Food Trends – the taste of 2025

Foodies get your taste buds ready as 2025 is about to get delicious. Here are our top 5 trends we see on this year’s menu.

Functional. Flavorful. Fabulous.

The recipe for 2025 is to bring that extra function in consumers’ food options as more and more consumers are looking for snacks and meals that fuel their bodies and minds. Whether it’s boosting energy, supporting immunity, or improving mental well-being.

No surprise, then, that the global functional food market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2022 to 2030. From protein-packed snacks to gut-friendly options, functional innovation is happening across the shelf, but always keep in mind: taste is still key. ^1,2

We think of protein-high products that are getting a glow-up by infusing them with botanicals like basil adding that extra function as it is known for its health supporting properties like kidney conditions, fluid retention or loss of appetite. Also, mushrooms are having their moment in the functional food sector with 59% of European consumers recognizing their health benefits.³ In Traditional Chinese Medicine mushrooms have been used for various health benefits ever since, including everything from anti-inflammatory properties to gut health to anti-ageing. Let’s take lion’s mane for example as it is gaining traction for supporting brain and nerve health, appealing to those looking to improve focus and productivity. Meanwhile, reishi is being embraced for its adaptogenic properties, offering a natural way to enhance relaxation and mood.

Treat yourself: Indulgence meets Mindfulness

Gone are the days of guilty pleasures. In 2025, it’s all about mindful indulgence, where treating yourself comes with no regrets. And this is not just on special occasions – in fact, 52% of global consumers choose to treat themselves daily, finding joy in small, everyday moments of happiness.⁴

Especially, younger generations are embracing little treat culture to make them feel good about themselves and add a little extra joy to their daily lives. The lovely message of this trend, which is also all over TikTok, with Gen Z leading the charge: self-love often comes in bite-sized portions.

This opens the door for brands to step into this trend by creating delightful treats that taste just as good as they make you feel and incorporate healthier ingredients, allowing them to be enjoyed every day without compromise. We think of indulgent confectionary packed with superfoods like aronia or turmeric and snack bars with that exciting floral twist such as lavender or rose designed to deliver pure feel-good moments.

Taste the world

Social media is connecting foodies around the world, bringing cultural flavors and traditions into food options front and center in 2025. Trends like the viral Dubai chocolate already showed us how food can cross borders, offering a taste experience that unites traditional ingredients with a modern twist.

But brands better be quick as social media sets a fast pace for trends coming in and out. The answer might be innovating fast and dropping seasonal or limited editions. In fact, 19% of cakes, pastries and sweet baked goods launches in Europe were seasonal or limited edition (reference period: May 2023 to April 2024).⁵

Food categories like sauces, bread products, confectionary, sweet treats and snack bars are the perfect match for innovating with flavors from different cultures. This year we’ll likely see the matcha mania spreading beyond beverages into every food item you can think of, giving the traditional Japanese tea ingredient a big moment. But we also think of chai spice hitting the snack aisle infusing those warm, cozy vibes inspired by Indian tea culture, or maca with its unique mellow, nutty and a hint of coffee flavor bringing in the taste of South America to the world.

Bring in natural goodness

2025 is about to bring more natural goodness to food options as consumers are not 100% satisfied with today’s plant-based offerings. They are craving products that are less processed yet delicious, with better texture and even contribute to their well-being. In fact, the global clean label ingredients market size is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2023 to 2030. ^6,7

This is the year for brands to get creative and serve fresh ideas to this segment – in both ways sweet and savory. From our expereince, botanicals are here to shine in this trend offering endless opportunities to create all natural food options. Not only can they bring delicious flavor, but also add vibrant, natural colors straight from Mother Nature’s palette. We think of a vegan ice cream with a beautiful vibrant pink hue, derived only from beet root or adding some floral twist to snack bars by incorporating the harmonious taste of elderberries.

Fun and bold mash-ups

In 2025, we see fun and unexpected taste experiences take over the food shelves. Foodies are on the hunt for bold, out-of-the-box flavor combos, with 43% of global consumers looking for unique creations that deliver ultimate indulgence at the same time.⁸

This fusion of indulgence and creativity opens doors for brands to explore bold mash-ups that not only surprise and excite, but also create memorable yet tasty experiences.

Thanks to social media, wildly inventive mash-ups are taking off that entertain the taste buds. We see this year food is getting a bold remix with the swicy trend entering the chat. A fun combination of sweet and spicy that bring the best of both worlds in every bite. We think of mash-ups with figs and cayenne pepper or even honey paired with ginger, bringing exciting twists to the food scene.

¹ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/functional-food-market

² https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/consumer-food-trend/

³ Global Data^: Ingredient Insights: Functional/Medicinal Mushroom^, GDCG230001IG—June 19, 2023

⁴ Innova, Global Consumer Trends 2025

⁵ https://clients.mintel.com/content/report/a-year-of-innovation-in-cakes-pastries-and-sweet-goods-2024#workspace_SpacesStore_944ff8cf-c86b-451e-be00-9b7226980251

⁶ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/clean-label-ingredients-market-report

⁷ Innova Food & Beverage Trends 2025

⁸ https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/top-food-trends-2025/