5 Food Trends That We Predict Will Reign Supreme in 2022

Fri, December 17, 2021 at 11:00 AM UTC

3 min read

It’s the home stretch of 2021, and with that comes a plethora of new trends to look forward to. Last year was all about spicy flavors and climate-friendly food, but even we couldn’t predict the meteoric rise of the espresso martini. So what’s next? From immune-boosting ingredients to restaurant goodies at home (and yeah, more viral TikTok dishes), these are the five food trends we predict will be sizzling in 2022.

1. Immunity-Boosting Foods Are All the Rage

Almost two years into a pandemic, it’s only natural that we’re all a little more focused on maintaining a strong immune system. And with COVID-19 variants popping up on the daily, expect to see that healthy mindset continue in 2022, specifically through food. According to the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot 2022 Culinary Forecast, immunity-boosting foods (like probiotic foods and non-starchy vegetables) are one of the top trends for the coming year, as “consumers balance the comfort foods they demanded during the pandemic to refocus on better-for-you options.” This calls for a bowl of turmeric daal.

2. Restaurant Goodies Come Home

In 2021, we started returning to our favorite restaurants in person, but going out to eat still isn’t quite the norm. In 2022, you’ll see the treats you love come home in the form of consumer packaged goods, according to the Pop Up Grocer 2022 Food Trend Report. Jump-started by the pandemic, restaurants are launching their own lines of packaged products to ameliorate some of the difficulties the industry continues to weather. Want in on the goods? New York City restaurant west~bourne has been reimagined as a purveyor of zero-waste, plant-based provisions (the Sun Pop is otherworldly), and you can officially buy Milk Bar cookies, snack cakes and ice cream in grocery stores.

3. Reducetarianism Is the New Plant-Based

If you’re plant-curious but not yet ready to ditch meat entirely, allow us to introduce you do reducetarianism. According to the Whole Foods Market’s Trends Council’s seventh annual Top 10 Food Trends list, this diet is all about reducing the impact we have on the planet by being more mindful of the types of foods we’re eating. In a nutshell, that means limiting your consumption of meat, eggs and dairy (without restricting them entirely) and opting for pasture-raised and grass-fed whenever possible. Who knows? Maybe you’ll become a full-blown vegan in 2023.

4. Social Media Is the Modern Cookbook

According to the Instacart Year in Groceries report, 90 percent of polled home cooks said they’ve added a social media food trend to their regular rotation—hello, baked feta pasta and pesto eggs. Unless TikTok lets up the grip it has on us all (which we don’t see happening soon), look for even more social media-inspired recipes to become part of your dinnertime routine. Per Instacart’s trends expert, Laurentia Romaniuk, “new renditions and variations of our favorite comfort foods, including pastas, stews and casseroles” will take off on social media platforms, “especially as we hunker down for the colder winter months ahead.”

5. Alcohol-Free Spirits Are Here for the Long Run

While our fingers are crossed that the Cosmopolitan makes its well-deserved comeback, we predict boozeless beverages will continue to dig in their proverbial heels in the coming year. No really—alcohol-free aperitifs like Ghia, Figlia, Amass and Kin Euphorics might’ve popped onto the scene in years past, but now that people are trying and liking them, the mocktail ingredients will become totally normal. The IWSR (the leading source of data, analysis and insights on the global beverage alcohol market) predicts that sales of no/low alcoholic beverages will increase by 31 percent in volume by 2024. We’ll toast—with a mocktail, of course—to that.

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