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Watergate Salad is an easy dessert salad recipe made with pistachio pudding, pineapple, marshmallows, and cool whip. It’s a heavenly retro dessert and it’s done in under 5 minutes!
What is Watergate Salad?
In researching this salad recipe I found that it’s called by several different names: Watergate, Green Goddess, Pistachio Pineapple Delight, or Shut The Gate Salad or colloquially as Green Goop, Green Fluff or Green Stuff.
The Classic Watergate Salad Recipe got it’s start back in the 70s when Kraft Jell-O came out with pistachio pudding mix. Pistachio Fluff is an iconic dessert that is often a side dish on holiday tables.
I’ll be honest: I’d never heard of sweet salads until I started blogging. Fluff wasn’t something we ate growing up. I think it’s more of a mid-western or southern thing because I’d never even seen ambrosia salad or dessert salad until apple salads started showing up in my Pinterest feed. I absolutely love Oreo Fluff too!
I didn’t think I’d like this but I absolutely couldn’t get enough – and neither could my family. The flavor of pistachio is a favorite or mine – the texture is smooth like pudding but with crunchy and soft bites from the pecans and marshmallows.
What ingredients are in Watergate Salad?
- Pistachio pudding mix: be sure to get instant pistachio pudding
- Crushed pineapple: a 20 ounce can with pineapple juice
- Cool Whip: an 8-ounce container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Pecans: you can use your favorite nuts
- Marshmallows: miniature marshmallows are best (have you ever seen pineapple marshmallows? If you find them you should try those!)
How to make Watergate Salad
- Add pineapple and pudding to a very large bowl. Don’t drain the pineapple – the liquid will make the pudding. Note: if you want a thicker salad, drain the pineapple first. This is personal preference.
- Once those are combined, add the whipped topping and stir it together.
- Add the chopped pecans and marshmallows and stir together, then chill. While there aren’t maraschino cherries in the recipe, I love serving them on top as garnish because they’re so pretty, along with some whipped cream.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- Make sure to use INSTANT pudding mix so your pistachio delight sets up.
- If you find sugar-free pudding mix you can also use sugar-free cool whip but remember that the pineapple has sugar in it.
- Use walnuts in place of pecans if you prefer.
- Don’t skip the marshmallows or your fluff will be too wet.
- Add this to a graham cracker pie crust to make Pistachio Pie!
- Variations: Add 1 cup shredded coconut or mix 8 ounces cream cheese into the pudding mixture. If you want to add cottage cheese you can too, but I don’t, it’s not the traditional way of making it.
Storing Leftovers
What’s great about Watergate salad is it’s best if you make it ahead so the flavors can mix and the fluff can get fluffy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.
Pistachio Salad FAQ
Traditionally no, but you can add 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut to the recipe.
No – you do not need to make the pudding recipe. Instead, the pineapple juice makes the creamy pudding.
Watergate Fluff Salad Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix
- 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
- 1 (8 ounce) container cool whip
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Add pudding mix and pineapple with the juice to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Fold in Cool Whip. Then stir in marshmallows and pecans.
- Chill 30 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure to use INSTANT pudding mix.
- If you find sugar-free pudding mix you can also use sugar-free cool whip but remember that the pineapple has sugar in it.
- Use walnuts in place of pecans if you prefer.
- Don’t skip the marshmallows or your fluff will be too wet.
Recipe Nutrition
Watergate Salad is an easy dessert salad recipe like ambrosia with pistachio and pudding! This is such an easy no bake and simple recipe for a crowd.
Hello I just love Watergate salad! I make it just a little different I add some sweetened shredded coconut and maraschino cherries I also like to use instead of the plain Mini marshmallows I like to use the Lucky Charms little marshmallows but either way is good I thought I would just tell you how I made mine.
I grew up on this as a kid. Loved it then and love it now. I married into a ready made family and I love introducing new foods. My daughter saw this salad at a store deli and after tasting it fell in love. I made it for her and she practically ate the whole bowl. Being a Texan in a Mexican family I have brought many recipes of Tex-Mex cooking to this native CO family. I have spoiled them forever and recipes like this simple but great tasting salad helps me keep building my home recipe book. Thank you.
Do you add milk to no cook pistachio pudding when making watergate salad
Just use the ingredients in the list – the powdered pudding.
Delicious 😋❗
I always had this salad before the internet was a thing but never knew what it was called. I loved this recipe, very nostalgic for me.
I have made this every TG for yrs but mine is different. I use lime jello and add coconut.
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