Rhubarb Pretzel Salad: The Sweet-Salty Dessert Everyone Fights Over

There’s something magical about the first bite of this rhubarb pretzel salad… that crunchy, buttery pretzel crust giving way to a layer of sweet cream cheese, all topped with tangy, ruby-red rhubarb.

It’s the kind of summer dessert that has people sneaking back for seconds and asking for the recipe before they’ve even finished their first piece.

Best of all, it’s a budget-friendly and delicious way to make the most of fresh rhubarb! 

Other Pretzel Salad Recipes We Love

• Strawberry Pretzel Salad
• Lemon Pretzel Salad/Bars
• Cherry Pretzel Salad

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Rhubarb Pretzel Salad

This old-fashioned layered dessert "salad" brings together simple ingredients...pretzels, cream cheese, and fresh rhubarb...to come together to create a truly unforgettable dessert!

Prep Time6 minutes minutes

Cook Time10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time2 hours hours

Servings - 10 servings

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 3 cups fresh rhubarb chopped
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch made into a slurry
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 oz. Cool Whip topping thawed
• 8 oz. cream cheese softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Set the cream cheese out to soften, and the cool whip out to thaw. Then preheat oven to 350 F.
• To a medium saucepan, add the fresh chopped rhubarb with 1 cup of water. Bring to boiling and cook the rhubarb until it's soft. Stir in the vanilla and sugar, reduce heat to low and simmer until it starts to burn off a little water. Make the cornstarch slurry by combining with the same amount of water. Pour the slurry into the rhubarb and let simmer for 5 minutes. It will thicken, then take the pan off the stovetop and set aside to let cool.
• Combine the crushed pretzels, melted butter and sugar and press into the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and let cool.
• In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine the Cool whip and cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Once the crust is cooled, carefully spread the creamy layer onto the pretzel layer.
• Once the rhubarb has cooled, spread over the cream cheese layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate and let set for at least 2 hours.
• Serve Rhubarb Pretzel "Salad" for dessert.