In 2024, an explosion of exciting, indulgent desserts hit the sweet-tooth scene. From floral flavours to cubed croissants and plant-based desserts, there are many options to explore.
We love keeping up with the latest trends and developing crazy-tasty confectionery toppings to decorate your decadent delights. In this post, we share eleven MUST-KNOW dessert trends in 2024 so that you stay on top of the latest, innovative, indulgent desserts.
Are you ready to impress your customers with these tempting treats?
11 TOP CONSUMER DESSERT TRENDS 2024
1. Floral Flavours
Delight your customers with uplifting desserts with delicate, aromatic floral notes. Infuse with subtle flavours such as lavender, rose, and elderflower to lace desserts with a touch of natural sophistication. These unique flavours create a stunning sensory experience that will stand out in any B2B offering. Whether it’s a lavender-infused macaron or a rose-flavoured panna cotta, floral desserts are sure to be a hit among dessert enthusiasts in 2024.
2. Tea & Coffee Infused Desserts
Capitalise on the popularity of tea and coffee by incorporating these beloved beverages into desserts. Think matcha cakes, espresso brownies, and chai-spiced cookies to appeal to sophisticated palates. Offer a more indulgent experience with mocha cheesecakes topped with coffee cacao nibs, coffee and Kahlua ice cream and dark chocolate chip cappuccino cookies. These beverage-based treats are the perfect match for artisan coffee shop customers and high-quality bakeries.
3. Healthy & Refined Sugar-Free
Meet the demand for healthier options by offering desserts made with natural sweeteners and wholesome ingredients. These treats cater to health-conscious consumers who are looking for gluten-free, dairy-free, or no-added-sugar options without compromising on taste. Think gluten-free dark chocolate and pistachio torte, dairy-free peanut butter cups, and low-sugar, high-protein cocoa and avocado brownies.
4. Nostalgic Creations
Tap into consumers’ love for the past with desserts that evoke childhood memories. Classics like homemade apple pie, retro-style cakes, and traditional bread and butter puddings can bring a comforting and familiar touch to your product lineup. Consider bringing back old favourites with a modern twist, think gin and tonic lemon drizzles, elderflower-infused Victoria sponges and marble cakes with butterscotch crunch.
5. Locally Made, Authentic Desserts
Ensure your desserts are made with love and integrity. Authentic desserts provide your customers with more than just great taste; they provide comfort and connection. Through this sense of connection, you can provide businesses with a sense of warmth, knowing that it will be well received. Support local producers, highlight pastimes and traditions and enjoy providing customers with products made from the heart.
6. Visually Appealing, Artistic Desserts
In the age of social media, the look of a dessert is as important as its taste. Create visually stunning desserts that are not only delicious but also Instagram-worthy, ensuring your products gain traction online. Think walnut-stuffed pears in puff pastry drizzled with honey, three-layered fig cheesecakes laced with pastel colours, and strawberry and lime zen garden-style patisseries. Delight customers with desserts that ooze artistic experience.
7. Plant-Based Desserts
Cater to the growing vegan and plant-based market with innovative desserts made with plant-based products. Think vegan white chocolate blondies, Oreo brownies, dairy-free salted caramel ice cream, and luxury Biscoff and cinnamon swirl doughnuts. Create the ultimate plant-based rocky road with vegan marshmallows and vegan biscuit crumbs.
8. XXL Pastries & Cakes
Offer indulgence with oversized pastries and cakes. Think giant pink cupcakes filled with hundreds and thousands, huge tear-and-share doughnuts with caramel paste and honeycomb, and oversized pans of chocolate chunk cookie dough and ice cream.
These large-format desserts are perfect for sharing and can become the centrepiece of any event or gathering, making them popular in B2B settings.
9. The Rebirth of the Croissant
Reinvent the classic croissant with new flavours and fillings. From matcha croissants to those filled with almond paste and pistachio toppings, gourmet chocolate, or savoury options, the beloved croissant will be sure to delight B2B businesses that want to provide classic best sellers with a modern twist. While the buttery texture remains the same, taste and shape are open to change, with ‘cube’ croissants being the latest craze in recent times.
10. Themed 3D Cakes
Bring creativity to celebrations with themed 3D cakes. These sculpted masterpieces can be tailored for any occasion, providing a wow factor that will impress clients and consumers alike. Serve customers with novelty 3D cakes with themes for events such as Easter, Halloween and Christmas and top with seasonal sprinkles, decorations and toppings.
11. Globally Inspired Flavours
Introduce your customers to a world of flavours with globally inspired desserts. Incorporate exotic and tropical flavours such as spiced cinnamon, pineapple, cardamom and ginger. Use international recipes to create a diverse and exciting dessert menu. Think Caribbean coconut flake and rum cupcakes, Italian ricotta roll with orange crisp and Dutch apple cake with cinnamon and apple fudge.
Confectionery Related Resources
- The Plant-Based Challenge
- 7 Game-Changing Food Inclusion Trends Reshaping the Industry
- 7 Plant-Based Trends in the Confectionery World
Delicious Dessert Trends in 2024
There are many delicious desserts to explore, and tapping into the above trends will allow you to stand out among B2B offerings in 2024. Get creative and add your own confectionery twist to the above ideas with innovative decorations, toppings and inclusions.
Who knows? It may become the latest viral craze!
Did you know that OV group offer bespoke product development?
We support you in developing new, inspiring solutions in the confectionery world, so that you can stay ahead of the game and fulfil people’s wishes to experience innovative desserts. Our expertise, experience, and on-site development kitchens allow you to test our ingredients in your products, so you can leave feeling confident that you have found the right solution, process and price. Contact our expert team to find out more.
FAQ's
What is the baking trend in 2024?
The baking trend in 2024 features floral flavours, tea and coffee-infused desserts, refined sugar-free cakes, nostalgia, locally made authentic desserts, artistic creations, plant-based desserts, XXL pastries, 3D-themed cakes, and globally inspired flavours. Other trends include ‘crookies’ (croissants with cookie dough in the centre), the use of almond, chickpea and coconut flours and high protein desserts.
What are the summer dessert trends for 2024?
The mango float is expected to be a hot topic dessert trend this summer. This dessert is not the classic ‘ice cream float’. It’s a Filipino-inspired dessert that uses layers of graham crackers with sweetened whipped cream, condensed milk and ripe mango. It has been found that searches for ‘mango float’ on Pinterest have risen by 3700% since last year.
What is the most popular dessert in the world?
Ice cream is thought to be the most popular dessert worldwide. Brownies are the most popular in the UK, whereas chocolate chip cookies are in the USA. Macaroons are the fastest-growing dessert in the world.
