28 Surprisingly Delicious Great Depression Recipes You Should Try - Page 2 of 2 (2024)

16. The Great War Recipes

This site is a very interesting read and definitely useful. It goes farther back than the Great Depression but gives great recipes along the way.

Basically, she walks you through the years 1914-1918 and what recipes people used during this time. They range from pea soup to Saturday pie. You’ll want to read this.

Try this Depression Era recipe

17. Bread and Butter Pickles

Do you realize that some of the items that we commonly eat today were actually birthed during the Great Depression Era?

One of those items is bread and butter pickles. I make these almost every year because they were my mother-in-law’s favorite. They are crispy, sweet, and very delicious on sandwiches or even as a snack by themselves.

Try this Depression Era recipe

18. Great Depression ‘Pecan’ Pie

The first thing you’ll notice about this pie is that the name has pecan in it, but there are no pecans. During this time, most people couldn’t afford the pecans that went in this pie.

So they improvised and made the pie omitting the nuts. The ingredients are basic, and the pie looks delicious.

Try this Depression Era recipe

19. Tomato Cakes

I love this recipe because it doesn’t call for fresh tomatoes. If you can whole tomatoes each year, then you’ll be glad to have a new way to use them.

So you just drain the whole tomatoes, bread them in cracker crumbs, and fry them into nice little cakes. It is inexpensive and looks very delicious.

Try this Depression Era recipe

20. Vintage Carrot Cookies

This recipe has a few more ingredients than most Depression Era recipes do. It contains items like butter, honey, eggs, raisins, nuts, and rolled oats.

But if you love carrot cake, then you’ll definitely want to try this recipe because you can now have it in cookie form.

Try this Depression Era recipe

21. Corned Beef Fritters

Corned beef was a staple in a lot of homes during the Great Depression. Because of this, they had to be resourceful and find unique ways to utilize it.

So one of those ways is by creating corned beef fritters. It is basically corned beef held together in a cake form and then fried.

Try this Depression Era recipe

22. Egg Drop Soup

This is another recipe shared by the beloved Ms. Clara who was growing up during the Depression. Did you know that one of your favorite Chinese take-out dishes was actually a huge hit during the Depression?

But obviously, any kind of soup that can be made that is meatless was worth everyone’s time during such a difficult period for most families.

Try this Depression Era recipe

23. Grandma’s Great Depression Cake

This cake is one that is very versatile. It is a spice cake that has a bold flavor but requires only a few basic ingredients.

Not to mention, it is a cake that can be used as a dessert, a mid-day snack, or even as a sweeter option for breakfast.

Try this Depression Era recipe

24. Hot Water Cornbread

This is probably the most basic cornbread recipe that you can imagine. You just add cornmeal and salt to a bowl.

Then pour boiling hot water on top of the mixture. Mix it all together and then fry it up into deliciously fried cornbread.

Try this Depression Era recipe

25. Vintage Homemade Noodles

This recipe is super simple to make for noodles. It requires only some egg yolks, egg whites, and flour to make them.

But the tutorial is also very thorough to walk you through the process. So even if you’ve never made noodles before, you can probably figure out from this post.

Try this Depression Era recipe

26. Depression Era Homemade Bread

If you have been looking for a frugal and really easy bread recipe, then you may have just strolled across it here.

All this bread requires is some flour, water, salt, and yeast. Then it comes together to make enough for two loaves of bread. That is incredible!

Try this Depression Era recipe

27. Crazy Carrot Cake

This carrot cake looks crazy delicious, but it is also very simple. There is no eggs, milk, or butter used in the recipe.

So you just take the few basic ingredients and dump them in a bowl and mix. When everything is mixed up, you place in a greased pan and bake until done. I love how simple most of these recipes are.

Try this Depression Era recipe

28. Depression Era Chocolate Cake

This is another cake that will blow your mind. It has no egg, milk, or butter in it yet it forms this delicious chocolate dessert.

So the next time you have a super sweet tooth craving, then you need to try this cake and see what you think.

Try this Depression Era recipe
So there you have it, folks. You now have almost 30 different recipes that were developed during the Great Depression.

Hopefully, this will inspire you to cook frugally with what you have and also help you to feed your family on a limited food budget.

But I’d love to hear what you think. Which recipes are your favorite from this era?

Drop us a line in the comment section below.