5 Nostalgic Flavors Making a Comeback

We humans are heavily influenced by our five senses. Arguably, the most influential is our sense of taste. Taste has the power to make or break a dish. It can transport us to when we were a child, eating Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, or surviving college with our fifth bowl of ramen for the week. Flavors also have cultural significance, reminding us of a home we may have moved far away from or festivals celebrating our heritage.

Taste and nostalgia are best friends in the snack world. That connection to memories is powerful, and part of the magic that brings us back again and again to simple snacks like chips or pretzels (the other part is the delicious seasonings made by your friendly neighborhood seasonings company!). As we grow older and we begin to look back on our lives, we start to crave those simpler, more carefree times. A snack that tastes like the warmth and joy of our memories is something customers, especially Millennials and Gen Zer’s, are looking for.

This year is the year for nostalgia, as five flavors are making a return to take our tastebuds down memory lane. An exciting time for 2025!

Nostalgic Flavor #1: Retro Candy

How many of us remember bubblegum, cotton candy, sour apple, or blue raspberry flavored sweets in our Halloween or Easter candy hauls? Or going to a grocery store and spending loose change on hard candy to enjoy while Mom pulled us through the aisles? These flavors hold onto nostalgia better than the sugar rush they gave. And they are reappearing everywhere, from cocktails to ice cream. Classic candies like Gushers and Fruit by the Foot have never left the store shelves, but they are being rebranded to keep up with current trends.

Nostalgic Flavor #2: Classic Desserts

Apple pie and banana pudding are no longer just for the after-dinner dessert menu. Coffee creamers, protein bars, yogurt, and other common food items are leaning into nostalgic flavors. Especially in a time with customers wanting something that tastes indulgent but is fewer calories than a chocolate pudding, these flavors are a hit with the younger audience.

Nostalgic Flavor #3: Savory Favorites

Savory nostalgic flavors are evolving beyond the classic barbeque chip. Today’s bold tastes are inspired by fair favorites like nachos, deep-fried pickles, and ranch — flavors that tap into childhood memories while adding playful, crave-worthy twists to sauces, snacks, and rubs. These familiar tastes bring comfort and curiosity to modern palates.

Nostalgic Flavor #4: S’mores

Memories of sitting by a campfire on a chill night, wrapped in a blanket and staring at the stars, enjoying the company of friends and family, come to mind when tasting the s’mores flavor. Over the last few years, companies have embraced the nostalgic summer flavor, such as Pepsi’s limited edition S’mores flavored colas. But you can also find this flavor in Poptarts, premade pancake mixtures, and protein bars, as well as mini versions of the treat in snack and candy aisles, and as recently as April of this year, Dairy Queen announced they were bringing back their S’mores flavored blizzard.

Nostalgic Flavor #5: Bacon

Who can forget waking up in the morning and smelling that delicious salty breakfast item as the scent wafted through your house and tickled your nose? Or coming home from a long day and enjoying a BLT, perfect for enjoying on the back porch as you watch the sun set? Bacon flavoring has found its way into things like mints, milkshakes, and even deodorants. The flavor may not be something new, but the salty, fatty goodness can be added to almost anything and give customers that nostalgic taste they have been looking for.

Thanks to the desire to reexperience simpler times, customers are looking for and loyal to flavors that remind them of happy memories. From cocktails, to ice cream, to chips, to meat rubs, nostalgic flavors can be found all over as they experience a burst in popularity. Using these familiar flavors, the next step is to imagine the possibilities. Would the classic dill pickle flavor go well with burger seasoning? Can caramel apple be sprinkled over popcorn? Tapping into the brain-taste connection means creating flavors that not only taste amazing, but also give customers an emotional, encompassing experience and help them create new memories while they relive old ones.