The foods and flavours of 2027: overview
- 75% of consumers are excited by new food and beverage trends
- Global flavours remain dominant, from Korean and Sichuan cuisines to Mexican street food
- Tart, spicy, fermented and fizzy profiles are gaining momentum
- Emerging ingredients include doubanjiang, hibiscus, makgeolli and koji milk
- Familiar favourites such as mango and banana are finding new life in novel formats
Bold, tart, spicy, fizzy, sweet, floral, milky, colourful, fermented – there’s not much that’s left out of the foods and flavours predicted to lead in 2027 and beyond.
Drawing on 20 years’ worth of US menu data, Datassential’s 2027 Trends Report predicts what products will make it on to shelves and sees it as an indicator for trends likely to take hold globally. The overarching finding is that consumer appetite for novelty and excitement is showing no signs of waning – 75% said that they’re looking forward to new food and beverage trends in 2027.
This opens up a world of opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers to capitalise on, either in innovation, reformulation or limited-edition experiments.
And with Gen Z driving many trends, it’s also good to know how to appeal to their contrarian side: 56% like foods that are polarising or divisive, and they sometimes like them simply because others don’t.
What’s hot for 2027
Foods and flavours that the report predicts will thrive from now and into 2027 include some that are already familiar, such as whipped feta and burnt honey, but also lesser known ingredients such as hibiscus. The flower has a tart, sour note, sometimes compared with pomegranate and cranberry, that taps into the growing trend for bold, less sweet flavours.
But for 2027 and beyond, we see some exciting predictions that confirm the craze for global flavours is not losing momentum.
After the rise and rise of gochujang, the red chilli paste originating in Korean cuisine, we will see doubanjiang, a fermented broad bean and chilli paste that features heavily in Sichuan cooking.
The popularity of Korean cuisine doesn’t miss out though. Buldak – spicy chicken in a gochujang and chilli sauce – makes it onto the list of future trends, as does makgeolli, a milky Korean rice wine. Gently fizzy, slightly sweet and slightly tangy, it ticks the swangy box.
Salted coconut makes an appearance as a flavour mash-up of sweet and savoury, and dessert trends see a European influence with the Italian zeppole – a fried-dough pastry dusted with powdered sugar or filled with cream. Europe appears again with the guindilla pepper, a Basque chilli pepper with a sharp, piquant flavour that comes with a slow burn rather than a blast of heat.
Florals make the cut in the form of marigold. Different species are used in different ways, such as added to stews, brewed in teas, or sprinkled into cocktails, across Europe, Asia, Mexico and Central America, and South America. The flavour can vary from earthy and slightly sweet to the liquorice-like taste of Mexican mint marigold.
Mexico is a recurring theme with salsa negra, a chilli sauce made from charred and dried chillies and garlic; and cantarito, a cocktail made with orange, lime and grapefruit soda served in a salt-rimmed clay cup.
The report found that 58% of consumers are interested in trying CDMX (Mexico City) cuisine. Known for its street food scene, it features dishes such as huaraches, thick corn tortillas in an oblong shape topped with ingredients like beans, meat, salsa, and cheese, and pulque, a milky, fermented, agave-based alcoholic beverage, served in specialist bars called pulquerias. Pulque is up 147% on alcoholic beverage menus over the past four years.
Finally, the milky theme is tapped again with koji milk, originating in Japan. Koji is a type of fungus cultivated on grains such as rice or barley. This ferment contains enzymes and probiotics and is used in food but has more recently become a dairy alternative, by blending it into oat milk. It’s described as having a slightly sweet, nutty and savoury umami flavour.
Oldies but goodies
But it’s not all new flavours that are showing signs of growth. Old favourites such as mango are also seeing a revival. It’s up 48% on menus in the past four years. And the fruit is not just standing alone – the rise of mango sticky rice (a Thai dessert made from mango, glutinous rice and coconut milk) has become a flavour in its own right, appearing in ice creams and cocktails.
And amba – a condiment that combines unripe green mangos, vinegar, turmeric and chillies and fenugreek that makes a great pairing with savoury dishes – is up 25%.
Banana, too, is making a comeback, moving into cocktails and coffees, and the report predicts that banana ketchup is one to watch. It’s a Filipino condiment and taps into other trends from Filipino cuisine such as ube.
Overall, the continents that dominate are the ones known for strong, exciting flavours, combined with colour and sensory qualities such as fizz or ferment. As the world searches for adventurous flavours, there are plenty more to be discovered and manufacturers will be wise to tap into them when they are.
