Cool, creamy pistachio pudding fluff flavored with fruit, nuts & nostalgia. Classic Watergate Salad is a sweet green blast from the past!
With its signature green pistachio pudding & pineapple flavor, fast, festive Watergate Salad will take you back! Creamy, refreshing, and super easy, this retro recipe features pistachio pudding, whipped topping, mini marshmallows, maraschino cherries, walnuts, and crushed pineapple. Yummy!
Watergate Salad Will Be the Talk of the Table!
Watergate Salad (aka – Pistachio Delight) is a dish that brings all the feels! Is it a fruity side salad? Is it a creamy no-bake dessert? It’s both! And the festive green color makes it perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, or Christmas!
Like Chocolate Fondue or Upside-Down Cake, Watergate Salad, with refreshing pineapple, sweet pistachio pudding, and crunchy walnuts, is a throwback recipe that deserves to make a delicious comeback! This mouthwatering marshmallow fluff will spark nostalgic conversation about days-gone-by dinners at Grandma’s house.
Other Recipes to Serve with Pistachio Fluff
- Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and moist, and have just a hint of green to make them a fantastically festive treat for the holiday season!
- No Bake Pistachio Pie is a wonderfully light and simple pie to make, using only five ingredients, and is perfect for every occasion!
Ingredients
Fluff: Whipped topping and instant pistachio pudding give this sweet side salad its signature fluff and color!
Fruit: Canned crushed pineapple (with the juice) adds interesting texture and fresh flavor! Finish off this salad with bright, cheerful Maraschino cherries!
Fillers: Chopped walnuts and miniature marshmallows bring the texture yin and yang to this salad!
How to Make Watergate Fluff
STEP ONE: In a large bowl, combine the crushed pineapple (and the juice) with the pistachio pudding mix. Stir until smooth and creamy. Add in the nuts, marshmallows, and cherries, and gently blend.
STEP TWO: Fold in the whipped topping until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to overnight.
STEP THREE: Serve in a large bowl or scoop into individual dishes and top with more whipped topping and cherries. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Don’t drain the pineapple. The juice goes right into the bowl instead of water for the pudding mix.
- You can swap out the walnuts for crushed pecans or pistachios if you prefer.
- Watergate salad can also be made with vanilla pudding. The flavor will be different and so will the color, but you can add green food coloring for that authentic look!
- A squeeze of tangy lemon juice, added along with the pineapple juice, makes this recipe taste more like a side-dish salad than a dessert.
What is Watergate Salad?
Watergate Salad is one of the most popular recipes of the 20th century! Rumor has it that the salad originated at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., around the time of the infamous political scandal.
Made with pistachio pudding and whipped topping, this Southern-style “salad” is fluffy and green without a leaf of lettuce in sight! It’s filled with soft, sweet mini marshmallows; tangy, refreshing pineapple; and crunchy chopped walnuts, and is best served cold with Maraschino cherries!
How Long Can You Store Watergate Salad?
Sealed in an airtight container, Watergate salad made with whipped topping will remain fresh and tasty for 3-4 days. This will work for Cool Whip or homemade Cool Whip (AKA stabilized whipped cream).
If you use homemade whipped cream in the recipe, it will become watery, and the salad won’t last as long. You’ll have no more than 1 day to consume the salad. Freezing is not recommended with this salad, as the ingredients will change texture when frozen.
Other Retro Recipes Worth Revisiting!
- Cookie Salad
- Ambrosia Salad
- Cranberry Fluff
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Cherry Cheesecake Salad
- Creamy Fruit Salad with Vanilla Pudding
*This post originally posted on 04/15/2015.
Ingredients
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple in 100% juice, DO NOT DRAIN!
- 3.4 ounces pistachio instant pudding mix
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup maraschino cherries cut in half
- 1 ½ cups whipped topping thawed
Instructions
- Combine the undrained crushed pineapple with the dry pudding mix until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the mini marshmallows, chopped walnuts, and maraschino cherries.
- Fold in the whipped topping until completely incorporated.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Top with a dollop of whipped topping, chopped walnuts, and a cherry for serving.
Helen Barclay says
What can you substitute for Pistachio instant pudding as we don’t have anything like that where I live.
Aubrey Cota says
Check out our Ambrosia Salad ingredients you might find using those ingredients are an easier find. —-> https://realhousemoms.com/ambrosia-salad/
Des says
No, no, no, no… Watergate salad doesn’t have marshmallows.
MICHELLE GARRETT says
Every recipe ive seen has marshmallows.