Watergate Salad

  4.7 – 321 reviews  • Dessert Salad Recipes

A hamburger (or hot dog) roll filled with this delectable filling is baked in the oven. Excellent on a chilly weekend day when the kids need a filling lunch. My mother is the author of this dish. For more than 30 years, it has been one of my all-time favorite dishes.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Additional Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  1. 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
  2. 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
  3. 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  4. ½ cup chopped walnuts
  5. 4 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions

  1. Combine crushed pineapple with juice, instant pudding mix, mini marshmallows, and walnuts in a large bowl. Mix until well combined, then fold in whipped topping.
  2. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Reviews

Robin Miranda
I don’t like pistachios and I have never made this before. It was requested by a friend who’d just lost his Father. SO, I wanted it to be good. I loved the results! It was delicious! My alterations of the recipe were: Pecans versus walnut, ~ 3/4 cups. I toasted the Pecans with Coconut Oil. I folded in 6-7 ounces of Cool Whip. I topped the salad with a dollop of whip cream and a few toasted pecans
Shannon Stevens
This recipe is horrible. The measurements are only half the pineapple and cool whip for the recipe.
Claudia Mann
I love this recipe! Been making it for years!!
Robert Long
We renamed it Pistachio Delight ☺️
Sally Smith
I found it too sweet. I doubled the recipe exactly, but wished I had only used one package of pistachio pudding instead of two packages. Maybe then it would have had a lighter flavor.
Michael Gomez
We have always called this salad “Tricky Dicky” after you know who. And yes, a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple is a must, along with the entire small tub of Cool Whip. This has always disappeared very quickly from the table!
Lindsay Stuart
I agree with other cooks/users: Adding Coconut just gives this mixture the added plus that it begs for. Also, for a pretty red accent to the green concoction here, add a small qty to your Watergate Salad … but *do* make sure you drain and dry the cherries before adding. Save a few to decorate the top of this sweet salad delight.
Briana Nunez
i dice up fresh pineapple instead and include some of the juice that comes with, and get luxardo cherries for garnish. it’s mostly nostalgia for me, but dang i love it.
Shannon Ochoa
We made it with the rule of one. One 20oz can of crushed pineapple, One box of pistachio pudding, One container of Coolwhip and One small bag of marshmallows. We also prefer it if it has sat overnight before eating because then the marshmallows take on the entire flavor of the salad.
Dwayne Hoffman
My family loves this “salad” it’s always gone the first day.
Christopher Benson
This recipe calls for an 8 oz can of pineapple, when it needs the larger 20 oz can!
Cynthia Bowers
I thought maraschino cherries were in this too, but I guess that’s a garnish. Still. this is so super easy to make and SO good!
Jimmy Howell
I make this every holiday. Our family loves it. Easy to make and always enjoy this salad. We serve it with the main meal.
Henry Johnson
Easy and tasty recipe.
Elizabeth Meyer
always a hit with the fam
Joan Gonzalez
I made only one change I doubled all ingredients except the instant pudding. This made it less sweet. My family loved it.
Christine Wilkinson
all time favorite summer desserts
Matthew Brown
I used two boxes of the pudding mix and two cans of 20 once crushed pineapple with the juice, mixed the other ingredients, put on the whipped topping it was definitely a hit in our home
Pamela Fletcher
It turned out great. Put in extras, coconut cherries Malawian oranges, walnuts1 can pineapple tide bits , no juice, crushed pineapple and 2 koolwhip. Was a real hit. All gone.
Leonard Shelton
I drained the pineapple juice. I took the juice and mixed with with the pudding and let sit for 5 minutes. From there I mixed the rest of the ingredients together. It comes out nice and fluffy. Also I add whipped topping on the top and a few extra pecans for decoration before serving.
Catherine Martinez
Festive, colorful, sweet, and delicious. I follow the recipe exactly. I usually serve this on the holidays. Goes great with ham or turkey. It’s sweet like a dessert, so some people will eat it sparingly. Others may not be able to stop eating it. Holds up great in the fridge, so it can be prepared a day before it’s needed – just cover tightly.

 

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