1960's Strawberry Pretzel Salad Made Vegan (and Easy)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day! Although it was cloudy and rainy in Seattle, it was nice to catch a break.  Memorial Day kickstarts the summer feeling with fashion and sweet eats. 

Last year, I found this 1960's high-waited red skirt, which is perfect for today's crop top style. I loved the color and it reminded me of strawberries. It wasn't until I looked closely at the inside of the skirt, the lace inseam has "love" and peace signs on it, something I haven't seen before. 

It definitely felt like love was in the air. 

“Strawberries!
Fruit from the heart.” 
― Anthony T.Hincks

During this time in humanity, and with coronavirus, we need love more now than ever. To me, strawberries are like life blood. Juicy and sweet, we can all use a bit of TLC in our life, and cooking and baking is the perfect head, hand heart connection. 

Many strawberries are even in the shape of the heart. Love is the root basis of our existence on this planet. We love love itself. Love heals. Love cures. Love is powerful, when using that energy in a positive light. The rhododendrons are in bloom, and with so many complimentary colors, I decided to ignite the red, white and blue. 

With love and the summer holiday seasons in mind, I decided to make a vintage strawberry recipe vegan style. After much thought, I recreated the traditional strawberry pretzel salad that is made with Jell-O. 

The strawberry pretzel salad phenomena started in the 1960's from the recipe launched in a 1960's cookbook called The Joys of Jell-O. ​It does sound like an odd combination of flavors, but it does pair very well. 

Jello is not vegan, and unless you use vegan jello, using agar agar is not easy to find nor is affordable. During COVID19, I wanted to remake this to where the ingredients were accessible and affordable, which is part of my mission, and making agar agar jello is another time intensive project that adds additional steps to this recipe. 

“Strawberries always fill my heart with joy.” 
― Anthony T. Hincks

Instead of Jell-O, I used store bought strawberry pie glaze that is sold in the produce section of the grocery store. It saves SO much time and reduces hours of chilling in between the filling and topping stages. 

And to me, it paired perfectly, almost like a cheesecake coupled with a salty pretzel crust. The sweet and salty combination is a favorite in modern cooking. I also reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe as compared to other recipes found on the internet. 

The strawberries and pie glaze are sweet enough, so I don't find any benefit of adding sugar to the crust or too much in the filling. With being on lock down, consuming high amounts of sugar won't help us during this time of stress or loneliness. 

I guess the skirt, the strawberries and the flowers brought some brightness and love into my life, and hope this vintage recipe brings some love into your home.

No matter how crazy things get in this world, all we need is love. And trying a dairy-free recipe is not only cruelty-free, but a form of love to give the animals a break and seek the power in plants! 

This vintage skirt, American flag napkins, 1960 earrings and other vintage items are available on my Etsy shop, The Elizabethan Closet.

1960's Strawberry Pretzel Salad Made Vegan
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: Several Hours 

Ingredients: 
Crust
2.5 cups of pretzels, finely blended
1 cup coconut oil melted (or vegan butter melted)

Filling
1 8oz tub of vegan cream cheese
1 can of coconut milk, chilled overnight for the cream
1 cup powder sugar

Topping
1 16 oz pack of fresh strawberries (didn't use the whole pack) 
1 container of strawberry pie glazed (used half of Marie's container)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin by blending pretzels into a flour-like texture in a food processor. In a pot, melt the coconut oil or butter. Mix the blended pretzels with the oil in a bowl until well combined.

Spray or grease a 9 inch springform pan. Firmly press the pretzel mixture into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Once done, remove from the oven and let the crust cool in the refrigerator. 

Begin making the filling. Place the cream cheese in a bowl. Carefully remove the coconut cream from the can. Do not shake the can, and place the solid coconut cream into the bowl. With an egg beater or a whisk (or mixer) cream both ingredients together and gradually add the powder sugar 1/4 cup at a time. 

Once the crust is cool, pour the filling evenly on the crust. Place in the freezer while working on the topping. 

Begin slicing the strawberries, or chopping them if desired. Once done, remove the pie from the freezer. Arrange the strawberries on top as you desire them whether it'd be in a pattern or just tossing them on top. Next, spoon the glaze on top of the strawberries and spread evenly. I used about half, or 7 ounces, of the Marie's pie glaze. 

From here you can chill overnight or place in the freezer for several hours to quickly chill, and then keep it in the refrigerator so it stays solid but not frozen. 

​Let's Connect! Enjoy my other strawberry recipes below! 

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Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cake topped w/ Beet Frosting

GF Lemon Cupcakes w/ Strawberry Coconut Whip

Vegan Strawberry Pistachio Cheesecake

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