Easy, 4 ingredient Pistachio Fluff Salad, also known simply as Pistachio Salad! Best served with friends and family, this recipe makes a great potluck dish!
Love easy desserts? Our Ambrosia Salad could easily be a side dish too. Or try our cranberry fluff salad!
Why this Pistachio Salad is Best
You are living in a vacuum my friends, if you haven’t yet tried this Pistachio Fluff Salad.
Some people call it simply Pistachio Salad, Pistachio Dump Salad, Pistachio Pudding Salad or Watergate Salad. Or Green Fluff. Or just the Green Goop.
Whatever you call it, it’s a huge hit at all our family holiday parties and potlucks.
Pistachio Fluff Salad is only 4 ingredients (5 if you count the cherries on top)! I know many people add extra nuts to theirs, but not us. Occasionally I’ll swap out the mini white marshmallows and use the fruity, colored mini marshmallows instead.
Any party is a great time to whip up a batch of this pistachio salad. I know I keep calling this a salad when it clearly is more like a dessert. But after all, Mom always said to eat your greens, haha!!
Change things up and try our lemon fluff next!
Ingredient Notes
Easy as 1,2,3. And four if you’re counting ingredients!
- Crushed Pineapple- you’ll need a can of this, with the juices (do not drain). Fresh pineapple is not the same here.
- Pistachio Pudding Mix- two of the small boxes of instant pudding mix are perfect.
- Cool Whip- you don’t want to use homemade whipped cream here, as it will tend to get too weepy. However, if you don’t want to use Cool Whip, try our stabilized whipped cream instead.
- Marshmallows- these create the perfect texture. Whether you use plain mini marshmallow, or toss in the fruity colored marshmallows, either are delicious.
The hardest part of this Pistachio Fluff Salad recipe is giving everything time to mingle. Allowing it to thicken up. You can make it the night before, or whip it up at least 4 hours in advance, making it perfect for holiday gatherings.
If you don’t want to put the cherries on top, you can toss them into the mix. This also makes a beautiful Christmas side dish or dessert with the red cherries and green pudding mixture!
So, tell me, have you eaten pistachio salad before? Do you love it as much as I do?
Looking to use pudding mix in more recipes? Adding a box of pudding to cookies creates the most amazing, soft and chewy, Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies.
Best Salad Recipes
Pistachio Fluff Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 boxes JELL-O Instant Pistachio pudding mix 3.4 ounce each
- 1 can crushed pineapple 20 ounce
- 16 ounce Cool Whip thawed
- 1 bag mini marshmallows 10 ounce
- maraschino cherries for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pudding mix with crushed pineapple. Mix with a wooden spoon until pudding mix is blended with pineapple liquids.
- Add in Cool Whip and mini marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, or overnight. Serve with maraschino cherries as a garnish. Or, if desired, add cherries to fluff right before serving. ENJOY.
Notes
- Swap out the cool whip for our homemade stabilized whipped cream instead.
- Store salad in refrigerator for up to 3 days for best results.
Video
Nutrition
Easy, 4 ingredient Pistachio Fluff Salad, also known simply as Pistachio Salad! Best served with friends and family, this recipe makes a great potluck dish!
can this be cut in half for just 2 people
You might not want to cut in half its SO good, you’ll both eat it😉😁
Do you make the pudding or just use 2 boxes of the powder?
Just the dry mix!
We make this for every holiday meal. In our family it is a tradition to eat it as a side not dessert. My friends think I’m crazy.
Definitely how to eat it!
Does it have to be cool whip or can you add your own homemade whip cream?
Can I add phill cream cheese to it
Yes, I have added 8 oz. of cream cheese to help cut down the sweetness, OR, I have also added 8 oz. of cottage cheese for the same purpose as cutting down the sweetness.
?Do you use crushed pineapple in heavy syrup or juice
I use in juice 🙂
Can I use sour cream where it want be so sweet?
How long is it good for in a fridge?
Just a couple of days!
Is there something else to put in besides the marshmallows or it wouldn’t work without them?
It’s fine without marshmallows 🙂
We’ve used small curd cottage cheese when we don’t want it as sweet. 16 oz container
Love this but have a granson who is allergic to pistachios, is there a fluff salad with another kind of pudding?
I read a post where someone used cheesecake pudding with strawberries. Said it was delicious.
We called it pistachio salad and it’s definitely a tradition! But I never put the marshmallows in it until right before I serve it! I can’t handle soggy marshmallows! ??♀️ For all the other texture eaters out there, you’re welcome !?
I made the “green stuff” my nephew calls it for years. I use the pudding, cool whip, crushed pineapple and juice and drain fruit cocktail. I saw a suggestion using colored miniature marshmallows7 instead of white…that looks interesting.
I use colored marshmallows …love it
This was great! I added shredded coconut to it.
I love this…we always called it Ambrosia, and add shredded coconut, as well. With or without the nuts.
very good