Walk the aisles of any major grocery store in the US today and you’ll see it.
Where ‘Asian’ once meant a handful of brands of soy sauce, packaged ramen and teriyaki marinades, entire sections now showcase products inspired by Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Indian and other Asian cuisines. What used to sit quietly in the ‘ethnic’ aisle has gone fully mainstream, reshaping both how Americans eat and how food companies grow.
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From niche to mainstream
Asian foods are no longer just ‘niche’ or ‘speciality’ in the US.
According to Circana, retail sales of Asian packaged foods reached $14.7bn in 2024, up more than 10% year-over-year, with unit sales climbing nearly 7%. By comparison, the overall packaged food sector grew just 2-3% (dollar sales growth), with flat to negative unit sales growth. That growth gap is why Asian flavours are now front and center in food manufacturer’s and investment firm’s brand strategy meetings and boardrooms.
Beyond the numbers, advisory firm BDA Partners highlights structural drivers pushing Asian category growth: consumers want bold, authentic flavours, premium products and convenient formats.
Growth spans sauces, frozen entrées, snacks, noodles and ready-to-eat meals, reflecting broad demand. The category’s expansion is not just about flavour; it’s about bringing global culinary experiences into everyday American homes.
Asian flavours across the board are booming. For example, Japanese products dominate sauces, miso soups and ready-to-heat noodle bowls, while Korean flavours such as gochujang, kimchi and chilli crisp drive frozen meals, sauces and snacks. South East Asian cuisines, including Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino, carve out their space with curry pastes, coconut-based sauces, pho kits and other products.
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By GlobalDataEven less familiar regional flavours, like Malaysian laksa or Filipino adobo, are moving from speciality retailers into mainstream grocery store aisles.
Indian cuisine is emerging as a major growth driver in the US market. In a recent major report – US Asian Food Market Insights – Persistence Market Research projects the Indian segment will grow at a CAGR of 6.1% through 2031, fueled by travel, social media and growing familiarity in restaurants and grocery stores.
Beyond classic curries and masalas, Indian frozen meals, ready-to-heat snacks and packaged condiments are gaining major traction, particularly with younger consumers seeking bold, aromatic flavours.
Millennials and Gen Z, now the dominant buyers, see these flavours as familiar, even nostalgic. Sushi, Korean BBQ, pho and Indian snacks, for example, are no longer exotic – they’re part of everyday culinary life. History shows that once the American palate embraces a cuisine, it rarely turns back, as we saw with Italian and Mexican foods decades ago. For food companies, this should be a signal, indicating that what was once niche can quickly become a mainstream growth engine.
Flavour as a growth engine
Bold, authentic flavours are driving growth across the US Asian packaged foods category. In a recent report – Cooking Up Growth: Asian Food’s Rise in North America – BDA Partners calls this trend “accessible authenticity”: products that stay true to their cultural roots while being designed for convenient, at-home use.
Emerging brands like Fly By Jing, Omsom, Momofuku and Paro illustrate this approach, combining genuine flavours with formats that fit modern kitchens. Large packaged foods companies are following suit, either launching Asian-inspired SKUs or acquiring smaller, authentic brands with built-in credibility.
But flavour alone isn’t enough. Innovation without cultural grounding often fails to resonate. Success comes from blending authenticity with storytelling, convenience and premium positioning. Packaging and a brand narrative are now as critical as the flavour itself – they signal quality, convey credibility and invite consumer trial.
These dynamics play out differently across key segments. Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and Indian products each reflect distinct consumer preferences and opportunities. Understanding these nuances helps food companies pinpoint where growth is strongest and which strategies are most effective in reaching shoppers.
Restaurant-to-retail pipeline
Restaurants continue to incubate innovation and drive discovery. Chains like Panda Express, Din Tai Fung and Indian fast-casual concepts are licensing sauces, frozen entrees and ready-to-heat meals into grocery stores. Consumers trust these names, and this pipeline accelerates trial, adoption and repeat purchase. BDA Partners notes that these collaborations allow brands to scale while maintaining credibility and authenticity.
Restaurants also act as testing grounds for new flavours. Regional Korean dishes like tteokbokki (a Korean street food made from chewy rice cakes cooked in a spicy and savoury pepper sauce), or spicy kimchi ramen can gain awareness and move into grocery frozen meals or ready-to-heat frozen or refrigerated kits. Similarly, Indian street food snacks, once only found in restaurants, are appearing in center-store frozen and refrigerated sections.
Premiumisation and consumer engagement
Asian foods are increasingly premium. Shoppers are willing to pay more for small-batch condiments, chef-inspired ready-to-heat meals and snacks with authentic flavour profiles. Premiumisation is most pronounced in sauces and condiments, where authentic ingredients and artisanal production command higher price points.
Modern, design-forward packaging with authentic cultural narratives resonate broadly while preserving credibility. In the crowded center-store space, offering flavour alone isn’t enough; brands must signal authenticity, quality and provenance at a glance. Strategies vary by segment but the principle is the same: accessible authenticity drives trial, repeat purchase and brand loyalty.
Sauces and condiments remain the largest growth drivers, led by gochujang, chilli crisp, Japanese soy sauces, curry pastes and Indian masalas. Frozen meals and bowls, particularly Korean, Japanese and Indian formats, appeal to shoppers seeking convenient, restaurant-quality experiences at home.
Snacks – from Asian-inspired chips and seaweed crisps to rice-based treats and Indian savoury bites – capture younger consumers’ attention. Across all segments, accessible authenticity is the unifying theme: bringing global flavours to American homes in convenient, reliable and increasingly premium formats.
Opportunities and challenges
The opportunity is significant, but scaling isn’t without hurdles. Ingredient sourcing for fermented products, speciality spices and unique aromatics can be volatile. Trade policies and tariffs, particularly on imported ingredients like speciality soy sauces, miso and exotic spices, add complexity, affecting costs and import timing.
Companies need to navigate these pressures carefully to maintain both authenticity and margin. Missteps on cultural respect or packaging can damage credibility.
Distribution is also evolving. Center-store placement, e-commerce, frozen and refrigerated channels all perform differently, and successful brands adapt accordingly. Companies that optimise early gain lasting advantage. Those that leverage multi-channel distribution while telling compelling brand stories are most likely to succeed.
The road ahead
According to Circana, BDA Partners and other sources, the Asian packaged foods category will continue to outpace broader packaged foods growth in the US market, with multiple segments showing strong potential. Frozen and ready-to-heat meals, premium sauces and condiments and Asian-inspired snacks will remain growth engines. Collaborations or acquisitions linking established companies with authentic, founder-led brands will continue to shape the market.
Early movers capture shelf space, consumer attention and credibility. Those who wait risk paying more to catch up.
Why Asian flavours matter now
Asian flavours are no longer a niche curiosity – they are a fundamental driver of growth in the US packaged foods market. From Chinese and Japanese to Thai and Indian, these cuisines are fueling higher dollar and unit sales than the overall packaged foods category, creating opportunities across sauces, frozen meals, snacks and more.
For packaged foods company executives and other food industry professionals, the takeaway is clear: Asian flavours are no longer a niche trend – they are a strategic growth lever.
Companies that invest in authentic flavour innovation, premium positioning and compelling storytelling will capture share, build credibility and position themselves for long-term growth.
