October 20, 2025- In the global food and beverage market, there is growing enthusiasm for sweet and savory desserts. Traditional desserts are being reinvented, leveraging new combinations and international flavor profiles that are exciting for consumers. Savory components like Japanese matcha and Asian red bean flavors are becoming more mainstream. Savory toppings are also rising in significance, and social media is playing a role in how chefs can push novel recipes, as well as those linked to heritage flavor experiences. Innova’s report, “Flavor Innovation in Desserts: Global Insights on Savory Trends” analyzes the trends driving the dessert category and what brands can expect next.
Are Consumers Receptive to New Flavors in Desserts?
Innova’s consumer trend research indicates that consumers are more open to flavor experimentation in sweet indulgence categories, such as dessert and ice cream, over snacks and ready meals. Additionally, nearly half of global consumers have also indicated a desire to try new sauces, seasonings, and toppings, which has potential implications for the dessert category. In fact, when asked about dessert and ice cream combinations they are looking for in recent months, sweet, salty, and savory combinations came in second place. Spicy also featured prominently in numerous combinations, and umami has even entered the top 10 flavors consumers are seeking.
Across social media, 40% of savory dessert mentions are positive, with food bloggers and influencers actively sharing articles about recipes and visuals that reach viral status. Gender breakdowns indicate that the majority of posts for sweet and savory desserts can be attributed to women. Male users express interest in creative sweet-savory combinations, but their posts discuss the preference for eating savory foods first.
Diversify Matcha Trends
In the global food and beverage market, matcha is becoming increasingly popular in both sweet and savory categories. As a result, brands can diversify matcha, since all kinds of teas, such as white tea, yerba mate, and black tea, can be roasted and grounded into matcha-like powders. These alternatives are set to arrive at the sweet indulgence category to boost both premium and health appeals.
Red Bean Paste as a Dessert Trend
Flavor trends reveal that red bean paste, a popular Asian dessert ingredient is gaining momentum in the global food and beverage industry. Made from sweetened azuki beans, red bean paste is known for its earthy flavor that balances sweet and savory notes. Although its distinctive flavor can make it an acquired taste for some consumers, the popularity of matcha highlights that Asian flavor profiles can succeed on a global scale and gain mainstream acceptance. The involvement of high-profile chefs could also facilitate this process, as they could help promote authentic heritage recipes with red bean or fusion dessert innovations.
Savory Toppings to Customize Desserts
Flavor trends show that 42% of global consumers are most likely to try new flavors in sauces, seasonings, and toppings. Therefore, the inclusion of these into dessert offerings is one opportunity to elevate desserts. For brands, the possibilities of toppings are endless, from crunchy pretzels and savory pepper-infused flakes to indulgent syrups with a touch of miso. The incorporation of savory toppings also feeds into the personalization trend, where consumers can customize their desserts. Collaborations between dessert brands and seasoning, snacks, sauce, or condiment brands are also possible.
Hydration Desserts
With summer heatwaves growing in intensity every year, hydration is becoming an increasingly important topic of concern for consumers globally. Proper hydration involves replacing electrolytes lost through sweat, rather than simply drinking large amounts of water. While some fruits and vegetables are rich sources of electrolytes, salty sauces and condiments, such as soy sauce, also contain key hydration minerals. As a result, this paves the way for electrolyte-boosting savory and sweet desserts. For example, rehydration sorbets made from electrolyte-rich ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, and celery are an opportunity for innovation in the dessert category. In Japan, soy sauce candies are also emerging as options to combat heat stroke.
Chefs Push for Novel Savory Trends
Chefs and social media exert significant influence over which flavor combinations are deemed trendy, especially by young audiences. Chefs draw on local flavors, as well as their own diverse ethnic backgrounds to infuse excitement into desserts. For example, Saiko Izawa, a Japanese born Brazilian pastry chef points to her cultural roots as a major influence on her work, as many of her recipes involve the combination of Brazilian desserts with Japanese influences. Her yerba mate matcha cheesecake is one example of how her heritage impacts her work, using a South American yerba mate herb instead of Japanese matcha to create a sweet and savory treat.
Elevate Cheeses with Sweet & Spicy
Flavor trends reveal that sweet and spicy touches can elevate cheese to a new level. Cheese is a classic savory dessert, often combined with sweet elements like fruit or chutney. As an extension of this, brands can look for opportunities to add sweet twists to their product ranges to achieve a more complex flavor profile. For example, honey, fruit jams, mustards, or caramelized vegetable chutneys can be marketed as flavor boosts to cheese offerings. In addition, sweet variations of products like cream cheeses or the incorporation of dried fruits and nuts are another opportunity to tap into the savory and sweet trend.
What’s Next for Savory Dessert Trends?
While cheeses with a sweet twist are already gaining popularity, brands can expect that cheeseboards will be seeing an upgrade. The incorporation of fruit sorbets, coulis, mousses, and sweet bakery items can be expected. Savory toppings will also transform the dessert market through ice-cream, as sauces and syrups with savory ingredients will become more prevalent. There is also an opportunity for brands when it comes to summer sorbets with a rehydration function that incorporates natural ingredients high in electrolytes, such as herbs.
This article is based on Innova’s Flavor Innovation in Desserts: Global Insights on Savory Trends report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more.