Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (2024)

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (1)

  • Mid Century Lifestyle
  • January 23, 2023
  • Victoria Van Vlear

Yes, we know that the mid century was known for not-so-savory foods like frozen fruitcake salad and Jello + tuna salad (yes, that really was a thing). But also remember your mom’s amazing meatloaf recipe that she got from her aunt, or the apple streusel your grandma made every Christmas growing up? Here are some classic (and delicious) vintage 1950s recipes for you to try at home!

Waldorf Salad
Waldorf salad has been a classic since the early 1900s—it was invented in 1896 and named after the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. This rendition from Taste of Homehas the traditional combination of fruit, nuts and mayonnaise dressing.

Also Read – 5 Recipes To Satisfy Your Mid Century Munchies

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (2)

Stuffed Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are a mid century classic, but check out this stuffed deviled egg recipe, straight from a 1950s vintage recipes card. Admittedly, the green pea-infused deviled eggs are a little weird, but the tuna fish infused version doesn’t sound too bad! Get a full review (and written instructions) from Retro Recipes.

Mid Century Green Salads
Looking for other salads to add to your repertoire of vintage 1950s recipes? Antique Alter Ego has posted a collection of salad recipes from the bookA Picture Treasury of Good Cooking from 1953. If you’ve ever wanted to try making a Caesar salad from scratch or a Cobb salad the original way, now’s your chance.

Also Read: 5 Mid Century Modern Cocktail Recipes For The Holidays

Potato Salad
Is potato salad considered a side dish, or a pre-dinner dish? Either way, it’s one that was prevalent in the ’50s and ’60s. Here’s a classic version of it by From Valerie’s Kitchen that’s bound to be delicious.

Coleslaw
Another side-dish-maybe-salad, coleslaw is typically made with lettuce and other salad fixings, then doused in a mayonnaise-based dressing. This one from Gather for Bread is her recreation of her grandmother’s homemade coleslaw—a true vintage dish to try with your other vintage 1950s recipes.

Also Read: Retro Jell-O Recipes That Actually Taste Good

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (6)

Sidecar Cocktail
You can’t have a good stash of vintage 1950s recipes without a cocktail or two. And the sidecar has been around since the 1920s, so it’s the perfect Mid Mod cocktail to make for your next in-home dinner party or celebration. Try this version by Serious Eats.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (7)

Breads
Who doesn’t love a fresh warm roll? Antique Alter Ego has uploaded an entire bread section from the cookbookA Picture Treasury of Good Cooking from 1953, with recipes white bread, hot cross buns, coffee cake and blueberry muffins.

Also Read: More Mid Century Recipes For New Year’s

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (8)

French Onion Soup
This one comes straight from the great French-American homemaker cook from the mid century era. Can you guess who? Julia Child, of course! This is the French onion soup recipe from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking from 1961, via Julia Child’s Recipes.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (9)

Swedish Meatballs
Many Swedes emigrated to the US in the 19th and 20th centuries, bringing Swedish dishes with them. These Swedish meatballs are a classic, and were popular during the mid century era. Check out Taste of Home’s recipe here.

Also Read: Mod Recipes: Classic Cocktails For New Year’s Eve

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (10)

Parmesan Chicken
Another dinner dish from Julia Child’sMastering the Art of French Cooking from 1961 is parmesan chicken. It has a brown butter sauce to top it off. Check out the recipe (and eye candy photos) at Catz in the Kitchen.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (11)

Meatloaf
Chrissy of the blog Dear Chrissy makes her meatloaf just like her gramma did– in a cast iron skillet.She’s posted the meatloaf recipe so you can get an authentic, old-fashioned meatloaf to add to your vintage 1950s recipes.

Gingerbread
Not gingerbread cookies or men—no, this is the real thing. Soft, moist bread with hints of ginger and molasses. It makes a great dessert bread, but you can also hide it as a side dish if you have a big sweet tooth. Head to Baking a Moment to get the recipe.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (13)

Chicken & Mushroom Casserole
It’s no surprise that pasta casserole’s are ubiquitous with the 1950s. It’s around this time mac and cheese became popular. And with cans of cream of mushroom soup as a staple in many american kitchens, it didn’t take long to come up whit this potluck staple. The Food Cafe has a recipe that doesn’t stray far from the original, with ingredients that are store-bought and easy to get.

Lemon Chiffon Pie
Chiffon pies were all the rage in the midcentury. They were eye-catching and over the top and a go-to for “fancy” orders. Lemon chiffon is a little different from lemon meringue—unlike the stiff topping of the meringue pie, chiffon is softer, airier and has a sweeter taste. Learn about the nostalgic mid century roots of this dessert at Saveur.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (15)

Peach Parfait Pie
Ok, we’re entering Jello territory here. But though peach parfait pie uses gelatin, it’s not the Jello salad that tends to mark the weird dishes of the 1950s. This one instead is a sweet treat, with raspberry gelatin paired with peach ice cream and a flaky pie crust. Doesn’t sound too bad to us! Check out this vintage recipe at Antique Alter Ego.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (16)

Via Antique Alter Ego
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Another mid century classic, the pineapple upside down cake would be a great dessert for a tiki-themed birthday party or when you want to match your dessert to your tiki-themed barware. This version by King Arthur Flour bakes the cake in a cast iron skillet.

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (17)

Want more vintage 1950s recipes? Try these five vintage recipes to satisfy the munchies. And if you’re drooling over that pineapple upside down cake, try making your own version of the Dole whip from Disneyland’s very own Tiki Room!

And of course, don’t forget to follow us onInstagram,FacebookandPinterestfor your daily dose of mid century inspiration!

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  • Author Bio

Victoria Van Vlear

Victoria is a writer and contributing editor for Atomic Ranch, as well as an occasional hired hand for the magazine’s live events. She’s also the editor and brand leader of American Farmhouse Style magazine. As a home décor enthusiast and DIYer herself, she knows what a little paint and patience can do for a room!

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (29)

Vintage 1950s Recipes to Try at Home (2024)

FAQs

What were the food choices in the 1950s? ›

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.

Where can I find old recipes? ›

Looking for recipes from days gone by? Allrecipes has more than 790 trusted retro recipes complete with ratings, reviews and baking tips.

What did people eat for breakfast in the 50s? ›

Breakfast was viewed as the meal to set you up for the day so was, at the very least, porridge, followed by bacon, eggs and fried bread, then toast and home-made marmalade, and lots of milky tea.

What did kids eat for lunch in the 1950s? ›

School lunches in the 50s were pretty much like the meat and two veg in diners at the time. There was only one lunch, no choice. Typically it would be a ham slice with pineapple, mashed potatoes and gravy amd green beans. Or turkey and dressing or Salisbury steak.

What snacks did people eat in the 1950s? ›

However, packaged snacks were not about to concede to the fast food trend. Peanut M&Ms, Atomic Fireballs, Certs Mints, Hot Tamales, PEZ candy, Pixy Stix, Smarties Candy Necklaces and Marshmallow Peeps were all candies developed during this decade.

What food was popular in 1953? ›

1953: Chicken Tetrazzini

Once a romantic dish eaten by movie stars and opera singers, chicken tetrazzini later became a comforting, at-home meal made with chicken, spaghetti, and a creamy, vegetable-infused sauce.

What did Americans eat for dinner in the 1950s? ›

Typical main dishes might have been a hamburger, tuna fish, chicken casserole, dried chipped beef in cream gravy over toast, fried chicken, mac and cheese, Spam, canned ham, spareribs, hot dogs wrapped in Bisquick, hot dogs with barbecue sauce, liver and onions or various bean dishes.

What is the oldest recipe still in use? ›

Nettle Pudding

Originating in 6000 BCE, England; it is the oldest dish of the world that's rich in nutrients. Nettle pudding is made with stinging nettles (wild leafy plant), breadcrumbs, suet, onions, and other herbs and spices. This dish is steam cooked until it attains a mousse-like consistency.

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 is the oldest food still around? ›

First found in a tomb in Ancient Egypt, honey is about 5,500 years old. Revered in ancient Egypt, honey remains edible over long periods. In 2015, while excavating tombs in Egypt, the archaeologists found about 3000-year-old honey that was fully edible.

What did people drink in the 1950s? ›

Gin was all the rage in the 1950s (largely due to remnants of the Prohibition), and as such, drinks like the Sloe Gin Fizz and the Tom Collins (more on that in a bit) started gaining in popularity. The Kitchn reports that Brits first invented sloe gin, and tended to drink it in winter as a way to warm up.

What was the average size of a woman in 1950? ›

The average woman in the 50s had a 27.5-inch waist and her bra size was 34B; in 2017, women's waists are 34 inches and they wear a 36DD bra. Other differences: Women in 2017 are almost 20 pounds heavier (154 vs. 136 pounds) and wear larger-size clothing (size 14 today vs. size 10 in 1957).

What was a typical day of eating in the 1950s? ›

Common dishes included the likes of meat stews, creamed tuna, meat loaf, corned beef and cabbage, mashed potatoes with butter, breaded and fried veal cutlets, deep-fried vegetables, French fries… you get the idea.

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

Was fast food popular in the 50s? ›

It started with White Castle in the 1920's and built upon by McDonald's in the 1940's, and by the 50's the popularity of fast food was growing quickly. Entrepreneurs of the decade learned that people enjoyed quick service, affordability and consistency.

Why were TV dinners popular in the 50s? ›

The history of TV dinners traces back to the 1950s, a time when television was becoming a central part of American culture. As families gathered around their TV sets, the need for quick and easy meals arose.

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