16 Old-Fashioned Recipes Through The Decades (2024)

16 Old-Fashioned Recipes Through The Decades (1)

We love old-fashioned recipes for so many reasons. They’re often simple, comforting and timelessly delicious. Today we’re breaking down our favorite old-fashioned recipes by decades! Certain decades were defined by specific food trends, so we’re collecting all the classics from the ’20s, all the way through the 1970s. FromGreat Depression recipesduring the 1930s and ’40s, to retro cakes from the ’60s and ’70s, these old-fashioned recipes for dinner, dessert and appetizers will surely bring back some memories.

Browse this list ofold-fashioned recipesthrough the decades, and be sure to comment below with the recipes that come to mind when you think of certain decades! Plus, don’t miss this list of13 Fabulous Sweet and Savory Fondue Recipes, Plus 7 More Party Food Ideas.

1920s Recipes

The prohibition-era was all about getting creative in the kitchen with Jell-O molds, fruit co*cktails, and pineapple upside-down cake! From fancy Great Gatsby dining, to everyday home cooking, you may only recognize a few of the popular recipes from the 1920s. Here are a few old-fashioned recipes that have withstood the test of time and are still common today.

Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake was a popular dessert in the ’20s, and making in in a skillet produces one of the best versions of the cake.

Must Have Classic Deviled Eggs

When it comes to old-fashioned recipes, deviled eggs are a classic. This easy recipe for deviled eggs is just like the one grandma used to make!

Pink Stuff Recipe

A classic Jell-O mold recipe that looks festive and actually tastes great

1930s Recipes

During the Depression Era, family cooking was all about budget-friendly eats. These recipes from the 1930s are classic Depression era recipes that can be re-made today!

This simple recipe was thrown together using rations and always pleased the family.

24 Classic Great Depression Era Recipes

Don’t miss this list of 21 Classic Great Depression Era Recipes for even more 1930s-era recipes you’ll love!

1940s Recipes

The 1940s were also all about making-do with less – which meant eggless cakes, meatless meals, and more.

1940s Lazy Daisy Cake

A classic coconut cake that’s super easy to make for when you’re feeling lazy.

Party Cheese Ball

This recipe first appeared in the 1940s and continued to be popular throughout the 50s and 60s!

Ultimate Crazy Wacky Cake

A deliciously moist cake that can be made without using eggs, milk, butter, or bowls.

1950s Recipes

The 1950s were all about elegant entertaining at dinner parties and simple, belly-filling meals at home during the week!

Super-Easy Crab Puffs

This simple, yet elegant, appetizer would have been essential at any posh 1950’s dinner party.

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

The classic 50s casserole gets a modern update by utilizing a slow cooker instead of the oven.

Homemade Candy Buttons

An essential part of any 1950s child’s diet! These are so fun to make at home with your children or grandchildren.

1960s Recipes

In the 1960s, foods like the Tunnel of Fudge Cake, kiwi fruits, and the space-age drink Tang came into popularity. These old-fashioned recipes from the 1960s are definitely still familiar to us today.

Creamsicle Jell-O Mold

The classic creamsicle flavors of this Jell-O mold remind us of our childhood.

Chicken a la King

A popular dinner recipe in the 1960s that’s still make today.

Start the Party Meatballs

co*cktail meatballs were a classic in the ’60s, and this appetizer recipe looks amazing.

1970s Recipes

The retro recipes of the 1970s were a mix of classics from the 1960s, along with a few new food trends. There was more of an emphasis of fresh fruit in the ’70s.

Mom's Best Tuna Melt Casserole

Tuna casseroles were an essential part of any 1970’s household dinner menu.

Tender chicken in a sweet and sour sauce with chunks of pineapple.

1970s Pineapple Dream Dessert

A creamy retro dessert that uses pineapple, Cool Whip and more!

Craving MORE Vintage Eats?

16 Old-Fashioned Recipes Through The Decades (20)

Critics are raving about cookbook author andCutthroat Kitchenstar Addie Gundry’s new cookbookRetro Recipes from the ‘50s and ‘60s!

“It takes a genuine senior citizen to recall popular foods from the 1950s and ’60s. But baby boomers’ offspring no doubt will have relished many of the recipes Gundry has collected…Most recipes are a breeze to concoct from pantry staples, but even Gundry’s simplified beef Wellington has its place for celebratory dinners.”—Mark Knoblauch, Booklist

“This collection of popular recipes from the 1950s and ’60s contains what you might expect to find in a cookbook from the time or written on weathered index cards in grandma’s recipe box…Gundry has made it easy for theme-party planners to find the necessary recipes all in one place.”—Publishers Weekly

From 1950’s casseroles and elegant hors d’oevres to more modern, adventurous dishes, this collection of vintage recipes is sure to inspire any home cook.Available NOW onAmazonand atBarnes and Noble!

16 Old-Fashioned Recipes Through The Decades (2024)

FAQs

What were popular dishes in the 1950s? ›

1950s Dinners

You'd find hearty main dishes like Salisbury steak, beef stroganoff and meat loaf on a '50s dinner menu, plus scrumptious sides. Casseroles were also popular, particularly those featuring seafood or ham.

What was a typical meal in the 1930s? ›

Big families could be fed with soups from leftover meats, beans, and home-grown vegetables. Homemakers made many varieties of soup from available foods. The results included split pea, chicken-rice, potato-onion, bean, hamburger, and all vegetable. Dumplings were a filling addition to complement the soup.

What foods were popular in the 1920s? ›

Try finger foods like devilled eggs, tea sandwiches, salted nuts, prawn co*cktail and canapés. Cakes were also very popular in the 1920s with red velvets, pound cakes and devil cakes popular.

What were the popular foods in the 50s and 60s? ›

Popular packaged foods included Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Special K cereals, General Mills' Trix and Cocoa Puffs cereals, Star-Kist Tuna, Minute Rice, Eggo Waffles, Pepperidge Farm Cookies, Ruffles potato chips, Rice-A-Roni, Ramen Noodles, and Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream.

What did poor families eat during the Great Depression? ›

Many cheap foods still common among the poor today made their debut during the Depression: Wonder Bread (1930), Bisquick (1931), Miracle Whip (1933), and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (1934). Ragu spaghetti sauce, Kraft mac-n-cheese, and Hormel Spam all appeared during the Roosevelt Recession in 1937.

What was for dinner in the 70s? ›

Hosting a fondue dinner party was popular in the 1970s, and fondue pots were the ultimate wedding gift during that decade. The Swiss dish consisting of melted cheese served in a communal pot was enjoyed by dipping chunks of bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks.

What is the oldest recipe in history? ›

Nettle Pudding, Britain's and Likely the world's oldest recipe. The ingredients—sorrel, watercress, dandelions, nettles—are the sort of thing you can find in a ditch or park. You have to think how much more is wasted now than then.

What is the oldest dish we still eat? ›

The World's 10 Oldest Dishes And Where They Are Today
  • Indian curry, circa 2200-2500 B.C. ...
  • Pancakes, circa 11650 B.C. ...
  • Linzer Torte, circa 1653. ...
  • Tamales, circa 5000 B.C. ...
  • Burgers, circa 100 century A.D. ...
  • Mesopotamian Stew, circa 2140 B.C., and bone broth, circa 400 B.C. ...
  • Rice dishes, circa 4530 B.C. ...
  • Beer, circa 3500 B.C.
Sep 2, 2023

What is the oldest foods we still eat? ›

The oldest foods still eaten today
  • Stew. Who can say no to a delicious, heart-warming stew? ...
  • Tamales. Made from starchy, corn-based dough, tamales are still enjoyed today all throughout Mexico and Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the US and even the Philippines. ...
  • Pancakes. Yep. ...
  • Bread. ...
  • Curry. ...
  • Cheesecake.

What did people eat at speakeasies? ›

Among the culinary delights served were lobster canapés, caviar rolls, crabmeat co*cktails, shrimp patties, oyster toast, anchovy molds, radish roses, devilled eggs, and savory cheese balls. A variety of sweet treats were available, including powdered sugar-topped fruit co*cktail cups or marshmallows.

What was 70s hippie food? ›

The cuisine that the counterculture took to in the late 1960s, and then helped introduce to the mainstream in the 1970s, embraced whole grains and legumes; organic, fresh vegetables; soy foods like tofu and tempeh; nutrition-boosters like wheat germ and sprouted grains; and flavors from Eastern European, Asian, and ...

What food was served during The Great Gatsby? ›

“On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d'oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.” Gatsby convinces Nick to invite Daisy Buchanan to tea, but in the moments before she arrives, Gatsby begins to worry.

What foods came out in the 1950s? ›

Food Innovations of the 1950's
  • 1950. Minute Rice. Kellogg's Sugar Pops.
  • 1951. Ore Ida Foods (frozen potato products) Duncan Hines Cake Mix. ...
  • 1952. Kraft Cheese Wiz. Mrs. ...
  • 1953. Eggo Frozen Waffles. Star-Kist canned tuna. ...
  • 1954. General Mills Trix. ...
  • 1955. Kellogg's Special K cereal. ...
  • 1956. Imperial Margarine.
  • 1957. Pam nonstick cooking spray.
Apr 11, 2014

What were the basic 4 food groups in the 1950s? ›

A new food guide that also specified a foundation diet was released by USDA in 1956 (table 1). Popularly known as the “Basic Four,” the guide recommended a minimum number of foods from each of four food groups—milk, meat, fruits and vegetables, and grain prod- ucts (Page and Phipard, 1956).

What did diners serve in the 1950s? ›

As well as being quicker to make, dishes served at diners were cheaper, too. Items like pancakes, sausages, meatloaf, burgers, and sandwiches were standard on diner menus, and still are today.

What was the most popular food in 1955? ›

Can You Guess What the Most Popular Food Was the Year You Were Born?
  • 1940s: Meat Loaf. ...
  • 1955: Green Bean Casserole. ...
  • 1959: Cheese Ball. ...
  • 1963: Beef Bourguignon. ...
  • 1967: Stuffed Celery. ...
  • 1971: Eggs Benedict. ...
  • 1975: Sushi. ...
  • 1980: Potato Skins.
Aug 31, 2017

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