A Touch of Texture

Food needs to do more than taste good – texture helps it feel good too. Crunchy, chewy, silky and creamy elements make dishes more engaging, encouraging customers to notice every bite. Adding texture can touch on our emotions, bringing excitement, theatre or even a sense of comfort to even the simplest menu item.

Crunchy, crispy, chewy, silky, creamy, fudgy, brittle, flaky and juicy all have a role to play. Crunch brings instant impact, while softer textures add richness and indulgence. The real opportunity comes from mixing them together, creating dishes and drinks that deliver more than one sensation.
Interest in ‘silky’ desserts is up 169% year on year, while ‘playful’ is up 130% and ‘fudgy’ up 67%. **

Texture is about much more than mouthfeel. The crackle of a crispy coating, snap of brittle or pop of boba add sound, while layers, toppings, foams and fillings create visual appeal and a sense of creamy comfort. Together, taste, touch, sight and sound make the whole eating experience feel more immersive and memorable.

Texture can make dishes feel more considered and premium without relying on expensive ingredients. A crisp garnish, toasted seeds or nuts, a crunchy crumb or crumble, crispy onions, a sweet brittle or brûlée, or a cold foam or whipped topping can give familiar food and drink the feeling that they have been ‘finished’ or ‘crafted’, helping operators increase perceived value while keeping operational changes relatively minimal.

Some of the most satisfying texture experiences come from opposites: crispy with creamy, chewy with crunchy, soft with brittle or juicy with crispy. These contrasts keep every bite interesting and can make familiar formats feel more indulgent and carefully crafted without changing their core appeal.

Texture has scope across the whole menu. It can bring crunch to savoury dishes, contrasts and bite to desserts, and layers, toppings and inclusions to drinks. From breakfasts and bowls to burgers, sweet treats and puds, iced coffees and smoothies, small textural additions can make everyday favourites feel fresh and exciting.

Cold foam brings a smooth, velvety layer to iced coffee, matcha and other chilled drinks. Flavoured foams, whipped coffee and protein cold foam can add colour, theatre and a premium cue too. Finish with spice, crunchy toppings, chocolate shards or shavings, crumbs or nuts for another layer of texture.

Popping boba, fruit pieces, jellies, cream layers and crunchy toppings blur the line between drink and snack. They add texture, bursts of flavour and colour, making iced teas, lemonades, smoothies and soft drinks more playful, interactive and appealing.

Layered drinks combine visual appeal with changing flavour and texture. Iced coffees, matcha drinks, smoothies and lemonades can be built with syrups, purées, milk, fruit pieces, jellies, cream or foam, building from denser ingredients to lighter ones. This creates an eye-catching, crafted-looking drink that changes as it is stirred and sipped.

Soft desserts are the perfect backdrop for a little crunch or crack. Crumble, biscuit crumb, granola, brittle, brûlée, praline and crisp pastry (like filo) can transform mousses, cheesecakes, sundaes, yoghurt bowls and ice cream, adding height, contrast and a more indulgent, handmade feel.

Pistachio, cashew and other nuts, or even seeds, bring crunch, richness, colour and premium cues. Tastewise shows menu interest in pistachio up 81% year on year and cashew up 72%**. Use them across gelato, cakes, pastries, cheesecakes and sundaes to create satisfying crunchy-creamy contrast.

Seeds, grains, crispy onions, crunchy slaws, kimchi and pickles, toasted breads and crisp coatings can give savoury dishes an instant lift. Sprinkle, layer or garnish them across salads, bowls, burgers, tacos and sandwiches to create contrast and perceived value while keeping the core dish recognisable and operationally simple.

Texture creates natural opportunities for upgrades. Offer choices of cold foam, popping boba, nut toppings, crispy finishes or premium crumbles as optional extras, or build them into limited-edition serves. Small additions can increase perceived value, support premium pricing and give customers a reason to personalise and trade up.

Words such as crispy, silky, fudgy, chewy, crunchy and creamy help customers imagine the experience before they order. Highlight genuine textural contrasts in menu descriptions – a ‘silky chocolate mousse with pistachio crunch’ sounds far more tempting than simply listing the ingredients.

You don’t need to invent entirely new dishes. Instead, you can bring a touch of texture to refresh your best sellers. Add toasted grains to salads, crunchy slaw to burgers, filo to cheesecake, nut crumble to cakes or seeded toppings to breakfast bowls. Familiarity keeps dishes accessible, while texture brings novelty and makes established favourites feel fresh again.

Think beyond flavour when designing a dish. Consider what customers will see, hear and feel as well as taste. Build in contrasting textures, visible layers, colour and satisfying sounds such as crunch, crackle and snap, so every element and ingredient contributes to the experience from the first bite to the last.

Often, the easiest route into this trend lies in the final touches. Toasted nuts, seeds, crispy onions, chilli crunch, cold foam or whipped toppings, biscuit crumb, granola, brittle shards or crispy pastry strands can be added just before serving. This gives food and drink greater visual appeal, contrast and a stronger sense of craft and value.

Texture offers plenty of opportunities to make school and university menus feel more interesting. Crunchy toppings, dips, layered drinks, fruit pieces and popping boba add colour, playfulness and interaction to familiar formats. This helps everyday food and drink feel more exciting without making dishes unfamiliar or difficult to deliver.