Watergate Salad

Watergate salad is a simple dump-and-go salad that is easy and delicious. This sweet, decadent salad is full of fluffy Cool Whip, marshmallows, crushed pineapple, crunchy pecans, and pistachio pudding. A perfect sweet side salad for picnics, potlucks, and family gatherings.

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Why This Works

• Watergate salad is incredibly quick and easy to make!
• Can be made in advance for parties, potlucks, and picnics.
• Uses simple store-bought ingredients
• A creamy, sweet salad that pairs well with BBQ, and grilled proteins.

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All About Watergate Salad

Watergate salad is an old-school classic salad made from cool whip, pistachio flavored pudding, canned pineapple, marshmallows, and lots of chopped nuts. This sweet salad dates back to the 70’s and has become a classic side dish on holidays, picnics, potlucks, and family barbecues.

The history behind the name is a bit of a mystery; it’s said that this was originally published as “Pistachio Pineapple Delight” but was then rebranded by a newspaper to “Watergate Salad” to generate publicity and interest for the recipe.

Watergate Salad Ingredients

There are a few variations of Watergate salad but these are the ingredients needed for the classic version.

• Instant pistachio pudding mix
• Canned crushed pineapple
• Miniature marshmallows
• Chopped pecans
• Cool Whip

Watergate Salad Variations

The variations you can make on this salad are endless, from adding different fruits, to flavored whipped topping.

• Some popular fruits to add to watergate salad are canned mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, or sliced peaches.
• For an extra crunch try adding different crushed nuts, or shredded coconut.
• Different flavors of instant pudding or jello can be used in place of pistachio pudding.
• Use a different whipped toppings – try using a non-dairy whipped topping or a flavored version for a different twist on this easy salad.
• Low sugar watergate salad – Use a sugar free instant pudding and omit the marshmallows to lower the amount of added sugar in this salad.

Tips

• Make sure you don’t discard the liquid from the canned pineapple, you’ll need it for the pudding in this salad.
• Allow watergate salad to chill for at least 1 hour before serving for best results.
• Place the cool whip on the counter for 10-15 minutes to let it soften to make it easier to mix into the salad.
• Be gentle when folding in the pudding to the whipped topping to keep it light and fluffy.
• Watergate salad can be made in advance, it gets even better as it sits and the flavors meld.

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What to Serve With Watergate Salad

Watergate salad is a perfect side dish for entrees like BBQ and other savory meals like meatloaf, roast chicken, pulled pork, fried chicken, and baked ham. 

Make Ahead and Leftovers

To make this recipe in advance, prepare the salad as instructed and cover it with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid and store it in the fridge. When ready to serve, add fresh toppings and enjoy!

Store leftovers sealed in the fridge for up to 4 days. To preserve the freshness of this salad it should not be frozen.

Watergate Salad

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Watergate salad is a simple dump-and-go salad that is easy and delicious. This sweet, decadent salad is full of fluffy cool whip, marshmallows, crushed pineapple, and pistachio pudding.

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Ingredients 

• 3.4 ounce package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 20 ounce can crushed pineapple not drained
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 8 ounce container Cool Whip thawed

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Instructions

• Add the pistachio pudding, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, and chopped pecans to a large bowl and combine well.
  
• Gently fold in the softened cool whip until just combined.
  
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until ready to serve.
  
• Enjoy!
  

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 409mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1mg