Age-related declines in sensory, motor, and cognitive abilities are a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Dietary restriction (DR) can slow or postpone these changes, improving memory, learning, and cognitive abilities, but may not always yield positive results. In this study, we examined the impact of 30% DR (70% of ad libitum daily intake) during adolescence on the short-term (STM) and long-term (LTM) memory performance in 6- and 18-month-old female Wistar rats. The effects of DR were examined in three onsets and durations: DR1 (28th to 35th day of life), DR2 (35th to 42nd day of life), and DR3 (28th to 42nd day of life). STM and LTM performance were examined using a novel object recognition test (NORT). Our findings demonstrated that age impaired the memory performance of 18-month-old control females. The 18-month-old DR2 group showed a significantly higher exploration ratio compared to the age-matched control group, indicating improved STM and LTM performance. In contrast, the DR2 regimen negatively impacted LTM performance in 6-month-old females compared to the age-matched control group. Both the STM trial and the LTM trial showed increased exploration ratios for the 18-month-old females when they were fed a DR3 diet and an DR1 diet, respectively. Adolescence is a critical stage for brain development, and the implementation of DR at this phase can improve memory performance in 18-month-old animals. Depending on the duration, DR can protect STM or LTM performance, enabling animals to differentiate novel from old objects later in life.