Cracking the trends: how nuts bring indulgence, texture, and global flavours to bakery

Pistachio is everywhere right now. From croissants to doughnuts, biscuits, and even tiramisu, there is no escaping the green hue, indulgent flavour, and nutty finish in bakery.

The nut has gone from “niche patisserie ingredient to mainstream flavour hero”, according to Anthony Saison, head of category insights & customer marketing at Mademoiselle Desserts.

Riding the high of the Dubai chocolate trend – which sees it paired with chocolate and crispy knafeh (a fine shredded pastry) – pistachio has soared to become a beacon for on-trend indulgence.

Five pistachio bakery launches

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Dubai Style Pistachio Brownie, Co-op: This limited-edition brownie, part of the retailer’s premium Irresistible tier, comprises a rich Fairtrade chocolate base topped with a layer of crunchy pistachio and kadaif filling (shredded filo pastry), and finished with a layer of smooth milk chocolate and pistachio nibs.

Source: Co-op

Pistachio & Hazelnut Crème Croisnut, Wenzel’s the Bakers: Created in response to the social media craze for Dubai Chocolate, this croissant-doughnut hybrid has a crisp exterior and soft layers, filled with chocolate cream and crowned with a pistachio glaze, chocolate sauce, and a sprinkle of crushed nuts.

Source: Wenzel's the Bakers

Pistachio Tiramisu, Aldi: Part of the retailer’s Christmas range, this tiramisu has layers of lady fingers soaked in coffee and brandy syrup, layered with pistachio and mascarpone mousse, topped with chopped pistachios and finished with gold glitter.

Source: Aldi

Pistachio Cookie, M&S: M&S sought to level up the indulgence of its in-store bakery cookies with the creation of the Chunked ‘n’ Loaded range. One of the three options was a pistachio one which has a cookie base made from Wildfarmed flour with white chocolate chips and nibbed pistachio throughout. It is flavoured with Sicilian lemon oil, filled with pistachio butter and cream cheese filling, hand finished with white chocolate drizzle and crushed pistachios.

Source: M&S

Pistachio Cake, Cake Box: Part of five-strong range inspired by South Asian desserts, which includes a Dubai Chocolate Cake, this Pistachio Cake sees the ingredient used in a myriad of ways. It features a a nut-flavoured sponge with subtle roasted notes smothered in pistachio cream with pistachio pieces around the sides and pieces of Pista Barfi (a fudgy Indian sweet made primarily from pistachios, milk, and sugar) on top.

Source: Cake Box

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But its allure goes far beyond the hype of being a signature part of a viral flavour combination.

“Pistachio sits at the intersection of indulgence, health cues, and global flavour exploration,” explains Tom Smalley, commodities buyer at wholesaler (and reigning Supplier of the Year) Bako.

While its use has undoubtedly generated sales in droves for bakery businesses, and the wider food & drink industry, demand has placed pressure on supply chains.

“The meteoric rise in the popularity of pistachio, for example, across bakery and desserts coupled with poor pistachio harvests has resulted in a global shortage of the nut and spikes in prices,” explains Jacqui Passmore, marketing lead West EU & AMEAP at Dawn Foods.

Prices jumped 30% in a year, according to Keinia Industrial Group which specialises in the production and distribution of nuts. European wholesale prices for pistachios sat at €14 per kg in early 2024, rising to €20 per kg in early 2025.

Drought and other challenges

Pistachio isn’t the only one to feel the squeeze of late. Almonds, which dominate in bakery by volume according to Bako, are also under pressure. They’re “incredibly versatile, [have] great flavour, reliable functionality, and strong nutrition credentials” meaning they show up everywhere from Bakewell tarts to macarons, and gluten-free bakes.

While demand has stayed relatively steady, weather (and by extension market) conditions have not.

“Almonds… are becoming harder and more expensive to source,” notes Kirsty Matthews, brand manager at Macphie. “Drought conditions in California and parts of Europe, combined with global trade and cost pressures, have made the supply of almonds increasingly volatile.”

This is leading some to look for alternatives. As Matthews questions: “what happens when familiar ingredients are no longer guaranteed?” The answer. Reformulation is put on the table to create recipes that can “withstand the unpredictable, without compromising on taste or quality”, she adds.

There are some benefits that come with this. While nuts tap into indulgence, health cues, and more, they are also an allergen. Gloucestershire-based Hobbs House Bakery, for example, recently axed its almond croissant as part of a wider move to make its central bakery nut-free.

There are several options in the market for achieving this, particularly flavourings – something flavour specialist I.T.S says many of its bakery customers are turning to.

Natural nut flavours can be used alongside or instead of nuts, “not only saving on cost but offering a stable supply chain too” notes I.T.S bakery specialist Liz Gabriel. “Natural nut flavours deliver all the buttery nutty notes of the real product but are completely allergen-free too, making production easy and allergen declarations simpler for nut-free sites,” she adds.

Format, texture, and function

Despite prices and availability serving up challenges for the nation’s bakers, they’re still keen to take advantage of consumers’ increased interest in particular flavours and formats.

“It can be a challenge in this climate for bakers in all channels to meet the latest bakery flavour trend or social media sensation while maintaining finished product costs,” Dawn Foods’ Passmore adds.

As such, the firm advises bakers to reduce the inclusion of whole or chopped nuts and maximise the use of ready-to-use nut-based fillings and flavour compounds.

“These ingredients will not only provide the authentic nut flavour and visual appeal, but enhance the sensory profile of the finished product, and result in consistent cost management too,” she says.

The experts suggest this may already be happening with many pointing to the rise of nut creams and butters, as well as nut-based flours, to bring a luxurious and ready-to-use element to bakes.

“Texture is the new frontier in flavour, and nuts are a big part of that” 

“We’re seeing pistachio reimagined as a luxurious cream or butter, for example, used as a swirl in loaf cakes or a filling in buns. Gianduja, laminated dough and puff pastry are also moving beyond the croissant and cruffin, filled and topped in bold new ways,” notes Saison at Mademoiselle Desserts.

Five nutty bakery launches

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Cherry Bakewell Muffin, Morrisons: Part of the Morrisons premium own label The Best range, these muffins feature an almond flavoured sponge filled with fruity raspberry sauce, topped with icing and a glace cherry.

Source: Morrisons

Maple Hazelnut Cookie Sandwich, Costa: A white chocolate cookie sandwich, filled with maple and caramel frosting, drizzled with icing and roasted hazelnut pieces.

Source: Costa

Gochujang Peanut Cookie, Floozie Cookies: This cookie, part of the firm new line-up which sees it venture outside of vegan-friendly products for the first time, embraces the sweet and savoury trend. It uses Korean fermented chilli paste (gochujang) as well as caramelised white chocolate, sesame, and peanuts.

Source: Floozie

Halloumi & Red Pepper Croque with Hot Honey, Paul: Nuts do well in sweet and savoury applications which is why Paul is serving halloumi, roasted red pepper, spinach and a drizzle of fiery-sweet hot honey come together on crisp toasted walnut bread.

Source: Paul Bakery

Source: Tesco

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One of the plus sides of these formats is they allow bakers to tap into demand for nuts, but with a variety of interesting textures.

“Texture is the new frontier in flavour, and nuts are a big part of that,” adds Saison. It can be seen in classic bakes, such as the use of whole walnuts on top of a coffee & walnut cake, to modern ones which sees cookies or filled topped with nut creams. “It’s all about textural storytelling – combining smooth, crunchy and creamy elements for sensory impact,” he explains.

That’s another tick in the box for nuts of all varieties then from pistachio to peanut, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and more. The flavours and textures can be enhanced further by roasting, caramelising, and pairing with ingredients which enhance their flavours.

Nuts “have become essential in the baker’s larder, pulling double duty as functional ingredients and premium decorations”, adds Smalley. “2025 may be the ‘pistachio year,’ but almonds still anchor the category, with hazelnuts and walnuts rounding out a flavour-first toolkit. The winners in bakery will be those who marry nutrition, texture, and visual theatre, and nuts do all three brilliantly.”