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Pistachio Salad dessert is always served at our family gatherings. With whipped cream and marshmallows, it’s always a hit!
Everyone loves fluffy Pistachio Salad! This cool & creamy sweet salad is perfect for summer, similar to our Ambrosia Salad or Cheesecake Fruit Salad.

Pistachio Pudding Salad
Looking for something yummy and different to bring to your next summer potluck? Pistachio pudding salad is it. It’s pretty much a dessert, but who said you can’t have dessert first??
Nothing better than a cool sweet side dish on a hot summer day. Perfectly paired with hamburgers and hot dogs. Or whatever is cooking on the grill!
Pistachio Salad goes by a lot of different names such as the Watergate salad, pistachio delight, green stuff, green fluff, green goop, green Jell-O salad, and pistachio mallow salad. Either way, it is so delicious!
How to Make Pistachio Jello Salad
This is a big pistachio salad which makes it great for taking to picnics and potlucks with friends. It serves about 12 people which is awesome! You’ll only need a FOUR ingredients to make this pistachio pudding salad:
- Crushed pineapple
- instant pistachio pudding mix
- frozen whipped topping
- mini marshmallows
COMBINE. Start by combing the drained canned pineapple and the dry pistachio pudding mix in a big bowl. Make sure your whipped topping is thawed because it will be easier to handle.
FOLD. Fold in the whipped topping and mini marshmallows to your pudding/pineapple mixture. Mix it all together until its well combined.
CHILL + SERVE. Cover it up and put it in the refrigerator to chill before serving. Put a dollop of whipped topping on top and sprinkle with some chopped pistachios for a extra touch.
Recipe tips
Quickly thaw cool whip. Cool whip should thaw in the fridge over the space of about 4 hours.
- If you accidentally forgot about thawing it there are lots of different methods to use. Leave it on the counter for a max of 2 hours, the texture may not be as good but it is quicker than waiting for the fridge.
- Another method is using the defrost button on the microwave: defrost for 30 seconds and then stir, put in the fridge for 2-3 minutes and repeat until it is the right texture.
- The last method involves a large bowl of cold water. Let the cool whip container float in the water for 30-40 minutes, then it should be ready to use.
Texture:
- The longer this salad is kept around the more likely it is for the cool whip to melt. To help avoid this I would recommend not letting it sit out at room temperature for very long, not even for more than 30 minutes.
- Drain and pat dry the pineapple to help keep it from adding too much added liquid to the salad.
- Make sure you use INSTANT pudding
- To get a fluffy texture make sure you fold in your cool whip, you don’t want to crush all of the air out of it.
VariationS + STORING
There are a lot of easy delicious easy to change up the salad:
- maraschino cherries
- mandarin oranges
- can of fruit cocktail
- sprinkle on coconut
- sprinkled on nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts
STORE covered tightly with plastic wrap, or keep in an airtight container. This salad only be good for about 3-4 days because sometimes the moisture from the pineapple likes to leak out and separate the cool whip by adding more water to the salad.
For Other holiday sides:
- Best Dinner Rolls
- Funeral Potatoes
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Pastry Wrapped Asparagus
- Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad
- Cranberry Salad
Pistachio Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 (3 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
- ½ (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- Combine drained pineapple and dry pistachio pudding mix in a large bowl. Fold in thawed whipped topping and marshmallows. Mix until well combined. Chill before serving.
Video
Notes
- Whipped topping or Cool Whip is usually found in the frozen food aisle. Be sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge before assembling the salad.
- Some delicious additions you can mix in include maraschino cherries, mandarin oranges, or a drained can of fruit cocktail. Garnish with coconut flakes or nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts.
- To keep a fluffy texture, FOLD in the whipped cream and keep the salad chilled.
- To prevent a runny salad, drain and pat the pineapple dry, and use only the pudding powder (do not make it into pudding).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Adapted from AllRecipes.com.
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