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Here’s a look at the top 2025 flavour trends we're watching in foods and beverages—plus how our company is shaping the future of flavour.
The flavour landscape is continuously evolving. And it’s not just the flavours themselves—it’s also what they represent. For nearly half (48%) of consumers globally, the types of flavours 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 flavour. Flavours that signal a healthy product may grab their attention, but that’s not all consumers seek. Bold taste experiences and nostalgic flavours are also on the radar for 2025.
Here’s a look at the top 2025 flavour trends we’re seeing as consumers seek out innovative yet natural flavour 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 flavours such as herbal and floral flavours as good for their health, two in three think botanical flavour ingredients are generally more sustainable.2
In foods, the strong appeal of hot and spicy flavours 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 flavour blends (beyond chili lime) like Doritos Solid Black Spicy Pineapple Tortilla Chips (US).
While 10% of US consumers seek out snacks to experience new flavours, 57% prefer a nostalgic, familiar flavour 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 flavour in a different format (like curry-flavoured chips) is one way to provide comforting familiarity, while offering an innovative product that competitors don’t have. Another approach is a familiar flavour with a twist, as we’re seeing this year in fruit & floral beverages and chili & fruit-flavoured chips.
2024 was an exciting time for flavour and for our company, due to our recent acquisition of Flavour Producers—a flavour house known for its organic and natural flavours and extracts—on top of bringing custom flavour designer Foodarom into the Glanbia family earlier on.
We look forward to pioneering the future of flavour and combining these capabilities with our expertise in functional ingredients, so we can help our customers develop functional and flavourful clean-label products that today’s consumers are looking for.
Contact Glanbia Nutritionals to explore function and flavour for your next product!
