Camera Ready Cuisine
Something strange happened when cameras became everyone's dining companion. Chefs started prioritizing Instagram potential over actual cooking skills. People began ordering meals they knew would taste terrible just to capture the perfect shot. Food was seen as performance art, and kitchens turned into photo studios. The most successful dishes aren't the most delicious ones anymore—they're the most shareable. Let’s look at 20 meals that were popularized by social media.
1. Rainbow Bagels
The rainbow bagel is a brightly colored, swirl-patterned bagel first made by Scot Rossillo at The Bagel Store in New York. It became an internet sensation in 2015–2016, admired for its vibrant appearance and engineered specifically for shareability on social media.
2. Cloud Eggs
French chefs have been making "œufs à la neige" for centuries, but food bloggers gave this technique a modern makeover in 2017. They got rebranded as “cloud eggs.” Their light texture, combined with that creamy yolk, makes them tasty and fun to eat.
Cloud Eggs - Food Wishes by Food Wishes
3. Avocado Toast
More than 3,000,000 photos of avocado toast were uploaded to Instagram every day at the height of its popularity in 2017. Bill Granger is widely credited with popularizing smashed avocado on toast in his Sydney cafe, Bills, in 1993.
4. Unicorn Toast
Artificial food coloring that temporarily dyes tongues and teeth emerged as an unexpected Instagram obsession in 2017. Unicorn toast featured pastel rainbow cream cheese spread across regular bread. Food blogger Adeline Waugh originally crafted this just for the internet.
Unicorn Toast | Delish by Delish
5. Charcoal Ice Cream
New York City banned it in 2018, which only made this famous treat even more sought-after. Los Angeles shop Little Damage struck gold in 2017 when its goth-themed charcoal soft serve went viral. The dramatic black color delivers a stunning contrast against colorful toppings.
Black Charcoal Ice Cream | RECIPE by pankobunny
6. Sushi Donuts
Australian vegan cookbook author Sam Murphy brought to the social media world something that would make traditional sushi chefs cringe: sushi shaped like donuts. The "cute" and unique appearance made these fusion creations highly shareable on social media feeds in the mid-2010s
How to Make SUSHI DONUTS (Recipe) by TabiEats7. Freakshakes
Over 2,000 calories and 100 grams of sugar packed into a single serving sounds excessive because it absolutely is. The Australian cafe Pâtissez engineered these towering milkshakes in 2015. Videos showcasing their ridiculous proportions garnered millions of views globally.
3 EASY FREAKSHAKES | milkshakes 3 ways by Irene Magazine
8. Galaxy Mirror Cakes
Throwback to 2016, when Chef Olga Noskova shot to fame through photos and videos of her incredible mirror-glazed cakes that mimicked galaxies. The ultra-reflective surface serves purely aesthetic purposes. Mirror glaze is a glossy icing made from gelatin, chocolate, sugar, and condensed milk.
DIY GALAXY MIRROR CAKE! by Rosanna Pansino
9. Raindrop Cake
Kinseiken Daigahara, a confectionery shop in Daigahara-juku, Hokuto City, Japan, developed this transparent dessert in 2014. It used water from the Japanese Alps, marketing it as "water you can eat." The flavorless cake exploded on US social media in 2016.
Ty Nigh from Wichita, KS, USA on Wikimedia
10. Baked Feta Pasta
Grocery stores across America reported feta cheese shortages after one TikTok post changed everything in 2021. Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen came up with a simple five-ingredient recipe, but it went viral the moment Grilled Cheese Social shared it on TikTok.
Delicious Adventures on Wikimedia
11. Smoothie Bowls
Three million posts tagged #smoothiebowl turned simple drinks into elaborate digital art installations around 2014. Smoothie bowls cost significantly more than regular smoothies. Toppings might feature granola, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit slices, coconut flakes, and superfoods for flavor, crunch, and nutrition.
Brenda Godinez cravethebenefits on Wikimedia
12. TikTok Baked Oats
The 2021 pandemic lockdowns served as the ideal environment for this breakfast fad, which supporters termed "cake for breakfast." Infinite modification options were demonstrated in millions of TikTok movies; for added appeal, some versions came with chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Baked Oats | TIKTOK VIRAL RECIPE by Feelgoodfoodie
13. Edible Flowers
Europe experienced a 300% surge in edible flower sales after these pretty garnishes became social media essentials around 2016. Restaurants discovered they could charge $3–5 extra for flower decorations that add no meaningful flavor to dishes. Hibiscus and roses are chosen primarily for their vibrant colors.
14. Pasta Chips
Various pasta shapes like farfalle, rigatoni, shells, or fusilli are used for this trend, which started in 2021. The process usually involves boiling pasta, drying it, then tossing it with olive oil, parmesan cheese, and various seasonings like garlic powder or herbs.
Father.Jack from Coventry, UK on Wikimedia
15. Tornado Potatoes
Korean street food from the 2000s found new life in 2015. Tornado potatoes have become widely popular for their crispy texture, visual appeal, and the ease of eating them on a stick. Russet potatoes are commonly used due to their ideal texture for frying.
16. Cloud Bread
People desperately sought kitchen entertainment during lockdowns, making cloud bread an ideal distraction from reality. It contains only egg whites, sugar, and cornstarch, yet marketers promoted it as a healthy bread alternative despite its candy-like composition. The texture collapses within hours
17. Mermaid Toast
Health food bloggers promoted this spirulina-colored cream cheese spread. However, it has a strong seaweed taste that most folks find unpalatable. The toast is prepared by mixing cream cheese with natural pigments obtained from spirulina, blue-green algae powder, chlorophyll drops, and beet juice.
DIY MERMAID TOAST - Man Vs Instagram #1 by ThreadBanger
18. Boba Pizza
Taiwan's Foodie Star restaurant formed this bizarre fusion in 2015 to cater to local tastes by incorporating chewy boba texture into pizza format. The combination of bubble tea pearls scattered across pizza became viral in 2019. Social media reaction videos drove sales.
We Tried Domino's Japan's Boba Pizza... by akidearest
19. Cheese Pull Sandwiches
The disastrous Fyre Festival in 2017 inadvertently brought attention to cheese-pull sandwiches through their infamous sad cheese sandwich. It literally became a meme. Videos of stretchy cheese sandwiches account for millions of TikTok views, extending the trend into various chopped sandwich formats.
The Best Grilled Cheese You'll Ever Make | Epicurious 101 by Epicurious
20. Soufflé Pancakes
Despite being widely associated with Japan, the origin of soufflé pancakes actually traces back to Hawaii around 2008. Hashtags like #soufflepancake have accumulated a lot of views on TikTok and Instagram since 2018. Most pancake shops now charge double for the soufflé version.
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