Retro Recipes From the 1970s and 1980s: Classic American Dishes We Loved
Fondue, quiche, Watergate salad, crockpot meals and seven-layer dip. A nostalgic look at the vintage recipes and classic American food trends of the 1970s and 1980s.
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Every decade has its signature dishes. The 1970s and 1980s gave American home cooks some memorable ones, from fondue parties to quiche to the slow cooker craze. Here's a nostalgic look at the retro recipes we loved, and some that are worth making again.
Recipes from the 1970s
- Fondue: pots of melted cheese or chocolate were the centerpiece of '70s dinner parties. Fondue sets were a popular wedding gift.
- Crockpot everything: Rival introduced the Crock-Pot slow cooker in 1971, and it changed weeknight cooking for working families. Our slow cooker pot roast carries on the tradition.
- Watergate salad: a fluffy green mix of pistachio pudding, whipped topping, crushed pineapple, marshmallows and nuts, named around the time of the Watergate scandal.
- Quiche: it became wildly fashionable in the late '70s and early '80s.
- Harvey Wallbanger cake: a boozy Bundt cake inspired by the popular cocktail.
- Cheese balls rolled in nuts and served with crackers at every holiday party.
- Tuna noodle casserole: a budget-friendly classic. Get the recipe.
- Pineapple upside-down cake, complete with maraschino cherries.
Recipes from the 1980s
- Seven-layer dip: refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, olives and green onions.
- Pasta primavera: pasta with spring vegetables, popularized by New York's Le Cirque restaurant.
- Blackened fish: Chef Paul Prudhomme's Cajun blackened redfish set off a national craze.
- Potato skins: loaded with cheese, bacon and sour cream, a restaurant appetizer staple.
- Chicken Kiev and chicken cordon bleu: fancy dinner party fare.
- Microwave cooking: as microwaves became common in American kitchens, cookbooks devoted to microwave meals followed.
- Sun-dried tomatoes and pesto: "gourmet" ingredients went mainstream.
Timeless classic American recipes
Some dishes never go out of style. These traditional American recipes were on tables in every decade:
- Old-fashioned meatloaf with a brown sugar glaze
- Chicken noodle soup
- Beef chili
- Apple crisp
- Buttermilk pancakes
Bring back a retro dinner party
Host a '70s- or '80s-themed dinner: fondue, a cheese ball, a classic casserole and pineapple upside-down cake, with the decade's music playing. See our best 70s songs and best 80s songs for the playlist, and test your guests with our old-school food quiz.
