If you’ve ever had strawberry jello pretzel salad, then you’ll love this tropical orange pretzel salad version which is perfect for summer. It’s like an orange dreamsicle with a twist! Three layers of pretzels, cream cheese and jello make up this potluck favorite.

Tropical Orange Pretzel Salad

If you’ve never had jello pretzel salad before, then you’re in for a real treat! If you’re thinking this is something like Tuna Salad then I should explain that it’s not really a salad, it’s more like a dessert…a very distant cousin to fruit salad, we’ll say.

First, a salty crust made from pretzels. Yes, pretzels! Totally surprising, but the crunchy, toasty flavor is so good. I like to crush mine finely in the food processor. If the pretzels are too chunky, the crust will fall apart when you try to serve it.

The crust is baked for 10 minutes, so it’s almost-but-not-quite a no-bake dessert. You can skip the toasting part if you want.

If you’re looking for something that needs no oven time at all, try my Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake  or the massively popular Oreo Cake.

Next we have a tangy cream cheese layer. It’s almost like cheesecake, but light and tart to balance the other flavors. The cream cheese is blended with whipped topping, but if you prefer to use homemade whipped cream it’s an easy substitute.

Topping it all off is an orange and pineapple gelatin layer. Now the strawberry version is good, but just wait until you taste a bite of mandarin. It’s a little citrus explosion that will make you smile as you eat.

You can even substitute all mandarin oranges instead of the pineapple if you’re team orange. Instead of tropical orange pretzel salad you’ll have mandarin orange pretzel salad.

Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits so I love the combination. Note: do not substitute fresh pineapple for the canned fruit or the jello will not set.

You’ll need to plan ahead when making this dessert since it needs time to chill and set. After I’ve made the crust and spread the cream cheese layer, I like to pop it in the fridge while I prepare the jello.

Additionally, the jello will need to chill slightly before pouring or you’ll have a hot, melty mess. It may seem time consuming, but it’s not really much work.

If you’re making it for a potluck, there’s plenty of time in between layers to prepare other dishes or clean up as you go (my kitchen constantly needs cleaning!).

If you want to get extra special, top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a pretzel twist before serving. They are so cute!

Pin this to your dessert recipes board!

This recipe first appeared on Amanda’s Cookin’ as a guest contribution by Kitchen Gidget.