9 Snacks You Could Always Find in Grandma’s Kitchen
Updated: Jul. 19, 2022
From creamy puddings and iced cookies to savory summer sausage, snack time as a kid certainly looked different from today's kale chips and avocado toasts. Let's jump back in time and reminisce over the classic snacks Grandma served!
Crackers
An American classic, Grandma always had saltines, butter, or oyster crackers at the ready We dare you to not feel nostalgic about a box of Clubs! Just top with peanut butter or cheese slices and your snack is served. Have extra crackers on hand? Use ’em up in one of these tasty recipes.
Cookies
Close your eyes and imagine a tall glass of milk and cookies. Grandmas everywhere are remembered for their full cookie jar. If she didn’t love to bake, there’s a good chance your grandma’s cupboard was full of animal crackers, gingersnaps, iced oatmeal cookies or vanilla wafers. Bake up these vintage cookies and remember the good ol’ days.
Canned Fruit
Whether your grandma preserved her own fruit or she bought cans from the store, you could always find a stash of pears, peaches or fruit cocktail in her pantry. If you were lucky, she’d use the fruit to make fluffy Ambrosia salad.
Pudding
Creamy rice, tapioca or custard puddings were a favorite dessert back in the day. Your grandma may have used a boxed mix or whipped up homemade pudding on the stove. Either way, it was delicious.
Summer Sausage
In grandma’s day, pantries across America were filled with beef summer sausage logs. She served the classic slices with cheese and crackers for a hearty snack or a light dinner. Stock up on the classic here.
Cottage Cheese
Served up sweet or savory, cottage cheese is an old-school favorite! My grandmother always paired yellow peaches with a dollop of creamy cottage cheese and my grandfather preferred his savory with bacon bits and sunflower seeds. Here are 50 more meals to make with cottage cheese.
Toast
No, not the fancy avocado toasts of today. Instead, Grandma would smother sliced bread with whipped butter, homemade jam, creamy peanut butter or for a special treat, cinnamon sugar.
When her homemade stock ran out, Grandma would reach for the best store-bought strawberry jam.
Pickled Foods
Before refrigeration, pickling was a way of life. Pickled cucumbers, okra and beets were pantry staples. My grandma always put out a tray of pickled veggies before dinner so we had something to snack on.
Learn more about the benefits of fermenting vegetables.
Cereal
Granola, muesli or bran flakes were often offered up as snacks—especially before bed. While you wouldn’t find sugar-coated cereals in grandma’s pantry, honey-infused granola and yogurt were sweet staples.
Bake up a batch of your own granola with these homemade recipes.
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Originally Published: April 02, 2019
