Pistachio Salad

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.

Bowl filled with pistachio salad topped with pistachio nuts.

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!

Bowl of Pistachio pudding salad mix with marshmallows.

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.
Pistachio pudding recipe in white bowl with chopped pistachios sprinkled on top.

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:

Pistachio Salad Recipe

5 from 25 votes
Pistachio Salad dessert is always served at our family gatherings. With whipped cream and marshmallows, it's always a hit!
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 43 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

  • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple drained
  • 1 (3 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
  • 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
  • 1/2 (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 in refrigerate before serving.

Video

Adapted from AllRecipes.com.

Like this recipe?

Pin it now to remember it later! Share it with your Facebook friends (you know they’ll love it). Or tweet it to the world. Maybe even email it to your favorite cousin!

Related Posts

How to Make Egg Salad

Gather a handful of ingredients and follow these simple steps on How to make Egg Salad for a deliciously classic side or tasty sandwich. This one is a perfect recipe…

10 minutes minutes

4.94 from 15 votes

Cobb Salad

This simple cobb salad is so full of tasty ingredients it’s a meal all on its own. It is quick to make and utterly delicious. Cobb salad is by far…

15 minutes minutes

5 from 9 votes

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad is fresh, naturally sweet, colorful, and absolutely delicious. Serve it as a quick lunch or a dinner side! This tasty salad is similar to our Strawberry Harvest…

1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

5 from 10 votes

Cheesecake Fruit Salad

Cheesecake Fruit Salad is the perfect combination of creamy, fluffy, light, and fresh! It’s the ultimate side or crepe filling! Perfect as a filling or a side to any BBQ…

1 hour hour 7 minutes minutes

4.80 from 20 votes

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

Join the Conversation

Rate and Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    I made this for my husbands work crew (11 guys) As they, a lot of times work the holidays (coal mine) I try and fix a meal for them on those occasions. I made a Thanksgiving meal and this salad. They are always grateful for the meal, but they especially went crazy for this dessert salad! I also added a couple cut up bananas.
    Don’t know if I’d do that if it wasn’t going to get eaten all at one sitting but with them it is all gone at one sitting! : )

    1. I bet the bananas were yummy… especially if eaten right away. I’m happy to hear the salad was a hit! Thanks for sharing.

  2. 5 stars
    We have been making this since I was a kid (I’ll be 33 come February). The only difference with ours is we don’t put marsh mallows in it and we call it “martian dump” 😂😂😂😂 it definitely good but I could be bias.

  3. On pistachio salads cool whip in can be used? And why do you say not frozen cool whip?
    One package of instant pistachio mixed made small amount need to double batch.