TikTok recipes inspired grocery lists in 2021, Instacart says. Here are the most popular
.jpeg "Baked feta pasta and “breakfast cereal” topped the list of viral TikTok food trends.")
With 2021 came the emergence of viral food trends and recipes, especially through the social media video app TikTok.
Those recipes took hold of our bellies, and apparently, our grocery shopping lists, according to Instacart’s “2021 Year in Groceries” news release. In fact, Instacart believes these viral food trends have “fundamentally changed” the way we approach making food.
The grocery delivery service and app revealed that the ingredients to make some of these viral TikTok meals occupied many Americans’ grocery lists and were not a “flash in the pan.”
An Instacart survey conducted by The Harris Poll of over 2,000 U.S. adults showed that 44% of people tried one of the social media food trends in 2021.
Once the company dug into the numbers, it realized that three social media food trends reigned supreme throughout the year.
At the top of the list, ingredients for food artist Jenni Häyrinen’s baked feta pasta saw an 106% increase in sales on Instacart at its peak in February.
Häyrinen’s creation that melded feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and pasta seamlessly actually went viral in her home country of Finland first and then hit the U.S. in 2021.
The Washington Post declared the simple recipe “worth the hype,” and the TikTok hashtag #bakedfetapasta amassed over 147.8 million views with users showing off their attempts and variations.
The second on the list for 2021 was the salmon rice bowl that had anyone with a TikTok account clamoring for some salmon fillets and seaweed snacks.
Emily Mariko’s soothing, quiet and organized food videos captivated users, leading her to skyrocket in followers within a matter of days.
Her videos — particularly the salmon rice bowl, crafted from leftovers from her dinner the night before — caused Mariko’s following to go from 223,000 followers to 2.4 million within two weeks, Insider reported.
Instacart reported seeing a 97% increase in orders for the recipe’s ingredients on Oct. 3, which took staples like salmon and rice and paired them with kimchi, kewpie mayo, avocado and seaweed snacks.
A breakfast fresh treat rounded out Instacart’s list. Nature’s cereal went viral in February after the nature’s food account posted the user’s favorite “breakfast cereal”: blueberries, blackberries and pomegranate seeds with coconut water in a bowl. Indulgers of the simple recipe boasted an increase of energy.
Lizzo began to sing its praises when the recipe went viral. The “Truth Hurts” artist posted about her new breakfast on her own TikTok account.
“It’s actually really good y’all,” she announced in a March 5 video.
The Lizzo stamp of approval only helped spread the word, and the creator called Lizzo one of the original supporters of the cereal.
“Nature’s Cereal gained tremendous traction in March with the recipe ingredients — berries, coconut water, and ice — peaking at a 94% order growth rate on March 15,” Instacart said in the release.
According to Instacart, millennials were more likely the try the top two food trends than their Gen Z counterparts were.
Of course, if there were some products that were “hot” in 2021, there were certainly those that were “not.” The delivery service found that yeast, all-purpose flour and wax-covered cheese were among those losing flavor with shoppers.
Instead, now that we are returning to “a pre-pandemic state of normal(ish),” shoppers are leaning toward more convenient and on-the-go options like cereal bars and energy drinks.
Instacart thinks these social media cooking trends are here to stay in the coming year, too.
“Social media platforms, including TikTok, make it easy for anyone to share and be inspired by creative cooking,” Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s trends expert, said in the release. “In the New Year, we predict there will be an even greater increase in new recipes and unconventional culinary concepts coming from home chefs everywhere around the world.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 4:12 PM with the headline "TikTok recipes inspired grocery lists in 2021, Instacart says. Here are the most popular."
