Consumer preferences today are increasingly shaped by social media virality. A single viral post can shift purchasing behavior at an unprecedented scale, influencing hundreds of millions of potential customers almost overnight. Understanding these viral trends isn't just a curiosity—it’s a competitive advantage. Businesses that act quickly on these insights can avoid missed opportunities and supply chain challenges.
How businesses can act on these insights:
This past holiday season provided a clear example: one viral TikTok recipe for macaroni casserole caused a nationwide shortage of cavatappi pasta. Trends like this don’t just affect grocery shelves—they impact inventory planning, supply chain logistics, and consumer expectations in ways that brands, agencies, and retailers must anticipate.
By leveraging Quid, businesses can stay ahead of emerging trends, predicting future demand shifts before they result in shortages or missed opportunities. In this post, we’ll demonstrate how Quid identifies and tracks viral recipe trends using our AI-powered suite of tools, helping brands and retailers respond proactively. The same methodology can be applied to other industries such as fashion, personal finance, travel, or entertainment.
Our trend analysis today focuses on TikTok data. While thousands of recipes are uploaded to the platform daily, our goal is to pinpoint the truly viral ones. By isolating these high-engagement posts and analyzing them within Quid Discover, we can uncover the next breakout ingredient—before it becomes a supply chain issue.
The network map above represents a broad view of viral recipe trends on TikTok. When analyzing Quid Discover maps, focusing on the periphery is crucial—these are the clusters that represent emerging trends. While the core topics such as Global Recipes and Innovative Desserts provide meaningful insights, the most disruptive trends often appear on the edges before moving to the mainstream.
By identifying these peripheral clusters early, businesses can act on high-potential trends before they reach peak virality. Let’s explore some of the trends hidden in this data.
One of the more unexpected findings in our analysis is the growing popularity of cottage cheese as a pizza ingredient. As seen in the network map above, the Pizza Trends cluster includes a variety of high-protein and alternative meal ideas, including cottage cheese flatbread and other innovative takes on traditional pizza recipes.
Our AI-generated cluster summary highlights key insights:
This cluster explores a range of viral recipes and cooking trends, from breakfast quiches to high-protein snacks, including dishes like cottage cheese flatbread, watermelon feta sandwich, and various stuffed peppers. Key features include easy meal prep ideas, health-conscious options like low-carb and high-protein meals, and the social aspect of sharing cooking experiences on TikTok. Popular items mentioned are chopped sandwiches, garlic-stuffed bagels, and pizza sandwiches, emphasizing community and easy, tasty meal preparation.
To understand if this trend is part of a larger movement, we zoomed out and analyzed the broader cottage cheese conversation on TikTok.
This map highlights a broader network of high-protein meals featuring cottage cheese, spanning multiple food categories. Interestingly, while the cottage cheese pizza and flatbread represents just 5.6% of these recipes, its growing presence signals a shift in consumer interest toward high-protein, versatile ingredients in everyday meals.
By pivoting this network to a timeline view, we gain even more insight into seasonal spikes. For example, global cottage cheese delicacies saw a significant spike in August 2024, with sustained popularity into early 2025. This suggests that cottage cheese has become more than just a passing fad—it’s a trend that brands in the dairy, health food, and grocery industries should be paying attention to. We can also see the health and diet side of this conversation remain a constant, perhaps just waiting for the right viral recipe to cause a spike.
The cottage cheese conversation on TikTok is not just confined to one market or demographic. A closer look at the network reveals clusters representing diverse global culinary traditions. For instance, the top-right section of the network highlights Indian-inspired dishes such as paneer-based recipes and cottage cheese desserts. This suggests that no matter where your market or customer base lies, there are valuable insights to be gained from viral content. Brands with an international presence can use these insights to localize product offerings and engage more effectively with different consumer segments.
The top-left section of the cottage cheese network focuses on clusters related to weight loss and keto-friendly diets. These clusters underscore cottage cheese’s rising popularity as a high-protein, low-carb option that aligns with current health and wellness trends. The crossover between fitness enthusiasts and food influencers creates a unique opportunity for brands to tap into a dual market: health-conscious consumers seeking practical, nutritious meal solutions. We can also see these healthy clusters connect back into our Cottage Cheese Flatbread cluster…bringing us full circle to what brought us down this rabbit hole.
Understanding viral trends is more than just a curiosity—it’s a competitive advantage. For brands, grocers, and food manufacturers, recognizing a surge in demand for specific ingredients can mean the difference between capitalizing on an opportunity or scrambling to react too late. The ability to anticipate consumer demand is more valuable than ever. In an era where a single TikTok can reshape entire supply chains, businesses that leverage AI-driven trend analysis have a strategic advantage.
By using Quid’s advanced trend analysis and market analytics, companies can proactively identify viral trends, assess their potential impact, and take action before the market reacts. Today, it’s cottage cheese pizza—tomorrow, it could be an entirely new culinary phenomenon.
Want to see how Quid predicts trends in your industry? Reach out to us today!
Matt Smith
Solutions Engineer