EASY 5-Ingredient Pistachio Salad made with pudding mix, pineapple, sweet cream & marshmallows! 5 minute potluck fruit salad recipe everyone loves!
Easy Pistachio Pudding Salad is a classic dessert salad recipe made with pudding mix, cottage cheese, whipped topping, crushed pineapple and colorful marshmallows. Quick & easy sweet fruit salad with delicious pistachio flavor! Green fluff salads are perfect for family get togethers, holiday dinners and neighborhood potlucks.
Sarah here from Feeding Your Fam bringing you another perfect treat for your summer menu! Summer calls for family time and easy foods! This simple pudding salad has 5 simple ingredients and comes together super fast.
Pistachio Pudding Salad
This easy Pistachio Pudding Salad (AKA grinch salad, affectionately named by my kids) will easily become one of your go to potluck contributions. Loved by young and old alike, this salad is one of those memory makers that people always remember and request! Serve as a side dish or even dessert.
You may even find similar recipes online by searching for Watergate Salad or Pistachio Pineapple Delight, but I can assure you that no matter what you call this pudding recipe, it tastes delicious just the same.
Can I make Pistachio Pudding Salad ahead?
This pudding salad can be made 24 hours in advance of when you are going to serve it. To make this salad ahead combine all of the ingredients except the marshmallows. Cover and store the salad in the fridge until ready to use.
Just before serving mix the marshmallows into the salad.
Pistachio Pudding Salad Ingredients
This is what you need to make this salad:
- 2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant pistachio pudding
- 1 pound cottage cheese
- 8 oz whipped topping
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple
- 2 1/2 cups multi colored marshmallows
How to make Pistachio Pudding Salad
In a large salad bowl or mixing bowl, combine the 2 boxes of pistachio pudding with the crushed pineapple, including all of the juice from the can of pineapple. Stir until the pudding is dissolved and this beautiful green pineapple pudding mixture is formed.
Add in the cottage cheese and whipped topping.
Fold the cottage cheese and whipped topping into the pineapple and pudding mixture until well combined and fluffy.
Add in the marshmallows and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve cold.
This is a simple and quick salad that everyone loves!
Pistachio Salad Recipe
EASY 5-Ingredient Pistachio Salad made with pudding mix, pineapple, sweet cream & marshmallows! 5 minute potluck fruit salad recipe everyone loves!
Print Pin Rate
Servings: 16
Calories: 106kcal
Ingredients
- 2 3.4 oz instant pistachio pudding mix
- 20 oz crushed pineapple NOT drained!
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 8 oz whipped topping
- 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
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In a large salad bowl, combine the pudding and crushed pineapple (including juice). Stir to combine, until pudding is dissolved.
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Stir in cottage cheese and whipped topping.
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Fold in mini marshmallows.
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Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
Is Watergate Salad (Pistachio Pudding Salad) a Dessert?
Technically speaking this green stuff can be considered a side dish or a dessert as it touches base in both realms. That said, you’re more likely to see it served around the same time as the main dish and other sides instead of at the end with the cakes and pies.
Can I Freeze Pistachio Pudding Salad?
If you plan on eating it frozen or still partially frozen you can have this dish frozen for up to 3 months. If you plan on thawing and serving the dish as-is, I recommend not freezing it with the marshmallows as they will change texture during the process and not be pleasant.
Why Is My Watergate Salad Runny?
This is a result of the acid in the pineapple breaking down the other liquids in the salad. It will happen over time so it’s best to enjoy this salad when it’s fresh. Please note, do not add more marshmallows when it gets runny as this will cause the salad to gain an odd texture as the marshmallows will absorb a lot of the liquid.
More recipes with pudding mix:
CAN YOU REPLACE THE COOL WHIP?
Cool Whip is the best “whipped topping” to use in this recipe. However, if you can’t find Cool Whip where you live or you prefer not to use it in recipes, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead. If you just use regular whipped cream, the consistency will be too light and the cream will not hold up very well. It’s very simple to make your own stabilized whipped cream and it just takes a few minutes!
See Homemade Whipped Cream recipes here.
To make stabilized whipped cream, you will need the following ingredients:
- 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Beat the whipping cream just until soft peaks form.
- Add in the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high until mixture is smooth.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days.
A little tip for making whipped cream faster: use a metal bowl and place the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will significantly decrease the amount of time that you will need to beat the whipped cream – the process will go much faster!
You’re going to love this Pistachio Pudding Salad. Packed with cottage cheese, whipped topping, crushed pineapple and colorful marshmallows, what’s not to like? Take this Green Fluff Salad to your next barbecue or get together and watch it quickly disappear!
EASY 5-Ingredient Pistachio Salad made with pudding mix, pineapple, sweet cream & marshmallows! 5 minute potluck fruit salad recipe everyone loves!