The 2026 flavor of the year, as predicted by McCormick

December 11, 2025·Darcie

The spice company McCormick, in part of its annual report on dining trends, has predicted that black currant will be the breakout flavor of the coming year. They also predict that 'little luxuries' will continue to be popular, and say that black currant goes hand-in-hand with that trend. Last year, the company named ají amarillo as the flavor of 2025.

McCormick dispatched about 80 people across the globe to identify trends. They discovered black currant in liqueur, vinegar, soft drinks, and as a pork glaze in different spots around the world. This goal of this report is not so much to track emerging trends as to drive them, which is why McCormick chooses a flavor that many people are not that familiar with.

The EYB Library contains over 775 online recipes for blackcurrant (there are 300 online recipes with crème de cassis). If you are looking to experiment with black currants, try one of these delicious recipes from the Library:

Easy blackcurrant jam from Tin and Thyme by Choclette
Paul's blackcurrant and liquorice Swiss roll by Paul Hollywood
Blackcurrant friands from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi
Blackcurrant and crème fraîche tart from Diana Henry at The Sunday Telegraph by Diana Henry (pictured)
Black currant ice cream from Leite's Culinaria by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

5 comments

goodfruitDecember 11, 2025

Last I checked, we don't grow blackcurrants in the USA. Which makes getting anything with blackcurrant difficult and probably expensive. I have to go to a European specialty market to get any product like blackcurrant syrup or tea. I've loved blackcurrant flavors for years, but I predict this is bad timing because of importing tariffs. As for Aji Amarillo, I've also used that for years, it's terrific anywhere that you would use any kind of chile powder or any kind of pepper seasoning. You don't need to wait until you make Peruvian Chicken!

JennyDecember 12, 2025

In reply to an earlier comment

Blackcurrants are grown in the USA, primarily in the Northeast (NY, CT, ME) and Pacific Northwest (OR, WA), after a long federal ban lifted restrictions in 2003. Some states still have restrictions.

TeruskaDecember 12, 2025

There are several farmers in the Hudson Valley that grow black currents.

averythingcooksDecember 12, 2025

Jamie Oliver started me on adding blackcurrant jam to various sauces for meats.... I just EYB'd my bookshelf and got 8 hits...7 of which were savory recipes. I now try always have a jar of it in my fridge :)

rollyridgeDecember 14, 2025

Happy to hear that blackcurrants are being given the notoriety they deserve. I've been growing them in my garden in Oregon for decades and they've been available at my farmer's market for almost as long, despite what 'goodfruit' says. I also just picked the last Aji Amarillo peppers from my garden this for this season.