Plant-based alternatives: Why brands can win with new flavor innovation

Plant-based alternative brands are missing opportunities to attract consumers due to a lack of new flavor innovation. A gap has emerged between consumer expectations of taste and flavor in alt-meat and alt-dairy categories and what brands are delivering, contributing to market stagnation but also creating opportunities for brands to shine in a competitive arena.

Innova Market Insights has found that 30% of global consumers cite a lack of taste or flavor as a negative characteristic they associate with plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan foods. But, at the same time, there is low product launch activity across flavor categories in these markets.

“Whether these expectations of improved taste and flavor come from new plant-based eaters or committed vegetarians, they signal receptivity to new flavor innovation across product categories,” Lu Ann Williams, global SVP Research at Innova Market Insights, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Our analysis shows low percentages of launches across flavor categories and subcategories, leaving plenty of room for innovation around flavor, texture, and format, whether evoking regional cuisines, better-for-you offerings, culinary methods or finishes, layering, or blends and cross-category mashups.”

Interestingly, 60% of global consumers agree, or strongly agree, that plant-based alternative flavors will eventually improve. Click to discover the Innova 360 Flavor Report, “Plant-Based Innovation – Global” (August 2025), on which this article is based.Will the taste of plant-based alternatives improve? Sixty percent of global consumers agree it will.

Flavor opportunities in plant-based protein

Alternative meat and dairy products are now widely accepted, relieving brands of their initial launch constraints. This freedom creates opportunities for ambitious brands to innovate in taste and flavor. Alt-meat has progressed beyond ground meats and meatballs to mimic larger formats like steak, chicken breast, and fish, making flavor quality and variation even more important.

With their growing purchasing power, Gen Z consumers drive the demand for more exciting flavor choices. Innova has revealed that one-third of Gen Z consumers globally say they are ready to try more flavors in non-dairy drinks — almost double the percentage of Boomers who claimed the same. 

“Raised on TikTok and exposed to influencers, younger consumers don’t want to settle for ‘ho-hum’ flavor. Instead, they seek full-throttled flavor experiences, whether rich and umami-based or bold and evocative of an authentic regional cuisine. Spicy no longer relates to just heat scale but is nuanced by pepper or chili variety and layered for complexity, perhaps with herbal blends,” says Williams.

“In categories such as snacks and ready meals, even Mediterranean, Asian, and Indian Masala flavors still account for a relatively small share of launches, leaving an open playing field of seemingly untapped rich, international cuisines. The key for manufacturers will be to focus on authentic flavor with depth and complexity that represents genuine international flavors, rather than watered-down facsimiles.”

This flavor innovation challenge has attracted American businessman Jeff Bezos, who has invested US$60 million in his Center for Sustainable Protein to improve the quality and taste of plant-based products.

Meanwhile, the rise of the health-conscious consumer brings flavors with function and wellness benefits into focus. For example, green tea or turmeric may be paired with other flavors, or childhood favorite flavors may be melded with better-for-you ingredients for a “surprise and delight” effect.Gen Z consumers are lining up for “full-throttled flavor experiences,” says Lu Ann Williams, global SVP Research at Innova Market Insights.

Symrise’s AI-powered flavor innovation

Symrise is one of the food ingredients leaders targeting new flavor innovation in plant-based alternatives. Food Ingredients First speaks to Dirk Neudorf, senior global marketing manager for Food & Beverage — Taste, Nutrition & Health, at the company.

Neudorf explains that the perceived lack of flavor innovation in plant-based alternatives stems from the inherent sensory challenges presented by many protein bases. Each plant protein source — whether soy, pea, or algae — comes with a distinct profile of off-notes and taste characteristics that manufacturers might find difficult to overcome.

“Successfully introducing novel and exciting flavors requires creativity and a deep understanding of how to balance and mask these intrinsic attributes. Symrise’s proprietary technologies and extensive flavor expertise allow us to identify and address these challenges, empowering our customers to move beyond basic palatability and create truly innovative and delicious plant-based products.”

“Leveraging over 150 years of flavor expertise, we employ advanced proprietary technologies like ProtiScan to precisely analyze the sensory profiles of diverse protein sources, enabling us to mask off-notes and amplify desirable taste characteristics expertly.”

“Coupled with our commitment to sustainable sourcing through our ‘code of nature’ portfolio, we accelerate our customers’ advantage with integrated solutions that deliver ‘wow’ taste and meet consumer demand for natural, clean label, and environmentally conscious options, driving product success and consumer loyalty.”

Symrise expects taste to remain crucial to the consumer acceptance of plant-based products. As new product development accelerates, trendy tastes will remain a key differentiator. Symrise has developed its AI-enhanced trend forecasting tool, Symvision AI, to drive new flavor innovation in plant-based alternatives.