Watergate Salad Recipe

➤ Introduction for Watergate Salad Recipe

You know what? I’m pretty impressed with this Watergate Salad business. I know it sounds totally strange – like, who thought to say, “Let’s make a salad with pudding” – but trust me on this.

I had watergate salad first at my neighbors potluck and could not stop eating it. It has this beautiful pale green color; it’s totally retro, and the texture is simply incredible – there’s a fluffy, creamy base from the pistachio pudding and whipped topping, with little pops of sweetness from the mini marshmallows and chunks of pineapple! The nuts give it the most delicious crunch that keeps every bite interesting.

What I love most, aside from how delicious watergate salad is, is how stupidly easy it is to make. I throw everything in a bowl and fold it together – there’s no baking, nothing to wait for to set, and no fancy equipment. All you need is some instant pistachio pudding, Cool Whip, mini marshmallows, crushed pineapple, and nuts you have lying around. Tada!

➤ Why I Love This Watergate Salad Recipe

• I love that this watergate salad takes me back to the good ole’ days of American entertaining. There is something so nostalgic about serving this that feels so right.
• What blows my mind is how mind-numbingly easy watergate salad is. No oven, no stovetop, just mix it all together and set your bowl in the fridge. I love to use this as a secret weapon when I am already running around like a crazy person preparing a party.
• I always make this watergate salad the night before any function. One less thing to worry about the day of, and it actually tastes better letting it sit overnight.

➤ Watergate Salad Recipe Ingredients

Watergate salad (which, incidentally, is pretty much retro picnic royalty):

•One box of pistachio pudding mix (the little 3.4 ounce size, don’t go crazy with the big one)
•A tub of Cool Whip, 8 ounces (ahem, it should be thawed unless you can deal with chiseling it out with a spoon)
•One can of crushed pineapple – 20 ounces – make sure you drain it well or you’re going to have soup
•About 2 cups mini-marshmallows (really that’s up to you, the more the better honestly)
•1 cup walnuts, chopped (or smashed up with something heavy, I’m not judging)

•1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped, although be careful not to eat half of them while you’re chopping
•1 cup of cold milk (is this a necessary ingredient? Yes. Will you want to drink it instead? Maybe!)

For the finishing touches:

•A handful of extra chopped walnuts
•A few maraschino cherries
•Maybe some fresh mint if you’re feeling fancy

➤ How to Make Watergate Salad Recipe

1 • Make the pudding mixture:

•First, I pour the cold milk into my largest mixing bowl and dump in that pistachio pudding mix. Next I take a whisk and whisk that pudding for 2 minutes – whisk the heck out of it! You will notice that it begins to thicken and the powder goes away. Do not rush this step – lumpy pudding is not adorable – yuck.

2 • Add whipped topping:

•Next I fold in the thawed Cool Whip using a big spoon or rubber spatula. I am very gentle here because I don’t want to deflate all that fluff. Just keep folding until it’s all mixed together nicely and looks like a pale green fluffy cloud.

3 • Prepare the mix-ins:

•This is now where I focus on all liquid being shaken from the pineapple. I vigorously press on it with paper towels until I feel I can’t get any more liquid out- then I do it again. Trust me, watery salad is tragic! Same thing goes for the cherries – I chopped the cherries up and pat them dry because no one wants cherry syrup ruining their whole salad.

4 • Add everything together:

•It’s time to fold in all the good stuff! I start with the pineapple so that it is evenly mixed in then add the mini marshmallows and walnuts. I still am being gentle with my folding – we want everything mixed, but not smashed.

5 • Finishing touches:

•Time for the cherries. I just throw them in – Nothing fancy. Just a word of caution – do not be too vigorous stirring or you’ll end up with a sad pink mess instead of a classic green. It should be folded gently. Just enough so the cherries are mingled throughout.

6 • Chill and set:

•Plastic wrap on, fridge bound I usually put it in the fridge for a couple hours, at least. Presto! The magic happens – everything chills out – literally – so you don’t end up with something like gloopy soup of weirdness.

7 • Final prep:

•Just before the crew arrives, I pull it out of the fridge. Really, just let it sit there – its way better than chipping away at it like frozen tundra. If it looks a little lumpy, or just slight off, I will give it a stir. Nothing fancy!

8 • Presentation is everything:

•I take out the “fancy” bowl (you know, the one reserved for holidays) fill it up and sprinkle a few extra nuts and cherries on top because we all eat with our eyes. I throw in a big spoon and stand back and watch. Some people take right away while others watch suspiciously. Either way, it doesn’t matter, it is gonna be gone soon.

➤ Watergate Salad Recipe Tips & Variations

• Really, do not skip this step – I learned this the hard way when I had big nasty chunks of pudding floating around. Whisk it to death; be sure to get every last bit of powder mixed in.
• I can’t stress enough, squeeze the pineapple with all your might. I have had too many disappointing, watery disasters because I’ve been lazy with the draining.
• If you don’t like walnuts, I have also made this with chopped pecans and it was fantastic. Almonds are really good, too. Real pistachios make it fancy, just make sure to chop them up fairly small but leave a few whole for garnish.

➤ Serving Suggestions for Watergate Salad Recipe

• This will always be a big hit at church potlucks – I swear every time I take this to one everyone is asking for the recipe. The same is true for family reunions when you need something to feed a crowd for a low price.
• I love putting this out at the holidays next to all the traditional holiday food. It is like a little surprise that lightens the load of all the heavy pies and cakes.
• If you are having a retro party this is basically required. Nothing screams “groovy 70’s” like a bowl of green fluff that makes people smile and think about their childhood.

If you’ve really gotten into this Watergate thing, you’ve gotta make my Ambrosia Salad next! It’s still that fluffy, creamy texture, but even more fruit action – coconut, oranges, and marshmallows all combined in this delicious dessert style The South is known for, but with a grandma’s intimate touch.

➤ Storage and Leftovers

• Don’t let this sit out for more than 4 hours- I learned that lesson the hard way at a summer barbecue when it got all separated and gross.
• In the fridge, it should last about 5 days, just cover it well. I typically will keep it in one of those large plastic containers with a sealable lid to avoid it from absorbing weird fridge smells.
• Do not, under any circumstances, try to freeze this. I thought I was being clever making a large batch once, but once it thawed, the Cool Whip melted into mush and the fruit was all mushy. Disaster.

➤ Watergate Salad Recipe FAQs

Q: Why do we call it Watergate Salad?

⤷ A: The truth is we don’t really know! It’s probably named after the Watergate scandal in the ’70s though. Food historians are still trying to settle the debate. But honestly, I like not knowing.

Q: Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?

⤷ A: Well, yes! But canned is 100% going to work better here. Canned pineapple is sweeter, softer, and canned pineapple has the right texture! If you really want to use fresh pineapple, chop it really, really fine and then drain it so it is as dry as you can get it!

Q: How do I keep this from becoming soup?

⤷ A: Drain everything! Seriously, you want to squeeze all those fruits with paper towels until you think you are done, then do it again. Water is our enemy here.

Q: What if I hate marshmallows?

⤷ A: No problem! I have made this before with more nuts, coconut flakes, or chopped dates. You still get the sweetness and chewiness without the marshmallow.