Top 2025 Food Trends Report & 2026 Food Predictions

At Avital, we design interactive food and drink experiences for a living. Keeping our finger on the food trend pulse is literally part of the job.

We’re trend hunters. And often, willing guinea pigs. If it’s quirky, classy, or just downright fun, we test it, often at our own holiday parties. Like our hot chocolate making party in 2023 and the savory s’mores party in 2024. 

And we can’t forget about the charcuterie chalet party in 2021. We loved the charcuterie chalet trend so much that our founder, Avital, built an entire company, Edible Architecture, around it. And it just landed a deal on Shark Tank.

So, you might say we know a thing or two when it comes to foodie trends. Here’s our 2025 report, plus predictions for 2026. 

Croissant Craziness

Croissants became the canvas of the year. Oversized, hybridized, stuffed, stacked, and reimagined, the croissant trend continues to prove that people crave familiarity but are pushed into new formats. 

Jello Shots & Cakes

Jello made a return this year, but all grown-up. In 2025, gelatin became architectural, playful, and downright beautiful. This trend taps into nostalgia while elevating it for adult audiences through form and, of course, alcohol.

Mini Portions & Pairings

Smaller bites ruled 2025. Not out of restraint, but intention (and maybe a touch of inflation). Mini portions, like spoonful desserts, allow eaters to try more, pair thoughtfully, and experience food in a different way. 

Potato Chip Nachos & Crisp Plates

Move over tortilla chips, 2025 was the year of the potato. From charcuterie nachos to the Euro #crispplate, potato chips were topped with serrano ham, corn, mayo, steak, sardines, and so much more.

McDonald’s Soft Serve Tupperware Dump 

Why eat one soft serve cone when you can eat six topped with cookies, hot fudge, sprinkles, and caviar?? This trend gets its virality from the “wait, what the heck is going on here” we’re all asking ourselves for the first half of the video. 

Dubai Chocolate

This year Dubai chocolate continued to reign supreme. From candy bars and drinks to brand fusions and dessert, we saw this flavor combination everywhere! Dubai-style pistachio chocolate dominated feeds, signaling a broader shift toward globally inspired luxury sweets.

Savory Goes Sweet 

Instead of desserts going savory, 2025 flipped the script. We saw so many traditionally savory foods getting a sweet makeover, like ice cream burgers and sweet pasta. 

Parmesan With Ice Cream

Adding salt to sweet isn’t new, but 2025 was the year of parm on ice cream. Salty, umami-rich cheese paired with cold sweet cream. We are here for it. 

Quirky Veggie Arrangements

The vegetable plate got a glow-up in 2025. No longer sad carrot sticks served with a bowl of ranch, they became centerpieces. Veggies arranged with intention, artistry, and sometimes even humor. 

Piping Bag Snacks

Bayw0lf, the self-proclaimed traveling snackaholic, loves piping bags. And she’s found a way to eat almost everything from them! From mashed potatoes and deviled eggs to hummus and bundt cake, we’re starting to wonder what can’t be eaten from a piping bag? 

Beautiful Butter

For as long as we can remember, butter has had a seat at the table with chefs, recipe developers, and food influencers. And let’s not forget the viral butter boards and butter candles. But this year butter got beautiful. Radish Butter Terrines were the “it” appetizer and butter became the new ice sculpture in 2025. 

Fun & Unique Food Bars

From french fries and butter to marshmallows and cheesecake, it seems like there was a bar for everything in 2025. These bars provide structure to eating out, but enough freedom to customize to make it feel unique to you. We expect to see a lot more of these in 2026. 

Taco Variations 

Tacos proved once again that format is king. Sweet, Indian-inspired, dessert-forward—the humble taco became a vessel for creativity across cuisines in 2025.

Vanilla Ice Cream & Red Wine

Affogato, but swap the coffee for red wine. The cold cream softens the wine’s tannins for a rich, balanced flavor. Fun, approachable luxury. 

Colliding Trends & Mashups 

Some of the year’s best trends came from stacking trends on trends. Once again, we saw a lot of croissant content here. This trend on trend collision reflects how food now competes in an attention economy.

Tiramisu Unginged 

This year, a classic dessert turned into a full-blown spectacle. Tiramisu gingerbread houses,  tiramisu bars. And even tiramisu served in cars, wheelbarrows, and wildly oversized vessels. The point wasn’t elegance. It was abundance.

Avital’s 2026 Food Trend Predictions

1. More Interactive, Fewer Plates

Food will continue moving off plates and into hands. Expect more stations, carts, build-your-own, and finish-at-the-table concepts. People don’t just want to eat. They want to participate.

2. Luxury Made Casual

Luxury isn’t disappearing. It’s relaxing. High-end ingredients in low-pressure formats. Think caviar bars without white tablecloths, truffles on fries, champagne at walk-up counters.

3. Supersized Everything 

Food is going to get even bigger.With inflation still top of mind, people want food that feels like value. Oversized croissants, giant desserts, shareable portions that make you pause. Big food feels generous. And generosity feels good.

4. Edible Vessels

More food will come inside other food. Stuffed, filled, wrapped, and poured into. The vessel will become part of the experience. It’s efficient. But more importantly, it’s fun.

5. Flavor Perception Play  

In 2026, food starts messing with your brain even more. But in a great, delicious way! Ice cream shaped like steak and dessert that looks like fried chicken. Savory dishes pretending to be sweets, and vice versa. Is it sweet? Is it savory? You don’t know until you bite. That’s the magic.