The Next Dubai Chocolate is…

 

Today’s Daily Dose of Dairy blog sponsor—Idaho Milk Products—interviewed me for its Milk Theory podcast series during the recent American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) annual meeting in Chicago. Milk Theory is all about decoding the future of food by sharing insights from innovators and leaders who are shaping the multi-billion-dollar dairy industry. (Thanks Idaho Milk for making me sound and look so smart on the podcast!) I encourage you to gain insights from the 20-minute interview. You may even be sold on the idea of “ice cream for breakfast.” While you work on formulating breakfast ice cream, here’s the scoop on what may very possibly be the next Dubai Chocolate…

Let’s just say I have been very busy the past few weeks chasing food and beverage trends around the world. And, while s’mores, the classic camping dessert in the U.S., is having a moment, it’s limited to the States. The flavor that is going rampant around the world is “cheesecake.”

It has the potential to be the next Dubai chocolate, and dairy foods formulators are well poised to be forerunners in the trend, because guess what real, authentic, clean-label, simple cheesecake is made with what? Yep, it’s dairy, typically cream cheese, but the crust usually contains butter, and milk and cream are characterizing flavors, too. The multi-texture dessert complements the sensory cravings consumers now want based on their experience with Dubai chocolate, which is that combo of chocolate, pistachio and kataifi.

Cheesecake trends are moving up in social conversations, according to data from Tastewise, a food and beverage consumer intelligence company that uses purpose-built AI to transform data into growth opportunities. The social media conversation was up 17.3% in 2025, as compared to the previous year, and that is expected to continue to grow. 

Cheesecake has been gaining traction around the world, especially in Asian countries. The Japanese cheesecake movement on social media has fueled cheesecake’s notoriety. 

“But the growth is not smooth. It’s volatile, which fits a dessert category where formats, toppings and limited-time flavors can spike quickly and fade just as fast,” according to Kelia Losa Reinoso, a content writer at Tastewise. 

Reinoso explains that cheesecake is no longer a single product type. “It’s a flavor system that keeps getting repackaged into new formats, textures and consumption moments.”

Tastewise data suggests innovation opportunities in cheesecake-inspired dessert drinks, cheesecake-flavored ice cream, dessert dips and snackable bites.

“The demand is for familiar flavors in new executions. For product teams, this is where cheesecake trends shift from flavor-only to format plus texture engineering.”

Think multi-texture layers in ice cream, parfaits and yogurts. 

Tastewise Ingredient Performance shows the most popular ingredients connected to cheesecake conversations are Berry (29% social share), Chocolate (22%), Strawberry (18%), Vanilla (8.8%), Lemon (7.4%), Sugar (6.9%) and Caramel (6.6%).

At the same time, Tastewise states that some of the up-and-coming flavor combinations are Chocolate Pistachio (+104%), Chocolate Sea Salt (+102%), Strawberry Matcha (+94%) and Pecan Praline (+75%). All of these work in cheesecake and have application in dairy foods. 

Cheesecake—as a stand-alone dessert or as an inclusion in ice cream or yogurt--can also deliver on health and wellness, as the dessert is an ideal canvas for protein fortification. Might a breakfast cheesecake frozen novelty be in our future? 

Cheesecake also presents a great canvas for flavor innovation, both sweet and savory. Might the cheese component have a stronger cheese flavor, such as that of cheddar, gouda or even blue? No one says the crust should be limited to buttered-graham crackers. There’s room for exploration there, too. The cheesecake might actually function as a cracker spread or a dip for crudites. 

It’s time to get on the cheesecake trend before everyone else. This is yet another trend that dairy can lead the way.