Pineapple Pretzel Salad

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Our pineapple pretzel salad is a no-bake gluten-free dessert that’s simple to make and tastes amazing. Made with cream cheese, whipped topping, and crushed pineapple, your guests will rave over this salad!

This sweet & salty dessert puts a spin on the classic strawberry pretzel salad by swapping traditional strawberries with pineapple! It creates the perfect Midwestern dessert for any event.

Our recipe for pineapple salad compliments any potluck, bbq, or holiday celebration. Feature on the dessert table for Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July or any other occasion!

The sweetness of the pineapple combined with the saltiness of the pretzels is an amazing combination that pairs well with the creamy cool whip. It is a recipe that never fails to impress.

Serve as is or with a variety of other gluten-free desserts like Mango Mousse, Fruit Salad With Watermelon, Saltine Toffee, Old Fashioned Fudge or No Bake Cheesecake Bites.

For more Midwestern desserts, check out our Brandy Slush (Wisconsin Version – for adults only!), No Bake Peanut Butter Bars and No Bake Peanut Butter Balls.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

8 ounce bag gluten-free pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar, divided
8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature ✅
1 teaspoon vanilla ✅
8 ounces whipped topping ✅
8 ounces crushed pineapple ✅
8 ounces pineapple chunks ✅

Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.

butter poured into bowl with gluten free pretzels and sugar

How To Make

Add the pretzels to a ziplock bag. Use a rolling pin to crush them. Pour the crushed pretzels into a medium size mixing bowl.

Make the crust

Add the melted butter and 1/4 cup of sugar to the crushed pretzels. Stir well. Pour into the pan and press firmly. Bake for 10 minutes then let cool.

cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl

pineapple cool whip mixture in mixing bowl

Blend the cream cheese mixture

Add the cream cheese, the rest of the sugar (3/4 cup), and the vanilla to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a handheld mixer, blend well.

cool whip mixture poured onto pretzel crust

Fold in the whipped topping

Add the whipped topping and the crushed pineapple to the cream cheese mixture. Using a spatula, fold together just until blended. Add the mixture to the pretzel crust.

Garnish and chill

Add a few crushed pretzels and pineapple chunks to the top of the salad. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving or at least 30 minutes.

top down shot of pineapple pretzel salad

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make in advance?

Yes! Make this dessert up to a day in advance and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

How long does this pretzel salad recipe last?

Leftovers will last up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Can other ingredients be added?

Yes, other fruits or nuts such as mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, pecans or pistachios can be mixed into the pretzel crust or cream cheese mixture to further customize this recipe to your liking.

Kids In The Kitchen

Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.

When a recipe card says “divided”, it means the ingredient will be separated and added in different steps. Do not add all at once. For example, in this recipe, 1 cup of sugar is divided by adding 1/4 cup to the pretzel crust and 3/4 cup to the cream cheese mixture.
Letting cream cheese come to room temperature before adding it to the mixing bowl, makes it easier to cream with the other ingredients. Keep this in mind when working with cream cheese.
To “fold ingredients” is a stirring method where you scrape from the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to mix the ingredients. This helps keep the mixture light and fluffy.

More Gluten Free Desserts

CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.

The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.

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