Every year, the foodies of social media collectively pick their favourite foods — and 2025 made sure our algorithms doubled into a culinary fiesta. From polarising views on Matcha tea to turning every dessert into a Kunafa special, social media turned kitchens into content studios. Usually, these food trends rise, dominate our feeds and get replaced by the next big bite. However, this year, these trends travelled fast and far, reinventing our appetite with every click. Viewers turned cooks while chefs became creators. Next thing you know, everyone is busy crafting their own versions of the viral dish. As we head into a new year, let’s take a look at the most viral food trends of 2025 in India that thrived in comment sections, share buttons and in our kitchens.
At the start of 2025, we had Matcha flowing in our feeds in every shade of green. Remember the Kunafa dessert trend taking over every sweet dish in existence? We got obsessed with burnt Basque cheesecakes instantly over how perfectly it cracked on cue. Tiramisu was the star of the trend, transporting everyone to Italy with each spoonful. Additionally, the foodies couldn’t get enough of the seafood boil trend that made even restaurants change their menu. While the videos racked up views in millions, restaurants lured people in to try their version of these viral trends of 2025.
On the other hand, many experimented at home and added their own wholesome twists to the dishes. The viral food trends of 2025 proved once again that when food meets the internet, culinary magic follows.
Top viral food trends of 2025 that took over our taste buds
Kunafa
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Somewhere between late-night scrolling and discovering a new dessert recipe on a weekend, we got transported to the Middle Eastern dessert kitchen with the Kunafa taking over our social media. Before you know it, this viral Middle Eastern delight became one of the biggest obsessions of 2025. Think slo-mo syrup drops, irresistible ASMR reels and satisfying cheese pull that made you repeat the video over and over again. Once the Kunafa craze took over, the creativity of culinary masters overflowed. It was anywhere and everywhere. From brownies to cheesecakes, we crown this aesthetic delight as the most viral food trend of 2025.
The comeback of traditional recipes
In 2025, people craved comfort and familiarity. Due to this, nostalgic and classic foods made a comeback in our kitchens and in popular restaurants.Matcha tea
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When the world was just starting to cope with the Chai trend, the traditional Japanese tea, Matcha, brought a new wave of culinary obsession. It’s not far-fetched to declare Matcha as the official drink of 2025. However, considering the love-hate relationship with the beverage among the masses, many might not agree with the statement. Regardless, one cannot deny its virability on social media and how every cafe adapted to the trend by rolling their own version of Matcha drinks — lattes, sodas, and smoothies. Soon enough, people start ordering ceremonial-grade powders and bamboo whisks to make their own traditional Matcha. In this health-obsessed era, how could anyone resist a drink that hits the sweet spot between wellness and indulgence?
The year of beverages
Beverages were more viral than meals in 2025, with innovative flavours taking over our feed every month.Seafood boil
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If there was one food trend that reflected our energy in 2025, it would be the ever-so-messy seafood boil — dramatic and unapologetically chaotic. What started as Mukbang videos with oversized trays sprawling with fiery seafood snowballed into a full-blown culinary trend in popular restaurants across the country. Suddenly, everyone wanted to wear an apron and get all geared up with gloves to crack crab legs and dunk shrimps into buttery sauces. Watching people savour the messy seafood boil sprawled openly on the table made our stomachs growl with hunger. Soon enough, the seafood boil trend was everywhere, with restaurants concocting their own signature sauces and adding a local twist to them. The sensory overload of the experience made this trend go viral.
Tiramisu
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This year, Indians wholeheartedly welcomed global cuisines. The beloved Italian dessert, Tiramisu, was one of them. From Tiramisu jars to cakes, social media milked this viral dessert in every way to make trending content. The soft cocoa-dusted layers, dramatic finish and aesthetically pleasing spoon dip made it irresistible for creators and viewers alike. Soon enough, home bakers started experimenting with it while the restaurant gave it a fine-dining touch to add it to their exquisite dessert menus. The versatility of the Italian dessert made it go viral on social media in 2025.
Cucumber pickle
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Leave it to the internet to make as ordinary as a cucumber into a main character in 2025. It all started with content creators slicing up the cucumbers, smashing, and seasoning them well into a bold and addictive snack. From chilli oil to soy sauce, the internet is filled with viral recipes for making cucumbers more appetising. These flavour bombs are low-effort, irresistible snacks that broke the internet.
The advantages of short-form clips
Thanks to short-form video algorithms, food trends went viral faster than in any other year — some even taking over social media in under a week.Dry Yogurt
Remember back in 2020 when everyone suddenly started whipping up the Dalgona coffee? Well, in 2025, everyone was busy making this innovative dry yoghurt to hit their protein for the day in the most delicious way possible. Call it Labneh from the Middle East, Kurut from Central Asia, or Shrikhand from India, dry yoghurt quickly took over pantries across the world. The sweet and savoury blend of flavours in every scoop made it the internet’s favourite culinary obsession for a few months. Soon enough, cafes rolled out their own take on dry yoghurt while netizens tried every method in the book to make this staple delight.
Basque cheesecake
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For a year obsessed with picture-perfect dishes, Basque cheesecake took the cake for being the most aesthetically-pleasing viral food trend of 2025. The crusty brown top layer and its rustic crack made it impossible to resist this trending delight. The creamy and custardy centre was basically calling on us to slice through it and savour it like it’s the last food on the planet. It made all of us go “Where can I get this?” in the comment section. Then came the wave of Basque Cheesecake flavours — Matcha, chocolate and coffee — that got added to cafe menus. The dish was indulgent, dramatic and hit the right spot to become one of the viral dishes of 2025.
(Hero image: Courtesy KamranAydinov/Freepik; Feature image: Courtesy breematcha/Instagram)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
