6 Food Trends You'll See Everywhere In 2026, According to Food Network Experts
What’s the next trend in wellness? How about restaurants? Snack foods? Let’s dive in.
How is Food Network’s trends forecast any different from the fifteen others that have probably hit your inbox? For starters, we compile research all year long. And we lean on a team of more than 30 experts, including our professional chefs, Food Network talent, food writers and TV producers. We also collaborate with HGTV’s team to create a list of top designs trends of 2026 (including what adds the most value to your home).
In 2026, Food Network experts expect that Americans will look to save money. But when they do spend, they want to make affordable purchases that feel upscale and personally valuable. People are spending less while expecting more: a great lens for viewing many of the trends in this report.
Floura
The founder of Jeni's Ice Cream launched Floura bars in 2025. Each bar contains 13 grams of fiber and comes in flavors like blueberry matcha.
Wellness Trend of the Year: Fiber
Protein is still going strong, but people are realizing it’s important to eat a balanced diet that also prioritizes fiber. Nowadays, people don’t hear “fiber” and automatically think of Metamucil. Instead, fiber has been rebranded as a proactive nutrient for holistic wellness. It’s gained publicity for its positive impact on gut health and promotion of fullness. And it’s an important nutrient for a growing demographic of GLP-1 users. Expect to see more products touting fiber as a benefit. Like protein, it has staying power in wellness.
Matt Armendariz
The Dessert of the Year: Tiramisu
Like pistachio, tiramisu is an Italian export that has luxe energy. Yet it's a lot less expensive than a plane ticket to the Riviera. This iconic dessert can be presented in novel formats or flavors like Food Network Kitchen's Pistachio Tiramisu, pictured above. Some other ways we’re seeing tiramisu enter the chat? Tiramisu wedding cakes are trending on social. Some are stenciled; others are scooped into coupe glasses and stacked into towers (like champagne towers). We’re seeing the dessert pop up on sceney restaurant menus, such as The Snail, JR & Son, I Cavallini (NYC); Kalaya (Philly), DAG (LA). And finally, we see it morphed into coffee shop creations, including Starbucks' 2025 Tiramisu Latte and Tiramisu Cream Cold Foam and the Tiramisu Latte at Tiger Lily Bistro (NYC). In 2026, watch bakeries, cafés and packaged foods companies transform tiramisu’s shape and flavors.
Teri Lyn Fisher
Flavor of the Year: Guava
Popular throughout Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, this blushing fruit tastes like a mix of strawberry and pear. It plays well in savory foods, desserts and caffeinated and other beverages. "Guava Girl Summer" was a beauty and fashion trend in 2025 involving pink hues and fruity scents. For example, Dunkin' collaborated with Tarte beauty on its Guava Refreshers. Trader Joe’s dropped an Organic Guava Fruit Spread that went viral this year. Fruit-infused coffees are gaining traction in the U.S., including guava lattes. And Google search for "guava pastelitos" (a Cuban pastry) is up 40% YOY. Pictured above are Food Network's new Guava and Cheese Thumbprint Cookies, inspired by the flavor profile of pastelitos.
Photo courtesy of Taco Bell and Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw collaborated with Taco Bell to drop a swavory Choco Taco in 2025. It included cinnamon-ancho ice cream inside a waffle cone coated in dark chocolate and puffed quinoa. And to top it off: Mango Jalapeño and Wildberry Cinnamon sauces.
The Next Trend In Snacking: Swavory Bites
Swavory (adj): Having a sweet and savory flavor. Look for more swavory snacks, desserts and viral recipes. Rising swavory flavor profiles to watch in snack foods include black garlic, black sesame and fermented fruits such as dried plum with chili. The growing popularity of regional Asian dishes, rich in these ingredients, has primed palates for swavory snacks. These ingredients naturally deliver bold tastes without additives and often come with functional health benefits.
Din Tai Fung
Restaurant Trend of the Year: Imported International Restaurants
After Covid, culinary tourism boomed, and Americans returned home with a craving for some of the dishes and treats they experienced abroad. Foreign restaurants — particularly Chinese franchises — are opening locations in major American cities. For example, Din Tai Fung (17 U.S. locations) generates more revenue per restaurant than any other chain restaurant in the country. A wave of Asian dessert cafes, such as 85°C Bakery Café, Paris Baguette, Tous les Jours and others, tap into Gen Z’s craving for social, visually driven dining. And we’re keeping our eyes on regional Indian food: London imports Dishoom, Ambassadors Clubhouse, Gymkhana and Kricket are coming to NYC.
Matchaful
NYC-based Matchaful, a mini franchise of tea houses, features creative hojicha concoctions such as the seasonal frozen hojicha pictured, hojicha soft serve and more.
Beverage Trend of the Year: Hojicha
Made from charcoal-roasted green tea leaves, this tea has a nutty, earthy, caramelized flavor that plays well with sweet, savory and swavory mix-ins. It has a fraction of the caffeine as matcha or coffee — about 7g per cup (compared to about 50g in matcha and 95g in coffee). In Japan, hojicha lattes are so popular you can order them in Starbucks, and they’re increasingly popping up on menus in the West. Coffee and other cafe drinks will continue to play a huge role in food and online culture. Hojicha allows for the "little treat" experience minus the jitters, great for round-the-clock enjoyment.
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