50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (2024)

We offer you here some Depression Era recipes that will help you feed your family for less money. They are easy and fast and have been proved through the time in the past. We share you our grandmother`s experience. They knew how to stretch their food budget while feeding the family in such a difficult situation. You will be sure how well they did it. Here are some recipes that were actually used during the Great Depression.

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (1)

Don’t forget to PIN this image for quick access to all these ideas

Feeding a family nowadays is really a great challenge. If it is a large one of seven for example. And the challenge is compounded when you are also trying to a strict grocery budget.

In my guest for money-saving wisdom I turned to the past. You can learn a lot from the past experience. Those who lived during the Great Depression knew a lot about living on very little. They knew how to cope with that difficult situation. Nowadays we are faced to the similar challenge. Go through these ideas and learn from the past experience.

Savory 1930’s Recipes

3 Ingredient Bread

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (2)

via Busy Mom Media

1930’s Potato Soup and Biscuits

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (3)

via Everyday Foodie

It is difficult to imagine any meal without bread. You can make it at home and be sure it will be irresistible. You need only three ingredients that must have at your pantry. It is not necessary to make it every day because you can freeze it for the next meal.

1930’s Kitchen Sink Casserole

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (4)

via RecipeLion

A strange combination at first sight. We all have heard about potatoes soup but some biscuits in it sounds strange. It is a great huger beater, You can have it for lunch or even dinner.

Corned Beef Fritters

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (5)

via The. 1940s Experiment

Don`t forget to garnish these corned beef fritters with some stewed vegetables up to your choice. It is a perfect meal for the whole family.

Feather Dinner Rolls

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (6)

via I Love Old Recipes

There are fast and easy to be made, but tasty at the same time. Gather the whole family and just enjoy the result.

Good Old-Fashioned Potato Pancakes

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (7)

via Blessed Beyond Crazy

Potatoes can be used instead of flour. This is the perfect example. Potatoes pancakes. You can serve them with any jam or homey no matter they are made of potatoes.

Hamburger SOS

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (8)

via Just a Pinch

This hamburger just reminds of a hamburger. The basic part of this sandwich is the souse. You can make it up to your choice.

Hoover Stew

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (9)

via Time Traveler’s Kitchen

As you can see from the picture you can stew everything you have in the fridge. Just boil some pasta before. You can use canned products, those you store in the pantry.

Ida’s Depression Goulash

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (10)

via BigOven

This is the ideal meal for testing your imagination. Add everything you like or have in the storage. Don’t forget to add some herbs for additional taste and enjoy together with your family.

Peppery Scrambled Macaroni Eggs

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (11)

via House of Nash Eats

Only two ingredients are basic in this meal – macaroni and eggs. Boil macaroni first and scramble some eggs at the end. Some black pepper is the final ascent.

Poor Man’s Meal

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (12)

via The Beehive Cottage

Ham and potatoes in a pot. You can add some onion and black pepper of course. The result is satisfying. The hunger will be beaten.

Porcupine Meatballs

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (13)

via Heritage Cookbook Project

Meatballs are fast and easy option for a meal. You can serve them in the form of sandwich or a hamburger. Use them not only for a meal but also for a snack. Appropriate for any teenager at home. In case there is something left *I am personally far from that idea * freeze them for the next time you meet hunger among family`s members.

Recipe for Noodles From Scratch From the Great Depression

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (14)

via Delishably

Just noodles. This recipe is as simple as possible. Just boil the noodles and the meal is ready. If you have some souse serve it and enjoy.

Survival Casserole

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (15)

via Back Door Survival

As it is clear from the name is contains basic ingredients to survive. You need only pasta. The piece of broccoli on the top is just for the look. Tasty and good enough to make you feel fill.

Vegetable Turnovers

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (16)

via 1940s Experiment

Cut all the vegetables you have at home. Stew them with some herbs and olive and serve with this type of bread. Fast and easy again. Appropriate for lunch and dinner. Enjoy together with your family.

Vintage Brown Buttered Homemade Noodles

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (17)

via Happy Money Saver

You can consume noodles sweetened with brown sugar. If you have some cinnamon don’t hesitate to put it in that dish. Appropriate for a dessert or a breakfast. It can last till next day if there is something left.

30’s Meat Loaf

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (18)

via Moms Who Think

Another type of a meal appropriate for the whole family. Meat loaf is preferable for most of the families. You can freeze the rest of it for the next day. Ideal for lunch or dinner.

Dessert 1930’s Recipes

Cake With Raisins and Spices

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (19)

via The Spruce Eats

An easy cake. You need only raisins and some extra spices just like vanilla and cinnamon. Keep it in the fridge for a longer consumption. A perfect idea to feed the family for less in a crisis situation. Not only a dessert but an ideal snack for teenagers.

Crazy Carrot Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (20)

via Sweet Little Bluebird

The cream on the top make it special. The taste is irresistible no matter the carrots in it. It is healthy and tasty at the same time.

Depression Era Chocolate Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (21)

via Our Heritage of Health

People even in Depression Era ate chocolate. You know perfectly the chocolate itself helps for better mood. It makes you feel great. So, why don’t you try this depression era type recipe. Full of calories and taste.

Depression Era Oatmeal Cookies

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (22)

via A Cozy Kitchen

You need oats, some flour. Nothing special required. If you add some chocolate bars everyone will be amused. Go for that idea without hesitation.

Hot Milk Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (23)

via Culinary Hill

The homemade hot milk cake is irresistible. You need the basic products only. I am sure you have them in the pantry. It takes no more than 40 minutes.

Poor Man’s Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (24)

via Almanac

You need only an egg that is why it is called poor. But these dried fruits in it gives that special fresh taste. Children will adore it at home. Go for that idea.

Potato Candy

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (25)

via Bellyfull

If you try them ones you will get addicted. I am sure. These potato candies use potato instead of flour. Don’t forget to add some sweetener. You can use honey to make them healthier. Enjoy the result.

Rock Cookies

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (26)

via Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Just because they are rocky they could stay for a longer time. As you can see from the picture there are some chocolate bars in them. Chocolate gives that irresistible taste. Perfect snack for every child at home.

Tomato Soup Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (27)

via Lord Byron’s Kitchen

It sounds strange but who cares if it is tasty. This cake is full of tomato taste. In case there is no milk you can use tomato souse. It is up to your choice to add or not sugar. You can make that salty type of cake.

Vanilla Depression Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (28)

via Premeditated Leftovers

That vanilla flavor cake is traditional one. That is what makes it unordinary is the cream on the top. That cream makes it smooth and full of vanilla sense. Try it at home and take care for the ones you love with that brilliant less cost idea.

Vintage Banana Cake

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (29)

via Flour on My Face

Use bananas instead of flour. Cut in the middle or just bake it into two layers and put some chocolate in the middle. Turn the cake into its chocolate version. Bananas and chocolate – that’s the perfect combination for every taste. Go for that idea.

Vintage Carrot Cookies

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (30)

via Melissa Knorris

Another type of carrot dessert – carrot cookies. Try them and won`t be disappointed. You can keep them for a longer period of time if you store them in the appropriate way. You can even freeze them. It is also a good idea. It is not the time to waste any food.

Wacky Cake with No Eggs, Milk or Butter

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (31)

via Cake Whiz

Strange but tasty. Find the recipe and try it at home. Bring that English style at home. Despite hard times keep the spirit high.

Poor Man’s Pudding (poor man’s pudding)

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (32)

via A Hippie with a Minivan

It can be poor in ingredients but not in taste. You can have pudding without eggs or milk. Just try this idea and share with your family. They will be astonished by the result.

50 Great Depression Era Recipes for Less (2024)

FAQs

What was a typical meal during the Great Depression? ›

Celery soup mixed with tuna fish and mashed potatoes. A salad of corned beef, gelatin and canned peas. Baked onion stuffed with peanut butter. Those are just some of the recipes Americans turned to during the Great Depression, when many families struggled to eat enough nutritious food.

What did the poor eat during the 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 did hobos eat during the Great Depression? ›

Perhaps one hobo acquired a few carrots from a charitable person, while another stole an onion off a box car, while another had a few potatoes from a farm he worked on briefly… From this concoction, a “hobo stew,” also known as “Mulligan/Mulligatawney stew” was born and became the traditional food of the hobo.

What were new foods still eaten today that came out during the Great Depression? ›

Home cooks are turning to Depression-era foods made with affordable and shelf-stable ingredients to feed the whole family.
  • Stovetop baked beans. ...
  • Depression-era wacky chocolate cake without butter or eggs. ...
  • Graham Cracker Pie Crust became a staple thanks to Nabisco propaganda. ...
  • Peanut butter bread without yeast.
Oct 16, 2023

What is the poor mans meal? ›

Potatoes were also inexpensive and used extensively. Some meals even used both. One of these meals was called the Poor Man's Meal. It combined potatoes, onions, and hot dogs into one hearty, inexpensive dish, which was perfect for the hard times people had fallen on.

What was a popular dinner in the 1930s? ›

Lamb loaf, veal loaf and salmon loaf were all considered party food. A hostess could layer a loaf pan with ingredients like bacon, mushrooms and even mashed potatoes for a striped effect that was bound to elicit oohs and ahhs from guests.

What was a place where hungry people could get a free meal during the Great Depression? ›

Soup kitchens and bread lines were methods of feeding the neediest people in the country during the Great Depression. Run by charities, private companies, and the government, many soup kitchens and bread lines served thousands of people a day.

What was the soup kitchen during the Great Depression? ›

The history of soup kitchens in America can be traced back to the year 1929 with the effects of a growing depression. When soup kitchens first appeared, they were run by churches or private charities and served mostly soup and bread. Soup was economical because water could be added to serve more people.

What did farmers eat during the Great Depression? ›

Almost all farm families raised large gardens with vegetables and canned fruit from their orchards. They had milk and cream from their dairy cattle. Chickens supplied meat and eggs. They bought flour and sugar in 50-pound sacks and baked their own bread.

What food did they eat during the Dust Bowl? ›

Recipes developed at the time may sound strange now: water cocoa, boiled milkweed pods topped with cheese [2], chicken feet in broth, ketchup sandwiches, gopher, bacon grease sandwiches, and oatmeal with lard [3]. Families that could not afford chicken often turned to an innovative dish called City Chicken [2].

What was the mulligan stew during the Great Depression? ›

This Great Depression staple was also known as “Hobo Stew.” Mulligan, being a common Irish surname, completes the recipe stew title because it's an adaptation to a classic Irish Beef Stew. During the depression, this catch-all meal was assembled by whatever anyone could scrounge up.

What were the most needed items during the Great Depression? ›

Household products + essential consumables.

People still need soap and solvents and diapers and gasoline and stuff. And they still need their perceived essentials, too, like alcohol, coffee, marijuana, and … toilet paper. Camel almost destroyed Lucky in the 1930's because people still needed cigarettes.

What were the sandwiches during the Great Depression? ›

They were referred to as 'makeshift sandwiches'. There were butter and sugar sandwiches, onion sandwiches, ketchup sandwiches and raw carrots and salted peanuts sandwiches. Another using nuts were walnuts, mayo and some lettuce on bread.

How much was meat in the Great Depression? ›

article1933 priceincrease
Food Commodities:
rib roast 1 lb.$0.1620 times
bacon 1 lb.$0.1415 times
ham 1 lb.$0.1423 times
60 more rows

What was typical 1930s food? ›

They included: Kool-Aid powder drink, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Bisquick, Spam (precooked canned pork), Twinkies, Ritz Crackers, Lay's Potato Chips, cereals of Cheerios and Chex and Three Musketeers Bar. Maybe the most favorite item coming from the 1930s was the new Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies developed in 1938.

Did people eat out during the Great Depression? ›

By the time of the Great Depression, people of all classes were routinely eating outside the home. Like other retail businesses, restaurants reduced their prices at the depth of the crisis.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6249

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (54 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-12-23

Address: 4653 O'Kon Hill, Lake Juanstad, AR 65469

Phone: +494124489301

Job: Marketing Representative

Hobby: Reading, Ice skating, Foraging, BASE jumping, Hiking, Skateboarding, Kayaking

Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.