There is something about the mix of sweet and salty that makes a dish irresistible. This recipe has a perfect balance of both, with apples, cinnamon and pretzels in every bite! The key to this awesome dessert is smashing up those pretzels into small pieces so that you can get all three flavors in each forkful. Both crispy on top and bottom, and creamy in between, apple cinnamon pretzel salad is always a hit at gatherings because it’s easy to make ahead of time.
Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad Recipe
This pretzel salad is actually a layered dessert. It’s sort of an apple pie casserole. It has all the flavors that we love, a pretzel crust, topped with a creamy, cream cheese and cool whip layer followed by an apple pie like apple and cinnamon topping combined with crushed pretzels to make a tasty, crunchy top. It’s full of varied flavors and textures which makes it both delicious and fun to eat. I serve this quite often for family desserts, and I love to bring it to potlucks. It’s a great dish for crowds because it comes together so quickly, and it’s easy for everyone to serve themselves.
Tips
This is an exceptionally easy recipe. You only need to do a small amount of cooking to make the apple mixture and bake up the crust. Aside from that, this recipe is mostly a matter of layering. With a recipe this simple, it’s fairly difficult to ruin it, however, there are things to remember that will help you make the absolute best apple cinnamon pretzel salad that you possibly can.
Crushing the Pretzels
When you crush your pretzels to make the crust, be sure that the pieces aren’t too big. The smaller the pretzels are crushed, the better they’ll bind with the butter and sugar. That helps keep your crust together. If your pretzel pieces are too large, your crust will fall apart. The dessert will still be delicious, but it won’t be as pretty.
Dicing the Apples
When you dice the apples for your topping, be sure they’re on the smaller side. This allows you to get a texture that’s more like apple pie. Larger chunks will give you a texture that’s a bit more like a tart or a cobbler. Again, it will still be good, but it won’t have the right texture.
Variations
This apple cinnamon pretzel salad may have been inspired by apple pie flavors, but you can mix it up and make it more your own. There are a few things you can do to tweak out the recipe to change up the flavors a bit and create new recipes that are a variation on the theme.
Different Fruits
While this recipe uses apples, you can also use any other kind of fruit that you’d normally use in a pie or cobbler. Peach works well, as do berries. Try any kind of fruit you’d like. Just remember that you’ll have to tweak the filling amounts a bit based on what kind of fruit you use.
Different Pretzels
This recipe uses plain Jane pretzels, but you can feel free to get creative to find new flavor profiles. Try butter pretzels for an extra buttery flavor. You can also try no salt pretzels if you’re watching your sodium. There are a ton of pretzel varieties out there so feel free to experiment.
Serving Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad
Serving this apple cinnamon pretzel salad couldn’t be easier. Just scoop it out onto a plate and let your family or guests enjoy the deliciousness. Everything you’d ever need is right there in the dessert, so there’s no need to add any extra toppings, either. It’s as simple to serve as it is to make.
As to where you can serve it. Well, the answer to that is almost anywhere. This is the perfect dessert for family desserts, potlucks and get-togethers, and even holiday tables. With its classic apple pie flavors, this apple cinnamon pretzel salad is perfect on any table and at any event.
Storing Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad
This apple cinnamon pretzel salad will keep well in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. For longer storage, you can freeze this dish for up to a month. It’s worth noting that defrosted cream cheese isn’t as creamy as it is before freezing, however, when combined with the whipped topping, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Try This Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad
If you love apple pie and you love anything in casserole form, then this apple cinnamon pretzel salad is for you. It has everything we love about apple pie in a unique dish. It even has the cool whip right in there! Give this recipe a try, and I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again. It’s so easy and so good, it will quickly become one of your go-to desserts.
Ingredients To Make Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad
- Granny Smith apples
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
- Pretzels
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cool whip
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Topping
- In a medium saucepan, over low heat, bring water, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Continue stirring until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add diced apples, stir and let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely. Set aside.
How to Make a Pretzel Crust
- Mix crushed pretzels, sugar and butter together until combined (save a cup for topping).
- Press into an ungreased 9×13 baking dish.
- Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 10-12 minutes then remove and let cool completely.
How to Make the Cream Cheese Filling for Pretzel Salad
- Using a large bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add cool whip and beat until combined.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over pretzel crust.
- Place in the fridge until chilled.
- Once chilled, spoon apple mixture over cream cheese, spread evenly then sprinkle remaining pretzel mixture on top of apples.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4-6 hours until set.
Try This Delicious Pretzel Salad Today
Here are a few more delicious dessert recipes that can be found on the blog:
- Orange Cream Cheese Pie
- No Bake Oreo Pie
- Easy Banana Pie
- Chocolate Covered Cookie Butter Stuffed Pretzels
And here is a delicious Frozen Blueberry Dessert from Deliciously Seasoned that is so good, and the perfect refreshing dessert.
Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad
Ingredients
For the Apple Cinnamon Topping
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, diced into small pieces
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the Pretzel Crust
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 oz cool whip
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Apple Cinnamon Topping
- In a medium saucepan, over low heat, bring water, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Continue stirring until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add diced apples, stir and let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely. Set aside.
For the Pretzel Crust
- Mix crushed pretzels, sugar and butter together until combined (save a cup for topping).
- Press into an ungreased 9×13 baking dish.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, in a 350° preheated oven, then remove and let cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- Using a large bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add cool whip and beat until combined.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over pretzel crust.
- Place in the fridge until chilled.
- Once chilled, spoon apple mixture over cream cheese, spread evenly then sprinkle remaining pretzel mixture on top of apples.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4-6 hours until set.
Here are a few pics that you can pin to your favorite Pinterest boards.
Enjoy, Terri
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can you use canned apple pie filling
Hi Debbie, you can. I haven’t used it but it will work.
Sounds great……..but you overlooked mention’g prehtg & oven temp.
Hi Sue, thank you so much. I’ve added that into the directions. Thanks for letting me know! :)