Watergate Salad

Travel back in time to the 1970s with a bowl of Watergate salad, a retro dish known for its fruity flavor and creamy texture. This one-dish fluff salad is incredibly easy to make, and it’s a fun option if you’re looking for a foolproof potluck dish.

Depending on where you live, you might call this dish Pistachio Delight, Green Fluff or Shut the Gate salad. Calling it a salad might be a stretch for some, but any lover of ambrosia salad knows that marshmallows absolutely belong in salad recipes. Plus, the dish is green, so the name fits!

What is Watergate salad?

Watergate salad, made with pineapple, chopped nuts, whipped topping, marshmallows and pistachio-flavored pudding, is sweet enough to serve for dessert. However, its fruity, cool, refreshing qualities make it suitable as a side dish!

The roots of Watergate salad can be traced back to the early 1900s during the instant-gelatin boom. It wasn’t until pistachio pudding was introduced in the 1970s that this fluffy green salad reached peak popularity. Popular enthusiasm for Watergate salad has since waned, but it remains a staple at many household gatherings, potlucks and holiday dinners across the United States. The salad’s vibrant color also makes it a candidate for green food to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Watergate Salad Ingredients

Taste of Home

• Pistachio-flavored instant pudding: This salad gets its iconic green color from pistachio-flavored pudding.
• Whipped topping: Grab a package of whipped topping from the grocery store, or make your own whipped cream to for a homemade spin.
• Crushed pineapple: There’s no shortage of sweetness in this recipe, so we like to reach for a can of unsweetened crushed pineapple. Don’t drain the can, as you’ll need the juice and the pineapple tidbits.
• Miniature marshmallows: Mini marshmallows put the fluff in vintage marshmallow salads.
• Pecans: Chopped pecans provide a crunchy element. It’s a nice textural contrast against all the creamy ingredients.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the Watergate salad

Taste of Home

In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix, pineapple, marshmallows and pecans until well blended.

Step 2: Stir in the whipped topping

Taste of Home

Gently stir in the whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or until ready to serve.

Editor’s Tip: Be gentle when you stir in the whipped topping. You want it to maintain its light, airy consistency. Overmixing can cause the salad to deflate.

Recipe Variations

• Give it a photo-worthy finish: Top Watergate salad with extra whipped topping, chopped pistachios and maraschino cherries.
• Add green food coloring: Pistachio pudding adds a green hue, but you can brighten up the color with a few drops of green food coloring.
• Use another nut: Swap out pecans for whatever chopped nuts you have in the pantry.
• Add coconut: Fold in flaked or shredded coconut for added texture.

Can you make Watergate salad ahead of time?

Watergate salad is actually better when it’s made ahead of time. Chilling allows the flavors to meld and come together. Prepare the salad an hour ahead of your event, or as early as the night before. It will keep in the fridge longer, but it reaches its peak within 24 hours.

How to Store Watergate Salad

Store Watergate salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it is good for up to four days. The pineapple can make the salad a little watery as it sits, so fold in extra whipped topping to fluff it up as needed.

Can you freeze Watergate salad?

You can freeze Watergate salad for up to three months. Keep in mind that marshmallows won’t have the same texture when they thaw.

Watergate Salad Tips

Taste of Home

How do you serve Watergate salad?

Vintage fluff salads like Watergate salad are fantastic as a light dessert, but you can also serve them as a side dish. This sweet salad pairs well with most main dishes you’ll find at a potluck or barbecue.

Why is it called Watergate salad?

There are many rumors about how Watergate salad got its name. Some say it was served at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Others maintain it got its name from Watergate cake, a dessert made with pistachio-flavored pudding. Some people joked that the cake was full of nuts and the thick frosting covered up the cake’s green color. How the cake and salad became connected is a mystery, though, so we may never know the true origins of this fabulous name.