These Depression-Era Recipes Still Save Money Nearly 100 Years Later

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a day ago

With today's grocery prices, it's no surprise these frugal recipes are making a big comeback.
I never thought I'd find myself rummaging through my great-grandmother's old recipe cards, hoping for some last-minute inspiration for an easy treat to celebrate my daughter's awesome report card. Yet, here I am—standing in my kitchen, staring at a faded index card with a recipe for Grandma's Chocolate Cake, aka Wacky Cake. No eggs, no butter, just simple, inexpensive ingredients—flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, vegetable oil, cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and water.
Feeding my family of three has gotten harder. Grocery prices keep climbing—eggs practically feel like a luxury—and dining out? Forget it. Even a casual takeout night is stretching the budget.
My grandmother, Anna, was born a few years before the devastating 1929 stock market crash. She was raised in a big family on her mom's budget-minded home cooking, and by the time she was a young mom herself, she had mastered the art of making delicious, filling meals with what she had. If Grandma could feed her family of eight—stretching ingredients, swapping pricey staples for cheaper alternatives, and wasting nothing—then so can I. Thankfully, her recipes were preserved and passed down to all her grandchildren.
As I cook her old-fashioned meals, I feel connected to her. My kids love not only her wacky chocolate cake, but also her simple potato soup, her fried bologna sandwiches, and so many more of the easy, inexpensive dishes she raised her family on.
I love knowing that these meals don't just save money—they carry a little taste of Grandma's resilience.
From the Dust Bowl to TikTok: Depression-Era Cooking Makes a Comeback
Depression-era recipes remind me that good food doesn't have to be fancy—it just has to be made with care. And it turns out that not only am I not alone in thinking this way in my 2025 kitchen—social media food influencers are, too. With rising food costs and a growing interest in reducing waste, Depression-era cooking is officially a thing.
Let's begin with a true pioneer of Depression-era online cooking content, Clara Cannucciari. With her grandson, Christopher Cannucciari, the great-grandmother, then in her 90s, filmed episodes of what became a popular YouTube series, Great Depression Cooking with Clara, from 2007 to 2012. The pair also put out a DVD and a cookbook. Clara died in 2013, but the videos, amassing millions of views, continue to be a warm and inspiring approach to home cooking with an eye on the budget. Her mantra? Embrace frugality.
These days, #depressioneracooking has gained popularity on TikTok and Instagram. This hashtag leads to home cooks from across the country recreating Depression-era favorites. In 2020, you'll find a flourishing of likely pandemic-inspired videos, like dinner rolls made with mayo in place of yeast, candies made with apple cider vinegar, and hamburger casserole, not to mention TikTok phenom B. Dylan Thomas' take on vintage recipes, including his 2022 video of another, circa-1934, recipe for Wacky Cake. This spring, one home-cooking couple posted their version of Hoover Stew, a dish named after President Herbert Hoover, a bit of a poster boy for the economic collapse that led to the Great Depression.
Making Magic from Almost Nothing: Depression-Era Kitchen Lessons
The source of these original recipes and frugal lifestyle began on October 29, 1929, with an unprecedentedly cataclysmic stock market crash. At that time, there was no bank insurance, so thousands of banks closed. There was also no federal unemployment, so as the economy plummeted and jobs were slashed, Americans were out of work and desperate. Droughts in the 1930s rendered traditional land use on farms suddenly unproductive, and America's heartland turned to dust—the origins of the Dust Bowl. There was little money, and food was scarce. It was a national crisis, and families were forced to become creative and make do with far less.
For home cooks in the 1930s, meals were built around cheap, filling staples like potatoes, beans, rice, and bread. And the maxim of "waste not, want not" was now a matter of survival. Ingredients were stretched as far as they could go while trying to optimize every meal for as much sustenance as possible.
Cooks got creative, making meat go further by adding fillers like oats, breadcrumbs, and mashed beans into meatloaf. They sought out ingredients, like cornmeal, which was more widely available and less expensive than flour, to make cornbreads and Johnny Cakes. Buttermilk, often a by-product of home butter-churning, was used in soups, biscuits, and pancakes.
Leftovers were aggressively repurposed: Yesterday's roast turned into stew the following day, and vegetable scraps—peels, stems, and tops—were simmered into broths. Stale bread was repurposed into bread pudding or used to thicken soups.
Many turned to foraging, gathering wild greens, berries, and edible plants to supplement their diets. And even flour sacks found new life, as they were used to strain liquids, store dry goods, and, with a few careful stitches, transformed into dresses.
Today, those same strategies feel as timely as ever. Rising grocery bills, a renewed interest in self-sufficiency, and a growing awareness of food waste have brought Depression-era know-how back into the spotlight—not just as a curiosity from the past, but as a practical guide for the present.
With that in mind, here's a menu that channels the spirit of the 1930s into a meal you can make right now. Each dish is simple, affordable, and deeply comforting—a reminder that even in lean times, good food can bring people together.
From the 1930s to Your Table: A Depression-Era Meal That Still Works
Imagine sitting down at a kitchen table in the 1930s: a modest spread of hearty, home-cooked dishes that make the most of every ingredient. This four-course menu—a meaty loaf meant to stretch into tomorrow's sandwiches, creamy potatoes rich with flavor, a crisp salad gathered fresh from the yard, and a chocolate cake that needs no eggs or butter—captures that same spirit. Here's how to bring it to your own kitchen, step by step.
Recipes reprinted from The Civilian Conservation Corps Cookbook by Amy Bizzarri, The History Press 2023.
Three-Pound Meatloaf
This recipe by John R. Graves, a former Civilian Conservation Corps Mess Sergeant from Fall Creek Falls, Virginia, was featured in the tome Favorite Recipes of the Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni. Graves notes, "It is a three-pound meatloaf with the anticipation that some will be leftover, because there is nothing better than cold meatloaf sandwiches with a dash of catsup."
Serves 3 to 6 people
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound spicy pork sausage
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs or oatmeal; cornflakes or even wheat germ)
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste.
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons green pepper, finely chopped (Optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Now it is time to mix thoroughly with your hands (then you wash your hands only once afterward). I mean mix well. If you care to taste, put a small dab in the skillet for a minute and taste it — I have done it without frying it.
Blend all the ingredients save for the tomato paste and form into a square loaf, about 2 inches thick (bread loaf pans are OK, but I like the thinner loaf better). If it is too big, freeze half for a later bake. Shape into a Pyrex loaf pan, covering loosely with foil. Turn the oven back to about 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and bake on the middle rack. After about 45 minutes, remove the foil, pour off juice and fat (save for soup stock), spread tomato paste over the meatloaf, and bake at about 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) for another half hour, or until the top is slightly brown.
Let set for a few minutes before slicing. The next day you will savor a great cold meatloaf sandwich.
NOTE: Make sure the oven is preheated to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and lowered to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C); raise the temperature again when the oven is open to pour off fat and juice.
Snowflake Potatoes
Snowflake mashed potatoes were a regular option on menus at nicer hotels, trains, ships, and restaurants in the 1930s.
Ingredients
4 pounds potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chives, chopped
½ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Mix potatoes, cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir in chives. Set the mixture in a greased baking pan.
Pour melted butter on top and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until golden, about 40 minutes.
Dandelion Salad Recipe
During the Great Depression, dandelion greens, which are packed with nutrients and can be plucked literally from most backyards, became a valuable food source for struggling families. Choose plants growing in areas free from pesticides or pollution, such as wild fields or your own backyard. To harvest, use scissors or a knife to cut the greens close to the base, leaving the root intact for regrowth.
Ingredients
1 bunch dandelion greens, washed and dried
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved
Directions
Whisk shallot, mustard, vinegar, and anchovy together in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper, then slowly whisk in olive oil.
Toss dandelion greens with the dressing.
Top with Parmesan shavings and serve immediately.
Grandma's Wacky Chocolate Cake
This simple, rich chocolate cake was created during the Great Depression, when ingredients like eggs, milk, and butter were scarce. Instead, vinegar and baking soda worked as leavening agents, creating a moist and fluffy texture.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan.
Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
Make three wells in the dry mixture—pour vanilla extract, vinegar, and oil into separate wells.
Pour water over everything and mix until smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool before serving.
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