Texture is having a crunchy, gooey moment in the food and beverage industry.
For many people, the way a menu item or packaged snack feels in the mouth has become as big a draw as flavour, although consumers don't always recognise the part texture plays in their cravings for crispier takeout, frothier coffees and juicier candies, according to industry experts.
The importance of "mouthfeel,” a food science term for oral sensation, has inspired new products like Starbucks’ Aerocano, an air-whipped iced espresso; PowerCrunch, a wafer-like protein bar; and Trolli Gummi Pops, which are frozen but still soft and chewy.
Texture "has evolved from a complementary feature to a defining aspect of food quality,” Puratos, a Belgian company that develops commercial-grade ingredients for chocolate and baked goods, says. "It is reshaping how consumers evaluate food and make purchasing decisions.”
The trend is a global one. Stretchy yogurt is a fast-growing trend in China, while Swedish confectioner Cloetta just released Sprinkled Foamies, which have a crunchy coating and a marshmallow centre. Parisian bakers are experimenting with new pastries like the crookie, a crispy croissant with a melty chocolate chip cookie inside.
"It’s not just about flavour anymore. People are thinking about the whole experience,” said Tana Davila, the chief marketing officer at Dutch Bros Coffee. The drive-thru U.S. beverage chain lets customers customise their drinks with toppings like a sweet and creamy whipped foam and juice-filled balls that pop when bitten into.
Texture is so integral to the act of eating that people often describe how a food feels when they’re asked how it tastes, said Patrick Kalotis, the executive vice president of texture and healthful solutions at Ingredion, an Illinois-based ingredient provider.
"You know, ‘This drink is fizzy’ or ‘I love the creaminess of the yogurt,’” Kalotis said. "They think they’re talking about taste, and of course the texture helps propagate the taste, but they’re actually describing texture.”
Food makers have long played with consistency. Pillowy Japanese mochi and stretchy Turkish ice cream date back centuries. Bubble tea, with its chewy tapioca boba pearls, was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. In the 1990s, high-end European restaurants whipped up culinary foams flavoured with things like truffle oil or lobster broth.
But interest in texture has exploded in recent years, said Jenny Zegler, the principal strategist for food and drink at market research company Mintel. It's reflected in toys like squishy NeeDoh cubes and beauty products like jelly cleansers. With food, qualities like chewy, soft, gooey and melt-in-the-mouth are seeing fast-rising demand in online product searches, according to Mintel data.
Zegler thinks the craze around the Cronut – a doughnut-shaped pastry with a crispy fried outside and an airy, buttery inside like a croissant – started a fascination with food textures about a decade ago. Multi-layered products like Dubai chocolate and sound-enhanced social media videos of influencers breaking crackly peanut brittle and slurping creamy noodles heightened the interest.
"Consumers are gaining new expectations for the experience of a product, and texture is the perfect way to deliver that,” Zegler said.
The coronavirus pandemic elevated interest in texture because COVID-19 caused many people to temporarily lose their sense of smell and taste, said Shannon Weiner, senior director of consumer insights at candy company Ferrara. In 2020, the Chicago-based company debuted Nerds Gummy Clusters, a sweet round gummy coated in crunchy Nerds candy.
The hit product led to other innovations in the candy aisle, like crispy freeze-dried Skittles. Gummi Popz, chewy bite-sized squares filled with fizzing candy, went on sale earlier this year. Ferrara-owned Brach’s plans to introduce jelly beans with a crunchy exterior for Easter next year.
Weiner said layers of texture create contrasts, which heighten people’s perceptions of indulgence and quality and encourage them to pay closer attention to what they're eating.
"It’s a world of overstimulation that we’re living in, right?” Weiner said. "Oftentimes, if consumers are snacking as they’re scrolling or going through these mindless activities, texture can help break through and help stimulate and offer a sensory engagement.”
Meeting consumers’ texture demands and preferences is a growing challenge for the food industry. McDonald’s, which released new McCrispy chicken strips in May 2025, changed the recipe this year after customers said the strips weren’t crispy enough.
The rise of meal delivery has left restaurants searching for ways to ensure food retains its texture while it’s in transit, Kalotis said. Ingredion has developed potato starch-based coatings that can keep french fries crispy for 30 minutes; it’s working on extending the time to 45 minutes, he said.
Food companies are trying to find ways to make products healthier or more affordable by changing ingredients without disturbing familiar textures. For example, Ingredion makes additives that help keep reduced-sugar yogurt creamy.
Zegler, at Mintel, sees a lot of innovation ahead for texture. She expects companies to explore the texture needs of different populations, like older people. Snack foods will keep getting more layers, she said. Ferrara last year brought out Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters, which added a liquid centre to the original two-layer candy.
In the meantime, Kalotis said, food companies need to do a better job of illustrating and explaining textures on product packaging. Mintel found that 59% of packaged foods introduced in the U.S. this year had no textural claims on their labels despite customers actively seeking out foods with novel physical properties.
"In a lot of ways, texture is one of the most powerful and yet somehow underrated parts of the food experience,” Kalotis said. "It makes a snack more satisfying.” – AP
