Photo: Zocha Group – Top 10 New Food Trends 2022

With every new year comes a wave of new trends projected to gain popularity in the world of food products, dining and hospitality. These top new food trends for 2022 will likely start to pop up on grocery store shelves and restaurant menus as the months go by. Add some variety to your diet this year by tasting some of the front runners that should be soon coming to a table near you.

Photo: Zocha Group

This century-old, Italian style of cooking pizza makes for a fluffier dough by using soy and rice flours, making it a healthier alternative to traditional pizza. The trend is already common in Italy but is now expected to make its way to the US.

With delivery apps increasingly making up a larger portion of dining out, sometimes a brick and mortar restaurant isn’t even necessary. Delivery-only ghost kitchens are expected to become more common, even offering a variety of cuisines or brands all made in a single private kitchen.

Consumers have embraced kombucha in past years, and will moving towards integrating booze to enjoy it as a health-conscious, alcoholic beverage. The product has already become popular along the coasts and will soon find its way across the country as a food trend in 2020.

Those following vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or keto diet plans have given cauliflower its time in the spotlight in recent years. This vegetable will continue to be seen as an alternative to starches like potatoes and gluten products like bread.

While many are used to seeing pizzas cooked in a wood-fired method, 2020 will bring new creativity with chefs using open hearths to make different kinds of food. Guests love to see their food being prepared in real time, and this cooking style is expected to deliver a show along with your meal in 2020.

Non-alcoholic cocktails will have a moment in 2020, with dry happy hours and zero-proof beverages piquing the interest of consumers. Thoughtfully-made elixirs with fresh juice blends are sure to keep guests interested in these healthier alternative drinks.

With cow’s milk slowly but surely phasing its way out of fridges across America, non-animal based alternatives are being adopted as necessities for consumers. With soy and almond milk being a favorite, soon oat milk will be added to the group as a go-to alternative.

Stores and restaurants will be taking Japan’s lead in embracing seafood, including vegetables, as a snack food. Roasted seaweed and salmon skins will gain more traction along with innovative items like kelp jerky.

There’s no secret that hummus is a go-to snack for many people, but this year it’ll be used differently than consumers have seen in the past. Adventurous flavors will come about along with menus integrating hummus into desserts, making for a unique and healthy treat.

Many people have integrated probiotics into their diet for digestive health, but this year the trend will also include dry items that can be stored in your pantry. Things like cereal, granola, nut butters and nutrition bars will be made to be shelf-stable for long term storage.

Veggie versions of popular dishes have made their way onto menus all over the world and will continue to do so throughout 2020. Consumers will also see vegan meat snacks line the shelves of your local grocery store with options like soy jerky and mushroom bacon chips.

Kale and romaine are on their way out with celtuce, a lettuce cultivar, moving in as an alternative. The health benefits to this versatile, Chinese lettuce makes it worth adding to any meal as a side dish or even as an ingredient in juices and smoothies.