The 5-Ingredient Vintage Recipe That Deserves a Comeback

We’re kind of a sucker for a good comeback. Who doesn’t love retro recipes like Apple Crisp and Sloppy Joes to bring us back to simpler times? These staple recipes are still just as good today as they were when they first came out years ago. One tried-and-true dessert we’re ecstatic to get reacquainted with is Watergate salad.

What Is Watergate Salad?

Watergate salad goes back to the 1970s when it was first called “pistachio pineapple delight.” Later, it became known as “Watergate salad,” thanks to a Chicago food editor who coined the name, coinciding nicely with the presidential scandal of the same name.

Today, we’re seeing this retro dish make a comeback with TikTok users like KITCHENTOOL.

“If you haven’t heard of Watergate salad yet then you’re missing out,” he says. He notes that the dessert takes “only five ingredients and five minutes to make.”

As the TikTok video suggests, this dessert (which can also be served as a side) is quick, easy, and ideal for the holiday season because of its ease of preparation and its vibrant hue. 

Allrecipes reader rvines1003 says this dish is “festive, colorful, sweet, and delicious” and goes great with ham or turkey.

How to Make Watergate Salad

The five ingredients for Watergate salad are instant pistachio pudding mix, crushed canned pineapple, miniature marshmallows, walnuts, and frozen whipped topping. 

To make this dessert, mix the first four ingredients in a bowl before folding in the whipped topping. Then cover and refrigerate for about one to two hours before serving. If you need to store the dessert salad, you can place it in an airtight container to keep in the refrigerator for up to four days or freeze it for up to three months. 

However, we’re thinking since it’s loved by so many, you may not have any leftovers to store. Allrecipes member Kelly Kurtz Miller said, “My family loves this ‘salad’…It’s always gone the first day.”

Tips and Substitutions for Watergate Salad

The recipe and its ingredients are flexible to your preferences. One Allrecipes home cook swapped out the walnuts for pecans, toasted them with coconut oil, and said, “I loved the results!”

You can skip adding nuts entirely if you have a nut allergy or aren’t a fan. Allrecipes reader Roxanne Joy Fowler said this recipe is a family favorite, but prefers not to add nuts, saying it still comes out “delicious.” 

You can also switch up canned fruit for fresh, as one Allrecipes reviewer did. “I dice up fresh pineapple instead and include some of the juice that comes with.” They added that Luxardo cherries can also help make for the perfect garnish.

Several members of the Allrecipes community agree that coconut also makes for a great addition, as one user points out: “Adding coconut just gives this mixture the added plus that it begs for.”