A new bakery sensation called Lemongrass Toast is capturing attention, first in Shanghai and now online. We will explore why this Southeast Asian-inspired bread became so popular and what it means for future food trends.

The Lemongrass Toast Craze

It all started when a few creative bakeries in Shanghai began making toast infused with lemongrass. The unique idea quickly spread on social media, with millions of people viewing posts about it. The toast became so popular that it often sold out, and many home bakers started trying to make their own versions, sharing recipes and tips online.

Why It Worked: Turning a Spice into a Star

Lemongrass is usually found in savory Southeast Asian dishes. Bakers found a clever way to use it in sweet bread by slowly cooking the lemongrass to get its pure, fragrant oil and then mixing it into the dough. This gives the toast a special layered flavor—it tastes soft and slightly sweet at first, followed by a cool, fresh lemongrass taste that is not too strong or bitter.

Who Loves It and Why

Two main groups of people are driving this trend. The first is urban professionals, especially women, who see food as part of a interesting lifestyle. For them, the lemongrass flavor is refreshing and feels like a mini vacation. The second group is young people (Gen Z), who enjoy discovering and sharing new things online. Buying and posting about this unique toast is a way for them to show they are trendy and have good taste. Importantly, these customers are smart—they appreciate special experiences but also care about value.

A Bigger Trend: Spice Baking

The success of lemongrass toast is part of a larger movement called spice baking. Bakers are now experimenting by adding all kinds of traditional spices from around the world into breads and pastries. We are seeing more items featuring flavors like pandan, turmeric, Sichuan pepper, and shiso. This shows that the future of popular bakery items will depend on creatively mixing flavors from different cultures. This cross-cultural fusion of flavors is exactly the kind of innovative exploration that will be showcased and discussed at upcoming industry gatherings like the Indonesia Baking Exhibition. The key for bakers is to learn how to balance these strong, new spices with classic bakery recipes to create something harmonious and delicious.

In short, lemongrass toast is more than just a passing trend. Its popularity shows that today’s customers are looking for exciting new tastes, emotional connections, and shareable experiences. For the bakery industry, it signals that the next big ideas will come from boldly exploring and blending global flavors.

Bakery China 2026 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China 2026, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China 2026 is the Asia Pacific’s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry. It is the first-choice trade fair to enter China’s bakery market.

The 2026 ASEAN International Bakery Exhibition (Bakery ASEAN), i.e. Indonesia Baking Exhibition, will be held on August 27-29 at JIExpo (Jakarta, Indonesia), co-located with renowned WEPACK Indonesia, Cafe Show Indonesia held by Reed Exhibitions Group, is a premier trade event focusing on the bakery and related industries in ASEAN and global markets. the shows will be covering 20,000 square meters, expecting more than 500 exhibitors and 50,000 professional buyers including distributors, imports and exports, manufacturers, chain stores, supermarkets, convenient stores, hotels and cafes, etc. from not only the ASEAN but also the rest of the world.

(Source: Global Bakery Guide）