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Foods America fell in love with in the 1950s

Fifties' favorites
36. Special K
35. Chef Boyardee Grated Cheese
34. Beau Monde seasoning
33. Del Monte Fruit Cocktail
32. Sugar Smacks
31. Chex Mix
30. Tiger tail ice cream
29. Pineapple upside-down cake
28. Pepperidge Farm cookies
27. Frosted Flakes
26. Peach cobbler
25. Peanut M&M's
24. Bananas Foster
23. Cheez Whiz
22. Slice 'N Bake cookie dough
21. Tuna noodle casserole
20. Good News
19. Swanson TV dinners
18. Neilson Malted Milk
17. Flavored chips
16. Eggo Waffles
15. Baked Alaska
14. Peeps
13. Jell-O
12. Banana split
11. Betty Crocker cake mix
10. SPAM
9. Dunkin’
8. Burger King Whopper
7. Frozen pizza
6. Pre-sliced cheese
5. Pizza Hut pan pies
4. Poutine
3. KFC Original Recipe Chicken
2. Ranch dressing
1. McDonald’s fries
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Don O'Brien/Flickr [CC BY 2.0]

Fifties' favorites

From the rise of quick-service restaurant chains and decadent desserts to an influx of canned foods and frozen dinners, the 1950s was a decade where convenience-based products thrived across Canada and the USA. Here we take a look at the greatest food inventions from the thrifty 1950s, as well as the chains that changed the fast food landscape forever. 

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the foods we all loved – including some we miss – from the 1950s, counting down to the most influential of all. 

We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each food item in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-traveled (and well-fed) team. This list is unavoidably subjective. 

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Lottie Woodrow

27 March 2025

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