November 18, 2025 – Millennials represent an important consumer segment within the US food and beverage market. While their habits have been largely influenced by economic and environmental pressures, they are also a generation that seeks adventure and indulgence in their food and beverage choices. Millennials are also the current parenting generation, with their priorities and preferences reflecting both their concerns for nutrition and balancing family needs. Innova’s “Millennial Eaters in the US” report examines the major trends driving Millennials in the US and how their preferences are evolving and impacting their food and beverage selections.
Macro Factors Driving Millennial Consumers
Millennial consumers have driven major movements in the US food and beverage market. From being the first generation to normalize reading labels to fueling the demand for organic and non-GMO claims, Millennials have long driven ingredient awareness. This group also came of age in an era of prevalent media exposure, which has influenced their preferences for diverse cuisines and food storytelling. Millennial food trends reflect this, as food is viewed as an outlet for creativity and self-expression beyond sustenance.
Millennial food trends indicate that price sensitivity is also a major concern, likely impacted by this generation’s upbringing during times of economic uncertainty, such as the 2008 recession. Their shopping habits reflect this, with cost serving as a major influence on purchasing decisions. Environmental responsibility is also an expectation for this consumer group, as they came of age during the broader surge of environmental education, so brands that make eco-conscious decisions align with the priorities of Millennials.
A Profile of Millennial Shoppers
Millennial shoppers can be defined as individuals born between 1981 and 1996 and account for roughly 74 million consumers in the US. More than half of Millennials fall into low-income brackets, making affordability a defining factor in food and beverage choices. Therefore, brands that can deliver value without sacrificing taste, sustainability, or health are positioned for success. In addition, the even split between suburban and urban living underscores the need for flexible strategies that address both on-the-go lifestyles and suburban shopping trips. Tailoring pack-sizes or formats to distinct geographies will be essential.
Millennials Are Now the Parenting Generation
Millennials are also the parenting generation, with 40% living in households with children. They are navigating food choices for both themselves and their children, meaning Millennial food trends and preferences balance expectations for health, value, and convenience plus the needs of the family. Therefore, innovation opportunities center around products that simplify mealtimes, provide trusted nutrition, and cater to adult tastes at the same time.
Health and Environmental Concerns
According to Innova’s consumer trends research, health concerns for Millennial consumers are overlapping, with no single issue dominating Millennial profiles. Therefore, products that offer multiple or layered functional benefits can provide solutions to address more than one health needs at once. Concern for the planet is also top of mind, but for most Millennial consumers, the environment is an acknowledged concern but not a consistent driver of daily decisions.
Environmental positioning works the best when it complements other core motivators, such as cost, convenience, and taste that are more important in practice. Products that incorporate sustainability seamlessly into product packaging, sourcing, or waste reduction will succeed, as they align with Millennials’ values without forcing them to sacrifice other important factors. Moreover, offering multiple proof points of sustainability, rather than reliance on a single claim, can justify higher prices for sustainable products and also win the trust of consumers.
Hybrid Cooking Methods Succeed
Millennial food trends indicate that hybrid habits are redefining home cooking. Although this consumer base values cooking from scratch, daily challenges such as time pressures, limited kitchen resources, or competing priorities, make it difficult to sustain. The presence of children also complicates daily rituals, with parents wanting to reconcile fresh and nutritious meals with time management and reduced mealtime stress. Thus, a hybrid style of cooking has emerged for Millennials, blending scratch cooking with convenient options like kits, pre-mixes, and frozen meals.
Millennials Redefine the Role of Plant-Based
Millennial consumers in the US are redefining the role of plant-based products, but motivations are driven by health, curiosity, and sustainability, rather than a full-fledged dietary shift. 47% of Millennials have a positive perception of plant-based. However, products must also deliver taste and accessibility. Framed as an enjoyable addition to their diets, plant-based products can also tap into Millennials’ interest in experimentation.
Seeking Adventure in Recognizable Formats
Millennial food trends demonstrate that nostalgia and adventure extend beyond packaging. It also drives the desire to reimagine favorites in new categories and textures. In the US, the popular Rice Krispies Treats snack has been reshaped as a frozen treat, turning a childhood staple into a frozen novelty. As Millennial consumers seek bold flavor experiences, desserts like cocktail inspired ice cream also work, as they draw on familiar flavor cues to create novel offerings.
Traditional, heritage flavors and comfort foods also resonate with Millennial consumers, but brands risk monotony by relying on recognizable flavor profiles alone. Millennials have a strong interest in balancing discovery with familiarity and actively incorporate a wide variety of global flavors into their diets. However, 60% of Millennial consumers are also open to trying traditional foods with a twist. By modernizing traditional recipes, offering global tastes, and maintaining familiar formats, food becomes an outlet for exploration beyond nourishment alone.
Multi-Dimensional Indulgence
Millennial consumers favor products that deliver functional enjoyment, transforming healthy or wellness-oriented options into experiences that rival indulgence. Innovations like cannabis-infused beverages target this trend and provide an alternative for traditional drinking occasions that balance social connection and exploration with relaxation.
Millennials also use food and beverage choices to manage their emotional state, with nearly 50% of Millennial consumers choosing familiarity in products for comfort when looking to indulge. These products offer reliable and nostalgic rewards for consumers within their daily routines or stressful periods. Simultaneously, nearly an equal number of consumers have also signaled the desire to try new things when indulging, as it enables them to escape and engage in exciting experiences. Therefore, to target Millennial consumers, brands must understand that indulgence is an evolving concept that relies heavily on context and emotion, so a balance of consistent favorites and experimentation will resonate with this generation.
Millennial parents are also raising their children to embrace the same flavor preferences and global tastes that they include in their own diets. For example, Lil Hala is one example of a brand that has launched baby food inspired by global cuisines, with their chicken pad thai flavored product. Thus, Millennial food trends underscore that global flavors can have a place in children’s diets.
What’s Next for Millennial Eaters in the US?
Looking to the future of food and beverage choices for Millennials consumers, health will be important moving forward. This consumer group will increasingly expect products, including indulgent options, to meet a given baseline of better-for-you standards. In addition, brands can expect indulgence to expand into non-non-traditional categories, such as ready meals and savory snacks. Millennials will also expect plant-based substitutes to compete with conventional products when it comes to flavor and functionality.
This article is based on Innova’s Millennial Eaters in the US report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more.