TikTok food trends
[1] This content amassed popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, given that many were inclined to eat at home while simultaneously turning to social media as a form of entertainment.
[3][4][5] Certain TikTok content creators such as Eitan Bernath, Jeron Combs, and Emily Mariko have achieved fame through the trendiness of their recipes.
These individuals and those within their TikTok community have developed notable recipes, such as the leftover salmon bowl, baked feta cheese pasta, and pesto eggs.
[15] Following the pancake cereal trend, several individuals developed their own take on the dish and recreated it using different foods like cookies, donuts, and croissants.
[15] The dish is made using a few simple ingredients: cherry tomatoes, a block of feta cheese, olive oil, pasta, basil, and garlic.
[24] The origin of the trend is unclear, although NBC News noted that ASMR creators had previously consumed frozen honey in their YouTube videos because their audiences found the noise satisfying to listen to.
[26] One factor that has boosted the popularity of this trend is the attention it received from singer Lizzo who posted several videos of herself enjoying nature's cereal.
[34][35] Created by Baked by Melissa (@bakedbymelissa on TikTok) in January 2022, this vegan pesto-like dressing is accompanied by nuts and any vegetables you may have on hand.
[39] In 2023, a TikTok trend for making ice creams, cookie dough and other foods with cottage cheese led to a 15.9% rise in sales of the product in the United States.
[43] The trend has been described as a simple, minimalist meal that may not meet nutritional requirements,[44] and usually consists of assorted dips, cheeses, meats, fruits, and vegetables that may not typically pair well together.
[46] The sleepy girl mocktail trend emerged in 2023, and purports using a cocktail of tart cherry juice, magnesium powder, and seltzer (or soda) as sleep aid.
The trend has been criticised for promoting behavior that is often associated with eating disorders such as extreme calorie restriction and drinking large quantities of water to reduce the feeling of hunger.
[51] Another recipe for cucumber salad is designed to replicate a "classic lox bagel" by including ingredients such as dill, cream cheese, and salmon.
[4] These food trends can be an opportunity to express themselves and their personal diet choices, while also not conforming to the ideas created by novice users.
These videos are meant to give an inside look into influencers eating habits; however, Cara Harbstreet says that the cost, time, and energy it takes to produce this day's worth of food, is often left off-camera.
[53] The easy-to-follow nature of TikTok food trends, recipes, and tutorial videos has led to an increase in youth interaction with the platform.
[3][54] A popular trend for college students was folding a tortilla wrap into four triangular pieces and filling it with at-home ingredients such as vegetables and cold meats.
[3] When school transitioned online, Scheck shared trending recipes such as crispy potatoes and fried rice that sparked interest for college students like himself.
[57] It also benefits corporations by providing recommendations to improve their marketing strategy, food items, décor, or any other factor illustrated in the ad.
[59] In particular, #GuacDance became the largest "branded" challenge in the United States with hundreds of thousands of user responses within the week-long event.
[60] Emily Mariko attained TikTok fame after posting a recipe video about leftover salmon bowls on August 25, 2021.
[7] Her signature salmon dish, along with the lack of music and filler audio in contrast to most TikTok culinary videos, has created a following of over 12 million people.
[25][61] Notable for his interest in South-Korean cuisine, Logan Moffitt (or @logagm on TikTok) is known for popularizing multiple different versions of a cucumber salad recipe across the internet.
Moffitt, who is from Ottawa, was drawn to the kitchen as a result of his youth, in which he "grew up watching a lot of different cooking shows on TV.
[51] Those who recreate his recipes online often honor and refer to him by starting their videos with his iconic opener, "sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber.
"[51] With over 2 million followers on TikTok, Jeremy Scheck is a college student who creates culinary content that focuses on culture, nutrition, and humor.
[63] Born in South Africa, raised in Germany, and currently residing in the United States, Nara Aziza Smith is most notable on TikTok for her soft-spoken recipes, always entirely made from scratch.
[64] Smith's home-made recipes range from things like bread and chicken wings to "moisturizer, Takis, gum, cough drops, Coca-Cola".
[66] Her focus on consistently artful presentations of common foods, such as salami and string cheese, draws an audience of over 5 million viewers as of August 2020.
[66] Her handwritten notes and catchphrase, "let's make some lunch for my kids," attract hundreds of thousands of viewers to her videos, and she cites an emphasis on being "like a regular mom" as her key to success.
