Scandalous Dessert for the holidays! Watergate Salad with a Teapot (Dome)

Watergate Salad, a sweet side dish with a sketchy origin story.

Watergate salad—also known as “green fluff” or “pineapple pistachio delight”—is a festive family favorite that once again graced our Christmas dinner table this year. I can’t say with certainty when this whipped‑gelatin side‑dish tradition began for us, but I do know it was my mom who first introduced it to our holiday feasts decades ago. It quickly gained a new fan base when she continued serving it on Christmas Eve, and the grandkids loved it—especially my oldest son, Rob.

As a “salad” made with marshmallows, Cool Whip, and maraschino cherries, it’s no surprise this mixed‑green concoction was a hit with the younger crowd. But even now, my maturing millennials still request it, and—considering the culinary skills required (none)—I’m more than happy to keep this gelatin classic alive.

Watergate Salad ingredients include instant pudding, marshmallows, pineapple & cherries

My own introduction to Watergate Salad may be a bit fuzzy, but I’ve since learned that its origin story is equally hazy. Accounts vary on when it first appeared and how it got its name. According to an article in last month’s Southern Living, the recipe debuted in the 1970s when Jell‑O launched its pistachio‑flavored instant pudding mix. Known by several names (as noted above), Kraft—owner of Jell‑O—officially relabeled their version “Watergate Salad” in 1993, after nearly two decades of informal use.

But who first called it Watergate Salad? That question carries almost as much controversy as the hotel and political scandal that made the name famous. Tasting Table (April 2025) offers several theories about how this unpretentious foodie fluff acquired its moniker, but the most credible one traces back to the salad’s cousin: Watergate Cake.

Watergate Salad, requires little in the way of culinary skills

In September 1974, a Maryland newspaper published a recipe for a cake labeled “Watergate”—a satirical nod to its thick frosting “cover‑up” and its abundance of nuts. Whether the cake or the salad claimed the name first remains unclear, but “Watergate” was certainly a high‑profile term in the early 1970s. It inspired not only desserts but also gave us the now‑ubiquitous “‑gate” suffix for political scandals.

Watergate Salad, a sweet and fluffy side dish.

As for the Watergate Salad itself, I’ve tried a few different recipes (Little Sunny Kitchen, Allrecipes), but the basic ingredients remain the same:

• Jell‑O instant pistachio pudding

• Crushed pineapple in juice

• Cool Whip

• Maraschino cherries

• Pecans or pistachios

Preparer’s suggestion: Whatever recipe you follow, we recommend the full container of Cool Whip. Any version that calls for only half won’t be quite as airy and fluffy—and after all, it is called “green fluff.”

And for those in our family who prefer it without nuts, rest assured: the recipe holds up just fine without them.

To keep the political‑scandal theme going, we suggest pairing your Watergate Salad with a full teapot (Dome) of a complementary tea blend. We brewed Thé des Sages, a black‑and‑green blend from Dammann Frères.

For more on the controversy surrounding President Harding’s administration—what we like to call “the political scandal with the pleasant‑sounding name”—see our visit to the Harding Home and Library blog from April 2024.