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Here’s a look at the top 2025 flavor trends we're watching in foods and beverages—plus how our company is shaping the future of flavor.
The flavor landscape is continuously evolving. And it’s not just the flavors themselves—it’s also what they represent. For nearly half (48%) of consumers globally, the types of flavors most likely to influence their food and beverage choices are those associated with healthy or better-for-you.1
The interest in health and wellness highlights the importance of using functional, clean-label, and natural ingredients in product development, as well as the right flavor. Flavors that signal a healthy product may grab their attention, but that’s not all consumers seek. Bold taste experiences and nostalgic flavors are also on the radar for 2025.
Here’s a look at the top 2025 flavor trends we’re seeing as consumers seek out innovative yet natural flavor experiences:
Florals are picking up speed, particularly in better-for-you sodas and functional beverages. Drink a Flower (Belgium), a soda brand using cold-infused flowers, pairs fruit and flowers in each of its beverages, with options such as Lime and Ginger with Jasmine, Elderflower and Pomegranate, Passion Fruit and Hibiscus, and Peach and Lemon with Honeybush Flower.
Rhubarb and lavender is a combination showing up in Oun Drinks (Lithuania) and Lowlander (Netherlands) canned sparkling beverages this year, while hops is featured in Creek Water Botanicals (US) and HOP WTR (US) stress-relieving beverages. In Asia, some wellness coffee brands promoting a low acid content call out the floral notes.
Besides the health association, florals are also linked to sustainability. While three in five consumers globally perceive food with botanical flavors such as herbal and floral flavors as good for their health, two in three think botanical flavor ingredients are generally more sustainable.2
In foods, the strong appeal of hot and spicy flavors is undeniable. New launches over the past four years show chili pepper, despite high penetration, is still delivering growth (+5% CAGR), while black pepper (+6%), curry (+8%), and cumin (+10%) are performing even better.3
We’re seeing bolder chili descriptors in recent launches, such as Frito Lay Super Spicy Mania Miso (Japan) and Chio Intense Cheese and Chili Chips (Romania), and new chili and fruit flavor blends (beyond chili lime) like Doritos Solid Black Spicy Pineapple Tortilla Chips (US).
While 10% of US consumers seek out snacks to experience new flavors, 57% prefer a nostalgic, familiar flavor when choosing a snack.4 Since snacks—whether sweet or savory, traditional or better-for-you—represent a moment of indulgence, many consumers are less inclined to experiment in case it doesn’t meet their expectations.
Delivering a familiar flavor in a different format (like curry-flavored chips) is one way to provide comforting familiarity, while offering an innovative product that competitors don’t have. Another approach is a familiar flavor with a twist, as we’re seeing this year in fruit & floral beverages and chili & fruit-flavored chips.
2024 was an exciting time for flavor and for our company, due to our recent acquisition of Flavor Producers—a flavor house known for its organic and natural flavors and extracts—on top of bringing custom flavor designer Foodarom into the Glanbia family earlier on.
We look forward to pioneering the future of flavor and combining these capabilities with our expertise in functional ingredients, so we can help our customers develop functional and flavorful clean-label products that today’s consumers are looking for.
Contact Glanbia Nutritionals to explore function and flavor for your next product!
