Global Fusion Is Taking Center Stage
Ready to spice things up? Fusion foods and multi-cuisine cooking is on the rise, as chefs from around the world share flavours, techniques and ideologies. This year is all about bold flavor combinations that make your taste buds travel without leaving your kitchen.
Asian condiment makers such as Yep, NOJO and White Mausu are all reporting strong sales and growth, backed by retailers, who say products such as chilli crisp are becoming regular bestsellers, while There are leanings towards the soul food of America’s Southern states – especially Creole and Cajun. It’s like having a passport in your pantry.
Prepare for a surge of Southeast Asian flavours with Filipino and Vietnamese dishes leading the way, and don’t sleep on Spanish cuisine either. Bidfood’s 2025 trends report expresses they want to dive in deeper than the typical paella, exploring cooking more regional, specialist cuisine, and taking the time to try a bit of Spanish baking.
Pistachio Everything Is About To Get Nuts
Move over avocado toast – there’s a new green superstar in town. This is going to be one of the ‘it’ ingredients of 2025. Long a favourite ingredient for chocolatiers, pistachios are cropping up in all manner of products, from pesto to butter. Waitrose has seen searches for the nut increase 19%, and its new offerings include a pistachio-stuffed croissant and a pistachio tiramisu.
Bakeries and confectioners are already upping their game here, having expanded out their existing ranges to include pistachio in 2024. Think pistachio croissants and Danishes, pistachio filled bon bons, pistachio cakes, pistachio creams, and pistachio ice creams. This has largely been driven by the enormous online interest in the ‘Dubai chocolate bar’ filled with pistachio paste and crisp knafeh pastry.
Tea Is The New Coffee (Sort Of)
There’s tea talk everywhere you turn — both in flavor popularity for food like desserts and granola (chai, Earl Grey, London fog), new steeping formats (tea strips, cold brew bags for water bottles and powders) and a wave of new hot products like plant-based milk teas and sparkling teas. Vintage-inspired adult tea parties are poised to replace happy hour as customers looking for function can seek out brews with added adaptogens and benefits.
Holland & Barrett’s 2025 trends report reveals the functional tea market could be worth a whopping £12.2 billion by 2032. The health store says the market is being driven towards function, coupled with exciting flavour profiles, backed by modern science. Think of it like wellness in a cup – but actually tasty this time.
I noticed there’s an uptake of tea-infused recipes, and I think there’s a general global matcha craze. I feel like matcha has been budding, and now [I’m] just seeing tea being applied to desserts.
Crunch Time Has Officially Arrived
Forget soft and chewy – 2025 is all about that satisfying crunch. From crispy grains and granola to sprouted and fermented nuts, roasted chickpeas and mushroom chips – consumers are reaching for these items to enhance meals and add texture to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Brands are creating crunchier versions of the ever-popular chilli crisp, while new seasonings marketed for their texture are stars of salads and roasted veggies. Dehydrated fruits and candy are taking over social media, with consumers seeking that light, airy crunch.
In years past, “freeze-dried food” probably conjured unappetizing backpacking meals. But thanks to advancements in freeze-drying technology that make it more energy efficient and affordable, we’re welcoming a new era of delightful, freeze-dried treats, ranging from freeze-dried gummy bears and peach rings from TikTok viral company Sweety Treaty Co to cheesecake bites from the company Freezecake. Freeze-drying removes all moisture from a food, imparting a Lucky Charms marshmallow-like crunch and enlarging the food and concentrating its flavor.
Sourdough Is Getting A Second Life
Remember that sourdough starter you abandoned in your fridge? It’s time to dust it off. While the days of Instagram-perfect sourdough loaves may be behind us, the fermentation trend is far from over. If TikTok is any indication, plenty of bakers are into making colorful treats out of sourdough. And commercial sourdough is branching out beyond traditional bread, making appearances in grocery aisles as pasta, crackers, and even pizza crusts.
But here’s the twist – it’s not just bread anymore. For those with a sweet tooth, sourdough pancake and waffle mixes are bringing some of the tanginess to the breakfast table. It’s like fermentation went to culinary school and got creative.
GLP-1 Medications Are Reshaping What We Eat
Here’s something you might not expect on a food trends list – weight loss drugs. 2024 kicked off with more questions than answers surrounding the impact of GLP-1 weight loss medications on the food industry. But 2025 will bring clarity: GLP-1 is not going away. The global GLP-1 market is forecast to grow at a 29.6 percent compound annual growth rate through 2030.
research has found that GLP-1 users also report decreased cravings for high-fat, sugary foods, and dairy. Therefore, they have the potential to impact food consumption behavior. Some brands target this consumer group with advertisements and add labels such as “GLP-1 friendly” on their high protein and fiber products.
This is creating a whole new category of foods designed for smaller appetites but bigger nutritional needs.
JOMO Is The New FOMO
The Joy Of Missing Out, or JOMO, is all about enjoying the comforts of home, without worrying about what’s happening elsewhere – parties, concerts etc. It’s been growing in popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic, when consumers spent all their time either cooking at home or ordering in. “Who needs to go out, when you can have restaurant quality meals, top notch cocktails, and barista grade coffee at home”.
I think that the trend is going to be gathering but making simpler meals. These less fussy get-togethers keep the community aspect of a dinner party, but majorly cut down on hosting duties. Take a cookbook club, for example: “Everybody has to bring a dish from the cookbook, and you’re celebrating that author and you’re celebrating the cookbook”.
It’s basically permission to be antisocial but make it gourmet.
Clean Labels Are Getting Cleaner
The backlash against ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has led to a renewed interest in the clean label trend. “The debate continues to swirl around the possible impacts of ultra processed foods and forever chemicals. Against this backdrop, consumers are turning to products they know and trust, typically with fewer, natural, recognisable ingredients, and with minimal processing”.
We’re talking about ingredient lists you can actually pronounce without a chemistry degree. Three to five recognisable, organic ingredients, with minimal processing is becoming the gold standard. Shoppers were shocked recently when it was revealed around 90% of British honey contains added sugar. The Honey Authenticity Network sent 30 samples for testing in November 2024, with 24 out of 25 jars considered to be ‘suspicious’. This, in turn, is making consumers think more carefully about the honey that lands on their breakfast table. They’ll be looking for jars from smaller, more ethically minded producers, and for claims of 100% authenticity, with no added sugar.
The “More Is More” Movement
While clean eating dominates one corner, there’s a rebellion brewing. This is very much the ‘more is more’ trend, defined by oversized and overfilled foods like doughnuts and milkshakes. It also includes extravagant extras like salads topped with a duck fat dressing, and piled high with cheese. “This is not-for-everyday, over-the-top indulgence, with the likes of gourmet chilli dogs, raclette cheese burgers, fully loaded tex mex nachos, and oversized chocolate bars”.
One of 2024’s most hyped London openings was Sandwich Sandwich, which drew huge queues for its elaborate creations. Rogue Sarnies and Dom’s Subs have also gained cult followings for their restaurant-level sandwiches in London, while Manchester has Fat Pat’s and Leeds has Silver’s deli. The trend seems at least partly fuelled by social media, where OTT sandwiches play extremely well and new creations can instantly go viral.
It’s like Instagram food porn decided to jump off the screen and onto your plate.
