
- Frozen Fruit Salad
- Orange Jello Salad
- Raspberry Cranberry Jello Salad
- Frozen Lemon Pie
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Pineapple Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
- 2 (20) ounce cans crushed pineapple, well drained
- 2 cups finely crushed regular or gluten free pretzels (crushed, then measured)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- (½ – 1) 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
Instructions
- To make sure the pineapple is well drained, first place it in a strainer set over a bowl. Let the juice drain away for at least 20 minutes, up to several hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl mix together the finely crushed pretzels with the melted butter. Stir to combine and press firmly in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set.
- In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in the thawed whipped topping until well combined. Spread evenly over the pretzel crust.
- In the same bowl combine the well-drained pineapple and ½ – 1 box (depending on desired sweetness) instant pudding mix. Spread evenly over the cream cheese layer.
- Chill until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Equipment Needed
Recipe Notes
BEST TIPS AND TRICKS
- After baking the pretzel crust it will not be fully set, but do not bake it longer. This will make the bottom layer very solid and hard to cut.
- To cut back on the sweetness use 1/2 box of the pudding mix
- For a tropical flavor replace the vanilla pudding mix with instant banana or coconut pudding mix.
- To make a decorative topping add dollops of whipped cream, toasted coconut, or crushed nuts.
- Drain the crushed pineapple for at least 20 minutes, but ideally an hour before preparing. Extra moisture from the pineapple will prevent the top from setting.
- This may be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store, wrapped securely, in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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