18 Grandma-Approved Recipes That Deserve a Comeback

Nana’s ‘Ugly’ Chicken Casserole Recipe

“My Nana’s casserole, submitted by Mary E. Reed under the title ‘Chicken Devine,’ is a combination of bacon-wrapped chicken, rich creamed soups, sour cream, and salty dried beef. Over the years, my family has omitted slivered almonds and added a hint of spice from jarred diced chile peppers and a pinch of cayenne pepper.” —Corey Williams

Nanny’s 70-Year-Old Fudge

“When we baked, she never measured anything,” says Tammy. “She would always say, ‘a smidgen,’ ‘a handful,’ ‘a pinch,’ or ‘a dusting.’” Thankfully, Tammy decided to document the recipes for future generations. Today, her handwritten recipe cards bring a smile to her face as she reads her long-ago words: “Cook to roaring bubble. Keep stirrin’!…Stir, stir, stir!” 

MeeMee’s 60-Year-Old Strawberry Cake Recipe

“Though it tastes like it’s completely from scratch, [MeeMee’s] cake starts with two prepackaged items: a cake mix and Jell-O mix. Using the cake mix cuts down on ingredients (and time), while the Jell-O mix gives extra strawberry flavor and a fluffy texture to the cake. ” —Kay Acton

Grama’s Cornflake Peanut Butter Cookies

These no-bake 5-ingredient cookies will satisfy any sweet tooth with their fudgy flavor. Some reviewers like to add butterscotch chips or chocolate drizzle to these cookies for extra sweetness.

“Simple and quick—the perfect go to recipe when you need a little treat,” says Allrecipes community member RedApple.

Grandma’s Hamburger Casserole

This ground beef casserole is so easy to make with ingredients you have on hand. It’s the perfect comfort meal with ground beef, sour cream, egg noodles, and lots of cheese.

“This was a great find,” says reviewer late4supper. “The layers of sour cream, cream cheese, and onion really set off the flavor of this simple dish. The family really enjoyed it and leftovers weren’t left over for very long.”

Grandma’s Blueberry Pie

The secret to this blueberry pie is using quick-cooking tapioca in the blueberry filling instead of flour or cornstarch. You can use frozen blueberries, as long as you thaw them and drain the excess liquid, and a store-bought pie crust if you prefer. If you want to make your own crust, reviewers like this pie crust recipe.

Grandma’s Drop Sugar Cookies

“Grandma’s drop sugar cookies are my family’s favorite Christmas cookie,” says Allrecipes member NCHIANCONE. “Buttery and crispy, the slight coconut flavor makes this the best cookie.”

Grandma Maul’s Italian Beef

This slow cooker Italian beef recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner as it only takes 10 minutes to prepare. You can serve it alone, on a bun, or over egg noodles—and this beef can be frozen and reheated for a quick meal later.

“I think this is a keeper, a nice flavor and meat just pulls apart and is juicy. So easy to prepare and cook,” says Allrecipes Allstar Joey Joan.

My Grandma’s Shoofly Pie

Shoofly pie is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch pie where molasses is the star of the show. This pie is topped with a crumb topping, similar to that of a crumb cake.

“I haven’t had shoofly pie since I was a kid,” says reviewer TEZERACT. “And every year at Christmastime, I crave it but haven’t ever been able to get a recipe for it until now. As it was baking, the wonderful aroma swept me back to Grandma’s kitchen. This is definitely one of those comfort dishes and I will treasure this one always.”

Grandma’s Baking Powder Biscuits

“This is my grandmother’s biscuit recipe,” says Allrecipes member IMACOOKY1. “It is my all-time favorite and has a really good flavor to it. You can make these into drop biscuits as written, but you can also add a bit more flour until the dough isn’t sticky, and then roll the dough and cut it into rounds with a biscuit cutter.

Grandma’s Sweet Hubbard Squash Custard Pie

If you’re tired of the same old pumpkin pie, you’ll want to try this Hubbard squash custard pie. It may look like a pumpkin pie, but it is seasoned with apple pie spice and dark brown sugar instead—though reviewers say the taste is similar to a pumpkin pie, and you could spice it accordingly.

“My grandma made this pie every year and it was always a hit! very easy to make—and versatile,” says Allrecipes community member Colleen Mitchell.

Grandma Maggio’s Spaghetti Sauce

Put that jar of pasta sauce down! Try this homemade spaghetti sauce instead. This sauce is vegetarian, but Allrecipes member Sarah Garland says it’s great on a meatball sub.

“This sauce is simply amazing,” says reviewer Catrina Brown. “The flavors are fantastic. It’s thick and rich. DON’T leave out the wine. It’s a very important part of the finished product and will affect the flavor outcome. I will never buy jar sauce again.”

Grandmother’s Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

These aren’t your average oatmeal cookies. These oatmeal cookies are flavored with coconut and contain Rice Krispies to create the perfect crispy, yet chewy cookie. Some reviewers like to add butterscotch or chocolate chips, but these cookies are also good enough without them.

“This was awesome. I followed the recipe exactly and these little guys turned out perfectly. This is my default cookie recipe now,” says reviewer Mike Flaim.

Matzo Ball Soup

This old-fashioned matzo ball soup is packed with vegetables, chicken, and fresh dill to create a hearty, comforting meal. To save time, you can use a rotisserie chicken. Allrecipes member becky says this soup has the best flavor on the second day (if you can wait that long to eat it).

Grandma’s Date Nut Bread

“This is the recipe for date-nut bread that my grandmother always made around Christmastime,” says Allrecipes member Suzanne. “Definitely a family favorite! For best results, don’t use a glass pan.”

Many reviewers skip the prunes and add extra dates instead. Top this bread with butter or cream cheese for the perfect tasty treat.

Memaw’s Milk Pudding

Warm and comforting, this vanilla pudding is delicious served with a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can also use this recipe to make banana pudding.

“This is delicious,” raves says reviewer suej. “Warm and smooth-yum! And, yes, the memories associated with the taste and smell make it even better.”

Grandma McAndrews’ Irish Soda Bread

“This is not the dark bread you see in every restaurant in Dublin or Galway these days but I promise, it’s authentic Irish Soda Bread, exactly how my late Irish grandma made it,” says Allrecipes member Sheila T. “Serve warm or cold with butter. This freezes great. I’ve made several loaves before St. Patrick’s Day, or family parties.”

Grandma Moyer’s Rhubarb and Strawberry Coffee Cake

This coffee cake has the perfect mix of sweet and tart flavors from the strawberry and rhubarb. Some reviewers like to add a streusel topping or frost with cream cheese frosting, but you can simply top this coffee cake with brown sugar and pecans as the recipe does.