5 Flavor Trends Shaping 2027 Products

By Lauren Shanesy

Walk the NACS Show Expo and you can learn a lot about where consumer tastes are headed. There were hundreds of in-store merchandise and foodservice exhibitors on the Expo floor this year, which meant a lot of new products to see and, more importantly, taste. I certainly didn’t make it to every booth, although I gave it my best shot.

Amid all the fried chicken, pizza, candy, snacks and seemingly endless beverages, some flavors stood out again and again. Some were new, some were nostalgic and some were still riding their wave of popularity (pickle, I’m looking at you). Some flavors that once seemed like a fleeting viral moment are proving they might actually be here to stay.

Here are five trends that stood out on the Expo floor.

1. Nostalgia Beckons, but with a Refresh
When times are uncertain, familiar flavors can offer consumers a sense of comfort. But that doesn’t necessarily mean bringing back the exact same products from decades past.

Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides Inc., described consumers’ appetite for “newstalgia” during the NACS Show Education Session “Food & Beverage Trends Shaping Convenience in 2027.” The idea is to take something consumers already know and give it a contemporary spin.

Soda fountain flavors in particular made a comeback. Coca-Cola showcased Strawberry Float, Keurig Dr Pepper debuted Ice Cream Float and C4 Energy previewed a Root Beer Float flavor coming in 2027. Even THC beverages joined in, with Foundry Nation’s Two Scoops line featuring Orange Creamsicle and Root Beer Float.

Other nostalgic flavors resurfaced across categories, including orange creamsicle, rocket pop popsicles, cotton candy and my personal favorite childhood restaurant classic, the Shirley Temple.

2. Global Inspiration is Everywhere
Consumers are expanding their culinary horizons and looking around the world for new flavors. Gen Z is one of the most well-traveled generations, according to Badaracco. As the rising generation with the most spending power, its zest for discovery, exploration and new experience is driving an increase in flavors inspired by global food and drink. At the Expo, that influence was especially noticeable in snacks and beverages.

Asian-inspired flavors were particularly prominent. Calbee showcased Asian-Style Chips in Spicy BBQ and Tonkotsu Ramen, while Baby Star offered ramen snacks in flavors such as Soy Sauce, Hot and Spicy Chili and Tonkotsu. Sweet Thai Chili appeared on cashews and yuzu showed up in a caffeine and nootropic pouch.

Ube, a purple yam with roots in Filipino cuisine, also continued its expansion into U.S. products, appearing in chocolate truffles and cookie dough. Mexican street corn, or elote, turned up in everything from protein chips to pretzels and popcorn.

3. Fruit Offers Fresh Flavor
Simple fruit flavors came out in full force.

Strawberry was seemingly everywhere this year, appearing in soda, energy drinks, cereal, pretzels, protein shakes, candy and energy gummies. Notable new releases included Pepsi’s Strawberry Shortcake soda, Coca-Cola’s Strawberry Float soda, Bloom’s Strawberry Shortie Sparkling Energy Drink, General Mills’ Strawberry Protein Cheerios, Pop Daddy Pretzels’ Strawberry Shortcake Pretzel Sticks, Strawberry Pop-Tarts Peeps, the Core Power protein shake from Fairlife in Strawberry and Strawberry Clean Energy Gummies from Proper Wild.

Apple and green apple also made appearances across categories, while banana showed up in products ranging from protein shakes to candy to nicotine pouches.

Tropical flavors remained prominent, too, with pineapple, mango and guava appearing both on their own and in blends. Keurig Dr Pepper’s 7UP Miami Vice, for example, combines lime-lemon with strawberry daiquiri and piña colada flavors for a soda inspired by the frozen cocktail. Hot Tamales’ new Tropical Heat candy combines tropical flavors with spice.

4. Heat Keeps Evolving
Spicy flavors aren’t new, but the ways brands are using heat continue to change.

“Spicy isn’t going anywhere. It’s just taking different forms,” said Farley Kaiser, vice president, retail foodservice at McLane Company. The particular pepper or ingredient driving the trend may change, she explained, but spicy flavors consistently remain near the top of the charts.

Sweet heat is one example. Hot honey continues to find its way into new categories, while spicy candy is pushing the sweet-and-spicy combination even further.

At the Expo, brands incorporated hot honey in Combos’ Honey Sriracha pretzels, Hot Honey salami, and Snak Club’s Mike’s Hot Honey gummy bears. Spice also showed up in candy: Trolli released Spicy Crawlers while General Mills launched Spicy Gushers Unleashed. Skittles once again showcased Fuego gummies, and Jolly Rancher had Heat Wave gummies on display.

5. From Fad to Flavor with Staying Power 
Things are a fad, until they’re a trend … until they’re a mainstay menu staple. These flavors are showing that they can move beyond a viral social media moment to solidify their place in the industry.

At my first NACS Show in 2024, pickle seemed to be everywhere. Two years later, it has moved beyond a novelty, cropping up in ketchup, chips, ranch dips, sunflower seeds, pickled eggs and even cold and frozen dispensed beverages.

Other buzzy flavors are following a similar path. Dubai chocolate and pistachio remained pretty visible across the Show floor, while matcha continued moving beyond beverages into chocolate, popcorn and other packaged foods.

There was also growth in what I call “loaded flavors”: products inspired by an entire dish rather than a single ingredient. Think ramen-flavored chips, taco-flavored snack mixes, Tikka Masala-coated peanuts and cheeseburger-flavored nut mixes.

These five trends only scratch the surface. For more flavor trends and insights straight from the 2026 NACS Show Expo, read the full feature, “Familiar Meets Fresh,” in the November 2026 issue of NACS Magazine.