This Watergate Salad is a classic dessert salad made with pistachio pudding, Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, marshmallows, and pecans! It's green, fluffy, and extremely addictive. Guaranteed to steal the show at your next potluck or Holiday meal!
About This Recipe
Craving something cold and sweet, or need a dessert to feed a crowd? This Watergate salad has you covered! Also known as Pistachio Delight or Green Fluff.
If you're not from the Midwest, you might be a bit confused about what watergate salad is. Well, firstly, it's not a salad at all, at least not in the traditional sense. It's essentially a mish-mash of pistachio pudding mix, crushed pineapple, whipped topping, mini marshmallows, and nuts. It's creamy, fluffy, nutty, slightly fruity, and surprisingly addictive.
Every family has their own version of making it, but it is said to have become popular in the United States during the 1970s. And despite the name, it has nothing to do with politics. The name comes from its similarity to Watergate cake, which uses many of the same ingredients.
This is one of those recipes that is almost too easy to make. Basically, you just combine everything in a bowl, and you're done. That said, I think it tastes way better after refrigerating for about 30 minutes, so the flavors can meld a bit and the dessert gets a bit colder. Add some maraschino strawberries on top, and you have a pretty festive-looking dessert.
Key Ingredients
Pistachio pudding mix: This is essential! It's where the green color and a lot of the flavor come from.
Cool Whip: I think most people would argue that a Watergate salad is not a Watergate salad without Cool Whip- and I agree. I've tried recipes with plain old heavy cream, and they always seem to be missing something.
Crushed pineapple: You'll need 1 can, and make sure to include the juices!
Mini marshmallows: 1 use 1.5 cups of mini marshmallows.
Pecans: You can also substitute chopped walnuts.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix, pineapples (with juice), marshmallows, and pecans.
STEP 2: Fold in the Cool Whip until well combined. Chill until ready to serve.
๐ Recipe
Watergate Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box pistachio instant pudding mix
- 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple (undrained)
- 1 ยฝ cups mini marshmallows
- ยฝ cup pecans chopped
- 2 cups frozen Cool Whip (thawed)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix, crushed pineapple (with juices), marshmallows, and pecans.
- Fold in the Cool Whip until well combined.
- Chill until ready to serve.
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