The 12 Worst Food Trends Of 2024

Annually, the food world prepares a batch of trends that leave us either drooling or incredibly confused. 2024 was no different. Maybe some innovations had us thinking, "Of course!"—but for every ingenious idea, plenty made us wonder if everyone just needs a time-out from cooking duties. From grating frozen tomatoes onto cheese and bread to turning the interiors of refrigerators into Pinterest-worthy displays, this year's culinary compulsions took "extreme" to new realms.

Though well-meaning, some trends were wildly impractical (ahem, DIY everything), while others boldly sought to reinvent classics that were fine to begin with. Who hasn't tried to keep up with — or suffer through — each relentless craze just to understand the hype? Food is supposed to bring us joy, but this year, it sometimes brought a little heartburn and head scratches, too. So, grab a snack (preferably something absent from this list), and let's take a retrospective look at the worst food trends that gripped social media feeds, kitchens, and palates this year.

Good news! You're not alone if you've ever stood before your open fridge and thought, "This could be a screensaver." Enter fridgescaping, the trend where refrigerator interiors are turned into social media-worthy visions of feng shui, elegance, and enviable beauty. Produce organized into the hues of a rainbow, decanted sauces funneled into identical glass bottles, aligned cans of specialty beverages, and even seasonal decorations create a fridge that's less about order or easy access and more about aesthetics and photogenics. Fridgescaping aficionados claim it minimizes food waste and calms the kitchen. After all, seeing all your ingredients beautifully arranged only makes them easier to use, right?

But let's get real for a second: Fridgescaping is basically the food trend equal to white furniture in a house full of children. Firstly, maintaining its impeccable appearance requires more discipline than meal prepping for the whole week. Have you ever had to refill your slippery, ceramic oil dispenser in the a.m. while rushing to scramble some eggs? Not to mention, the undeniable waste of throwing away perfectly usable condiment containers because they're unseemly or too bulky. Heaven forbid someone destroys the masterpiece by throwing in a rogue takeout box or a bag of cilantro that isn't in a vase. The upkeep just isn't worth your stress.

At the end of the day, fridgescaping prioritizes looks over practicality — and who wants the guilt trip every time they need to put away groceries? If your fridge screams, "I have a family, hobbies, and no time to alphabetize my aiolis," it's fine. Promise.

For an unsurprising multitude of reasons, beans were the breakout star of 2024. Thanks to the fiber content and minerals per serving, beans are continuously declared the ultimate "superfood." Packed with protein, affordable, and versatile, they're a cupboard staple around the world. This year, we saw them in every conceivable form: spiced stews, dense bean salads, plant-based burgers, and even sweet desserts. Hummus transformed into the base of endless toppings, and lentil dishes replaced rice and noodles on countless plates.

Somewhere between the third English fry-up and black bean taco soup of the week, you'll probably realize that you may have overdone it. That's the thing about beans — they're best enjoyed with some moderation in mind. Aside from being a bit of a textural bore, beans are a gastrointestinal gamble we've been giggling about since youth. There's only so much the gut can take before the stabbing pains begin. That's not to mention the time required to soak, clean, and cook dried beans when all you wanted was a quick dinner.

Beans were the answer to everything at their peak, but for now, let's give them the break they deserve. Maybe they shouldn't be at the center of every dish, but they'll always have a place in our hearts and burritos.

The motto was clear: If you can buy it, you can certainly make it. What's the point of a bakery? Knead it yourself. Want some jam? Spend your day boiling seasonal fruit into a sticky paste. Even cough syrup wasn't safe from the DIY revolution this cold and flu season, as home cooks tried to outdo the pharmacy with ginger, honey, garlic, and elderberries. DIY enthusiasts claimed it was about embracing the satisfaction of homemade goods, avoiding refined foods, and saving money in the process.

From the outside looking in, the DIY everything revolution seems to be time-consuming and complicated. Making everything from absolute scratch sounds like romance until you're two hours into getting the spread of your peanut butter just right whilst questioning how you chose to spend your evening. Sure, baking bread every once in a while is charming (nothing beats the crumb of a fresh loaf), but when each meal prep becomes a full night's production, it loses its appeal. Also, some things are better left to the professionals. (Looking at you, DIY almond milk that tastes like chalky wood pulp). 

The culture surrounding DIY might also come with a dose of judgment. Buying pre-made, processed goods here and there could potentially start to feel wrong, even if it's saving you time and peace of mind. Something that began as a celebration of inhouse creativity has essentially devolved into folks wondering if they should churn their own butter, too. So, why not leave the excess initiative behind in 2024? Convenience foods exist for a good reason — they're convenient. Sometimes that means burning the jarred marinara. Balance is key!

TikTok was in a chokehold all year over the sleepy girl mocktail, which promises a delicious bedtime ritual to unwind. It often involves mixing magnesium powder, tart cherry juice, and an unsweetened, caffeine-free sparkling water or soda to conjure up a fizzy concoction designed to help you activate natural melatonin and drift off. The appeal lies in how the mocktail combines healthful supplements and ingredients with the ritual of nighttime drinking, making self-care feel purposeful and luxurious.

But the thing is, crushing supplements into a beverage and calling it a solution to insomnia is both questionable at best and arguably a little reckless at worst. Not all supplements are created equal, and not all mesh with everyone's health requirements the same way. Tossing them into a mocktail doesn't magically make them more effective, and no matter what, you should always assume that a doctor's visit is in order before following any trends containing vitamins and minerals. There's also the understated risk of mixing incompatible ingredients, as people try to "improve" the recipe by adding everything from crushed melatonin to prescribed anxiety medications. Keep food and drug interactions in mind at all times. And, less pertinently, tart cherry juice is an acquired taste.

What began as a calming nighttime trend has become an over-the-top experiment with unreliable results. We should probably ask, "Do we need another bedtime ritual that requires purchasing specialty ingredients?" Though the mocktail is likely harmless in most cases, turning the science of sleep hygiene into such a process feels like another way to overthink rest.

Tinned fish broke out of its back-of-the-pantry-bound existence in 2024 to grab a seat at the culinary table. Once considered a humble snack, anchovies, mackerel, and sardines received a gourmet makeover with chic branding and heftier, luxury labels. Instagram feeds were filled seemingly overnight with boards featuring briny mussels, smoked trout, crackers, olives, and crème fraîche. The umami-packed flavors paired with the convenience of the pop-top packaging made it an accessible, irresistible trend for foodies worldwide.

However, paying $15 and up for what can sometimes amount to fancy cat food isn't as novel as it's made out to be. The tinned fish glow has arguably gone too far. Although some varieties are genuinely fantastic, many are still misses that register as overly salty, fishy, or oily. Not to mention, the campy, colorful packaging tends to generate more hype than the product inside. Sure, it needs little to no prep, but once it's on the platter, you're basically just asking guests to enjoy sardines on toast — so let's not pretend it's a delicacy until proven otherwise. 

We think tinned fish should remain a pantry staple rather than the centerpiece at gatherings. The trend takes something meant to be affordable and reliable and places it under an unnecessary, and sometimes pretentious, foodie spotlight. Reserve the high-end labeling for things that truly warrant it — like aged cheeses or specialty olive oil — and let the tinned fish swim its way back to its humble origins.

TikTok introduced us to a jaw-dropping mashup of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors this year — the candy-wrapped chamoy pickle. This Frankenstein's monster of a treat involves chamoy (a Mexican condiment) coated pickles, often wrapped in a Fruit Roll-Up, and sprinkled with Tajín, gummies, and Takis. Convenient chamoy pickle kits became available on Amazon. For those who adore unconventional and bold flavor combos, it was the ultimate drool-inducing snack, celebrated for its strangeness and intensity. However, not all trends need to leave the double-dog dare, experimental state, and the candy-wrapped chamoy pickle is one of them. 

Though adventurous as a concept, vinegar and candy are two things that we feel shouldn't ever meet. The pickle becomes a slippery, messy ordeal thanks to the Fruit Roll-Up, and the clash of flavors arguably ends up more chaotic than creative — almost like your pantry exploded and things ended up where they shouldn't have been. The snack also loses major points for practicality. It's loud, messy, and sticky — not something you can snack on discreetly at all. Your fingers will be coated in residual sugar, vinegar, and blue or red food dye, making it a nightmare to eat anywhere outside of your kitchen. 

It's a fun challenge of tolerance for TikTokers, but as a food seen so commonly across feeds all year, it's become more cringe than crave-worthy. Some flavor pairings are best left as abstract thoughts, and there's perhaps no better example than candy-wrapped chamoy pickles.

Thanks to social media and its bevy of fans, dirty soda had its moment in the spotlight in 2024. This trend was born in Utah and involves mixing soda (usually coke or root beer) with flavored syrups, coffee creamers, and sometimes a bit of condensed milk. The final result is a creamy, fizzy drink that's more dessert than beverage — like a potent milkshake. For many, it's a throwback treat reminiscent of the ice cream floats from childhood.

That said, dirty soda is essentially a sugar bomb in disguise. Behind the deceptive sparkling of the syrups, creamer, and soda, you're looking at a drink so sweet it makes a milkshake seem mild. It's the sort of rare indulgence that feels satisfying for one sip, but overwhelming a few more later. While the trend's had enthusiasts experimenting with every flavor combination (think strawberry vanilla cola or Dr. Pepper with eggnog), most of it ends up tasting like something you would've concocted as a 10-year-old with free reign at the soda fountain.

Between caramel-colored iced coffees and flavored water, dirty soda lasted too long as a social media trend. However, it seems that it was buried behind several other drink fads that also caught on. Perhaps the mainstream masses couldn't totally get behind the coffee-creamer-and-soda combination. Maybe we should leave the syrup-laden experiments for the kids.

Touted as a more natural and nutrient-dense alternative to pasteurized milk, raw milk surged in popularity this year. Raw milk drinkers wholeheartedly believe it's a tastier, creamier, and healthier option, boasting probiotics and enzymes burned away during the pasteurizing process. The earthy appeal of raw milk paired with artisanal marketing turned into a must-try for skeptics of the milk industry and those with gut health issues desperate for elixirs that may heal their problems. 

The fact is — raw milk is risky business. Period. The pasteurization process is a common practice around the world for good reason: It kills bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, and listeria, all of which cause serious illness, per the FDA. Drinking raw milk is like playing Russian roulette with your stomach, and even though you aren't guaranteed debilitating illness with every gulp, it can be a dangerous game. Lest we forget RAW FARM's voluntary recall of raw milk in California due to a bird flu risk. While advocates praise its "purity," we use modern tools like controlled heat because they can better guarantee safety — especially for children and the elderly. 

Raw milk is more expensive and less safe, and sourcing it often involves a trip to a boutique farm or niche online sellers that'll mail it to you in a block of ice. Let's not even get to the storage requirements and short shelf life. Just grab a carton from your local grocer — it's safer, more convenient, and far less likely to poison you.

Protein found its way to every corner of the kitchen in 2024. Everything from pancakes, muffins, and drinks were suddenly fortified with extra protein via protein powder, yogurt, beans, or cottage cheese. Healthy-eating influencers were preaching about the benefits of tucking in a few extra grams of protein into elements of every meal to turn regular recipes into a more "macro-friendly" version. Seems like a great idea on paper — naturally, more protein means you stay satiated and energized for longer during the day.

But of course, the protein trend has promptly spiraled out of control. Forcing protein into recipes sometimes comes at the cost of flavor, and not every dish needs to act as a muscle-building snack. Adding protein powder to your pancake batter? Why not, that's an extra 12 grams, but it also gives your breakfast an inexplicable aftertaste and graininess. Don't forget the protein-packed enhanced desserts with the consistency of rubber.

The consistent push for protein-rich everything has led to an abundance of processed powders and overly filling meals. Instead of enjoying foods for what they naturally provide, we're being conditioned into treating every dish like a numbers game. At some point, we should accept that it's okay to enjoy a bowl of spaghetti or ice cream without doing mental math and fretting about whether there are enough grams to "justify" eating it. We recommend giving the protein-packed trend a rest and putting down the calculator for a moment.

The tomato ice toast trend had folks grating frozen tomato like shaved ice over slices of toast, typically topped with burrata and balsamic. The goal was to create a visually appealing dish that felt even lighter and more refreshing than bruschetta, with some added sophistication. The icy texture of the grated tomato seemed to offer a fun twist on a classic.

The catch is that it's not exactly the game-changing snack its popularity suggests. For starters, tomatoes are essentially orbs of water, and grating a frozen one is essentially akin to chiseling ice off your windshield. Once you've created your pile of tomato-ice shavings, they may melt quickly, leaving a puddle on your soggy bread and cheese. Yes, the flavor is light and refreshing, but it's not revolutionary — in fact, most would probably prefer a thick, seasoned cut of a room-temperature, heirloom tomato on a slice of bread. This trend also suffers from fanciness over functionality. It may look great for a 45-second TikTok short, but it's tedious, fiddly, and unnecessary. Why freeze a tomato at all when they're so versatile as they are? Bruschetta is already a perfect iteration.

In 2024, fermentation was all the rage. Everything from pickled veggies to homemade kombucha made its way into home kitchens. Practitioners loved the trend for its purported health benefits, gut-friendly properties, and unique dry taste, turning fermentation into a true art form. The appeal makes a lot of sense — there's something fascinating about seeing a container of cabbage evolve into a tangy, spicy kimchi over the weeks.

The phenomenon quickly became overwhelming, however. The process of fermentation requires patience and precision. If the salt-to-water ratio is off, you'll be left with a mushy, gross mess. If your jars aren't correctly sterilized, you could end up with funky-tasting kombucha. We haven't even gotten to the stories of kitchen explosions from the home cooks who forgot to burp their experiments.

It also requires a significant time and attention investment, which isn't guaranteed to pay off. By the time your sauerkraut or carrots are fermented, you could've purchased some from the store with half the hassle. These experiments often do yield awesome results, but others may cross the line into overly sour, inedible territory. The lesson here? Not every food trend warrants your attention or kitchen counter space. Fermentation is a fun process to observe, but let's leave the science experiments to professionals. Or at least follow a quick course to stay safe.

Buldak ramen, known for its neon-red color and gut-punching heat, became a go-to for spice enjoyers and food-challenge fanatics. 2024 was ruled by the Korean instant noodles that took over For You pages and dinner tables across the seas. Videos have flooded our feeds with thrill seekers attempting to conquer pots of this stuff, sometimes with their mouths panting for breath and tears streaming down their cheeks.

Of course, the fiending for Ultra-Spicy Buldak has some serious downsides to consider. For one, heat is punishing — not just intense. Eating a bowl may feel more like surviving a dare and less like relishing a nice meal. The noodles have a greater flavor under all the spice, but good luck finding it if your mouth's on fire. Buldak noodles' after-effects aren't much better — they may wreak havoc on the gut and beyond, leaving many fans questioning their choices soon after. Though it's fun in theory, it's not practical regularly if you have to recover from your dinner daily. 

Like many things listed here, Buldak shines in moderation. It's fine as a once-in-a-while treat or a challenge to a friend, but making it a pantry staple is perhaps courting trouble.