The Visual Hook Factor Drives Everything
Every successful food trend starts with what catches the eye. Social media algorithms prioritize content that garners high engagement, such as visually stunning food posts or viral challenges. As a result, users are exposed to a disproportionate amount of content focused on indulgent or trendy foods. The most viral dishes share common visual elements that make them irresistible to scroll past.
Think about what makes your thumb pause while scrolling. A 2025 viral food trend typically blends visual appeal, simplicity, and cultural relevance. Think bright colors, familiar ingredients used in new ways, and easy formats for creators to replicate, like smashed potatoes or cream cheese crostini. The psychology here is straightforward but powerful.
Seeing food on social media can trigger powerful psychological responses. Studies suggest that viewing appetizing food images activates the brain’s reward centers, increasing hunger and the likelihood of impulsive eating. This effect is especially pronounced with high-calorie, indulgent foods like burgers, pizza, or desserts. This explains why the most colorful, cheese-laden dishes tend to dominate our feeds.
TikTok’s Algorithm Creates Food Fame Overnight
TikTok is still the biggest engine behind food virality. The format is visual, quick, and replicable, perfect for creators. A simple idea like cucumber salad with soy sauce might generate millions of views in a week. The platform’s unique algorithm doesn’t just favor popular content – it actively looks for content that keeps users engaged.
The numbers behind TikTok’s food influence are staggering. In August of 2024, food TikToker Logan Moffitt helped the cucumber salad skyrocket to popularity levels on par with Regina George. His quick, low-maintenance technique for cucumber salad was the perfect cooling snack for hot summer days, as proven by the over 43 million viewers who watched one of his “entire cucumber” recipes on TikTok.
What makes TikTok so effective for food content isn’t just its reach – it’s the way the platform encourages experimentation. The platform has also democratized food content in an unprecedented way. Home cooks are now as likely to inspire food trends as celebrity chefs, and recipes can go from unknown to viral overnight. This has encouraged more people to experiment in their kitchens, share their creations, and participate in global food conversations.
The Psychology of Social Proof Fuels Sharing
Behavioral psychology suggests that people naturally try to align their behaviors with perceived social norms, including their eating habits. Before social media, these norms were shaped by cultural traditions, economic factors, and local food availability. People observed the eating patterns of family, friends, and their immediate communities to develop their own. Social media has completely disrupted this traditional pattern.
Now, instead of looking to our immediate community, we’re influenced by strangers across the globe. Social media doesn’t just present food – it frames it within a social context. Seeing friends or family share their meals, dietary habits, or restaurant experiences can influence individual food choices. When a social media user sees their peers dining at a trendy restaurant or trying a viral food trend, it can create a sense of social pressure to do the same.
Empirical research indicates that consumers are significantly more likely to trust user-generated content (UGC) and peer recommendations over corporate-sponsored messages, highlighting the increasing role of distributed social trust in shaping online behavior. This shift explains why authentic-looking content performs better than polished brand campaigns.
Generation Z’s Massive Influence on Food Culture
The data on Gen Z’s food behavior is eye-opening. Recent data reveals a staggering truth: 84% of Gen Z actively try social media food trends, fundamentally reshaping how restaurants must approach marketing, menu development, and customer engagement. For food and beverage professionals, understanding this shift isn’t optional: it’s essential for survival in today’s digital-first dining landscape.
This generation doesn’t just consume content – they actively participate in creating food culture. More than half of Americans (56%) have ordered a trending restaurant item from social media for delivery. People have a strong desire to see what the hype of items like Dubai chocolate martinis and lattes, strawberry matcha, and other viral foods and drinks are really like. Millennials (69%) and Gen Zers (74%) are even more likely to have tried a viral item, and since they’re active on social media, they can serve as a great way to spread the word about your business online.
For consumer brands in the food industry, Gen Z’s influence cannot be ignored. Their commitment to sustainability, reliance on social media for food discovery, and focus on personal wellbeing are continuing to shape the future of food. Understanding and adapting to these preferences is key for staying relevant in a market that is increasingly driven by this influential generation. As Gen Z continues to rise in purchasing power, their impact on food trends will only grow, making it essential for brands to listen, adapt, and innovate to meet their needs.
Health and Wellness Trends Drive Long-Term Success
While indulgent foods might grab immediate attention, sustainable food trends often have a health angle. Becoming healthier is one of the main reasons that over half of consumers follow a plant-based dietary pattern, according to the 2024 IFIC Food and Health Survey. “Healthfulness” is an important factor for consumers to buy foods, as 45 percent cited wanting to feel better or have more energy as motivators for following a specific dietary pattern.
The protein obsession continues to dominate social feeds and real-world consumption. High protein was the most popular type of eating pattern that consumers followed, according to the 2024 IFIC Food and Health Survey. The survey also found that 71 percent of Americans are trying to consume protein, an increase from 67 percent in 2023 and 59 percent in 2022. This trend shows how health concerns can drive sustained viral content.
With the help of social media, consumers have become more creative in finding ways to increase their protein intake. Certain high-protein foods, such as cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, were trending this past year. Popular recipes for high-protein meals, including cucumber salad, fluffy yogurt, protein coffee, and cottage cheese flatbread were widely shared online. These combinations prove that healthy doesn’t mean boring when it comes to viral potential.
Influencer Authenticity Creates Deeper Connections
Social media influencers are under constant examination, both from their audiences and the platforms they use. Their content is often shaped not only by personal beliefs or verified expertise but also by algorithms, sponsorship deals, and engagement metrics. While some genuinely aim to educate or inspire, many influencers rely on partnerships with brands or ad revenue to make a living, which can influence the way they present information. This blurred line between authentic sharing and strategic promoting makes it important to view influencer content with a critical eye.
The power dynamic between different types of influencers reveals interesting patterns. Using celebrities as influencers is costly, hence the emergence of the phenomenon of “micro-influencers”. This type of influencer is less well-known to the public but can convey warmer and more relatable messages to their followers, which are often more targeted and reach a significant number of followers. This shift toward relatability over celebrity status changes how food trends develop and spread.
The second theoretical contribution of this research lies in how it has theorized the principles – authenticity, topic sensitivity, fact-checking, and strategic sharing of privacy – that guide SMIs’ self-branding process. Specifically, first, it is not surprising to see authenticity emerge as a top principle guiding SMIs’ self-branding. This echoes a recent finding arguing influencer authenticity (e.g., wearing casual clothing or posting selfies without makeup) helps to establish influencers’ personal brands. We further add to this argument by showing that maintaining an authentic identity (e.g., be selective to sponsored deals) helps influencers to brand themselves better.
Cultural Exchange Fuels Global Food Trends
Globalization of tastes: TikTok trends like butter boards and seafood dishes infused with Southeast Asian flavors encourage culinary exploration. Social media has broken down geographic barriers in ways that traditional media never could. A street food vendor in Seoul can influence dinner plans in Seattle within hours.
International flavors are seeing unprecedented growth in search trends. She cites the examples of boudin balls (a sausage-based Cajun snack), mentions of which have shot up by 130% in Google searches in the United States for the yearlong period ending in September 2024 and are up by 780% on Tik Tok for the yearlong period ending in October 2024. For the same time periods, Google searches for the Middle Eastern dessert knafeh have increased by 94% and Tik Tok references have surged by 977%.
Among many candy-related TikTok food trends from 2024, this one taps into a love for spicy, sour and sweet pairings in a similar way the Swicy trend did. The trend also celebrates the bold flavors central to Mexican cuisine while inviting a new audience to explore chamoy and its many uses. The vibrant colors and unique flavor combinations exemplify how TikTok food trends celebrate culinary experimentation. Rooted in Mexican traditions, this trend brings cultural education to the platform while inspiring users to recreate it with their own twists. This cultural exchange creates more authentic and sustainable food trends.
The Science Behind Food Content Algorithms
Social media rapidly amplifies visually appealing and easy-to-replicate recipes and turns these dishes into global sensations overnight. This virality is what creates food trends, passing through various social networks, which influence the algorithm, making it easier to spread faster, influence restaurants, develop new products, and increase grocery sales. In short, social media transforms food from simple sustenance into a shareable, trend-driven cultural moment that shapes what people cook, eat, and buy.
Understanding algorithmic patterns helps explain why certain content explodes while similar posts remain invisible. β (Transmission Rate): Probability of a susceptible individual being exposed after contact with an infected individual. Research suggests that SEIR dynamics explain why some trends take longer to reach virality, as engagement is often delayed due to the time required for trust-building and credibility assessment. This scientific approach reveals that viral food trends follow predictable patterns.
Social media shapes food trends by spotlighting visually striking, easy-to-make, or culturally diverse dishes. Algorithms favor engaging, shareable content, turning a simple recipe into a global phenomenon. The platforms themselves have become active participants in deciding what we eat, not just passive distributors of content.
Convenience Culture Drives Restaurant Innovation
This growing demand for convenience has cemented a bring-it-to-me mindset that isn’t only reshaping retail but also driving dining and grocery delivery. Food delivery’s share of global food service spending has significantly increased since 2019, according to industry reports. This shift fundamentally changes which food trends succeed in the long term.
The convenience factor directly influences what becomes viral. At its core, this is one of a few viral TikTok food trends from 2024 that revolves around assembling a variety of simple, low-maintenance foods, much like a casual charcuterie board. Originating from the desire for easy, no-cook solutions after a long day, this trend invites users to embrace creativity with minimal effort, making it one of the most accessible TikTok food trends to follow at home.
Nearly 8 in 10 consumers (78%) think of ordering delivery as an act of self-care at least sometimes. Whether it’s after a tough day at work, busy day with the kiddos, or to celebrate a personal milestone, getting your favorite meal delivered to your doorstep is, for some people, a form of therapy. Consumers are ordering delivery a lot, and sometimes that means more than once a day. More than one in four millennials (27%) have ordered food delivery 3+ times in a single 24-hour period. This emotional connection to convenience creates lasting trends beyond just temporary viral moments.
Artificial Intelligence Shapes Food Discovery
Increased use of artificial intelligence presents new opportunities for consumers to manage their diet and health. According to the 2024 IFIC Food and Health Survey, 51 percent of consumers are interested in having artificial intelligence help them make safe and nutritious food choices. AI isn’t just changing how we create content – it’s transforming how we discover and choose what to eat.
52% of consumers are comfortable with restaurants or third-party apps using AI to provide personalized recommendations, like suggested meals or new places to order from. Millennials are the most likely to be cool with this – with 60% saying they’re open to it. This acceptance of AI-driven food recommendations creates new pathways for trends to spread.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven predictive analytics is another transformative technology in the food and beverage industry. Predictive analytics involves the use of historical data, machine learning algorithms, and statistical techniques to predict future outcomes. In the context of food and beverage, AI-driven predictive analytics can help companies forecast demand more accurately, optimize inventory levels, and enhance supply chain efficiency. By analyzing patterns and trends in consumer behavior, sales data, and external factors such as seasonal changes, AI can provide insights that enable manufacturers to make data-driven decisions. This creates feedback loops where AI both predicts and influences what becomes trendy.
Economic Factors Determine Trend Longevity
Economic considerations will continue to drive consumer behavior. Asked to identify the top three factors consumers will consider when choosing foods and beverages in 2025, more than three-quarters (79%) of survey respondents included price, placing it at the top of the list – well above taste, which came in second (58%), followed by nutritional content (46%), and convenience (37%). Even viral food trends must eventually reckon with economic reality.
Although the U.S. inflation rate had fallen to its lowest level in three years by late summer, consumers still feel the sting of the past several years’ price surges. Food prices are currently about 30% higher than they were in 2019, points out Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor at Circana. This economic backdrop influences which trends have staying power versus which ones flame out quickly.
The success stories often combine viral appeal with economic accessibility. The top food trends can translate to big bucks or even shortages when a particular dish catches on. The mad dash on ingredients can also shape sales at restaurants and grocery stores. When a trend requires expensive or hard-to-find ingredients, its viral lifespan tends to be shorter than trends built around common pantry staples.
Sustainability Messages Resonate with Modern Consumers
84% of consumers consider sustainability and ethical sourcing important when deciding on where to dine out. Sustainability is especially important to Gen Zers (92%) and Millennials (87%). This environmental consciousness increasingly determines which food trends gain traction and maintain momentum beyond their initial viral moment.
Food trends on social media impact consumer preferences and cultural practices in transformative ways: Shift to health-conscious eating: Plant-based deli meats and zero-waste dining resonate with consumers seeking sustainable and ethical choices. The most enduring trends often carry deeper messages about environmental responsibility or health consciousness.
We saw food waste top of mind for consumers in 2024 and anticipate that will continue into 2025. We saw food waste top of mind for consumers in 2024 and anticipate that will continue into 2025. The impact to the food industry will be consumers continuing to pay attention to the amount of food they purchase and waste. Trends that promote food waste reduction or sustainable practices tap into this growing consumer consciousness, giving them staying power beyond their initial social media buzz.
The viral food landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed, but understanding these underlying mechanisms gives us insight into what might catch fire next. Whether you’re a restaurant owner, food brand, or just someone fascinated by digital culture, recognizing these patterns can help you better navigate our increasingly connected food world. The next time you see a dish taking over your social feeds, you’ll understand exactly why it captured our collective appetite – and maybe even predict what’s coming next.
