These Are The Food Trends That Took 2025 By Storm

If you spent even five minutes online in 2025, chances are your feed looked suspiciously repetitive—in the best way possible. The same ingredients kept popping up everywhere: drizzled, blended, whipped, or casually labelled as life-changing. One week, it was hot honey sneaking its way onto everything from pizza to cottage cheese; the next, matcha had fully replaced coffee as the internet’s beverage of choice. Somewhere in between, fibre suddenly became cool, collagen found its way into smoothies, and tiramisu was no longer just a dessert—it was a personality trait.

At the centre of it all sat what could very well be called the holy trinity of internet-famous foods: matcha, tiramisu, and avocado. Matcha went from niche café order to cultural shorthand for taste and wellness, showing up in everything from lattes and desserts to home kitchens determined to get the shade of green just right. Tiramisu—soft, familiar, and endlessly adaptable—became the dessert of the moment, remixed across cafés and feeds in countless avatars. And avocado, already a veteran of internet fame, refused to step aside, continuing its reign as the ingredient that signals both effort and aesthetic in equal measure. 

When we look back at the food trends that ruled 2025, we’re really looking at a year where the internet didn’t just influence our plates—it curated them. From viral desserts and café staples to ingredients that became instant cultural references, this was a year defined by what travelled well online, what people couldn’t stop recreating, and what the algorithm decided was worth eating next. From viral flavour hacks to wellness-led obsessions and dishes that simply refused to leave our screens, these are the food trends that truly ruled 2025. Chances are, you’ve eaten (or at least double-tapped) more than a few of them already!

Hot Honey Said “Put Me On Everything”

Hot honey, a simple sweet-and-spicy drizzle (made by infusing honey with chilli peppers), exploded from niche food circles to global ubiquity this year. They not only topped recipe searches but turned up on menus and featured in everything ranging from pizzas and fried chicken to cocktails and desserts. In fact, hot honey was one of the most-searched food items worldwide in 2025.

A few factors helped fuel its meteoric rise. One was the embrace by large food brands and fast-food chains, which launched hot honey–flavoured chicken sandwiches, sauces, and limited-edition menu items that brought the sweet-heat combo into mainstream visibility. Another was social media. Short videos on TikTok and Instagram celebrating hot honey drizzles—on pizza, bowls, salads, cottage cheese, snacks, or even ice cream—made the condiment feel both playful and endlessly adaptable, turning it into a trend more than just a topping.

Drinking Your Skincare, One Smoothie at a Time

If anything, 2025 was a year of wellness: wellness routines, skincare, diet, and even smoothies.

It was the year smoothies stopped being just smoothies and started doubling as beauty and wellness signals in a glass. Functional beverages—especially those infused with collagen—moved from supplement aisles to centre stage, showing up everywhere from ready-to-drink bottles to café menus and viral smoothie bowls. In fact, global food-industry research shows collagen grew steadily as a key beauty-from-within ingredient this year, with product launches that blended it into coffee, sparkling waters, teas, juices, and smoothies alike. 

From sparkling collagen waters and elixirs to creamy, Instagram-ready smoothie bowls, collagen-infused beverages became shorthand for conscious, beauty-oriented eating in 2025—bridging the gap between what you drink and what you put on your face!

Fibremaxxing Is The New Diet

Long overshadowed by protein powders and superfood buzzwords, fibre stepped into the spotlight, thanks to a viral term—fibremaxxing—that turned an overlooked nutrient into a daily goal. The idea was simple and oddly satisfying: intentionally build meals around high-fibre foods and see what happens. (Spoiler: people felt better, stayed fuller, and kept posting about it.)

What sparked the trend was a combination of online education and real-life benefits. Nutrition creators began breaking down the role of fibre in gut health, blood sugar regulation, digestion, and satiety, in short, highly shareable videos, often pointing out just how little fibre most people were actually consuming. Suddenly, beans, lentils, whole grains, vegetables, and seeds weren’t boring staples; they were tools. Dense bean salads, fibre-packed bowls, and breakfasts built around oats and seeds flooded feeds, making fibre feel achievable rather than clinical.

Unlike many wellness trends, fibremaxxing stuck because it was practical. It didn’t require supplements, powders, or expensive add-ons, just smarter combinations of everyday food. It also paired neatly with other 2025 food habits: plant-forward eating, gut-friendly meals, and cooking that felt intentional without being restrictive. In India, the trend translated easily into familiar formats—dal-heavy meals, millet-based dishes, vegetable-forward thalis—proving that fibre wasn’t new, it was just newly appreciated.

Matcha Painted 2025, Green!

If there was ever a beverage that defined 2025, it was matcha (and not just as a quiet café staple). By mid-year, bright green matcha lattes, iced drinks, baked goods, and even matcha-flavoured snacks and cocktails had invaded café menus and social media feeds alike. The consumer interest had driven an exemplary growth rate in the global matcha market, so much so that, Japan even suffered a shortage of the green tea! 

What once began as a niche wellness or tea-ceremony ritual has been re-imagined across formats—from classic lattes and smoothies to ice creams and desserts. Matcha’s appeal in 2025 stemmed from a convergence of factors: its visually striking colour (perfect for pictures), its “clean caffeine” profile that offers a gentle energy lift compared to coffee’s spike, and the broader global pull towards natural, antioxidant-rich ingredients favoured by health-minded drinkers.

In simpler words, matcha was the biggest thing in 2025, and we are here for it!

No One Was Ever Too Full for Tiramisu

If desserts were competing to be coronated, tiramisu would be crowned. What was once a beloved Italian staple quietly tucked away at the end of multi-course meals became a full-blown global obsession this year. And social media was the engine behind its rise. Classic tiramisu, with its layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and rich mascarpone, has been an internationally recognised dessert for decades, but in 2025 it crossed over into genuine internet fame, appearing not just in cafés and homes but all over Instagram and TikTok.

Part of tiramisu’s popularity came from how visually irresistible it is: the contrast of creamy white layers and coffee brown, often topped with cocoa dusting or reinterpretations that make it ultra-shareable online. Variations, from matcha-inspired takes and pistachio riffs to biscoff tiramisu circulating in cafes and reels, helped broaden its appeal beyond a single classic dessert. 

The trend also spilt into ready-to-eat formats, with boxed tiramisu gaining traction in supermarkets and online grocers around the world—a sign that people weren’t just eating tiramisu in restaurants, but they wanted it at home too. In the United States, pop-up moments like a tiramisu served in a Yankee Stadium helmet captured attention, further cementing the dessert’s standing in mainstream food culture. Whether enjoyed in its classic form, reimagined with new flavours, or presented in unexpected ways for social media, tiramisu really became 2025’s most sought-after dessert.

Proof That Avocado Toast Is Forever

If breakfast had a poster child in 2025, it was undeniably avocado toast—the dish that started as an open-faced sandwich and ended up defining a generation’s brunch dreams. Technically simple—just toasted bread topped with guacamole—the concept became quite popular as a result of social media, which turned a humble toast into an international food symbol.

Why did it shine in 2025? For one thing, avocado toast straddles the line between effortless and aspirational: it looks effortless, but feels carefully curated, especially when the avocado is impeccably ripe and the bread perfectly toasted. That combination made it practically tailor-made for Instagram and café feeds, where aesthetic matters nearly as much as flavour.

Some analyses showed that avocado toast remains one of the most talked-about toast varieties in restaurants and online discussions alike. In fact, apart from avocado toast, the ingredient itself has found a lot of fans this year. From chaat and ice cream to salads and burgers, everything you didn’t think could have avocado had it this year.

Part of its longevity comes from versatility. Once seen as a symbol of brunch culture, it’s now comfortably everyday. You see it jazzed up with toppings like eggs, feta, chillies or pickles, and 2025 even saw avocado venture into playful new formats beyond classic toast: mash-ups like avocado smoothie bowls and breakfast toasts with unexpected twists began to surface in menus, expanding what an avo toast could look like. 

Dubai’s Pistachio Kunafa Went Global

While at its heart it’s the so-called Dubai chocolate, this sweet deliciousness has now become a globally loved favourite. A milk chocolate bar filled with creamy pistachio-tahini filling and crispy shards of kadaifi (shredded phyllo pastry), it’s inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern dessert kunafa. Originally developed by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai in 2021, the treat was catapulted to international fame when TikTok videos showcasing its texture and flavour racked up millions of views, turning it into one of the most talked-about desserts of the year. 

What made the pistachio-kunafa trend more than a passing internet moment was the way it fused texture and visual appeal. The contrast of crunchy pastry, smooth nutty filling and rich chocolate made it irresistible both on screen and on the tongue. The trend spread far beyond the UAE: chocolatiers, cafés and dessert makers in cities around the world reinterpreted the idea, from pistachio-filled bars and gelatos to kunafa-inspired pastries and sandwiches. 

India didn’t stay untouched either. Homegrown chocolatiers and dessert brands began experimenting with kunafa-inspired bars that riffed on the Dubai original, blending local sensibilities with the viral flavour profile as the craze took root. And now, it’s not just a chocolate—it’s become a widely-loved flavour spanning cookies, cakes, pastries, and even doughnuts.

Cocktails Got a Little Spicy

This was also the year cocktails decided sweetness alone wasn’t cutting it anymore—and jalapeños stepped confidently into the shaker. Spicy margaritas, jalapeño palomas, and chilli-laced spritzes are popping up everywhere from neighbourhood bars to hotel lounges. The appeal: heat adds drama, balance, and a sense of freshness that cuts through sugar and alcohol, making drinks feel brighter and more grown-up.

The trend was fuelled by two things. First, the internet’s long-standing love for “spicy everything” finally made its way behind the bar. Jalapeño-infused tequila videos, rim-coating hacks, and slow-motion chilli drops into cocktails became scroll-stoppers, encouraging at-home experimentation and normalising spice as a default flavour note in drinks. Second, bars leaned into it because it worked—jalapeños are accessible, recognisable, and easy to control, offering heat without overwhelming the drink. 

And to be honest, we’ve all seen that Dua Lipa video where she puts jalapeño as well as jalapeño juice in her glass of Diet Coke, just for that extra edge. And if Dua Lipa’s doing it, it must be good.  

By the end of the year, ordering a spicy cocktail no longer required explanation. Jalapeños had moved from “interesting option” to accepted flavour profile—proof that in 2025, even our drinks wanted a little heat, a little edge!

Local Produce Became the Main Character

Farm-to-table isn’t a new idea—but 2025 was the year it stopped being a buzzword and started meaning something again. After years of being used loosely on menus (often without much proof), the trend returned sharper, clearer, and far more intentional. This time, it wasn’t about rustic fonts or vague claims of freshness, but about traceability. Diners wanted to know where their food came from, who grew it, and why it was on the plate in the first place.

A big reason farm-to-table took off this year was a growing fatigue with hyper-processed food and supply-chain opacity. Between rising food costs, climate conversations, and a renewed interest in sustainability and seasonality among the masses, both chefs and eaters began paying closer attention to sourcing. Restaurants started spotlighting local farmers on menus, rotating dishes based on harvest cycles, and building smaller, more responsive menus instead of sprawling ones. The best part is that in India, this aligned naturally with regional cooking traditions—seasonal vegetables, grains, and local produce were already part of the food vocabulary; 2025 just gave them centre stage.

Social media played a crucial role here, too. Instead of flashy plating, what resonated were behind-the-scenes stories: early-morning market runs, visits to farms, and chefs talking directly about ingredients. 

Farm-to-table content felt grounded—a refreshing contrast to the year’s louder viral food moments—and that authenticity helped it stick. Eating locally became less about status and more about sensibility, which is exactly what fuelled its rapid popularity.

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