The Most Popular Recipes of the 1970s (2024)

Cheese Ball III

People were all about finger food in the 1970s, and cheese balls were especially popular. Cheese balls were a common appetizer for the same reasons they're still beloved today: they're simple to make, super sharable, and please crowds no matter where they're served.

• 10 Cheese Balls Worth Serving to Guests

Stuffed Artichoke Hearts

The stuffed celery of the 1960s paved the way for more adventurous stuffing ideas in the 1970s and beyond. Snackable yet satisfying, stuffed vegetables made a perfect hors d'oeuvre course at dinner parties.

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Brown Bean Chowder

Brown bean chowder was a popular dish served at Tulsa-area public schools during the 1970s. The thick bean chowder was served on the same day as cinnamon rolls, which made kids extra excited.

Green Goddess Dip

Green goddess salad dressing was created at San Francisco's Palace Hotel in 1923. The herby dressing went mainstream in the early 1970s, when Seven Seas created a bottled version that was far more accessible.

Idaho-Style Finger Steaks

Idaho finger steaks first surfaced in 1957 at a Boise restaurant called Milo's Torch Lounge as a method of using up extra tenderloin scraps. In 1972, they premiered at the Red Steer, a now-defunct Idaho fast food chain.

Slow Cooker 5-Mushroom Barley Soup

Women entered the workforce in record numbers during the 1970s, which left less time and energy to whip up elaborate dinners. As a result, slow cooker sales boomed — at their zenith in popularity, more than 40 brands manufactured slow cookers. They were soon overshadowed by the microwave, but plenty of households still rely on the humble slow cooker.

• The 12 Best Slow Cookers to Buy

Pineapple Chicken

1960s and 1970s America was obsessed with Hawaiian and Polynesian culture, as evidenced by Tiki bar culture and the overwhelming popularity of pineapple dishes. Much of this fascination was fueled by the growth of surf culture and Hawaii suddenly becoming more accessible thanks to air travel.

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Penne Primavera

Pasta Primavera may seem like a classic Italian dish, but it was actually invented in New York by Sirio Maccioni during the mid-1970s. It became so popular that it's known as one of the top developments in 1970s-era American cuisine.

Mom's Pineapple-Carrot Cake

Hawaii was the dominant producer of pineapples in the mid-20th century, and advancements in farming and transportation, as well as a fascination with all things tropical, paved the way for pineapple's popularity.

Salmon Loaf

Unless you lived near water, fresh fish wasn't an everyday occurrence. Canned fish, particularly tuna and salmon, was popular in landlocked areas and incorporated into quick and easy dinners.

Classic Whiskey Sour

The whiskey sour was created in the late 19th century, but like other mixed drinks, it enjoyed a renaissance in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Carrot Cake VIII

Carrots have been used in desserts for centuries, but British World War II-era rations inspired a revival. Carrot cake eventually made its way to the U.S. as a novelty item in the early 1960s, but its really caught on in the 70s, when it was advertised as a healthy dessert.

Candy-Coated Milk Chocolate Pieces Party Cookies

M&Ms were created in the early 1940s and quickly became popular as a baking ingredient as well as a candy. In the 1960s and 70s, M&Ms cookies became popular once more, most likely as a nostalgic nod to World War II-era dishes.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Quiche dates back to the 14th century, but one specific quiche brought the eggy tart back to the forefront in the 1970s: Julia Child's Quiche Lorraine. In 1968, Child's recipe for Quiche Lorraine appeared in The French Chef Cookbook, turning it into one of the most popular foods of the 1970s.

Outrageously Buttery Crumb Cake

Crumb cake, also known as streuselkuchen, is said to have originated in Silesia, a region that occupies Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Immigrants brought the recipe to the States, which birthed the New York Style crumb cake with an extra-crumbly topping.

• 17 Traditional German Cake Recipes

Chicken Lo Mein with Broccoli

Chinese cooking first entered the country en masse during the mid-19th century, with a wave of immigration to the San Francisco Bay area. Over time, Chinese-American cuisine developed and refined its style. The Immigration and Nationality act of 1965, however, brought a wave of people who introduced "authentic" Chinese cuisine.

Cheese Fondue

Fondue's popularity in the 1970s was the result of an intercontinental marketing ploy that spanned decades. The dish premiered on American soil at the 1964 New York World's Fair, and aggressive ad campaigns combined with fondue's extreme sociability helped its popularity quickly skyrocket.

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Corn Souffle

Corn souffle and casserole was most likely popularized by Jiffy, who, like other food brands, published recipe books around this time. Jiffy cornbread mix itself dates back to the early 1900s.

Royal Coconut Cookies

The use of shredded coconut in desserts like coconut cake, candy, and cookies, enjoyed a vogue status during the postwar period. In 1976, one of the most iconic coconut cookies, the Samoa, was born.

Polynesian Peach Chicken

Polynesian-style restaurants experienced their heyday in the 1970s, incorporating Chinese-American cuisine into their menus. One such example is Polynesian chicken, a Chinese-American dish that became one of the most popular dishes of the era.

Harvey Wallbanger Cake

The Harvey Wallbanger was created in 1952, but didn't gain popularity until two decades later, when it was one of the trendiest drinks around. The orange and Galliano co*cktail was quickly incorporated into one of the 1970s' trademark cakes.

Chicken Marbella

Chicken Marbella's origins lie in 1970s New York's Jewish-American community. The dish was conceptualized by Shiela Lukins and a top dish at The Silver Palate, and later appeared in The Silver Palate Cookbook which Lukins authored with Julee Rosso.

Swedish Meatball Casserole

Swedish meatballs' popularity in the 1960s carried over to the subsequent decade. This recipe incorporates Hamburger Helper, which debuted in 1971 and exploded in popularity soon after.

Salmon Patties II

Salmon patties are a riff on salmon croquettes, which were created in 19th-century France. In 1972, The New York Times Heritage Cookbook, a massive classic of regional American recipes, was published and included salmon patties as a representative of Washington.

Totally Groovy Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate fondue was created by Swedish chef Konrad Egil at New York restaurant Chalet Suisse in the 1960s. The dish, which soon enjoyed the same popularity as its cheesy counterpart, was conceptualized as part of a promotion for Toblerone.

Mrs Welch's Butter Tarts

Butter tarts are a quintessential Canadian dessert that likely originated among pioneers. During the 1970s, butter tarts enjoyed a renewed appreciation and became popular in the U.S.

Watergate Cake III

In the early 1970s, Watergate cake made its debut and helped the popularity of pistachio pudding mix skyrocket. While the reasoning behind Watergate cake's naming is unclear, its popularity was undeniable. A few years later, a fluff salad featuring similar ingredients became a hit (and bore the name) as well.

The Original Donair From the East Coast of Canada

The Halifax donair swept Nova Scotia and the East Coast in the 1970s. They were created by Peter Gamoulakos, a Greek immigrant who altered lamb gyros to better suit East Coast tastes. It's still beloved, and in 2015 became the official food of Halifax.

Grandma's Dried Beef Casserole

Dried beef, also known as chipped beef, was created in 1910 and became a popular ingredient among soldiers during WWII. Nostalgia kept the ingredient in rotation, and chipped beef is still beloved in casseroles and on toast today.

Wacky Cake VIII

Wacky cake dates back to the Great Depression or WWII and is made with no or very little eggs, butter, or milk. It's simple, affordable, and incredibly moist, so it experienced a revived popularity in the 1970s.

Cherry Cloud

Gelatin salads were still going strong in the 1970s. At the time, the latest iteration was fluff, which started with a base of pudding mix and whipped cream.

Garlic Cheese Logs

Much like cheese balls, cheese logs were a mainstay at dinner parties and on buffet tables. Their versatility kept them in rotation, and are likely responsible for their current comeback.

Devils on Horseback

Home entertaining really took off in the 1970s, and sharable appetizers, especially finger food, were a must. The sweet and savory mix found in devils on horseback was so adored the hors d'ouvre was one of the most popular recipes of the decade.

Frosted Sandwich Loaf

Sandwich loaf may strike today's cooks as odd, but it was an iconic piece of mid-century Americana fare. Since you could slice it up like a cake, it was popular at parties, where sharable food reigned supreme.

Hard Times Creamed Tuna

Creamed tuna on toast originated during the Great Depression as an affordable, yet satisfying meal. Later on, however, it was seen more as a comfort food that just happened to emerge out of difficult times.

Crab Rangoon I

Crab Rangoon as we know it was created in 1956 by Victor Bergeron of Trader Vic's fame. The appetizer, which became linked to tiki bar culture, is possibly an Americanized version of a Burmese recipe.

Family Tradition Watergate Salad

In 1976, Jell-O released a pistachio-flavored pudding mix. It was quickly introduced to fluff salad, and a particular lime-pineapple salad became a hit. It's name has changed over time, likely because of its similarity to Watergate cake.

Grandma Chase's Nanaimo Bars

This no-bake Canadian treat first surfaced in cookbooks in the early 1950s. Cookie legend says Nanaimo bars became a hit at the end of the 1970s, however, when they were sold at the Lazy Gourmet in Vancouver.

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