TikTok Food Trends: Stats and Trends Shaping 2024

Social media has revolutionized how we discover and share food, with TikTok leading the charge. What started as a platform for quick cooking videos has evolved into a vibrant community where creative home cooks share everything from simple recipes to elaborate food presentations.

The platform's influence on food culture continues to grow in 2024, introducing new cooking techniques, flavor combinations, and ways of thinking about meals.

Here are the TikTok trends making the biggest impact in 2024:

The top 10 TikTok food trends in 2024

1. Girl Dinner

What began as a casual video by creator Olivia Maher has become a full-fledged movement, with over 281,000 posts celebrating casual, deconstructed meals. The trend especially resonates with busy young professionals in cities like New York and Boston.

Key aspects of this trend include:

• Thoughtful arrangements of snacks and small bites

• Combinations of cheese, crackers, fruit, olives, pickles, bread, and nuts

• Casual, low-effort approach to dining

The trend has even influenced restaurant menus, with establishments in Boston and other major cities offering "girl dinner" menus.

2. Tin Fish Date Night

This trend has transformed humble canned fish into the star of elegant at-home dining experiences. Some #tinfishdate videos have accumulated over 3 million views, and several creators have started series reviewing various products.

Key aspects of this trend include:

• Creative presentations of $3-$10 tinned fish transformed into restaurant-worthy spreads

• Pairing with quality bread and crackers, especially sourdough and water crackers

• Adding fresh touches, like cornichons, fresh herbs, lemon wedges, pickled shallots

• Focus on thoughtful presentation

3. Sleepy Girl Mocktail

The intersection of wellness and #FoodTok has found its latest star in the viral Sleepy Girl Mocktail. First introduced by creator Gracie Norton (@gracie_norton) in March 2023, this non-alcoholic beverage saw a massive resurgence during Dry January 2024, with the hashtag #sleepygirlmocktail showing up on almost 10,000 posts.

The signature recipe includes:

• Tart cherry juice (known for its natural melatonin content)

• Magnesium powder (typically magnesium glycinate)

• Prebiotic soda or sparkling water (often featuring brands like Olipop or Poppi)

The trend has notably influenced both the wellness and beverage industries, with retailers reporting increased sales of tart cherry juice. It's also sparked conversations about the growing "better-for-you" and functional beverage movement among Millennials and Gen Z.

4. Swedish Candy

Swedish Candy has taken TikTok by storm in 2024, introducing international flavors to new audiences. The trend has transformed niche Scandinavian treats into sought-after sweets, with unique offerings like salty licorice and super sour skulls leading the charge.

The hashtag #SwedishCandy has garnered billions of views, with users sharing "Swedish candy haul" videos and reactions. This sudden viral fame has caught many companies off guard, struggling to keep up with the unprecedented demand.

Key aspects of this trend include:

• Viral social media content featuring international candies

• A surge in demand for previously niche or regional candy varieties

• Companies scrambling to meet unexpected spikes in global demand

BonBon, a Swedish candy company in NYC, has reported online sales skyrocketing from around 50 to 1,000 orders per day since the TikTok trend began.

5. Dubai Chocolate Bar

This luxury chocolate bar from Dubai emerged as one of social media's most coveted treats. The viral candy contains traditional kataifi pastry and pistachio cream wrapped in milk (or dark!) chocolate, creating a textural experience that had content creators rushing to film their reactions.

Some creators are making it themselves, with the following ingredients:

• Base: Milk or dark chocolate

• Filling: Crispy kataifi pastry, tahini paste, and pistachio cream

• Garnish: Crushed pistachios

• Optional: Additional drizzled chocolate

The viral chocolate bar has also popped up in partnerships with companies – like this one with Juice Press and the Nuts Factory.

6. Chamoy Pickle Kits

DIY candy kits took on a spicy new life with the chamoy pickle trend. These DIY kits blend Mexican and American snacking traditions into an interactive treat. The customizable nature of these kits has helped them evolve from regional favorite to nationwide trend.

Kit components often include:

• Chamoy soaked pickles

• Chamoy sauce

• Fruit roll-ups

• Tajín seasoning

• Mexican candies (often Lucas or Pulparindo)

• Sour straws or belts

8. Green Goddess Salad

Who knew eating salad with chips would become the internet's favorite way to get their greens? Melissa Ben-Ishay's genius creation broke TikTok with 25 million views, transforming how we think about salads. The Baked by Melissa founder proved that healthy eating doesn't have to be boring, creating a dippable salad that's as fun to eat as it is nutritious.

Recipe components:

• Base: Finely chopped green cabbage, cucumber, chives

• Dressing: Spinach, basil, garlic, olive oil, rice vinegar

• Protein add-in options: Walnuts, nutritional yeast

• Often eaten with tortilla chips and with jalapeño for an extra kick

9. Hwachae

Last summer's TikTok feeds were flooded with this aesthetically pleasing Korean fruit punch.

Tiktokers have added new additions to this traditional drink, combining classic honeyed water bases with things like strawberry milk and Sprite. This trend perfectly captured social media's love for beautiful beverages that taste as good as they look.

Recipe components:

• Base: Watermelon chunks, mixed fresh fruits

• Liquid: Strawberry milk, carbonated beverage

• Optional add-ins: Edible flowers, honeyed water

• Garnish: Mint leaves, additional fruits

10. "Whole Cucumber" Trend

Logan Moffitt turned the humble cucumber into TikTok's favorite vegetable, gaining up to 42 million views on single videos. His signature opening line, "Sometimes you just need to eat an entire cucumber," became instantly recognizable across the platform.

Moffitt transformed a simple cucumber into various flavor-packed dishes, inspiring thousands of recreations and proving that creativity knows no bounds – even with just one cucumber. Here are some of his most popular combinations (which all, of course, start with a thinly sliced cucumber):

• Everything Bagel: Thinly sliced cucumber, red onion, smoked salmon, whipped chive cream cheese, capers, avocado, MSG, everything bagel seasoning

• Sweet & Spicy: Thinly sliced cucumber, Sichuan chili flakes, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, white onion, MSG, sesame seeds

• Classic: Thinly sliced cucumber, soy sauce, fish sauce, MSG, rice wine vinegar, grated garlic, sugar, chili oil, green onion, sesame seeds

• Mediterranean Style: Thinly sliced cucumber, Greek yogurt, crumbled feta, MSG, grated garlic, fresh mint, lemon juice

The Impact

These trends showcase how social media continues to shape food culture, making cooking more accessible and creative. Success on the platform often comes from combining:

• Simple, achievable recipes

• Interesting textures and presentations

• Creative approaches to familiar ingredients

What's particularly fascinating about these trends is how they're changing our relationship with food. Simple ingredients like cucumbers and tinned fish are being reimagined. Traditional dishes like Korean fruit punch are finding new audiences. Even the concept of dinner itself is being redefined through trends like "girl dinner."

The platform has also democratized food content in an unprecedented way. Home cooks are now as likely to inspire food trends as celebrity chefs, and recipes can go from unknown to viral overnight. This has encouraged more people to experiment in their kitchens, share their creations, and participate in global food conversations.

As we continue through 2024, these trends remind us that food is about more than just eating—it's about creativity, community, and shared experiences. Whether it's making a sleepy girl mocktail or assembling an elaborate tinned fish spread, TikTok has made cooking more approachable, playful, and social than ever before.