This delicious sweet and salty peach pretzel dessert is a refreshing summertime treat that is made with a homemade pretzel crust, a sweet cream cheese filling, and a can of peaches, and fresh peaches for the topping.
If you grew up in the South, you probably know exactly what a pretzel salad is. If you live anywhere outside of the South, you may or may not know. There was a time when this delicious dessert was almost exclusively a Southern staple, but these days, it’s a popular dish everywhere. I actually had never had pretzel salad until I moved to Texas. It was one of the first desserts I ever had after moving, and after one bite, I was hooked. Now, I make different variations of pretzel salad for special occasions and parties, and I often make it just because. It’s so good, I really don’t think there’s ever a wrong time to whip one up.
Peach Pretzel Salad
While strawberry pretzel salad is sort of the gold standard for pretzel salads, I really love my peach variety. It starts with a simple crust made of crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and flour that I bake until golden. Then, I top it with a sweet and tangy cream cheese mixture that’s super light and airy thanks to the addition of Cool Whip. After that, I add a layer of peach pie filling, chill it overnight, and then watch it disappear!
Why You’ll Love This Peach Pretzel Dessert Recipe
- It’s a delicious sweet and salty dessert recipe that is light and refreshing, easy to make, and the flavor combination is simply irresistible.
- It is a delicious summer dessert made with a crunchy pretzel crust, a sweet cream cheese mixture, and topped with blueberry pie filling, and a homemade blueberry topping.
- It is definitely a crowd-pleaser that everyone will enjoy, and is perfect for parties, potlucks, family gatherings, or after-dinner dessert.
Peach Pretzel Dessert Ingredients
There are a variety of flavors happening in this recipe, but there aren’t a lot of ingredients used to make that happen. You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this semi-homemade dessert, and they’re all a quick trip to the grocery store away.
- Coarsely crushed pretzels provide a salty, crunchy base for the dessert.
- Brown sugar adds a depth of flavor to the crust.
- All purpose flour helps to bind the crust ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract adds a touch of sweetness and flavor.
- Melted butter helps to moisten the pretzel crust and give it rich flavor.
- Cream cheese adds a creaminess and tangy flavor to the filling.
- Cool whip adds a light and fluffy texture to the filling.
- Powdered sugar adds sweetness to the filling and helps bind it together.
- Peach pie filling is added to the top of the dessert which adds sweetness and flavor.
- Fresh peaches adds a fresh, sweet and juicy topping to the dessert.
How to Make Peach Pretzel Dessert
Making this peach pretzel dessert is a breeze. Both the crust and the cream cheese filling use limited ingredients, and the peach layer is simply peach pie filling with a couple of diced peaches. It couldn’t be simpler!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Crush the Pretzels
Crush the pretzels with a few pulses in a food processor or place the pretzels in a large baggie and crush them with a rolling pin.
Step 3: Make the Crust
Combine pretzels, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Then, pour in melted butter and stir until fully combined.
Step 4: Bake
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Then, remove the crust and let it cool completely.
Step 5: Make the Cream Cheese Mixture
Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Then, add the powdered sugar and beat until just combined. Finally, add the Cool Whip and mix until combined.
Step 6: Layer
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled pretzel crust. Then, spoon the peach pie filling on top of the cream cheese layer, and top it with diced preaches. Sprinkle the reserved pretzel mixture on top of the peach layer.
Step 7: Chill
Cover with foil and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Pay close attention is crushing the pretzels with a food processor. You want coarse crumbs, not fine powder.
- A hand mixer is the easiest and best way to make the cream cheese filling.
- Fully soften your cream cheese to get the lightest, fluffiest filling and avoid any little bits of raw cream cheese in your mixture.
- Traditional pretzels are the easiest to crush for this recipe.
Variations
- You can make totally different pretzel desserts simply by using different pie fillings.
- Use a layer of your favorite pudding in place of the fruit filling.
- Make a fruity Jello layer and then top it with whipped topping for a more traditional pretzel salad dessert.
What to Serve with Peach Pretzel Dessert
This classic dessert is a summer favorite and a staple of any backyard barbecue or potluck. It makes the perfect sweet addition to all your favorites like BBQ, grilled foods, potluck party foods, and so much more.
Recipe FAQ
Pretzel crust is most commonly made with crushed pretzels, butter, and sugar, however, flour is sometimes added, as well.
Pretzels are easily crushed by either pulsing them with a food processor or placing them in a large baggie and using a mallet or rolling pin to crush them.
Peach pretzel dessert is one of those dishes that are actually better when made ahead of time. Make it the night before, and it will be perfect the next day.
This peach pretzel salad will keep for up to 4 days covered in the refrigerator.
You shouldn’t freeze this peach pretzel salad. The texture won’t be the same after it defrosts.
How to Store Leftover Peach Pretzel Dessert
Store this dessert covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Try This Delicious Peach Pretzel Dessert Today
This peach pretzel dessert is as easy as it is delicious, and it’s the perfect sweet treat after any meal and the perfect addition to parties, backyard barbecues, and your next potluck. With so much sweet peach and cream cheese flavor, and the salty crust, this recipe is absolutely delicious. And it’s so easy to make, you’ll be looking for reasons to whip up a batch. Give it a try, and I know you’ll fall in love with it.
More Delicious Peach Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
This Strawberry Peach Smoothie is made with just 4-ingredients and is the perfect, refreshing drink on a hot summer day.
Peach Pretzel Dessert
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 2 ½ cups coarsely crushed pretzels
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup butter, melted
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounce cool whip
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 21 ounce peach pie filling
- 2 large peaches, diced into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray.
Pretzel Crust
- Using a food processor, or large baggie, add pretzels and crush into small pieces.
- In a medium bowl, add coarsely crushed pretzel, brown sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir.
- Melt butter and add to the pretzel mixture. Stir to combine.
- Spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Press into an even layer, reserving ½ cup of pretzel mixture to use for the topping.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Cream Cheese Mixture
- In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese for 2-3 minutes until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until combined.
- Next, add the cool whip and mix just until combined.
- Once the pretzel crust has cooled completely, spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the pretzel crust.
- Spoon the peach pie filling on top of the cream cheese mixture, then add the diced peaches on top of the pie filling.
- Sprinkle reserved pretzel mixture on top of peach topping.
- Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
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