50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife- A Cultivated Nest (2024)

Delicious Vintage Recipes from the 50s.

Nowadays there’s a lot of talk about being a homemaker in the style of a 1950s housewife. But while there’s a lot of talk about how your grandma saved money or cleaned her home, there’s not as much talk about what people ate back in the 50s. As a big fan of food and anything vintage, I set out to find out what the average homemaker’s recipe binder contained back in the 1950s. And I found a lot of really awesome recipes! If you want to be like a 50s housewife, or are just curious to see how American eating habits have changed over time, check out these50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife!

50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife- A Cultivated Nest (1)

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The history of food is pretty interesting. In terms of 1950s food, many of the recipes below were American favorites even before the 50s, and are still family favorites today. Of course, I only included recipes that I, as a modern person, would actually want to eat. There are tons of other 50s recipes that I came across that to me sound completely unappetizing, but back in the 50s probably would have been my favorites. For example, the old cookbook Sour Cream: The Gourmet Touch to Everyday Cooking includes a recipe for Kiddiwiches (sandwiches for kids) that combines chopped peanuts (not peanut butter), sour cream, raisins, and other ingredients between slices of buttered bread. That just sounds like a crazy combo to me, but maybe if I was a kid in the 50s I’d be begging to eat it every day!

50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife

All of these recipes from a 1950s housewife were foods made during the 50s, but some of the recipes may be a bit modernized. Many of the recipes below are people transcribing their mother’s or grandmother’s recipes to preserve on the Internet, but others are more like recreations of vintage recipes. But for those recreations, I tried to find the most authentic ones, using the typical pantry staples that a 1950s housewife would have had available. So while I can enjoy a healthy, low-fat, low-carb, and/or gluten free version of the recipes below as much as the next person, those kinds of terms didn’t really exist back in the 50s, and so aren’t included below. But these 1950s recipes are all so delicious, you won’t mind the extra calories!

1.French Onion Salisbury Steaks by Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

2.Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup with Hambone by Selene River Press

3. Honey Baked Apples by Bake Then Eat

4.Chocolate Strawberry Milkshakes by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

5. Three Beans Baked Beans by Taste of Home

6. Classic Lasagna by A Family Feast

7. Old Fashioned Coleslaw by Gather for Bread

8.Chicken and Mushroom Casserole by The Seasoned Mom

9.Old Fashioned Potato Salad by Valerie’s Kitchen

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10.Old Fashioned Angel Food Cake by The Domestic Curator

11. Preacher Cake by South Your Mouth

12. Vintage Banana Cake by Happy Money Saver

13. Mango Gelatin Salad by Taste of Home

14.Chicken A La King by Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

15. Asparagus Soup by The Spruce Eats

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16.Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup by Wanna Bite

17. Beef Vegetable Soup by Call Me PMC

18. Original Pineapple Upside Down Skillet Cake by King Arthur Flour

19. Oysters Rockefeller by Epicurious

20.Hot Milk Sponge Cake by Wives with Knives

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21. Classic Chicken Croquettes by Writes 4 Food

22.Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake by Spend with Pennies

23. Sidecar co*cktail by Serious Eats

24.Brownie and Candy Cane Ice Cream Baked Alaska by Completely Delicious

25. Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie by Oh My Goodness Chocolate Desserts

26.Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars by The Kitchen Magpie

27. Baking Powder Biscuits by Prairie Gal Cookin’

28. Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie by The Hungry Mouse

29. Pecan Sticky Buns by Cookies for England

30. Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole by Sweet Little Bluebird

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31.Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie by Dishes and Dust Bunnies

32.Good Old Meat Pie by Dan Poplawski on AllRecipes

33. Blueberry Muffins by A Cultivated Nest

34.Coconut Biscuits by Gorgeous with Attitude

35.Old Fashioned Griddlecakes by Edie Wadsworth (Life in Grace Blog)

36.Old School Pineapple Glazed Baked Ham by Deep South Dish

37. Grandmother’s Orange Salad by Taste of Home

38. Old Fashioned Meatloaf by The Kitchen Whisperer

39. Lemon Chiffon Pie by Tastes Better from Scratch

40. Tom Collins co*cktail by Inspired Taste

41. Crown Roast of Pork by Epicurious

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42. Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies by The Kitchen is My Playground

43. Old Fashioned Brownies by An Affair From the Heart

44.Old-Fashioned Molasses Sugar Cookies by My Sweet Mission

45.Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joes by The Heritage Cook

46.Old-Fashioned Apple Pie by Food and Wine

47.Easy Old-Fashioned Swedish Meatballs by Wildflour’s Cottage Kitchen

48. Classic Deviled Eggs by Add a Pinch

49. Lemon Tea Cookies by Taste of Home

50. Coffee Cake by Toot Sweet 4 Two

And there you have it- 50 vintage recipes from a 1950s housewife! If you want more vintage 1950s recipes, check out the booksRetro Recipes from the 50s and 60s and Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book!

Want to finally get your family’s favorite recipes organized?Click here to get our printable floral recipe binder!It contains 50+ printables (including covers and tabs)!

Do you have any vintage recipes (from mom, grandma, etc.) that you already make often?

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You might also be interested in:10 Old Fashioned Frugal Recipes from Grandma

50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife- A Cultivated Nest (9)

50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife- A Cultivated Nest (2024)

FAQs

How to be the perfect wife in 1950s? ›

How To Be A Good Wife (1950s Style)
  1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time. ...
  2. Prepare yourself. ...
  3. Clear away the clutter. ...
  4. Prepare the children. ...
  5. Minimize all noise. ...
  6. Do not greet your husband with problems or complaints. ...
  7. Make him comfortable. ...
  8. Listen to him.

What was expected of a wife in the 50s? ›

Not only did the women of the 1950s have to make exciting meals, ensure their children are well behaved without disciplining them excessively, keep their home smelling lemon fresh and always look appealing for their husbands, they had to make it all look easy.

What did 50s housewives do all day? ›

The publication also outlines daily tasks that one should complete each and every day, which include: Kitchen: Put away food, clean coffee grounds, wash dishes & sink, sweep, empty wastebasket. Bedrooms: Hang up night clothes, make beds, straighten & dust, dust/vacuum blinds.

What was the housewife syndrome in the 1950s? ›

However, being a housewife often left women unsatisfied and lonely, sometimes even being diagnosed with 'housewife syndrome'. Housewife syndrome became a diagnosis in both the UK and US, as doctors found that housewives were complaining about symptoms of fatigue and unhappiness and they wanted to categorize them.

How did husbands treat their wives in the 50s? ›

A typical day for married men in 1950 was for their wives to wait on them and make their lives easy for them. If men held full-time jobs, they were considered amazing husbands. If they even “babysat” their own child, they were revered. Housewives' jobs were to wait on their husbands and children, hand and foot.

How often do married couples in their fifties make love? ›

Once a week is a common baseline, experts say. That statistic depends slightly on age: 40- and 50-year-olds tend to fall around that baseline, while 20- to 30-year olds tend to average around twice a week.

What was the average age for a woman to get married in 1950? ›

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Marital Status Historical Time Series Table MS-2: Estimated Median Age at First Marriage, by Sex: 1890 to the Present, 2003. The median age at first marriage in 1950 was 23 for males and 20 for females.

How much clothes did the average woman own in 1950? ›

On average, women probably had maybe 5 every day dresses and maybe 3 “church” dresses and one or two pairs of dress shoes. They probably owned a couple of pairs of casual shoes and only a few tops and pants and a couple of purses.

Why were women's waists so small in the 50s? ›

Sure, there are other factors than can influence one's weight but for the purposes of this discussion, the average American woman in the 1950s was slimmer because she ate less and burned more calories in her daily activities.

How did 1950s housewives stay thin? ›

Women were naturally more active as 'helpful' modern technology hadn't kicked in quite yet and ongoing rationing meant people were eating plainer food and smaller portions. Fewer refined carbs and lower-sugar fruits meant women consumed on average 400 calories fewer a day than we do now.

What time did 50s housewives wake up? ›

Wake up at 6:00 am and start preparing breakfast for the family. As a vintage housewife, waking up early is crucial for having enough time to get dressed, fix your hair and makeup, and still have time to prepare breakfast and get the children ready for school.

What are the qualities of the ideal woman during the 1950s? ›

Maintain the house, prepare meals, take care of the children, help them with their homework, be the ideal wife, do the dishes and the laundry while remaining elegant; that made the day of most American women in the 1950's.

What was the marriage culture in the 1950s? ›

The U.S. marriage rate was at an all-time high and couples were tying the knot, on average, younger than ever before. Getting married right out of high school or while in college was considered the norm. A common stereotype was that women went to college to get a "Mrs." (pronounced M.R.S.) degree, meaning a husband.

How to make your husband happy in 1950? ›

Tidying up the house and children is necessary, as is having a "cool or warm drink ready," and be sure to "arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes." And the evening should be about him, saying: "Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other [illegible] of entertainment.

What makes a woman a perfect wife? ›

A good wife holds a high level of integrity for herself. A good wife will inquire of her husband if his needs are being met, listen carefully, and attempt to meet those needs as much as she can. A good wife knows her own needs and is willing to tell them to her husband so that he can rejoice in being a good husband.

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