Yahoo Lifestyle Pistachio Is the Flavor of 2025 — and We Have a Viral TikTok Trend to Thank
The Dubai chocolate bar might have kicked things off, but this trending flavor shows no signs of slowing down.
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Roxana Saidi recalls how roasted pistachios and nougats were fixtures in wedding menus and other gatherings of her Persian family. These memories inspired her to create Táche, a line of plant-based milks and lattes made with pistachios. Sales for the brand have more than doubled in the past year.
Saidi attributes the growth to various factors, but one notable influence is the ripple effect from the viral Dubai chocolate bar, which has become known for its creamy pistachio filling. “It’s created this zeitgeist around pistachios,” she says.
The “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” bar from Dubai’s Fix Dessert Chocolatier also features shredded phyllo dough, or kataifi. It provides the hypnotic crunch highlighted in the ASMR TikTok video that helped to propel the chocolate bar to fame. Now Dubai chocolate-inspired goods are poised to take over the grocery aisle.
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Filled with a creamy pistachio spread and shredded phyllo dough, the Dubai chocolate bar has inspired all kinds of products since going viral in 2023.At the winter session of the biannual Fancy Food Show, which took place in Las Vegas, about a dozen vendors sold pistachio-based oils, baklava snacks, and imitation Dubai-style pistachio chocolate bars. Shoppers at Oakland’s Market Hall will find pistachio chocolate, spreads, biscotti, butter cookies, and kataifi-coated Turkish delight.
“Pistachio is one of my top confectionery flavors, spanning many categories,” says Summer Thompson, the food market’s senior buyer and a trend spotter for the Specialty Food Association, which produces the Fancy Food Shows. “I don’t see the growth stopping anytime soon.”
"“[The Dubai chocolate bar] created this zeitgeist around pistachios.”"
Roxana Saidi, founder of Táche Pistachio Milk
Major food and drink brands have also embraced the pistachio boom. Starbucks brought the Pistachio Latte and Pistachio Cold Cream Brew back to its winter menu. Many Starbucks fans have shared their Dubai Chocolate-inspired Matcha Latte hack on social media: an iced matcha latte with two pumps of pistachio sauce, topped with chocolate cold foam.
In the ice cream aisle, Häagen-Dazs reintroduced its pistachio ice cream in August. It features pistachio butter and larger pistachio pieces in its new recipe, according to Rachel Jaiven, marketing director for Häagen-Dazs. Sold in 32,000 U.S. stores, the company anticipates growing the number by 6% this year.
Chocolatiers from Lindt & Sprüngli to boutique businesses like Cacao and Cardamom have introduced Dubai chocolate knockoffs. A Lindt spokesperson says it will release its version of the Dubai chocolate bar in its 33 U.S. shops this year, after the few hundred bars it dispatched on a limited test run sold out within a day.
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Growing pistachios requires less water than almonds, which makes them more drought-resistant.Cacao & Cardamom launched the Dubai Pistachio Knafeh Bar in July, and it quickly became a fan favorite and the brand’s top-selling product of 2024, says president Annie Rupani.
Beyond the grocery store, the nut has influenced everything from perfume to interior design. According to Google Trends, pistachio searches have doubled in the past year, while a Pinterest trends report claims that interest in pistachio butter has surged 240%.
Related: Pistachio Cookie Cups
There’s also a practical reason for the surge in popularity of pistachios: They require less water to produce than almonds. That makes them more resilient during persistent droughts in California, where most U.S. pistachios are grown, says Scott Fryer, vice president of global marketing for American Pistachio Growers, a trade group.
Pistachio production can fluctuate due to weather and other factors, but the supply has steadily increased over the last few years. The trade group expects 1.6 billion pounds of pistachios to be produced in the U.S. this fiscal year, more than three times the amount grown a decade ago, and 40% more than last year.
Saidi says the sustainability of nuts is a topic of discussion among buyers and coffee-shop baristas. Táche has evolved from being a specialty brand in natural stores to a more mainstream option within the last year. The brand’s products are now available in 500 Target stores and 1,300 Albertsons locations.
“I suppose there’s a bit of everyday luxury that I think we're tapping into, and the Dubai chocolate trend is helping with that,” she says.
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