In 2025, the top-selling bakery foods are sourdough varieties, Japanese milk bread, Korean cream cheese garlic bread, Middle Eastern pastries, and rolls. The shift toward these products stems from changing consumer preferences for global flavors, health-conscious options, and bakery items that offer both comfort and novelty, filling the bakery basket with diverse choices.
Behind the scenes, bakeries are adapting their production schedules, sourcing specialty ingredients, and training staff to master these techniques. This insight comes directly from our survey of over 200 bakery owners across North America who shared their sales data and production challenges for this year.
The Global Bakery Market
The global bakery market reached $480.23 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $731.69 billion by 2032.
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What Baked Goods are In High Demand?
Health-conscious options dominate, with gluten-free and vegan items seeing 20%+ growth.
Traditional breads like sourdough remain strong sellers due to taste and perceived authenticity.
Small-batch, artisanal products command premium prices despite economic pressures
Popularity of Gluten-Free Items and Why People Buy Them
The gluten-free bakery sector has transformed from a niche market to a mainstream powerhouse, including a variety of pies. Recent data shows a 22% growth in new bakery products with digestive health claims. This shift extends beyond those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, which affects approximately 7% of the population.
The primary drivers behind this growth are health perceptions and wellness goals. Many consumers without a medical need for gluten-free products purchase them, believing they support gut health and reduce inflammation, and find them delicious.
From a business perspective, gluten-free items command premium prices, with margins 30-40% higher than conventional products. This price differential has attracted both small bakeries and large food corporations, especially those focusing on gluten-free buns. The technical challenges of producing high-quality gluten-free items that maintain proper texture and taste have created a competitive advantage for bakeries that master these formulations.
Best-Selling Gluten-Free Products
The most profitable gluten-free items tend to be those that traditionally rely heavily on wheat flour’s structure and taste, such as bagels :
Sandwich breads (particularly those enriched with fiber and protein)
Muffins and quick breads (especially those incorporating fruit or vegetables)
Cookies and brownies (with alternative flours like almond, coconut, or cassava)
Bakeries report that the most successful gluten-free products, including scones, are those that match or exceed the taste and texture of traditional versions. Customers are willing to pay more but expect quality that doesn’t feel like a compromise.
Increasing Trend of Vegan Bakery Items, Such as Vegan Muffins, Vegan Cakes, or Vegan Croissants
Vegan baking has experienced remarkable growth, with sales increasing by approximately 27% annually since 2023. This trend extends well beyond the 2% of Americans who identify as vegan to include flexitarians and the health-conscious.
The technological advances in plant-based ingredients have dramatically improved the quality of vegan baked goods. New egg replacers derived from chickpeas, flaxseeds, and commercial products like JUST Egg have solved many texture and binding problems that once plagued vegan baking. Similarly, plant-based butter alternatives now mimic the functionality of dairy butter in croissants and laminated doughs.
Vegan baked goods appeal to three distinct customer segments:
Ethical consumers are concerned with animal welfare and environmental impact
Health-focused buyers seeking lower cholesterol options
Allergy-affected individuals avoid dairy and eggs
Notably, vegan items that perform best commercially are those that don’t actively advertise their vegan status but instead focus on flavor, quality, and ingredient transparency. This strategy has proven effective in reaching beyond the vegan demographic to capture mainstream consumers.
Rise in Demand for Traditional Bread, Like Sourdough or Bagels
Despite the growing interest in alternative diets, traditional breads—particularly sourdough—have experienced a renaissance. Sourdough sales have increased by 23% since 2023, with the COVID-era home baking trend evolving into sustained consumer demand for high-quality artisanal breads and events celebrating these products.
The appeal of sourdough lies in its perceived authenticity, digestibility, and flavor complexity. Fermentation breaks down gluten proteins and reduces phytic acid, making sourdough more digestible for many people with mild gluten sensitivity, especially when paired with cream-based toppings. This fermentation process also creates the distinctive tangy flavor that consumers increasingly prefer over neutral commercial breads.
Regional Bread Varieties are Gaining Popularity
Beyond sourdough, other traditional regional breads are seeing renewed interest:
Focaccia (Italy): Sales up 18% since 2023
Baguettes (France): Premium artisanal versions up 15%
Challah (Jewish): Growing beyond cultural boundaries at 12% annually
Rye breads (Northern Europe): Rising 14% with health-conscious consumers
These traditional breads benefit from rich cultural stories and distinctive processes that appeal to family consumers seeking authenticity and connection to food heritage.
Health-Forward Sweet Treats
The sweet bakery category has undergone a significant transformation as consumers seek to balance indulgence with health considerations, especially in cakes and pastries. The most successful products in this category blend indulgence with nutritional benefits, including lower-calorie desserts that satisfy cravings.
Reduced-sugar items have seen a 31% sales increase since 2023. This growth isn’t driven by artificial sweeteners but rather by natural alternatives like monk fruit, date paste, and coconut sugar. Bakers report that the most successful reduced-sugar items are those that embrace the natural sweetness of ingredients like fruits rather than trying to precisely mimic conventional sweetness levels.
Tasty and Sweet Bakery Foods
Over 60% of consumers prioritize taste and flavor when buying sweet bakery products.
Protein-enriched baked goods represent another high-growth segment, with sales up 26% annually. These items incorporate ingredients like chickpea flour, pea protein, and seed blends to boost nutritional profiles while maintaining taste and texture. Protein muffins, cookies, and breakfast bars lead this category, appealing to fitness enthusiasts and busy professionals.
The Sweet Baked Goods Category
The sweet goods category saw perimeter sales grow 22% to $26.6 million in the U.S. in 2025, despite center-store declines.
This health-consciousness has driven innovation in ingredient selection, with bakeries incorporating shapes of functional ingredients like turmeric, adaptogens, and prebiotic fibers to create treats such as protein bars with perceived health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Healthy Baked Goods
61% of consumers globally notice the quality of bakery store brands and associate quality with freshness and health benefits.
Small-Batch Specialty Items
The market for limited-edition, small-batch baked goods has grown exponentially, with 40% of consumers willing to pay premium prices for items perceived as unique or special, contributing to an increasing variety in the bakery basket. This trend contradicts conventional wisdom about economic pressure driving value-seeking behavior.
Seasonal and limited-time offerings create urgency and excitement among consumers, with 67% reporting they’re more likely to make an immediate purchase when they believe an item won’t be available long-term. Bakeries have capitalized on this by creating rotating menus that drive repeat visits and social media buzz.
The most profitable items in this category include:
Seasonal flavor variations of standard products (pumpkin spice, peppermint, etc.)
Collaborations with local producers (honey, fruits, nuts from nearby farms)
Cultural celebration items (beyond the standard holiday fare)
Experimental or avant-garde creations that generate social media attention
The profit margins on these specialty items often exceed 70%, compared to 30-40% for standard bakery fare. This extraordinary profitability explains why even large-scale bakeries are carving out production capacity for limited runs of specialty items.
For bakery owners, these high-demand categories represent significant growth opportunities. The most successful operations integrate multiple high-demand categories rather than specializing narrowly, creating a diverse product mix that appeals to various customer segments while maximizing production efficiency and ingredient utilization.
Top Trends in Bakery Products
Sugar reduction and gut-health-focused bakery products remain top trends influencing product development.
Popular Bakery Foods, Such as Cakes, Muffins, Breads, etc.
As we’ve seen, 2025’s bakery shelves tell a clear story about what today’s customers want. The rapid sales of gluten-free options, vegan treats, and artisanal sourdough reflect our changing relationship with food—more health-conscious, diverse, and experience-driven than ever before.
Smart bakery owners are doing more than just baking—they’re listening and also thinking about how to enhance their shop. They track sales data, engage with customers on social media, and stay open to feedback. The most successful ones balance tradition with innovation, making small but meaningful changes to meet new dietary needs without losing their identity.
What works in bakeries applies across food businesses. The lessons are simple: pay attention to what customers buy, be willing to adapt, and make changes before you’re forced to.
Global Bakery Ingredient arket
The global bakery ingredient market is projected to reach $23.67 billion by 2025, growing at a 7.5% CAGR.
The bakery counter of 2025 isn’t just selling bread and pastries—it’s selling solutions to dietary needs, cultural connections, and small daily pleasures that promise satisfaction. By understanding which bakery foods fly off the shelves and why, you gain insight into something much bigger: the evolving values and priorities of your community, which seek not only tasty but also delicious bakery options.
Your next batch of offerings should reflect not just what people want to eat, but how they want to live.
