McCormick announced the Flavor Forecast 25th Edition, their annual report on the latest culinary trends, shaping the way people prepare and enjoy food worldwide. With this year's report, McCormick unveils its 2025 Flavor of the Year: Aji Amarillo, a pepper native to South America featuring fruity, tropical notes with moderate heat. McCormick is offering a taste of this standout flavor with their new Aji Amarillo Seasoning, available for a limited time online beginning early February. In celebration of the milestone Flavor Forecast 25th Edition, McCormick will also host its first-ever Flavor Night Market in Miami, FL, and is inviting guests to step into an immersive flavor experience inspired by the Flavor of the Year.

The McCormick 2025 Flavor of the Year

The McCormick 2025 Flavor of the Year, Aji Amarillo, which translates to 'yellow chile pepper' in English, is a pepper grown in Peru and native to South America that is a staple ingredient in Peruvian cuisine. Despite its name, the yellow pepper turns orange when fully mature. The vibrant pepper has fruity, tropical notes, reminiscent of passion fruit and mango, with a moderate heat ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Today, Aji Amarillo is trending beyond Peruvian cuisine, showing up as a key ingredient in appetizers, drinks, entrees and more, with an anticipated 59% menu growth over the next four years1.

The McCormick Flavor Forecast 25th Edition

McCormick has defined flavor for over 135 years. Established in 2000, the McCormick Flavor Forecast is the company's annual global trend report, which has predicted flavors like pumpkin pie spice, chipotle, ube, Korean BBQ, Ube, Swicy and more. The report explores what is shaping the future of flavor at home, restaurants, and grocery stores. It's crafted through a blend of primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative research, including on-the-ground research across the globe, as well as social listening insights, SEO trends, and more. It encompasses flavor, culinary trends and stories, cooking techniques and applications, exploring trends on the cusp of adoption around the world.

Flavor predictions and trends identified in the Flavor Forecast 25th Edition include:

- Tropical Vibes: In this trend, taste buds travel through warm-weather flavors and cuisines to taste tropical fruits, seafood, and island and beach cuisines.
- Charred & Smoked: These culinary techniques underline and emphasize the natural characteristics of a dish or ingredient. Smoky, charred, roasted and ultra-caramelized notes come through in unique ways and a variety of applications.
- Deliciously Unexpected: This trend is all about reimagined familiar ingredients and deliciously unexpected combinations, evoking curiosity and cravings. Early evidence of this includes the chili cucumber salad trend that has amassed nearly 23 million views on TikTok.