Vintage Holiday Recipe Ideas to Make this Christmas

Vintage holiday recipe ideas have a special kind of magic.

Every time I flip through those old recipe magazines from the 50s, 60s, 70s, or even the 80s, I feel like I’m stepping into someone’s grandma’s kitchen. The ads are colorful, the food photography is kinda weird compared to today, and the recipes are oddly charming.

And the truth is, some of them are surprisingly good. Others are, well, better left in the past.

But there’s something about pulling out a vintage recipe, especially during the holidays, that makes your kitchen feel nostalgic. It’s like cooking with history.

So today I’m diving into vintage holiday recipe ideas you can actually make, laugh at, tweak, or totally embrace.

Vintage Holiday Recipe Ideas: Why They Still Work

One reason I love vintage recipes is because they’re simple.

Most of them use pantry staples. Think Crisco, evaporated milk, Jell-O, Cool Whip, and walnuts. The recipes weren’t fussy or full of obscure ingredients. You didn’t have to run to five different stores just to make a cake.

Another reason? They’re comforting. There’s a reason carrot cake or sugar cookies keep showing up in old ads. People genuinely loved them.

And let’s be real: vintage recipes were made to feed a crowd. Big families, potlucks, church events. So they’re reliable if you’ve got guests.

Carrot Cake vs Modern Carrot Cake

One of the first vintage holiday recipe ideas I saw was a classic carrot cake.

It used Crisco, raisins, walnuts, coconut, and crushed pineapple. A little different from the super sleek versions you see today on Pinterest.

The old recipe wasn’t about being photogenic. It was about being moist, sweet, and lasting a few days on the counter.

Modern carrot cake is more about cream cheese frosting artfully piped, maybe some decorative carrot candies, and no one dares to use Crisco anymore. It’s usually butter or oil.

My experience? I made the vintage version once and honestly, it was incredible. The pineapple kept it moist, and the frosting was tangy and rich. The only thing I cut back on was the sugar. Those older recipes had a lot.

Cranberry Cherry Pie Throwback

Another fun vintage holiday recipe idea is cranberry cherry pie.

The recipe I found combined canned cranberries, cherry pie filling, and a buttery lattice crust.

It’s not fancy. It’s not artisan. But it screams “holiday table.”

Comparison:

Vintage version = canned fruit, margarine, very sweet.
Modern version = fresh cranberries, maybe orange zest, less sugar, butter crust.

My take? Honestly, the canned version tasted exactly like the holidays at my aunt’s house. Sweet, sticky, slightly neon red, and completely addictive. Sometimes it’s okay to embrace canned fruit.

Vintage Brownies: “Never Send a Cookie to Do a Brownie’s Job”

I laughed out loud at this old ad for brownies. The slogan was: Never send a cookie to do a brownie’s job.

The recipe was simple. German sweet chocolate, margarine, sugar, nuts, coconut.

Compared to modern brownies, which can be triple-chocolate-salted-caramel masterpieces, these were straightforward.

And here’s the truth: simple brownies are still the best brownies.

I made this recipe once with butter instead of margarine, and they came out chewy with a coconut crunch on top. Nothing fancy, but everyone devoured them.

Date Pinwheel Cookies

Here’s one I haven’t tried yet but I’m planning to: date pinwheel cookies.

The vintage recipe is pretty wild. It asks you to boil down dates with sugar until it becomes this sticky filling, then roll it up in cookie dough and slice.

Sounds messy.

But it also sounds kind of amazing. Sticky, chewy dates wrapped in buttery dough? That’s basically a holiday win.

Chocolate Butter Cookies

One recipe literally called for “shaping the dough however you like.”

That cracked me up. No precision, no cookie cutters required. Just ball it up, flatten it, or squish it into a wreath.

Tip if you try these: use real butter, not margarine, and chill the dough so the cookies hold their shape.

Black Forest Brownie Torte

This recipe was hilarious. It was basically a brownie mix turned into a fancy cake with cherry pie filling and Cool Whip.

And you know what? It actually works.

Sometimes you don’t need a three-layer sponge with homemade cherry reduction. Sometimes you just need Cool Whip and a boxed mix.

Personal story: I made this once in college when I had zero money but wanted to impress a date. He thought I was a baking genius. Little did he know it was a box mix with canned cherries.

Sugar Cookies: Old School vs New School

Vintage sugar cookies always had lots of food coloring. Orange bells, green trees, red Santas. They were decorated with thick buttercream that hardened overnight.

Today’s sugar cookies are often pastel, sleek, decorated with royal icing or edible gold.

Both are good, but I’ll be real. The vintage ones taste better. Royal icing looks pretty but it tastes like chalk compared to buttercream.

Pumpkin Pie Reinvented

There were at least three versions of pumpkin pie in these old magazines.

One used evaporated milk. One used cream cheese and Cool Whip. Another was a no-bake version with Jell-O pudding.

My thoughts: no-bake pies are underrated. I once made one with pudding mix for a Friendsgiving and people loved it. They were shocked it wasn’t homemade custard.

Tips for Making Vintage Recipes Work Today

Cut the sugar. Most old recipes are extremely sweet. You can usually reduce by 1/3 and it’s still delicious.
Swap margarine for butter. Unless you really want that 70s flavor.
Add a modern twist. Fresh fruit (such as pomegranate), sea salt, or less processed ingredients go a long way.
Keep the fun factor. Part of the charm is the colors, shapes, and decorations. Don’t try to make them too perfect.

FAQ About Vintage Holiday Recipes

Are vintage recipes safe to make today?
Yes, just adjust sugar and fat levels if needed. Also check baking temps, some older recipes bake hotter than modern ovens.

Do I need to use Crisco or margarine?
Not unless you want the authentic taste. Butter works fine.

Why were vintage desserts so sweet?
Sugar was cheap, and sweet desserts were seen as a sign of abundance.

Can I modernize these recipes?
Absolutely. Swap in fresh fruit, less sugar, and better quality fats.

What’s the weirdest vintage recipe I’ve seen?
Hands down, a 70s “gelatin salad” with marshmallows and canned fruit cocktail. I didn’t try it. Yet.

Why I Love Vintage Holiday Recipe Ideas

Cooking these recipes feels like opening a time capsule.

You get a little taste of what holidays felt like decades ago. Families crowded around the table, colorful tins full of cookies, laughter in the kitchen.

Even if you tweak them to fit modern tastes, the nostalgia stays.

And sometimes, the flavor is even better than expected.