If your into vintage advertising like I am, then over the years you would of come across a few Carnation Milk ads with a featured recipe using their product. In fact I know my mother & grandmother has made many a dessert / meal with one of those helpful recipes (and I know I have enjoyed them very much).

I also have a special memory with my Omi (grandmother) who would punch two small holes in each side of the top and then pour the milk into her coffee. That is deeply ingrained in my brain. My parents still do this, and if I drank Carnation, I know I would too.

Anyways! Today’s blog post is not about coffee milk but about 1940s & 1950s vintage recipes that you would of seen on many (if not all) of the Carnation Milk ads from that time. Maybe these recipes will inspire you for your next meal.

Let’s begin!

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

NOTE: If you click on any of the items featured below and they are not available, don’t fret! Hit the search button and see what else is on the websites. There are 1000’s and 1000’s of items being listed daily.

Vintage Recipes from 1940s & 1950s Carnation Milk Advertisements

The Brief History of Carnation Milk:

Carnation is a brand of food products. The brand was especially known for its evaporated milk product created in 1899, then called Carnation Sterilized Cream and later called Carnation Evaporated Milk.

Elbridge Amos Stuart:

On 6 September 1899, Stuart and a business partner founded the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company in Kent, Washington, and he became its first president (a post he held until 1932, then serving as chairman from 1932 to 1944). Its product was based on the relatively new process of commercial evaporation of beverages. Stuart believed that there was value in sanitary milk at a time when fresh milk was neither universally available nor always drinkable, and correctly believed that his product would join other staples on grocers’ shelves.

In 1901, his partner sold out, leaving Stuart the company and $105,000 of debt ($3,420,060 in 2021 dollars. As sales gradually grew, Stuart sought a brand name for the product. Passing a tobacconist’s window in downtown Seattle, Stuart saw a display of cigars around a sign with the name: Carnation. His own firm subsequently adopted the name Carnation Evaporated Milk Company. To keep pace with its burgeoning eastern business, in 1916 it opened an office in Chicago, built a can factory in Oconomowoc, and acquired several condenseries, including two in Canada.

One of the most important things Stuart had learned on his father’s farm was that high-quality milk came from healthy cows; so to ensure premium standards, he distributed pure bred bulls to the farmers supplying the factory, whose offspring were selected for milk productivity. Eventually, Stuart established a breeding farm, named Carnation Farm, where the application of new principles of husbandry continually improved the productivity of the herd. Carnation cows held the world milk production record for 32 consecutive years. One cow in particular, Segis Pietertje Prospect, produced 37,381 pints of milk during 1920, and a statue of the cow was erected to honour this record.

The product is still sold to this day.

Fun Advertising Information: In 1907, the promotional phrase “Carnation Condensed Milk, the milk from contented cows” was introduced. This slogan referred to the higher quality milk from happy cows grazing in the lush Pacific Northwest. Carnation used this slogan for decades, and it spawned a radio variety program entitled “The Contented Hour,” which featured entertainers such as Dinah Shore, Jane Powell and Burns and Allen. The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, which premiered on CBS television in 1950, was sponsored by Carnation (Source).

The Vintage Recipe Advertisements:

“One for the money, two for the show, They’re comin’ in strong …and straight in a row!” 1940s vintage ad for Carnation milk featuring the “Carnation Cocktail” a cool drink for the summer.

“The Carnation Cocktail – A c-o-o-l drink for a hot month!”

Source: Etsy

1942 Carnation Milk Ad: “Belle of the Ball – eats her milk, too!”

1940s vintage dessert recipe for ‘Peppermint Mousse’. This is the dessert that all the boys are bringing our pretty young lady in pink.

Source: Etsy

“Little shavers shoot up fast-when they “eat” their milk, too!” 1943 vintage ad featuring a carnation milk recipe for “Scalloped Rice ‘N Chicken”.

Source: eBay

1945 advertisement “Expectant Father” featuring a carnation milk vintage recipe for ‘a fluffy Omelet with Asparagus’.

Recipe for a ‘Fluffy Omelet with Asparagus”. “Eggs and milk are important!”.

Source: eBay

1953 vintage ad: “New idea for a one-dish dinner, sure to delight your family. Wonderful news for women who’ve never cooked with carnation”.

The 1953 recipe is for, “Extra tasty Ham Loaf Ring with Creamed Spring Vegetables”

Source: eBay

“Carnation Teams up with Tuna for a Super Summer Supper – Carnation Creamed Tuna”. A 1950s vintage ad.

This ad is from a past blog post entitled “Vintage Cooking Recipes as seen in Vintage Ads from the 1930s-1950s“.

1953 Carnation Milk ad: “This Way To The Best Pumpkin Pie”.

FURTHER READING: Vintage Cake Ideas As Seen Thru 1920s-1950s Ads

Rick, smooth wonderful ‘Carnation Pumpkn Pie’ recipe.

Source: eBay

1953 Carnation Milk ad featuring Betty Crocker Frosty Fruit Pies recipe. Those look yummy!

The recipe is a bit fuzzy but I think you can make it out if you wish to make this dessert.

Source: Flickr

1953 Jello Pudding & Carnation milk ad taken directly from the Star Weekly, May 30, 1953 edition. The recipe featured is for a “Frosted Fondant Pudding”. Yum!

Note: I had previously shared this yummy dessert in a recent blog post entitled “1950s Dessert Ideas for your next Party!“.

Source: Etsy

1959 ad featuring a recipe for Carnation Bar-B-Burgers. Carnation milk is your new BAR-B-Trick!

Source: Pinterest

Carnation even put out a few small cookbooks with a collection of their recipes. Here is an example of some of the items I found online.

What a fun find! A 1955 Carnation brand children’s cookbook called ‘Fun to Cook’ with the matching magazine ad (next image). (Avail as of August 2022 HERE)

“For girls 7to 14. 48 pages of fun-full recipes in a child’s own language! Brights pictures! Big, clear print! Spiral boungs! Stands Up! Washable covers!”

Source: Etsy

1947 cookbook by Mary Blake. It is called ‘Carnation Cookbook’ has all kinds of wonderful recipes using carnation products, a lot very representative of the 1940s after war times (avail as of August 30th, 2022 HERE).

Source: Etsy

‘The Cook’s Handbook by Mary Blake’, a Carnation advertising booklet with recipes, photos, charts and adorable illustrations! Circa 1951, Home Service Department (avail as of August 30th, 2022 HERE).

Source: Etsy

Looking for more recipes? Well everything is online now and you can find some super recipes from quiche’s to breakfast muffins on the Carnation milk website, HERE.

Question time: What was your favourite recipe from above? Do you have any memories of a meal or dessert made with Carnation Milk? Share any thoughts in the comments section below.

Further Reading:

Vintage Cooking Recipes as seen in Vintage Ads from the 1930s-1950s

Vintage Cookbooks from the 1940s & 1950s

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz