- Breakfast foods have changed a lot throughout the 2010s.
- The past few years also welcomed new items like cronuts and Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning.
- In 2014, fast-food chains like Taco Bell launched new breakfast menus.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more.
From dining out to cooking at home, what people eat for breakfast has changed quite a bit in the past 10 years.
Here are some of the many ways breakfast foods have changed throughout the 2010s.
Breakfast tacos and burritos have become even more mainstream.
Although breakfast tacos and burritos have been around for years, they became more mainstream throughout the 2010s with a number of fast-food chains like Sonic, Taco Bell, and Chick-fil-A adding them to their menus.
Avocado toast has reigned supreme for the past few years.
"Breakfast trends have evolved so much since 2009. For example, avocado toast has reached almost every restaurant and keeps evolving with exciting toppings," Michele Ragussis, chef at HUNGRY NYC, told Insider.
The #avocadotoast tag has been used over 1.3 million times on Instagram since 2010 — and the dish is still going strong as the decade comes to a close.
Today, many chefs are still putting their own spins on the dish with creative toppings that range from radishes to burrata.
Generally, breakfast toast has become its own category of cuisine.
"The number-one takeover has been creative toasts, which started with avocado and expanded into both sweet and savory types," Chef Ariane Resnick, author of "How to Be Well When You're Not," told Insider.
Also known as artisanal toast, these creations can feature specially made bread and toppings for a totally unique toast-eating experience.
Popular brands debuted lines of dairy-free yogurts.
"Non-dairy yogurts and kefirs have also come on the scene in a big way,"Chef Judy Joo, author of "Korean Food Made Simple" and "Judy Joo's Korean Soul Food," told Insider.
In 2019, even major yogurt brands like Chobani and Yoplait got on board by releasing entire lines of dairy-free yogurts, which usually contain coconut milk or almond milk.
Throughout the 2010s, a number of brands debuted new dessert-inspired cereals.
Although sweet cereal has been around for decades, it seems like more cereal brands than ever debuted dessert-inspired or candy-inspired options throughout the 2010s.
The famous Easter candy Peeps became a marshmallow-flavored cereal and iconic store-bought desserts like Twinkies, Honey Buns, and Donettes were made into cereals as well.
The decade also welcomed a Drumstick ice cream-inspired cereal in vanilla and mint-chocolate varieties.
Overnight oats became a convenient, make-ahead breakfast staple.
"Overnight oats are becoming one of the most popular breakfasts to date, and it's easy to see why with their versatile and natural nature," said Kara Landau, New York-based registered dietitian behind the Travelling Dietitian.
The dish is usually made out of rolled oats that soak in milk for a few hours and it's known for being a convenient, make-ahead breakfast that's easy to customize with ingredients like fruit or chocolate.
Many chain restaurants have created dishes for those who follow dairy-free, gluten-free, and plant-based diets.
"With the prevalence of dietary identity taking so many forms, restaurants have needed to adapt to serve their guests, and I think menus have reflected this," said Chef Chris Audler of District Donuts.
In 2019, IHOP debuted an entire gluten-friendly pancake and waffle menu as part of its all-day breakfast.
That same year, Hardee's began selling The Beyond Breakfast Sausage Biscuit, a vegan-friendly breakfast option, and Tim Hortons added vegan-friendly Beyond Meat breakfast choices to its permanent menus in select locations throughout Canada.
Trader Joe's dropped its iconic Everything But The Bagel Seasoning.
In 2017, Trader Joe's first debuted its now-famous Everything But The Bagel Seasoning.
Created to mimic the flavors of traditional everything-bagel toppings like sesame seeds and roasted garlic, this seasoning adds a dash of flavor to everything from dips to avocado toast.
Picture-perfect dishes and over-the-top brunch cocktails have seen a rise in popularity over the past decade.
"Social media has also definitely affected food in that it has to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye," said Paola Guasp, owner, chef, and co-founder of Amara Kitchen. "I've noticed that a lot of people are using more colorful foods in their dishes to make them more photogenic."
And as social media has become more popular, so have Instagram-worthy "more is more" brunch dishes and cocktails.
"Everything needs to be more photo-worthy than the last, which tends to make menu items a lot more creative, bigger and colorful," said Elizabeth Blau, founder and CEO of restaurant-development company Blau + Associates. "What used to be a simple Bloody Mary with a celery stalk and a couple of olives has now evolved into a cocktail that could pass for a full meal topped off with things like deviled eggs and chicken wings."
Throughout the 2010s, breakfast continued to become more convenient and portable.
Grab-and-go dishes and ready-made drinks or shakes have dominated the breakfast scene throughout the 2010s, Chef Rosalind "Roz" Tucker of Tucker's Catering told Insider.
"Portability has grown in importance, with make-ahead items like overnight oats, breakfast cookies or bars, and pre-prepped smoothies replacing eggs, omelets, or bowls of cereal," added Resnick.
In 2013, Cronuts made their debut.
In 2013, famed pastry chef Dominique Ansel released the cronut at his New York City bakery.
Described as a cross between a doughnut and a croissant, the cronut was an instant hit, with long lines forming at Dominique Ansel Bakery and cronuts selling out regularly.
Years later, it's still an iconic mash-up breakfast choice, and there's even a way to pre-order your cronut online.
A number of fast-food restaurants and coffee chains released new breakfast options in the late 2010s.
There was no shortage of new options on fast-food breakfast menus during the past decade.
Earlier this year, Burger King released the French-toast sandwich, as well as the maple-waffle sandwich.
Dunkin', branching out beyond donuts, began selling the Power Breakfast Sandwich, which contains an egg-white omelet, turkey sausage, and cheese.
And, in 2017, Starbucks launched its sous-vide egg bites, which are made using the French technique of slow-cooking vacuum-sealed food in hot water.
And even more fast-food chains began selling breakfast in the 2010s.
Although some chains have been selling breakfast for multiple decades, a lot of fast-food empires joined the game in the mid-to-late 2010s.
Taco Bell's breakfast menu made its debut in 2014, with options including the Fiesta Potato Grilled Breakfast Burrito and Sausage Crunchwrap.
In 2010, Subway added egg-based sandwiches to its morning menu, even though by 2018 locations were able to opt-out of serving them.
And recently, Wendy's announced it's testing an entire breakfast menu, including options such as the Breakfast Baconator and Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich. It's set to officially sell breakfast in all of its locations in 2020.
Chia and other puddings have become an innovative, fun breakfast choice.
Chia seeds have been around for centuries, but they didn't become too popular in the breakfast-pudding game until recently.
To make chia pudding, you soak chia seeds in any liquid, typically non-dairy milk. It's become especially popular to prepare chia pudding in a mason jar for a simple and portable breakfast.
For the first time, McDonald's began serving breakfast foods all day.
In 2015, fast-food giant McDonald's started serving breakfast foods throughout the day, making it possible to snack on crispy hash browns or McGriddles almost any time.
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