{"id":186885,"date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-16T00:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/origin-www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/pistachio-mallow-salad\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T22:16:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T04:16:27","slug":"pistachio-mallow-salad","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/pistachio-mallow-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistachio Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you think salads must include leafy greens, think again! Just like vegetable salads, retro-style marshmallow salad recipes<\/a> have a cool, fresh taste. In these sweet salads, however, we call upon pudding mix and marshmallows in place of veggies. Take this pistachio salad, for example. Full of pineapples, pistachios and mini marshmallows, it can be served as a side dish or dessert, depending on where you’re from.<\/p>\n

You’ll typically see fluff salads and other vintage potluck recipes<\/a> like this in the South and Midwest, although they can be enjoyed anywhere, at any time. It may sound odd to eat something sweet and creamy as a salad, but once you taste it, you’ll give in to this luscious treat. After all, you don’t get a lot of opportunities to eat marshmallows before dessert!<\/p>\n

What is pistachio salad?<\/h2>\n

Fluffy pudding-based salads became popular at the turn of the 20th century, shortly after the invention of instant gelatin. That magical ingredient made it simple to create airy treats like pudding and marshmallows. Home cooks layered these modern fluffy ingredients into “salads,” colorful dishes that sit proudly on the salad buffet table at family get-togethers.<\/p>\n

Pistachio salad came about in the mid-1970s, after the release of pistachio-flavored pudding mix. Pistachio salad gained popularity around the same time, which is most likely why it’s also known as the Watergate salad<\/a> (the infamous Watergate scandal was unfolding around the same time in Washington, D.C.). The biggest difference between our pistachio salad and Watergate salad recipes is the nut used: One uses pistachio, the other pecan.<\/p>\n

This side dish goes by a lot of names, from “pistachio delight” to “green fluff” to “pistachio mallow salad.” No matter what you call it, pistachio salad is a beloved (and delicious) generations-long staple among many families.<\/p>\n

Ingredients for Pistachio Salad<\/h2>\n