Quick and Easy Watergate Salad Recipe (Light and Fluffy)

This fluffy and light quick and simple salad recipe that tastes like dessert is called the Watergate salad. Our favorite ingredients are combined in a frothy combination that is difficult to refuse.

It contains the perfect amount of sweet coconut, salty walnuts, and tart crushed pineapple, with a cherry on top. A vibrant and distinctive addition to any meal is watergate salad! This classic family recipe is prepared exactly as Grandma did.

Describe the Watergate Salad.

Shut the Gate Salad, Pistachio Delight, and even Green Goddess Salad are other names for the Watergate salad. The Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, where it was served at weekend brunches, is most likely where it received its name.

A box of quick pistachio pudding mix gives this fluff salad its vibrant color and mouthwatering flavor. While the addition of marshmallows and whipped topping makes it airy, almonds and coconut give texture.

Wonderful as a dessert or with Strawberry Peach Slushies to accompany a holiday meal.

Favorite Fluff Salad

• A traditional salad recipe that is simple to prepare and ideal for any holiday meal is the Watergate salad!
• Without turning on the oven, it’s simple to prepare in one bowl. Simple mash and chill!
• The easiest way to prepare this meal for a potluck is in advance!

Ingredients for a Watergate Salad

However, this recipe is kept straightforward and sweet, unlike some Watergate salad variations that add cottage cheese or cream cheese.

BASE PISTACHIO The clean, nutty flavor of pistachios and their pale green hue are what give this salad its distinctive appeal. This recipe’s zesty tang from the pineapple juice unites the other ingredients.

MIX-INS Watergate salad is renowned for its exquisite mingling of crunchy and sweet ingredients. Whipping cream and small marshmallows are mixed with crushed pineapple, sweet coconut, and salty pecans.

As an alternative to pecans, crushed pistachios or walnuts may be used. Sliced bananas, mandarin orange segments, fresh blueberries, or chopped red apples may also be included for color and texture.

ADVICE: Drain any additional fruit well to prevent it from diluting the salad.

Recipe for Watergate Salad

To have some good ol’ fashioned fluffy fun, create this salad!

1. Mixing pistachio pudding mix and pineapple juice (per the recipe below).
2. Add the mix-ins and stir. Add the whipped topping and fold it in gently. Cover and chill.
3. For each serving, garnish with chopped pecans & a maraschino cherry.

ADVICE: Toast the coconut and pecans in a small skillet and let them cool before incorporating them into the dish. By toasting them, you can enhance their flavor and increase their crunch.

Storing

For up to two days, store Watergate salad in a sealed container in the fridge. Add some more whipped cream topping to give it a boost.

Watergate salad can be refrigerated for up to three months, but when it is thawed, it won’t be as fluffy. Give it room to expand as it freezes in the container. Before serving, swirl the thawed mixture and add some marshmallows and freshly whipped topping.

Watergate Salad

This wonderful retro recipe for Watergate Salad only takes 5 minutes to prepare. It’s packed with traditional flavors like pistachio, pineapple, and nuts!

Ingredients

• 20 ounces crushed pineapple in juice NOT SYRUP
• 3.4 ounces instant pistachio pudding mix 1 box
• 1 ½ cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup pecans chopped
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 8 ounces whipped topping
• maraschino cherry for topping
• pecan chips for topping

Instructions

1. While saving the pineapple in the can, drain the liquid from the smashed pineapple into a big basin.
2. The pineapple juice and pudding mix should be thoroughly blended.
3. Crushed pineapple, marshmallows, pecans, and coconut are added and mixed.
4. Whipping is added after folding.
5. For at least six hours and up to 48 hours, cover and chill.
6. When serving, add cherry and pecan chips as a garnish.

Notes

It is ideal to prepare this dish in advance so that the flavors can meld and the marshmallows can soften.

The fridge is a good place to store leftover Watergate Salad for up to two days. Before reserving, thoroughly combine.

Before serving, thaw, whisk, and fold in new whipped topping and marshmallows after freezing for up to three months in an airtight container.

Nutrition information

Calories: 242 | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.5mg