Whether we’re testing recipes, editing stories, or eating our way through restaurant menus, food trends are impossible to ignore. Some spark genuine excitement, others inspire deep skepticism, and a few just won’t seem to go away. These are the 2025 food trends our editors have strong feelings about.
Every Vegetable Melting Like the Wicked Witch
“My love of overcooked vegetables is well established on this site, but the “melting” vegetables trend annoys me. It’s really a social media–driven rebranding of fondant potatoes that acts like this dish hasn’t been around for ages. There’s nothing wrong with applying the idea to other vegetables, but… are any of them really melting? No, no they are not. But you know how it goes, gotta get those clicks.” —Daniel Gritzer, editorial director
The Persistence of the Pickle Era
“The Pickle Era refuses to die, and honestly, I’m conflicted about it. I want to roll my eyes every time a new dill-drenched monstrosity hits the shelves, but then I try it and—ugh—it’s delicious. Pickle potato chips? Absolutely yes. Pickle lemonade? Shockingly… refreshing?? And don’t even talk to me about pickle-dust-covered pretzel twists, because I will inhale an entire bag. I swear I’ll draw the line at pickle popsicles (but also, will I?). As much as I want to hate the trend, the brine keeps winning, and clearly, I’m not the only one.” —Leah Colins, senior culinary editor
The Endless Mountain of Fried Brussels Sprouts
“Wow, fried brussels sprouts tossed in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette? Groundbreaking. Seriously though, I get why these have been on every single appetizer menu for the last, what, decade? I like them too, but I’m ready for a new veggie to take the stage in 2026. Give me a funky grilled eggplant, an experimental succotash, a novel take on beets, but for goodness sakes, give the brussels a break.” —Ashlee Redger, writer
Marry Me Everything
“First, let me say that the magical ‘marry me’ combination of tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and Parm is certainly delicious. I made a pot of orzo in this style (with a little daub of gochujang for some lift) and it was proposal-worthy. It’s just that I’ve seen so many recipes peddled with this treatment (marry me tofu, marry me salmon, and even marry me cauliflower) that it’s gone stale. Give me something new that’ll make me want to marry you!” –Grace Kelly, senior editor
Absolutely Endless Espresso Martinis
“The curse of the espresso martini lives on! Why is it that there’s always at least one group of friends at a bar who order round after round of this caffeinated libation? Do these people even like espresso martinis or is it just “the thing” they do? Call me a grump, but I’m so over it. Save your espresso for the morning and drink this fantastic, smoky Martini Oaxaqueño instead.” –Grace Kelly, senior editor
Ghost Lattes Take Manhattan
“I have NEVER been a flavored coffee person—no PSLs, no hazelnut, not even a whisper of cinnamon. But this year, I saw so many new concoctions on coffee shop menus that I finally gave in and tried one. It was a “ghost latte” from NYC’s Think Coffee—with black sesame, vanilla, and white chocolate—and it was freaking DELICIOUS. I know black sesame drinks aren’t new—they’re a popular Japanese beverage—but this particular mashup was new to me, and it shoved all my coffee snobbery out the window. Now I’m all about the dirty chais, the maple foam–topped cappuccinos, and definitely any sesame latte I see. I suspect I’m not the only one for whom 2025 was the year of the epic coffee drink.” —Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director
Soooo Many Small Plates
“I generally love the idea of ordering a lot of things and sharing. It keeps the table varied, it transports me back to Spain, and the act of passing plates and sharing food is an intimate one that makes a meal feel almost ceremonial. That said, small-plates restaurants are getting out of hand. Why has this become the default model for every trendy new restaurant? When the menu isn’t designed just right, it makes ordering weirdly difficult. You either order too much and feel stuffed, or too little and leave hungry after dropping premium prices. And then there’s the odd-number problem: No one wants to take the last piece, which inevitably leads to slicing an already small portion in half just to make the math work. It’s awkward, and the last thing you need on a night out is silent awkwardness weighing the table down. And sometimes, I don’t want little food morsels at all. I want a big, hearty, saucy plate in the middle of the table, for all to share.” —Laila Ibrahim, associate food editor
Protein-Packed Food
“I love protein! My muscles love protein! But I really don’t want to eat a cookie, potato chips, or water infused with it. I’m all for hitting your macros, but I’m a firm believer in the old-fashioned way of going about it: eating a steak followed by a delicious slice of cake—no pea, whey, or soy protein in sight.” —Rochelle Bilow, editor
Dubai Chocolate Runs Wild
“I adore pistachios, chocolate, and phyllo. But I really am so over the Dubai chocolatification of everything. It feels tired. There is such a thing as too much, and I really think we’ve hit that point.” —Genevieve Yam, senior editor
QR Code Menus
“This is not a new-to-this-year trend, but this is the year that I am over QR code menus. I know they are probably cheaper and better for the environment, but I hate my phone, and also can’t put my phone down, so I want any excuse to look at a piece of paper and not scroll on my phone. The phone is the enemy, and a 15-page printed wine list will cure most things.” —Amanda Suarez, associate director, visuals
AI in Food
AI can scan every grocery cart in America and spit out the next big flavor trend before your instant ramen is ready. And honestly? Great. Let the machines handle the boring stuff — the data dives, the pattern-finding, the endless scroll of ‘what people might eat next.’ But here’s the thing: AI doesn’t know why food matters. It can’t taste the nostalgia in your grandmother’s stew or feel the cultural heartbeat behind a dish. It can predict the spike in pistachio searches, but it can’t decide what a sustainable, joyful, equitable food future should look like. That’s on us.
So yes, let AI clear the clutter. Let it take the mindless tasks off our plates. But humans still have to choose the values, the stories, the flavors worth championing. Because the future of food shouldn’t be engineered by algorithms—it should be imagined by people. —Jessie YuChen, visuals editor
