5 Food and Drink Trends Nestlé Predicts Will Be Huge in 2026

Maybe you already know every 2026 paint color of the year, but what about everyone’s soon-to-be favorite foods and drinks? Nestlé has just released its official 2026 Food & Beverage Trends report, designed to help foodies everywhere uncover the biggest trends of the next year before they officially begin.

From brand-new flavor profiles to the continued globalization of coffee, these are the food and drink trends that Nestlé says we’ll be seeing a lot of next year.

1. ‘Swangy’ and 'Swavory'

In 2024, we saw a ‘new’ flavor emerge onto the food scene: swicy, a mixture of sweet and spicy. Snacks that were a combination of these two flavors skyrocketed in popularity, so it’s no surprise that we’re seeing even more wordplay variations on this flavor trend. 

Nestlé says that ‘swangy’ (sweet, spicy, and tangy) and ‘swavory’ (sweet, spicy, and savory) flavors are next up on the trend list for 2026. You can certainly build these own flavors into your meals by creating snack plates out of these flavor combos, but you should also expect to see more food products that focus on bringing these flavors to your fridge, freezer, and pantry throughout 2026. 

 2. Unforgettable Texture

Nestlé knows that the people don’t just want flavorful, delicious food: they want it to have an equally amazing texture, too. Foodies want their meals to be creamy, crunchy, or crispy—the need for texture will surely inspire variety and innovation within the culinary world.

According to Nestlé, this obsession with texture will make cold foam surge in popularity even more in 2026, as it adds an airy and creamy topping to coffee and tea lattes. The brand also expects to see texture prioritized in snacks, where buyers feel more satisfied when a snack offers a textural experience as well as a flavorful one.

3. Wacky Flavor Combinations

Whether it’s jalapeño lemonade or a pickle juice cocktail, the world is embracing strange food flavors and combinations more than ever before. Nestlé thinks that this love of weird flavors could drive the food market, as brands seek out unique flavors that will net them a cult customer base.

For a foodie who feels like they’ve tried every possible flavor of chip and popcorn out there, it’s always exciting to see something completely unheard of on grocery store shelves, which you should expect in 2026.

4. Build-Your-Own Drinks

Maybe you’ve seen a viral video of someone building themselves an aesthetic cup of matcha (or mocha) at home. Or perhaps you’ve tried out a few viral Starbucks drink hacks for yourself, customizing a basic coffee offering until it matches your taste exactly. Nestlé knows that much of modern drink culture revolves around customization, so we’re likely to see new trends spiraling off of this in coffee shops and at-home beverages alike.

If you haven’t already tried popular matcha add-ins such as fresh diced strawberries, juicy mango, or popping boba, you might want to consider putting these in your drink, too. After all, we’re only going to see these types of beverages become more and more creative from here on out.

5. Global Coffee Flavors

In the search for beverages that offer more flavors and add-ins, coffee drinks from cultures around the world have risen in popularity (and will continue to do so in 2026). Nestlé says Vietnamese- and Turkish-style coffee and cafes are gaining a lot of popularity all across the U.S., and Mexican drinks like the horchata latte or café de olla are also having a moment.

Coffee shops, grocery stores, retailers, and roasters are all more likely to take this love of unique global flavors into account when they build their menus and stock lists, which helps keep cultural tradition alive in the coffee world even as brands continue to bring innovation to coffee lovers everywhere.