Kudos Blends has gone through a lot of changes this year. One of those, you may have noticed, is a refresh to how we communicate with you, our customers and fellow bakery lovers. A big thank you to our Marketing Team – you guys are nailing it!
We know there have been plenty of trend roundups this year, but 2025 has been jam-packed, and there’s no way anyone has covered everything… so we decided to take a fresh look!
Grab a coffee, settle in, and come explore our standout trends of this year, plus what we think is just around the corner for 2026.
Flavour of the Year: Pistachio
If you haven’t heard of the Dubai Pistachio Chocolate, where have you been?! I think most of the industry can’t believe how long pistachio has remained popular with customers, certainly earning itself Kudos Blends ‘Flavour of the Year Award’.
What has kept the pistachio train rolling longer than past flavour trends? Versatility; Great with chocolate, citrus fruits, berries and even on their own. The options are endless and fit for any season.
Our top 3 pistachio products of the year:
- Dirty Chai, Chocolate and Pistachio Babka by Patisserie Mark Bennett: Delicious in every way, a well-deserved New Bakery Product of the Year at BIA 2025.
- M&S Chunked N’ Loaded Pistachio Cookie: A first for retailers’ in-store bakery. Great flavour, premium quality and simple but effective packaging.
- Co-op’s Irresistible Dubai Style Pistachio Brownie: Sticking to the core of the flavour trend but utilising it in another product, this bake took textures to another level.
Health of 2025: Grains and Pulses
Every year, we see new developments in the baking industry around health.
Protein and fibre enhancement is certainly one of the hero trends this year, with many products containing novel grains and pulses to improve their nutritional profile. New York Bagel Company released their ‘Health & Wellness’ range in July, which included high fibre, high protein and low-calorie bagel options. Similarly, Deli Kitchen released low-calorie wraps and Warburtons introduced protein breakfast muffins (which double as a source of fibre).
Aside from the obvious health claims, which customers know to look for on packaging, manufacturers are also exploring ingredients which may not have dedicated health claims but offer a “better-for-you” alternative. For example, baked products that use ancient grains are populating the shelves more and more.
Most retailers now offer ancient grain options on their shelves, and it’s clear the trend isn’t going away. Puratos unveiled its ‘Softgrain Ancient Grain Clean Label’ solution, allowing easier incorporation into products for bakers. Another notable branded launch containing these ingredients is the ‘Genius Naturally Gluten Free Ancient Grains & Seeds Bloomer’. Being gluten-free, vegan, with 4 various seeds and tricoloured quinoa, this ticks loaves of boxes!
Source: Genius Foods
The Era of White Bread Sandwiches is Over!
Yes, chemical leavening is our bread and butter, but being aware of the wider market is what keeps our technical teams so good at what we do, and we can’t help but notice the sandwich market is changing. The classic ham sandwich will always have its place in our hearts, but throughout the year, ready-to-eat launches have experimented with carriers like wraps, sub rolls, focaccia and even bagels more so than ever before.
This is reflected in the retail shelves, where the range of flatbreads and wraps has grown exponentially. One of our most noticed brands has been Deli Kitchen, offering both Greek, Persian and Lebanese-style flatbreads, giving customers more freedom to experiment with fillings. They have also, interestingly, introduced Brioche Style Wraps, successfully meeting their brief of: ‘What if sandwiches could be tastier, healthier, less boring?’.
It’s not just brands that are making the most of this; most retailers have experimented with formats and flavours too. Mini tortillas, burrito-style, kebab-style, flame-baked, with various flavours, such as chargrilled, garlic and herb, and spinach and herb. This definitely highlights a shift in consumers’ habits in the UK and how the bakery industry is responding to it.
Where has this change come from? There could be various reasons, but the most prominent to us seems that lockdown gave customers the time to experiment more in the kitchen and rediscover a love for cooking at home. Now the cost-of-living crisis means fewer people are travelling abroad for holidays, and we are bringing the food of our favourite destinations home.
Source: Deli Kitchen
So, What About Next Year?
While we don’t have a crystal ball, it’s clear that manufacturers will continue to push flavour boundaries and look for modern twists on classic bakes to help differentiate their products range and help them stand out. Here are a few trends we think could appear in 2026…
Travel Through Treats
As we mentioned above, this expansion of the sandwich carrier range suggests consumers are using food to transport themselves abroad. In terms of flavours, manufacturers have been doing this for years, and the Dubai Chocolate trend leans into this; however, the flavours consumers are willing to try seem to get braver every year.
Options which remind us of classic travel destinations in Europe, like Seville Orange, Sicilian Lemon and Morello Cherry, will surely never go out of fashion.
However, as travel trends change and we incorporate cultures from further afield into our day-to-day lives, manufacturers are adopting new flavours. Asia continues to grow in popularity for travellers around the world, and so the rise in flavours like matcha, yuzu, and Japanese cherry blossom can only be expected to become more common.
Classic Core
While consumers are getting more adventurous in everything they do, at our core, we are creatures of habit and who can blame us? You can’t beat a classic British treat.
We have previously seen the likes of sticky toffee flavours adopted into other products like biscuits and ice cream. We have also started seeing recreations of these classics; notably this year, M&S Tiramisu Brownies and Finsbury Foods Nadiya range, which have refined versions of various fan favourites like Bakewell and banana loaf.
Perhaps we’ll see more focus on this re-imaging of our old school recipes with a modern twist. Sticky toffee lava cakes, apple crumble blondies, tiramisu-stuffed cookies (if any developers are reading this, we won’t claim copyright but would love a sample, thank you!)
Source: Finsbury Food Group
Chocolate is Taking a Backseat
Everyone has noticed the unbelievable increase in the price of chocolate in recent years (if you want to know about why, here’s a link to our article on Cocoa Powder Prices). While cocoa prices are steadying, they aren’t dropping to what they were, and future price instability is expected. It’s clear the industry is looking for the next consumer obsession to fill the gap.
Salted caramel had its moment years ago, but it seems to have gone relatively quiet while classic caramel prevails year after year. Conceivably, we will likely see more versions of caramel: combinations with orange, warm spices, alcohol like whiskey, rum or amaretto. We may even have some sweet and salty fusions – salted pretzels, miso… bacon?
Additionally, following the popularity of pistachios this year, it’s likely we will see other nuts get their time in the limelight. The options here are vast: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds…
Coffee is another flavour which has always been brewing in the background. Not always conducive to every product due to how overpowering it can be, this may now play in manufacturers’ favour as fewer ingredients mean lower cost and cleaner labels.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for cocoa-based bakes. Chocolate will always be one of the most popular flavour profiles for consumers, and manufacturers are continuing to work on novel methods to manage ingredient costs while still delivering an indulgent treat to their customers. Find out how we’re helping manufacturers tackle the cocoa crisis here!
Clean-label Continued
While the UK is considered to have some of the strictest food regulations in the world, that doesn’t mean consumers are willing to consume everything deemed safe. Continued focus on E numbers is pushing manufacturers to clean up their back-of-packs and use ingredients which consumers recognise. As the experts in phosphate-free raising agents, we’re seeing this trend first-hand, with a notable rise in requests for our phosphate-free baking powder.
New Releases:
Manufacturers will always be looking for the next new thing. New flavours circulate in quick succession, but new products and formats come around less often. We feel like 2026 may bring something new!
Related to the above, products which are classically found in other parts of the world are bound to start hitting our shelves. Here are a few examples we would love to see:
- Topped Cinnamon Rolls
The recent shutdown of Cinnabon in the UK gave customers a look at what could be, only to have it taken away! Being a long-running fan favourite in America, there must be a reason. It may have been the wrong place and wrong time for them in the UK, but this definitely leaves a chance for the retailers to take this delicious tea-time snack to join the ranks of puddings and become cin-sational!
- Conchas
A traditional Mexican sweet bread which resembles adorable little shells. These combine soft bread roll textures with a crunchy outer layer scored to resemble shells. These would be a beautiful new alternative to the classic iced bun.
- Dorayaki Pancakes
Similar to buttermilk pancakes, which have grown in popularity in the UK for years now, these are typically smaller in size with a filling inside. Given our developing love for Asian culture, these would be a great sweet snack option for lunchboxes or those mid-morning blues.
Regardless of which trends blossom, we look forward to finding out what the industry has to offer in 2026!
For us, 2025 has been about strengthening our technology. From reducing up to 40% cocoa without losing quality, lowering sodium and boosting potassium to meet health targets, and delivering phosphate-free alternatives with a host of functional benefits. We’re tackling a range of industry challenges and pushing innovation forward.
We’re already baking up our 2026 plans, with a naturally colourful year in the oven!.
