Today, my mama (Janice) shares a simple recipe for Watergate Salad. This is a must for us around the holiday! Our version is lower in sugar but still every bit as rich. Take it away, Mama! ~Christy 
Boy, I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Christmas will be here before you know it.
I didn’t realize how far ahead Christy has to bake holiday foods so that she has time to post them for you to have for your family. At first I thought it would be nice to have all my baking done ahead. I could just bake everything and freeze and then all I’d have to do is reheat it. What I didn’t count on is that we have three teenage grandsons living here eating it all as soon as I get it finished. So it looks like I’ll be baking twice this year! It sure is a good thing that I love to cook.
Today I made two recipes while taking care of a two month old. I wouldn’t recommend trying to multitask like I did. I can’t even count how many pictures I had to delete and retake because I forgot something. I started out making Watergate Salad. Four ingredients, sounds simple enough, right? Well, to start with, there should be five ingredients. I thought that I had made Watergate Salad so much that I wouldn’t even need to get out the recipe. Mistake number one! After I took all the pictures, I realized that I had left out the pecans. Mistake number two! I called Christy in a panic and she said to just tell everyone that I forgot and you would understand. I think it went downhill from there.
I took a picture of all the ingredients and got out my bowl to dump everything in. When I opened my can of crushed pineapple, I realized that it was chunk instead. Mistake number three. It wouldn’t have been so bad except I had already taken the ingredients picture. I had to line up all the ingredients again and hope that I had a can of crushed pineapple in the pantry. Well, someone upstairs was looking out for me. One can, right size was sitting up front just waiting on me. After retaking the ingredient’s picture, I dumped everything in the bowl and stirred it up. I prefer it with pecans but that isn’t going to prevent me from eating it!
I mixed up the Watergate Salad and went to the pantry for the perfect little bowl. Since I was going through the kitchen I may as well take the spatula I was using to mix it with to the sink. I decided to lick it clean on the way. Mistake number four! A big glob fell off onto my shirt and then landed on the floor. Of course, it had to land on a crack in the hardwood floor. Have you ever had to dig Watergate Salad out of cracks in the floor? Not as easy as it sounds. Got the bowl, scooped the Watergate Salad into it, decided that it would look good with a cherry on top. Oh wait, the jar of cherries is downstairs in the frig! We took them down there to make cherry ice cream. Went downstairs, got the cherries, ate several on the way up while picking out the best one for a photo. And just like that, things started looking up again!
Enjoy the Watergate Salad.
This is our line up for today’s cast of characters: Mini marshmallows, Cool Whip, crushed pineapple and instant pistachio pudding mix. Pecans were supposed to make the line up as an optional ingredients but someone forgot to put them in!
*I use sugar free. You can use whichever you prefer, just get the small box.
Dump all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add pineapple, juice and all.
Stir everything together until no dry pudding remains and everything is mixed well.
This recipe makes four one cup servings. I wonder who ate one?? Well, don’t you think I should try it first to make sure it tasted good? I did and it passed the test. Just another thing I do for you, the Southern Plate family. You are most welcome!
Ingredients
- 4 serving size box of instant pistachio pudding mix I use sugar free
- 8 oz. carton Cool Whip
- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple undrained
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Dump all ingredients in mixing bowl. Stir until well blended and there is no dry pudding visible.
- Cover and let chill before serving. If salad is a little thick, you can stir in a couple tablespoons of milk before serving.
Makes approximately 4 one cup servings.
“Worry gives small things a big shadow.”
~Proverb
You may also enjoy this recipe! Pineapple Poke Cake
Yum 
Awww … Mama Janice, you just made my day that much brighter with your story! LOL I appreciate the chuckles you gave me and the work you and Christy put into sharing recipes with us. I can remember the first time I had this salad. It was in the mid 70’s on a visit to St. Louis, MO. Have enjoyed it ever since. Don’t worry, you did just fine with this one. I’m sure the pecans will be sure to show up the next time you need ’em. Glad you’re here to share your recipes and stories with us.
Thanks Debbie for the reassurance. By the way, I got your package. Thanks so much! I gave Patti her part and she was so excited. Have a great week. Mama
I have learned if you mix the pudding and the pineapple together first then add the cool whip then the marshmellows you wont have dry powdered spots!
LOVE this at Christmas and Thanksgiving!
Thanks for that suggestion Jayne. I will definitely try that next time I make it. Mama
Love this recipie!! My mother makes it several times a year and always brings a debate between her and my brother…….. Is it a salad? Or a dessert ? My mother has always said it’s a salad and is eaten with your meal, my brother says it’s a dessert and he eats is as just that, a dessert! All I know is I just love it !!
Hi Keith, That is so funny. It reminded me that my grandson said it would make a good breakfast when he saw it. I think whatever cranks your tractor is what you should go with. Mama
Great post, Mama Janice!
It helps me to know that even a cooking expert like yourself isn’t perfect and that things happen along the way…sometimes we all have to say, “oh well, I’ll just go with it”.
LOVED IT! Thanks!
This sounds like something I’d really like to try again (it’s been far too many years since I last ate this!). Can you tell me how long it will keep in the fridge? And I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your site. It’s a real pleasure to find down-to-earth recipes with country charm that reminds me so much of home! Thank you!
I have kept it in the frig for a couple of day when it lasts that long. If it gets a little thick just add a few tablespoons of milk and stir it in good. Mama
I have been making this for years also, but my recipe calls for the large can of crushed pineapple undrained and only 1/2 Cup of chopped nuts. I’m glad to know the options.
Got a laugh out of the post and always think of fond memories when I have this salad/dessert.
Hi Janice, just a note, do you have a suggestion for us poor Canadians who don’t have pistachio pudding anywhere. I think this would be yummy, will have to give it a try.
Any major grocery store up here should carry the Jello brand of Pistachio pudding. I have no problem getting it out here in the ‘burbs’ of Toronto….good luck!
Hi, I just want to let you know that you can use any flavor of pudding . Cocoanut is a good one with it. We have also put cocoanut in the salad. I also used the large can of crushed pineapple, and more cool whip. You really caint hardly mess it up . The more you make it, the more you make, haha.
It is so delicious. Oh and don’t forget the pecans. Mama, I just saw your posting about strawberry instant pudding. Yes, it is good and very colorful. Any flavor will do.Its making me hungry !!
Love all the Recipes, Cajungranny
Hello Eva, I think you could make this will any flavor pudding that you think would go with pineapple. I saw a box of strawberry instant pudding and bought it to try in this recipe. I haven’t made it yet but I bet it will be yummy. Mama
Thank you mama Janice for this yummy recipe! I was going to make it right after I read the post, but then thought I’d wait till my 6 year old daughter comes home from school. She enjoys helping me in the kitchen and this is easy for her to make with minimal help ( she has Autism and can’t be near the stove because she doesn’t realize how hot it can be). So this recipe is perfect….no stove, no danger….just mixing in a bowl, with ingredients that she loves to eat. I just wonder how much will be left in the bowl after she starts “taste testing”!!!
Keep the great recipes coming, and God Bless you, Christy and your family.
Hello Wilma, I am so glad that I shared a recipe that you and your daughter can make together. The “taste testing” is the best part! Have a wonderful day. Mama
Loved this post. You always make my day with your stories. I can relate because a couple of years ago my husband and I kept our 4 grandsons all under the age of 4 three days a week. Trying to cook and keep everyone happy was like a circus but thinking back now I would not have traded this time with them for anything. Now that they are bigger they are a bottomless pit. Keep the recipes and posts coming. Thanks for all you and Christy do.
Oh, this is one of my very favorite recipes! My grandmama (we called her Mom) taught me how to make it years and years ago and I still bring it out for most holidays. During the Clinton years, our family got into a debate about what to call it — given the mixed political leanings at the table, some of us asked others to “Please pass the Watergate salad,” while they would reply, “I’d be delighted to hand over the Whitewater salad.” It still gives me a chuckle to think about — and makes me miss those days when we would all gather round the table for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, all the aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, siblings, and cousins — with Mom and Pop leading the proceedings.
Thanks for giving me a great big smile today. 🙂
Janice,
Thank for your wonderful story. You have definitely brightened my day. It is nice to know that someone else in this world has days just like mine.
I just made this salad a few weeks ago and it is so good. While I was eating a bowl, my brother called and said he had not had any in a long time. Sounds like a perfect excuse to make more when I go visit during Thanksgiving.
Thank you and may God bless you and yours.
Oh Mrs. Janice! It’s nice to know that such an experienced cook still has the occasional mishap in the kitchen! Thank you for being honest with us! 🙂
Hi Erika, I only wish it was an occasional mishap. I have had days where I have thrown an entire recipe in the trash and started over. Of course, I always laugh afterwards. It sure keeps life interesting. Have a great day! Mama
This is so similar to what we make, but we also add in an 8 oz block of Philly cream cheese. First, we cream the cream cheese with the pudding mix, then add the rest of the ingredients.
The addition of cream cheese would take it over the top. I will definitely have to try it. Mama
I have always devoured Christy’s posts, newsletters, etc. I’m so excited to now be reading yours, too! Like Christy, your writing makes me feel like I’m there with you. This post made me giggle! We all have days like that, don’t we? Just keep calm and press on, I always say! Thank you for the wonderful, easy recipe!
Inspiring
This is my grandsons favorite food, I always have to make it if he is going to be there. I can see where Christy gets her sense of humor, I love your posts as much as hers.
My sweet Mama used to make this every year for Thanksgiving and for Christmas. We used to call it “the green stuff”. We miss Mom so much, but I still occasionally make “the green stuff”! It always reminds us of happy times with Mom.
Hi Cindy, Our kids also called it the green stuff and it is so delicious. I know how much you miss your mom, I also miss mine. Have a great holiday and remember the happy times. Mama
I love Watergate salad. I am the only one in family that eats it. Good thing it stays a few days n refrigerator , can’t eat all at once lol. When I frst looked at your recipe on here I thought it read 4 boxes of pudding mix, I knew that wasn’t right with the ratio of the rest of the ingredients, after reading again I see where you used serving size box instead of ounces. See we all get in a hurry sometimes, right. I have frozen pecans from last year how do you take that bitter taste out of your frozen pecans?
Try toasting your pecans.
I have to make this at Thanksgiving and Christmas for my sons. They have loved this since they were children. and it’s the first thing they look for. It’s been a family tradition for almost 40 years. Only difference is I always add sliced bananas to mine, and at Christmas, I also add maraschino cherries. Love that you are now posting!
Mama Janice, thanks for the story that accompanied your recipe, it made me smile. I just love the cute presentation of putting the portions in canning jars. I look forward to more stories from you and of course your daughter. Have a wonderful day.
Good morning, Jan and Christy!
I made this great Watergate salad last night for dessert and it was excellent! I now plan on serving as a salad for Thanksgiving dinner (how I typically would use a dish of this sort). You would be proud, Christy – I served it in my Crazy Daisy Pyrex bowl and it looked lovely. 🙂
Loved this post! 🙂 Made me smile.
Now you’ve done it I’m gonna have to make this soon. It’s been years. I may as well make the Watergate cake too while I’m in the kitchen. I decorate the cake to look similar to a wreath. Enjoy your posts as much as I do christy’s.
Hee hee!!! Now you’re cooking MY way! I often have 2 2-year-old assistants helping me forget stuff. And yep, half the ingredients are in the garage fridge, and somehow get remembered and collected one by one. Cooking can be a lot of exercise!
My aunt made this salad all the time when I was a kid. My kids love to make it now.
Oh wow, does this recipe bring back happy memories! My earliest memory of this salad is of having it at Girl Scout camp, only the troop leaders changed the name up just a bit and called it ‘Walk-away’ salad because it was the last thing we ate at camp before we packed up, cleaned up and headed out of camp for another year. We ate it in ice cream cones….man, was it good! I forgot all about it for years until I met my hubby’s Aunt Judy; she made this for every family event, because, to quote my hubby’s grandmother, Kass, “It’s not a party without it!”. I started to make it for my side of the family for get-togethers, until my dear niece Kate turned up with a peanut/tree-nut allergy and I could no longer use pistachio pudding. I stopped making it for awhile, and forgot about it. But, now you’ve started something and got me thinking about it, so I will make a batch for my husband’s side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner. Hmmm, maybe I will serve it in ice cream cones….., lol! Boy, won’t that ellicit some strange looks! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christy and Janice!
Oh my goodness, I LOVE the idea of serving it in ice cream cones!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Please tell me if there is a way to make Watergate salad without pistacio pudding–as my family has nut allergies?
If so, what pudding do I use instead of Pistacio pudding?
Thanks
Pistachio pudding is what makes a watergate salad a watergate salad. However, you can make a salad like this with any type of pudding you wish. I would just start with one that you know your family loves and you’ll end up with your very own signature family recipe 🙂
For those with nut allergies–what other pudding can I use for Watergate salad–other than Pistacio pudding?
Oh my, I haven’t made Watergate salad in years! I must have lost the recipe. I need to edit my shopping list. Gotta make this again for old times’ sake. My name is also Janice…rhymes with my nickname. ~Neecie
I love your nickname Janice!!! I hope you get the chance to make it soon, it is one of my favorites!!
I made a batch to take to a church function but could not go . So, can I freeze this Watergate salad in small containing some?