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The best TikTok food trends of 2022 – and the ones we’d like to leave there
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
13 Jan 2023
11m
TikTok is as much a dream for food lovers as it is a nightmare. Sometimes it offers up insanely convenient recipes and glimpses into cuisines from around the globe, but other times its so-called ‘hacks’ send chefs into a cold sweat.
Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that TikTok has had a huge impact on the culinary world, of late. Restaurant aesthetics are more important than ever, and there’s an emphasis on creating dishes that are new and exciting, so they take the internet by storm.
TikTok has well and truly infiltrated our kitchens (Credit: Alamy)
As for when we’re cooking at home? Whether it’s a savvy way of serving your favourite meal or an über simple way to knock up a foreign delicacy, the chances are we’ve all found ourselves scrolling and then stopped and saved something to make for dinner. TikTok has become a never ending recipe book, whether we like it or not
READ MORE: Why M&S Magic Coffee has gone viral
So, what were the TikTok food trends the most of us got on board with in 2022? As we start a new year, we thought we’d look back at TikTok’s official top 10 (and then count down a few of our own standouts, too.)
Cloud Bread
@abimhn cloud bread!!! dope recipe from @linqanaaa #cloudbread #MyBFF #foryou #fyp #bakingrecipe #homemade #homechef #clouds #avatar #cake #meringue
If you haven’t seen this recipe before, we can only conclude you’re not on the app. Videos containing cloud bread amassed a whopping 3.4 billion views on TikTok this year, making it the biggest hit of 2022 by a long mile.
Cloud bread has actually been huge on TikTok since about 2020, and existed IRL for far, far longer, but of all the trends we’ve seen on there, this one seems to have sticking power.
It contains just three ingredients (eggs, cream cheese and cream of tartar), which is a key reason for its success. Plus, it has gained some clout for its health benefits (the dish has proved particularly popular with keto dieters, as it is completely carb-free while still retaining some semblance of starchiness).
Let’s face it, though, the real reason cloud bread is such a hit is the fact it’s incredibly fluffy and colourful. We mean, have you seen anything more TikTok in your life?
Baked oats
@callascleaneats Full recipe on my IG now 🍪🍪 #healthyrecipes #easyrecipe #bakedoats #bakedoatmeal #glutenfree #cookiebakedoatmeal #treatyourself #yum
On the surface, baked oats don’t sound that revolutionary – nay, they even sound dull.
But videos about them have picked up 1.3 billion views on TikTok this year, and we’ll tell you for why.
You see, they tap into another of TikTok’s primary uses… practicality. Need a quick breakfast? TikTok has a million ways for you to pimp out your boring porridge oats in seconds.
Recipes for TikTok baked oats usually involve pouring blended oats into baking pans and mixing in the likes of fruit and chocolate chips.
READ MORE: We tried the viral pesto eggs recipe and breakfast will never be the same
But as ever on TikTok, people don’t stop there, and they’ve developed all sorts of weird and wonderful combinations. You can now make brownie baked oats, banana bread baked oats and even vegan versions.
No scoffing at this trend, it’s a winner.
Charcuterie boards
@kayeatsscharcuterie What are your Sunday plans? 🫶🏼🍇🍷 #charcuterie #charcuterieboard
We’re not going to lie, there’s something we find deeply therapeutic about watching people make charcuterie boards.
It’s not just us, either. There’s a reason they’ve got 1.2 billion views…
Daintily placing chopped up cheese and deli meats on a platter and making them look beautiful is no mean feat, as you can very well see on TikTok. It requires a meticulous precision which is nothing short of spellbinding.
Don’t even get us started on the themed charcuterie boards that crop up, too. Super Bowl? Have a stadium themed charcuterie board. Halloween? There’s a charcuterie board for that, too (with googley eyes and skeletons galore).
Not only are these great to impress your mates, but the potential is never ending.
Pasta chips
@cookingwithbello Have you tried PASTA CHIPS yet? 😍❤️🇮🇹 #PastaChips #pasta #italian #tiktokfood #crunch
Pasta chips come in fourth place on TikTok’s list, with 1.1 billion views. They’re the sort of nifty hack that TikTok is known for, encouraging people to eat a cupboard staple in a different and quirky way.
To make them, you simply cook pasta as usual and then chuck them in an air fryer so they go nice and crispy. Then, they instantly transform into a vehicle for dips. We’re not mad at it, tbh.
READ MORE: We tried the TikTok 6-minute ‘baked’ potato hack and it’s a lifesaver
Over on TikTok, people are seasoning their pasta chips with everything from parmesan to spices like paprika and more traditional ‘crisp’ flavours, like salt and vinegar.
Like the charcuterie boards, these bad boys have done well thanks to their potential for versatility. We’ve seen whipped feta dips, pesto dunks and even some sweet chilli sauce action. As far as we’re concerned, long live the pasta chip.
Mug Cakes
@fitwaffle 4-INGREDIENT BISCOFF MUG CAKE! #fitwaffle #mugcake #cake
You might think the humble mug cake is somewhat overdone, but TikTokers beg to differ. They amass a billion views in total on the platform, and as with other trending recipes, the key is ease and variety.
You can find cinnamon roll mug cakes, Nutella mug cakes, Oreo mug cakes and Biscoff mug cakes on there, amongst around a million other dessert options.
Will they be the best cakes you’ve ever eaten? No. But they take a minute to knock together.
It’s exactly what you want from a TikTok recipe…
Birria Tacos
@birrialossocios Taco Tuesday = $1 soft tacos all day😎 #birrialossocios #tacos #taco #birria #WhenRiftanSays
One of the great things about TikTok is that it platforms flavours from around the world. Case in point? The 922.2 million views on videos about Birria tacos.
Birria is a Mexican dish which hails from the state of Jalisco, but it’s now popular around the world thanks to snappy recipe videos and footage of restaurants serving their own mouth watering versions.
READ MORE: We tested Kylie Jenner’s viral ramen noodle recipe and now won’t settle for anything less
The tantalisingly fatty Birria stew dunk is a huge part of its online appeal. We mean, oozy meat filled tortillas dipped in an adobo sauce? It’s food porn at its finest.
Wanna take the Birria fun a step further? Try Twisted‘s Beef Birria Party Bowls, while you’re at it…
Pink Sauce
@chef.pii
Pink Sauce is perhaps the weirdest TikTok sensation of the year, and that’s saying something. With 599.8 million views, videos around this rather garish product begun after private chef and app user, Chef Pii begun selling it on the platform.
It’s safe to say that the product had a certified moment when the Miami-based chef shared a video of herself dunking a chicken wing into the stuff on the app. Of course, it’s not hard to see why: the sauce is literally pink as can be – Gen Z eat your heart out.
What happened after the Pink Sauce hype took over is the most fascinating part. When Chef Pii started selling it, things weren’t quite as they seemed.
As you’d expect with a little known brand that has blown up from TikTok out of the blue, people became dubious about its health and safety guidelines really quickly, especially when they noticed a lack of ingredients on the packet.
The label also had several errors on it, and she neglected to tell people to put it in the fridge.
But now that all those issues have been ironed out, she’s having the last laugh. You’ll soon be able to buy Pink Sauce in Walmart. TikTok’s influence is real folks.
Cinnamon Rolls
https://www.tiktok.com/@mxriyum/video/7058017771182902574?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=cinnamon%20rolls&t=1673520414535
What differentiates a TikTok cinnamon roll recipe from a normal cinnamon roll recipe? Basically, it’s insanely easy and eye-wateringly calorific.
We’re very much here for both of those things, and the 597 million views show we’re not the only ones, either.
READ MORE: We tried to cook steak in a toaster after the recipe went viral
You can make them with a can of jumbo cinnamon rolls, which you place in a pan and slather with heavy cream. Then, all you need to do is brush it with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar, and bake.
When it comes out of the oven, top with the icing that comes with your pack, alongside butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.
They’re a sugar rush in a mouthful, but damn, they look good.
Nacho Tables
https://www.tiktok.com/@mazzzzzruh/video/7159371097064869163?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&q=NACHOTABLE&t=1673527217661
Remember the charcuterie boards we mentioned earlier? You could say that nacho tables are like this, but on acid.
Yup, we take your delicately placed meat and cheese and present you a literal table covered in different tortilla chips, salsas and dips. The clue is in the name, people.
It’s unsurprising there have been 415.1 million views on videos containing nacho tables – they really are a gloriously messy spectacle.
Plonk down some tin foil on your table and then you’re free to drizzle cheese sauce, pickled onions and guac as you please.
We’re not going to lie, the double dipping is a tad unhygienic and we wouldn’t wanna be present for the clean-up afterwards, but they sure look a treat.
Butter boards
@justine_snacks I like this one idk I’m in a silly goofy butter mood
Ah, butter boards, the latest TikTok trend to send us all loopy. They came on the scene in autumn, after food creator @justine_snacks shared her own version on social media, and there’s no denying they look the part.
The idea is you fill a board with lashings of really good quality, slightly cooled butter and spread it out using a palatte knife.
READ MORE: We tried the Internet’s ‘best-ever’ scrambled eggs recipe and we’re never using another one
Then, you can add whatever toppings you want to it. We’re talking chunky sea salt, fresh herbs, chillies, lemon zest or even edible flowers.
As with nacho tables, there’s no denying the inevitable germ spread involved if you’re sharing one of these.
Saying that, we’re all for a trend which validates our need to smear huge knobs of butter onto our bread without any shame. Given the 358.4 million views they’ve amassed in such a short time, it’s clear we’re not the only ones.
Twisted’s standout TikTok trends
Corn mania
@timmyjefferson836 Original Corn song #corn #fyp #funny #viral #itscorn #kid #song
We can’t round up 2022’s TikTok trends without talking about the corn kid. Yup, forget Kim K, little Tariq broke the internet in summer with his innocent infatuation with all things corn.
What followed was nothing short of a zeitgeist moment. If you heard the words “for me, I really like corn,” you’d instantly know where they were from.
Tariq’s corn musings then found themselves in a ridiculously addictive song, remixed by the The Gregory Brothers, and September 3rd was even declared “Official Corn-bassador Tariq Day.”
We’d go as far as to say the corn kid even influenced people to cook more of his favourite vegetable. We even got involved here at Twisted.
TikTok makes a lot of questionable people famous – but Tariq? We wish all celebrities were like him.
Messy dinners
@the3holmboys Not sure we will do it again but was fun 😝 #momofboys #messydinner #momlife #fyp #foryourpage #viral #momof3 #dinnertime #funmom
Messy dinners take nacho boards to yet another bonkers level. Originally invented as a sensory experience for kids, they have since been picked up by TikTok users wanting to try a quirky new way of eating.
The trend basically involves plastering your table in cling film and then tipping whatever you’ve cooked onto it, so you cut the washing up and garner a priceless reaction from whoever you’re serving the meal to.
READ MORE: We tried the TikTok baked feta pasta recipe to see if it’s as good as everyone says
Fancy some spaghetti bolognese? Splat, out of the pan it goes, and straight onto the table, with a meaty sauce following shortly afterwards.
Then, lucky diners are encouraged to dive in with a knife and fork, battling each other for strands of the pasta like lady and the tramp, and inevitably staining all of their clothes in the first place.
Obviously, messy dinners are inherently a stupid idea. We mean, what’s wrong with having your own plate, knife and fork?
If that’s how you want to spend your dinner time, though, then who are we to judge? It certainly saves the job of loading the dishwasher…
Trypophobia foods
@twisted #triggerwarning Does @hughwoodward0 trypophobia lasagne make you feel funny?🕳 #trypophobia #lasagnerecipe #lasagnerolls
We regret to inform you that TikTok is coming for your phobias now, and bringing them to you through the medium of food.
Take trypophobia, for example. It’s a fear of or disgust towards closely packed holes, and TikTokers quickly discovered that loads of foods have aesthetics that could leave sufferers quivering.
From spaghetti hoops gathered in a tin to honeycomb pasta (which is essentially a rigatoni pasta pie), this trend is designed to leave you triggered and also very hungry in one fell swoop.
You know what they say… if you can’t beat them, join them. We actually got involved with this one on Twisted (check out our trypophobia lasagne if you can stomach it!).
Ultra-lifelike cakes
@sugargeekshow Do you want to see how I made this realistic toilet cake? #isitcake #toiletcake #realisticcake #sugargeekshow
Ultra lifelike cakes have been a social media hit for yonks, but it’s hard to ignore the fact they had a resurgence in 2022, thanks to a certain Netflix show.
Is It Cake? took everybody’s most bonkers social media trend and televised it, tasking contestants with creating cakes that looked like every-day objects, and asking panellists to try and decipher which is actually a baked good.
It was absolutely nuts from start to finish, but the most mental part was the TikTok furore that followed.
Like we were back in 2020 (when the trend first went viral thanks to a compilation of Turkish baker Tuba Geçkìl’s creations), suddenly, people were making everything from toilets to Converse trainers out of cake and flooding our feeds with the confusing but captivating vids.
This trend will give you trust issues, but we’re of the opinion that it’ll never get old.
Getting roasted by Gordon Ramsay
@gordonramsayofficial #duet with @614lyfe Hope this doesn’t ruin your Fry-day🤦♂️ Seriously ?!? #ramsayreacts #tiktokcooks #fries
Love him or hate him, Gordon Ramsay has cemented himself into the TikTok conversation this year.
His videos reacting to people’s cooking have become a coveted badge of honour for anybody who rates their tekkers in the kitchen. But be warned, he’s highly likely to rip your food to shreds – you’ve gotta seriously back yourself in order to stand up to his scrutiny.
Gordon has been doing his reaction vids for a good couple of years now, but they’ve reached such a level of viral that people are tagging him in all of their posts, desperate to get a read on what he thinks of their wellingtons.
Cruel as he may be to amateur chefs, there’s no denying it’s amusing to watch his horror as he claps eyes with some of TikTok’s most rancid delicacies, from spaghetti slathered in caramel sauce to chocolate covered Spam (we wish we were making these up.)
What is to come on TikTok in 2023? (Credit: Alamy)
So, there you have it – the highlights (and lowlights) of TikTok in 2022. As for what’s to come in 2023… we’ll just have to wait and see.
Here’s hoping it involves another cute kid singing about a vegetable – we could all do with that wholesome energy, tbh.
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