The flavor gates are open wide and beckoning. While classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coffee will forever anchor the category, flavors that spark curiosity, spicy-sweet flavors, and floral, botanical, and fruit profiles with a twist along with new “it” flavors like pistachio, matcha, and lemon-blueberry are surging in popularity.

Morgan Dunnegan, food technologist at St. Louis-based International Food Products Corp. (IFPC), notes that the company is seeing rising interest in globally inspired, wellness-forward, and emotionally resonant flavors.

“Spicy-sweet ‘swicy’ blends, floral and botanical notes, and fruit profiles with a twist are gaining traction, especially when paired with a story or a health hook,” she says. “And then there’s pickle flavor — a trend I’m watching with fascination. It’s bold, it’s buzzy, and while it hasn’t quite landed in dairy, I’m not ruling it out.”

FlavorSum’s Senior Consumer Insights Manager Phil a’Becket, citing insights from the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based company’s social listening platform Tastewise, suggests that dairy flavor preferences vary by generation.

“Gen Z [people born between 1997 and 2012] is talking more often about trendier flavors like pandan or brown butter in dairy. Millennials [people born between 1981 and 1996] are focusing more on matcha and variations like strawberry-matcha, along with black or honey garlic,” a’Becket explains. “Gen X [people born between 1965 and 1980] turns to spices like curry, dill, and paprika or tangier fruits like lemon blueberry, mango, and pineapple to elevate their dairy experience.

“Boomers [people born between 1946 and 1964] are increasingly interested in sweet dairy tastes with traditional flavors like chocolate chip and strawberry,” he continues. “All generations are talking more about pistachio, a flavor profile that’s having a resurgence in dairy.”

While classic, foundational flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry are familiar, reliable,e and versatile, Philip Caputo, marketing and consumer insights manager at Carteret, N.J.-based Virginia Dare, notes the trend toward adapting or elevating those flavors with modern or exotic twists.

“Blending chocolate with something like matcha is a great example of bringing nuance to well-established flavors,” Caputo says. “Many products are taking inspiration from cultures and communities from around the world. Up-and-coming flavor trends include dragon fruit, blood orange, yuzu, lychee, and tamarind, as well as flavor combinations that add a spicy twist with jalapeño or chili.”

MicroDried’s Heidi Clark, who serves as director of sales and marketing at the Nampa, Idaho-based company, is seeing increased demand for sustainable, plant-based, and traceable ingredients.

The company produces more than 40 varieties of dried fruits and vegetables, as well as 100% fruit citrus powders (lemon, lime and orange), which function both as flavor enhancers and natural acidulants. Newer tropical offerings like banana and mango powders help brands appeal to younger consumers who want adventurous flavors that are clean label and natural.

“We’re working with dairy innovators who want to differentiate their SKUs with real fruit content — not just flavorings. This includes reimagining Greek yogurt with swirls of strawberry powder and fragments or using banana and mango powders to add tropical flavor and fiber to plant-based dairy,” Clark explains. “Our pineapple powder has also seen a surge in usage for exotic smoothie-style yogurt blends and protein-enhanced dairy drinks.”

While flavors, extracts, and maskers are most prevalent in yogurts, cream cheeses, and frozen desserts, they are expanding into drinkable yogurts, functional dairy beverages, and even savory dips and cheeses, she says.

“Our ingredients work well in any of these, especially where flavor enhancement is needed without artificial additives,” she adds.

Sudarshan Nadathur, chief flavorist for dairy and protein at ADM, suggests that rich, creamy indulgence is top-of-mind for shoppers perusing the dairy aisle.

Headquartered in Chicago, ADM is seeing a surge of single-flavor executions specifically championing berry profiles and elevated authenticity such as a creamy yogurt with the flavor profile of a sun-ripened strawberry. There’s also decadent pairings of vanilla and coffee with sweet brown notes of cinnamon, honey or caramel.

“There’s also a rise in unexpected pairings with sweet brown profiles. This includes anything that adds depth to a familiar classic such as hot maple or salted cream,” Nadathur says. “Plus, stone fruits, including peach, apricot and plum, are also gaining traction because they’re nostalgic, simple and lend themselves to elevated interpretations like caramelized peach, salted plum and creamy apricot.”

New flavors also offer new opportunities for dairy producers, affirms Tim White, vice president of sales at Fenton, Mo.-based Rocket Products Inc., who cites Nielsen data in noting that its main category, lemonade, has grown from $600 million in 2017 to $1.1 billion in 2025 with no signs of slowing down.

“I think this growth is fueled by several reasons: lemonade is delicious, generally labels are ‘clean’ and lemonade is affordable, yet premium,” White says. “Flavors and zero-added sugars continue to expand with flavors being roughly 44% of total sales and zero sugar being 10%, but growing.”

Much of Rocket Products’ growth originates from brands’ line extensions, he adds. “We’re gathering market intelligence, from shelf, conventions, print, word of mouth, then experiment, with taste always being king. This normally leads to us being fast followers and has led to successful introductions of strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, watermelon — all flavors that are proven long-term winners,” White says.

When it comes to flavor innovation, Virginia Dare’s Caputo recommends using classic flavors but finding subtle, premium distinctions. For example, swapping Madagascar vanilla for Ugandan vanilla. He also suggests brands “lean into exploring more exotic, nuanced, trending flavors. This will require more agility, as these types of flavor trends tend to change more frequently.”

Delray Beach, Fla.-based MarketsandMarkets notes that the top 10 food and beverages markets will grow from $273.2 billion in 2024 to $427.5 billion by 2029 at a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 9.4%. The report anticipates a transformative journey, with a focus on sustainable practices, the rise of plant-based alternatives, and innovative technologies like food automation, blockchain, and precision fermentation.

“This period promises unprecedented innovation and heightened competition as companies strive to meet evolving consumer preferences and embrace ethical sourcing,” the report states.

MicroDried’s Clark says, “Our single-ingredient, gently dried fruit inclusions meet that need — offering concentrated flavor, nutritional content, and a transparent supply chain. In the flavor and masking space, natural fruit powders help modulate profiles or enhance mouthfeel while supporting label-friendly formulations.”

Yet, sourcing for flavorings and extracts, including concerns around the ethics of cocoa sourcing and the vulnerability of the vanilla market, continue to be longstanding topics of discussion, Virginia Dare’s Caputo notes.

“As these markets continue to grow, the industry’s dedication to these types of practices will have to grow with them,” he explains. “…Coffee, in particular, was one of the first products to open up conversations about fair trade practices like safe and hospitable working conditions, no child labor, sustainable farming, fair pricing, etc.”

IFPC’s Dunnegan notes that extracts are like solo instruments — single-note and often derived from a single source, like vanilla or almond. Flavors, on the other hand, are more like full orchestras — built from layers that are sometimes natural, sometimes synthetic, and are designed to create a complete experience.

“In dairy, that distinction matters,” she explains. “Flavors give us the flexibility to balance sweetness, mask protein bitterness, or introduce complexity, while extracts tend to be more limited and fragile under heat or pH stress.”

Ice cream, yogurts, cheddar cheese, and smoothies are not only synonymous with indulgence, but there’s also a perceived health halo with the calcium and nutrients they contain, according to ADM’s Nadathur.

“This consumer perception presents an opportunity for dairy manufacturers to further spotlight these attributes through functional ingredients and flavor associations,” Nadathur notes. ”Think adding curcuma to yogurt, matcha to a frozen treat, or citrus, goji or açai berries to various dairy offerings. Citrus, tropical, and botanical profiles also align with consumer perceptions of healthy lifestyle choices.”

Dunnegan notes that social media continues to shape the flavor landscape, with some trends spiking and fading fast, while others like Dubai Chocolate show real staying power.

“We’re also seeing strong momentum behind floral notes, spice, global comfort flavors, and anything with a functional or emotional benefit. Think: rose, lavender, ginger, honey, yuzu — flavors that evoke a mood or tell a story,” she says. “Overplayed profiles like basic salted caramel or generic berry blends are losing steam — not because they’re bad, but because they lack freshness or a compelling reason to re-engage. Consumers want surprise, not repetition.”

According to a study from Boston-based BCC Research, the Global Market for Food Additives is expected to grow from $80.4 billion in 2024 to $106.8 billion by the end of 2029, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%.

The report, which covers flavors, acidulants, non-nutritive sweeteners, colorants, flavor enhancers, preservatives, enzymes, and other additives, notes that health-conscious consumers are increasingly wary of synthetic additives in favor of natural and clean-label products.

FlavorSum’s Flavor Development Manager Sandra Wilson concurs: “As our customers strive to align innovation with increased awareness of ingredients and articulated health and wellness goals, they are inquiring about natural flavors and sometimes organic solutions. The uptick in functional dairy products led us to expand our line-up of FMPs so we can offer flavor systems tailored to specific applications like yogurt or nutritional drinks.”

The company is also reformulating its products to keep pace with the changing regulatory landscape. “For example, we’ve removed BVO (bromated vegetable oil) from our solutions and Red 3 from the small number of products in our portfolio that contain it,” Wilson adds.

Plain milk also is chugging along with flavor innovation through IFPC’s Quarterly Milk Program, a rotating series that brings trending flavors to life in milk. For instance, the “swicy” trend was revealed in a Pineapple Chamoy flavored milk, which delivered a tropical sweetness and a slow chili heat that caught people by surprise in the best way, Dunnegan says.

IFPC’s other reimagined flavor formulations include Roseberry milk, which blends delicate rose with vibrant berry; Elderberry milk, which provides functionality by adding fiber to promote gut health; and Chocolate Soufflé, a nod to the dessert-as-flavor trend, giving classic chocolate milk an indulgent, elevated twist.

Flavorists note that flavors and extracts can bring formulation challenges.

“When a dairy product involves fruit processing or heating, like spoonable yogurt, knowing when to add flavor and how much to include can be a challenge,” FlavorSum’s Wilson explains. “Some organic flavors may flash off during production. Application scientists working in tandem with flavorists can help determine the optimum usage rates for the specific manufacturing process.”

ADM’s TasteSpark Masking, which neutralizes offnotes from plant-based ingredients or sweeteners, creates a cleaner, neutral base in plant-based, blended protein or high protein offerings, Nadathur says. This makes better-for-you and wellness-forward applications more palatable within the evolving flavor landscape.

“Throughout each of these trends, there is room for adventure with flavor,” Nadathur concludes. “Consumers are embracing playfulness and curiosity through foods. From high-brow versus low-brow concepts, warming and cooling sensations to crispy, crunchy and creamy textures along with spicy, sweet and bitter tastes, there is opportunity for exploration and experimentation in dairy and plant-based alternatives.”