Sponsored by Kellanova
Operators are cultivating sales and driving menu excitement with plant-based menu items that incorporate flavorful, globally inspired sauces and builds to meet the demands of today’s adventurous consumers.
Nearly three fourths of consumers—72%—report being interested in global flavors, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2022 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast. In addition, 82% of consumers are drawn to foods and beverages with hot and spicy flavors, according to the 2023 FMCG Gurus, Flavor, Color and Texture Global Trends report.
These trends coincide with the widespread growth of plant-based foods on foodservice menus, as operators seek to accommodate the evolving demands of consumers opting for more plant-based diets.
Nearly half—48.4%—of all restaurants offered plant-based alternatives in 2022, according to The State of Plant-Based in Foodservice report from the Plant Based Foods Association and Datassential. That’s up 33% from 2018, and up 62% from 2012.
The report found that 28% of U.S. consumers had a high affinity for plant-based foods, including 31% of women and 24% of men. Gen Z and millennials were more likely than older consumers to report strong interest in plant based, and Asian consumers were more interested in those foods than other ethnicities. Patrons of fast-casual restaurants also reported strong interest in plant-based, followed by patrons of casual-dining venues.
The report also found that taste was the top concern among consumers when it came to eating less meat in restaurants. Forty percent of the general population cited taste as a concern, including 48% of daily meat eaters.
The significant interest in plant-based proteins is driving operators to pursue flavorful innovation in menu development around plant-based items, including incorporating globally inspired flavors and ingredients.
Incorporate trending flavor profiles
What’s exciting about global inspiration is the flavor enhancements an operator can introduce to excite its consumers. Kellanova Chef Heath Schecter suggests African flavors such as harissa, which present opportunities for new plant-based menu items.
Harissa, a spice blend commonly used in North African cuisines that has been gaining considerable traction on U.S. menus, can be used to add global flair to plant-based dishes, such as the Grilled Vegetable Skewer at Primo Piatto in Disney’s Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida. In addition to harissa-marinated vegetables, it includes plant-based cucumber yogurt, lemon-tomato vinaigrette, and quinoa salad served over a grilled pita. Using harissa helps transform this from a typical grilled veggie dish into something more firmly grounded in North African/Middle Eastern culinary tradition.
In addition, Asian foods from specific regions have been gaining traction, including the fermented flavors of Korea and a variety of Filipino foods.
“You don’t always have to recreate an existing dish,” says Schecter. “You can take a common dish and add trending flavor profiles.”
He cites as another example the opportunity to pair an on-trend dipping or coating sauce with MorningStar Farms® Homestyle Chik’n Tenders. Schecter also suggests that operators take note of existing flavors in products, such as the MorningStar Farms® Chorizo Crumbles with flavors of cumin and coriander.
“Think. What other cuisines use those spices?” he says. “Indian and Middle Eastern foods include cumin and coriander in their spice blends. So don’t always look at plant-based products as ‘Mexican chorizo’ or ‘Italian sausage.’ You really need to think outside the box and think about how you can use these plant-based ingredients to expand the palate and incorporate other global flavors.”
For example, consider these recipes from Kellanova Away From Home:
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with MorningStar Farms® Plant-Based Chorizo Crumbles
- Maui MorningStar Farms® Chipotle Black Bean Burger
- MorningStar Farms® Homestyle Chik'n & Waffles with Honey Thyme Butter
Use it just like a meat product
Mason Hereford, a New Orleans-based chef-restaurateur, agrees that using flavorful plant-based meat analogs such as those from MorningStar Farms® allows operators to take advantage of the formulations that have already been incorporated into these products.
“A lot of the work has been done for you,” he says. “Because of how well they have created it, you can use it almost like you would a meat product.”
Operators can simply look to layer on other compatible flavors, leveraging the taste profiles that have already been built into the plant-based products, Hereford says.
“If you can do a global take on a burger, you can certainly do it on a plant-based burger, and the same goes for a chicken product, and whatever other product you choose,” he says.
For example, Herford has created a recipe for a chicken parmesan-style sub sandwich with a Calabrian chili mayonnaise and a sunflower seed pesto, using MorningStar Farms® Chik’n Tenders. He also offered the Chik’n Tenders with dipping sauces such as Chimichurri Ranch, Hot Cherry Pepper Romesco, or Guajillo BBQ.
“We started from a place of knowing what sauces go well with fried chicken, and it’s not a stretch to apply them to this MorningStar Farms® product,” says Hereford.
Another recipe he has tried was for Baja fish taco-style dish, using the MorningStar Farms® Chik’n Tenders, topped with coleslaw.
When using plant-based meat substitutes, Hereford suggests ensuring that the sauces and other toppings are also plant-based. This allows vegan diners to enjoy the dishes as well.
He says offering plant-based dishes help restaurants broaden their appeal.
“When you have a group of people come into the restaurant, and one or two of them are vegan, it’s nice that you can have them participate in the same level of craftsmanship and creativity that the other diners have access to,” Hereford says.
“Using plant-based replacements can open you up to new customers,” he says. “That’s how it worked with us.”
For more ideas, recipes and inspiration, visit Kellanova Away From Home.
