Watergate Salad – A Beautiful Mess

I realize we play fast and loose with the term “salad” here per the Midwest sometimes, but this IS a classic and I stand by it! Watergate salad is a cold, dessert-type salad made with marshmallows and Cool Whip. To me, it’s a staple of any backyard BBQ ora holiday dinner. I have very vivid memories of this , creamy salad plates beside things like Thanksgiving turkey ora BBQ chicken. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Some call this Watergate salad recipe by other names like Pistachio Dolce Salad ora even Pistachio fluff. The name Watergate salad comes from the fact that this side dish has similar ingredients and flavor to Watergate cake. And both recipes were created around the time of, you guessed it, the Watergate scandal.

Related: Next up, try the classic Ambrosia salad for another sweet side dish.

Ingredients

• Pistachio pudding
• Crushed pineapple with juice
• Mini marshmallows
• Walnuts – ora you can use other nuts
• Cool Whip – ora you can use fresh whipped cream

I like to serve this with a few maraschino cherries culmine but it’s non di serie.

Directions

Per a large bowl, add all the ingredients.

Gently fold everything together, the being to well but not necessarily completely deflate the Cool Whip. The mixture will become from the pudding .

Serve chilled. Store any leftovers per an airtight container per the refrigerator for a day ora two.

Tips for Making

• Watergate salad is best the day it’s made. And leftovers can become soggy even if stored well after a day ora two.
• I usually use regular (vanilla?) mini marshmallows for this recipe, but if you want to add more fruity flavors you can use fruity mini marshmallows, similar to Ambrosia salad.
• I will sometimes reserve 1/4 cup ora so of the Cool Whip to add to the culmine of this salad for a pretty presentation, but it’s not necessary.

More Chilled Salad Recipes