The way that the world consumes fast food is changing. As consumers look for more sustainable and health-conscious options, fast food restaurants are stepping up their game. In 2025, expect to see bold flavor fusions and eco-friendly innovations dominating the fast food scene. Whether you’re a casual muncher or a full-on foodie, here are 10 snack trends you’ll want to keep your eyes (and taste buds) on.
10. Sauce
For Gen Z diners, it’s all about the sauce! If you’re a TikTok user, you know that Raising Cane’s dominated your feeds with their 32-ounce cup of sauce to dip their chicken and fries. Even KFC created its concept restaurant, Saucy, offering 11 different sauces to match the 11 herbs and spices in its chicken recipe. Other chains like Taco Bell and Popeyes continue to release new sauces.
9. Plant-based Options
Ever tried veggie chips? Well, the market for plant-based food grew from $50.32 billion in 2023 to $56.99 billion in 2024. This means that many people are now purchasing plant-based options while fast food joints follow through. Aside from burgers, these Plant-based Options include vegan chicken, dairy-free drinks and desserts, and meat-free breakfast plates.
8. Swalty Flavors
While 2024 gave us the swicy (sweet and spicy) trend, 2025 brought in the Swalty (sweet and salty). Rubix, a culinary and food-science provider of flavor and ingredients, revealed in their survey that 5% of Gen Z have frequent sweet and spicy cravings. In the fast food scene, brands collaborate with Tajín seasoning, which gives the Swalty (even a bit sweet) taste to food and drinks. Such brands are Cold Stone Creamery’s Mangonada Ice Cream and Baskin-Robbins’ Paloma Paradise.
7. Breakfast Innovations
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is the reason why we’re innovating our breakfast in ways you’ve never seen before. You’d have IHOP’s all-day breakfast offerings and Wendy’s Breakfast Biscuit for that. Aside from all-day breakfast, some of the trendiest Breakfast Innovations are healthy breakfast bowls and premium coffee programs.
6. Customizations
Many snack offerings from your favorite fast food places are customizable. Why? This is where the power of social media’s food hacks enters. Take In-N-Out’s not-so-secret secret menu, which includes Protein Burgers, Animal Fries, and Neopolitan Shake, which aren’t official parts of their menu. These Customizations can be seen around social media, where they show how to get a specific menu item that is built according to their preference. It usually involves asking the staff or customizing it on your own.
5. Health-conscious Options
Consumers are now aware of the nutritional value of the snacks they consume. This is the reason why more fast food brands are leaning towards healthier alternatives. This is where we see the boom of açaí bowls and smoothies. Also, you can find articles and even TikTok videos of “healthier swaps” or “healthy menu items” from some of your favorite chains.
4. Bite-sized Boom
Snacks are better in Bite-sized form, at least for 2025 snack trends. According to Innova Market Insights, 67% of consumers believe that portion control is important (thus the Health-conscious option trend). Today, you’ll find chains like Crumbl offering mini cookies and Arby’s with their Prime Rib Steak Nuggets, joining the trend.
3. Nostalgic Snacks
You may have read somewhere on the internet that nostalgia sells. This is true, at least for fast food and snack brands. You may have seen Hostess Twinkies and Dunkaroos flooding the grocery snack shelves. Even fast food restaurants like Taco Bell are returning their old menu items, some dating back to the 90s and early 2000s.
2. Eco-friendly and Sustainable
Since more consumers are aware of the eco-friendly move, many of them consider sustainable products, even with their food. In fact, NielsenIQ revealed that 69% of shoppers say that sustainability is a major factor in their buying decisions. With this, brands like Barnana introduced upcycled banana treats that turn imperfect fruits into sustainable snacks.
1. Snacks and Drinks with Built-in Purpose
In today’s world, many consumers are continuously working day and night to pay the bills. Economic conditions are a different discussion; what consumers can do is to consume snacks and drinks that give them energy and vitamins. We can see this with Smoothie King’s new Hydration Smoothies and Dunkin’s Tropical Guava Dunkin’ Refresher.