Brown Sugar Is 2025’s Flavor of the Year

According to a Food and Trends report, the 2025 flavor of the year is probably in your pantry.

T. Hasegawa, who has developed custom flavors for the world’s top food and beverage brands for more than a century, says the flavor of the year is brown sugar.

“As versatile as it is nostalgic, brown sugar has been a culinary staple for centuries. While it has origins as a cooking and culinary ingredient, brown sugar features a rich, complex flavor profile that makes it popular in a wide array of products and food service menu items ranging from baked goods to sweet and savory sauces, beverages, and more,” a press release regarding the distinction reads.

“The sweet ingredient is increasingly featured by coffee shops in ‘brown sugar lattes,’ and gaining momentum among mixologists for the deep flavor notes it adds to craft beverages and cocktails like Old Fashioneds or dark rum-based drinks. Since brown sugar is not refined to remove all of its molasses content, it retains an intense caramel-like richness and a warm color that makes this ingredient popular among foodies and culinary influencers on social media,” the statement concludes.

Brown Sugar Isn’t the Only Food Superstar of 2025

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In addition to unveiling brown sugar as the Flavor of the Year, T. Hasegawa’s 2025 report predicts other up-and-coming ingredients, flavor trends, and consumer patterns that will shape the world of foods and beverages over the next year.

For example, the report says that consumer demand will rise for functional ingredients like nootropics and adaptogens, which benefit holistic and mental health. Also, there will be a “booming demand” for ingredients that benefit digestive health, such as fiber, prebiotics, and post-biotics.

Some foods will also have a retro revival, showcasing consumer demand for foods and beverages that evoke specific childhood memories. Others will help with those taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, showing how reducing sugar and adding protein will help with the patient’s nutrition.

Finally, the report says that in 2025, consumers will look for “flavor escapism,” a way that foods and beverages can help them escape from reality, as well as the addition of “mindful mushrooms” to one’s diet, which may have the bonus of improved energy, focus, and stress-relief.