April 15, 2025 – Globally, Easter remains a peak season for food and beverage indulgence, driven by emotional connections, nostalgia, and joyful moments shared with friends and family. Innova’s 360 research shows that consumers are embracing Easter trends, and reveals that brands are tapping into nostalgic flavors, premium treats, and health-conscious choices.
Social Media Easter Trends
70% of consumers globally express positive sentiment related to Easter trends in food and beverage across social media and online platforms in the past year. On average, news articles achieved a significant reach of 4.29M per mention. The social media buzz around indulgence and gifting increased in mid-March due to several factors, including limited-edition launches, the influence of social media influencers, and attractive festive packaging.
Consumers are eagerly preparing for celebrations with Easter-themed cupcakes, bunny-shaped doughnuts, and decorated cookies gaining attention due to their visual appeal and festive fun. Traditional desserts like simnel cake and hot cross buns are often reimagined with new flavors or formats. Consumers increasingly embrace natural egg-dyeing techniques, preferring chemical-free, DIY options. Cadbury Creme Eggs and Reese’s Eggs remain seasonal icons, with online conversations around new flavors and early availability. Retailers like Walmart and Aldi are attracting value-seeking shoppers with exclusive deals on chocolates and holiday staples.
Why Brands are Reinventing Traditions?
Brands are boosting their reach and engagement by reinventing traditions through strategic influencer partnerships. For instance, HGTV star Jasmine Roth collaborated with Reese’s and Cadbury to create a new Easter tradition, combining nostalgic treats with a modern DIY twist. The campaign features festive decorating ideas, playful gifting, and creative use of classic confections, helping families make memorable Easter moments. This collaboration reflects a growing trend of using celebrity partnerships to give new direction to seasonal staples to keep them relevant and suitable for social media trends.
Customize Easter Messaging
On social media, 52% female and 48% male users engage in distinct yet complementary conversations reflecting common interest in food, creativity, and community during the Easter season. Content by men focuses on main dish preparations like grilled lamb or ham paired with craft beverages, along with organizing creative outdoor egg hunts and hunting for the best seasonal deals. Meanwhile, women emphasize festive dessert baking, DIY crafts, and planning warm, family-centered celebrations. Companies and brands can tailor festive messaging by age and gender to maximize engagement around their offerings on social media platform X.
Ethical and Premium Offerings
Consumers are not just celebrating; they’re sharing and seeking creativity, quality, flavor, and purpose in every Easter purchase. For example, brands like Cox & Co elevate Easter with blood orange crunch innovations. Its latest offerings continue their tradition of ethical, small-batch craftsmanship while highlighting flavor-forward innovation.
Similarly, Mars Wrigley introduced 11 new Easter 2025 products, including Maltesers Truffles Giant Egg and Galaxy Ripple Giant Egg. These premium eggs cater to gifting and self-indulgence, reflecting consumers’ willingness to spend on quality treats during seasonal moments. This expanded portfolio demonstrates how brand variety, premium packaging, and indulgent formats are becoming significant for capturing attention in an increasingly competitive seasonal space.
Candy and Gummy Innovation
Brands like Haribo and PEEPS are reviving the holiday options with playful and non-chocolate alternatives. Haribo is bringing back three fan-favorite gummy varieties; meanwhile, Peeps is unveiling new spring-themed marshmallow flavors to cater to kids and nostalgic adults.
Some brands are breaking away from chocolate traditions and exploring unique treats. Bebeto introduces a playful and unexpected Easter treat: liquid-filled gummy fried eggs. It highlights chewy textures to capture the festival spirit with a quirky twist. These launches indicate a growing shift toward non-chocolate Easter treats, providing consumers more options to personalize their celebrations.
Plant-Based Easter Trends
Vegan and plant-based options are rising in the Easter market. Brands are normalizing plant-based indulgence by making it festive, accessible, and tasty, removing dietary barriers without compromising taste.
HAPPi displays two Easter-themed new launches aimed at the growing plant-based segment. This Easter egg is free from dairy, gluten, and soy, making it ideal for children with dietary needs or allergy considerations. These launches align with consumer demand for ethical, fun, and inclusive holiday treats, while tapping into the broader trend of plant-based confectionery innovation.
Pet-Friendly Easter Trends
Consumers are eager to include their pets in festive celebrations. Peeps has tapped into this trend by launching dog-friendly Easter ‘marshmallows.’ These types of seasonal snacks are already gaining attention from pet owners. This move reflects a rising trend in seasonal pet indulgence, where pet brands extend holiday excitement to animals through limited-edition, themed products. Brands can utilize this strategy to appeal to emotionally driven consumers who view pets as family and seek holiday-inclusive treats.
Easter Reinvention with Flavors
Easter 2025 is displaying a rise in non-traditional product formats and adventurous flavor experiences. Domino’s has launched a limited-edition Easter egg. This offering incorporates a white chocolate egg with a creamy garlic and herb dip, merging the indulgence of pizza with seasonal novelty.
Additionally, Aldi’s bubble tea-inspired treat, spotlighted on TikTok, has created online buzz by merging trending beverage flavors like strawberry and mango with Easter novelty, driving impulse purchase among younger consumers. Similarly, Hames Chocolates is also pushing innovation with mini eggs in unconventional flavors, along with a focus on sustainable ingredients and packaging.
What’s Next in Easter Trends?
The global Easter market is evolving rapidly, driven by emotional connections, nostalgia, and consumer preferences. Innova’s research reveals there has been a significant rise in Easter egg prices, with some doubling in cost over the past five years. This increase, dubbed ‘eggs-tortion,’ has fueled social media conversations, especially among price-conscious families. This presents opportunities for brands to offer affordable treats in seasonal packs that feel premium, experiential, and gift-worthy. They can also embrace smart promotions, alternative pack sizes, and communication strategies.
Brands can appeal to health-conscious consumers with seasonal functional treats, kid-friendly snacks, and guilt-free options positioned as better-for-you indulgences. Brands that focus on transparency, affordability, and creative value-based offerings are likely to retain consumer trust and drive seasonal loyalty even in an inflation-sensitive environment.
This article is based on Trending in Easter 2025: Global Food & Beverage Innovation report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
