More 2026 food predictions

January 7, 2026 by
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Several days ago we published McCormick’s prediction for flavor of the year, black currant, but NPR’s Neda Ulaby reports that chefs and food business insiders think that additional foods and flavors are poised to be big in 2026. Among these predictions beyond the afore-mentioned black currant, along with cinnamon rolls, pandan, and cabbage.

Pandan lamingtons from Cuisine Magazine

Swicy – the sweet/spicy combination – is out, to be replaced by swangy and swavory. Those are “sweet, spicy, converging with tangy” flavors that take swicy to new heights. Examples of swangy would be vinegar-forward items like chutneys, while swavory would be miso caramel or chile plum flavors.

Also out for 2026 is pistachios in everything, while in are new twists on tiramisu, such as peanut butter and jelly or banana. Other experts believe that guava, black sesame, and celery in desserts are due for a breakout year. If any of these comes to fruition I won’t be mad about it as most of these flavors and combinations sound pretty good to me. Of course, no one has a crystal ball and it is difficult to predict when something will catch on – I don’t think anyone foresaw Dubai chocolate.

Category: Antipasto

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5 Comments

  • janecooksamiracle  on  January 8, 2026

    Just make it ridiculously expensive ! Then it will catch on šŸ˜€

  • WallaceGrover  on  January 8, 2026

    I just hope the matcha trend will die down.

  • LeilaD  on  January 8, 2026

    I’m getting tired of pointless portmanteaus that everyone forgets in a year or two. While they’re here, they’re annoying.

    I’m getting old and complaining about the kids’ slang, aren’t I?

    I wish I lived somewhere that the matcha craze had caught on. You can’t even get it in coffee shops here. Peanut butter in tiramisu sounds pretty good to me.

  • GaryCooks  on  January 8, 2026

    Iā€™m waiting to see if ā€œAsian-style stuffed bagelsā€ are going to catch on. They are supposed to be generally fluffier in texture compared to traditional dense New York-style bagel, and stuffed with various ingredients. We had a new store open in Old Town Pasadena CA called Mioplane (from Taiwan), supposedly the first of its kind in the U.S, and very popular. My husband told me about it though we havenā€™t tried it yet. Soft stuffed bagelsā€¦.sounds interesting, but I DO love the consistency of a chewy bagel!

  • tcjanes  on  January 10, 2026

    So idiotic.

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