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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!
Table of Contents
What is Watergate Salad?
In researching this salad recipe I found that it’s called by several funny names: Watergate, Green Goddess, Pistachio Delight, or Shut The Gate Salad or colloquially as Green Goop, Green Fluff or Green Stuff. I mean, I’m partial to Green Goop, aren’t you? LOL
Watergate Salad got it’s start back in the 70s when Kraft Jell0-O came out with pistachio pudding mix. Pistachio Pineapple Delight is an iconic dessert that brings back so many family memories.
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 dessert salad until apple salads started showing up in my Pinterest feed. I absolutely love Oreo Fluff too!
What ingredients are in Watergate Salad?
I have seen recipes all over the internet for making ambrosia Watergate salad with cottage cheese or other fruit or even how to make Watergate salad with lime jello, but this is the traditional pistachio fluff recipe:
- Pistachio pudding mix: be sure to get instant pistachio pudding
- Crushed pineapple: a 20 ounce can
- Cool Whip: an 8-ounce container
- Pecans: you can use your favorite nut
- Marshmallows: miniature marshmallows are best
How to make Watergate salad Fluff
- 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.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- 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.
- Add this to a graham cracker pie crust to make Pistachio Pie!
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.
Yes if you want a cheesecake fluff salad, mix cream cheese into the smooth pudding mixture.
You can if you want, but it changes the recipe a bit. I suggest making the pudding as called for on the box then adding the other ingredients. If you want the flavor of pineapple without the chunks, make it with 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup pineapple juice.
Watergate Fluff Salad Recipe
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 Video
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.
Fluff Salad Recipes
Last Updated on April 12, 2023
Bought pineapple and didn’t realize it was in heavy syrup….is that still ok to use?
Most likely – it’ll just be a bit sweeter.
Love this since I was a teenager. Make it every chance I can.
Help! I can only find Royal brand pistachio pudding in a 1.85 oz box. The box says it makes 4 1/2 cup servings, which is the same as the 3.4 oz of Jello brand. Unsure if I should double the pudding, or just make with the 1.85 oz box Thank you!
From what the directions are on the box it seems like it would be the same. I think it’s just a brand difference.
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.
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