Instagram Saw it First: Food Trends of 2016

In 2016, the Instagram food scene had taken off, with bloggers popping up right and left and racking up hundreds of thousands of followers. As these bloggers posted aesthetically pleasing shots of everything from avocado toast and donut ice cream sandwiches to galaxy cakes, the social media world grew obsessed with following and finding food trends. 2016 was an especially busy year for the social media food scene, and it saw the rise of everything from those Black Tap crazy milkshakes in New York City to the pillowy perfection of a Japanese cheesecake. While the list goes on and on, the following four 2016 food trends were the ones that grew fan bases so prominent that they’re ingrained in the 21st century food vocabulary.

4. Starbucks Pink Drink

You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen it. And you’ve probably tasted it. This pastel light pink drink from Starbucks took Instagram by storm, usurping the pumpkin spice latte from its reign as the basic eye-rolling drink to order. The pink drink is really just the Strawberry Açai Refresher with coconut milk instead of water, which produces the milky pink color of the drink. Haven’t seen it on the menu before? That’s because the drink is a secret menu item, which means you need to know about it beforehand and specifically ask the baristas for it. Who knew this innocent pink drink could be so mysterious?

3. Sweet Potato Toast

This food trend was a topic of controversy amongst Instagram users following health food bloggers, but nonetheless, two years later and bloggers are still posting about sweet potato toasts. To the health food bloggers out there: Isn’t toast bread? Nothing but carbs? No bread, no toast. Therefore, sweet potato toast? Pretty sure it’s just thinly sliced sweet potatoes with various spreads and toppings placed on top. Whatever the name is, this food trend was featured on every food blogger or nutritionists’ Instagram page, including fan favorites like @shutthekaleup and @rachaelsgoodeats.

2. Rolled Ice Cream

Rolled ice cream stores, from 10Below in New York City to Holy Roly in Los Angeles, opened all across the country starting in 2016, due to all of the attention the dessert was getting on social media. This unique form of ice cream came to the States from Thailand, where it still is one of the most popular street food items. This dessert went viral on Instagram as the unique look of the ice cream became an obsession amongst food bloggers and their followers.

1. Cauliflower

If you’ve never had Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi from the frozen food section, you’re really missing out and need to stop by a store as soon as possible to get caught up on essential food happenings. 2016 marked the start of cauliflower as the base for dishes like pasta and pizza as restaurants and food bloggers figured out that the vegetable serves as a substitute for regular grains, making dishes healthier with less carbs in many cases. Parents especially love these cauliflower-based products as a way to sneak vegetables into their kids’ meals — and Millennials quickly caught on to this healthy alternative.