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THE TOP 25 MOST POPULAR FOOD HASHTAGS ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026

The top 25 most popular food hashtags on Instagram for 2026.

The most used food hashtags by bloggers, restaurants and chefs on Instagram in 2026.

Brought to you by Mau. Senior Instagram Marketing Specialist at eDigital.

THE TOP 25 MOST POPULAR FOOD HASHTAGS ON INSTAGRAM FOR 2026

Before you start using some of these top 25 most used food hashtags on Instagram, let me tell you something you may find hard to admit:

Instagram is mugging you in broad daylight 🔫 while you thank them for the privilege.

Instagram algorithm shows your “viral” content to roughly the same audience who’d notice if you screamed into your office fridge: just Adam in the kitchen who is lactose intolerant.🥛😵

You own nothing 🤡 on Instagram.

You’re renting followers from landlords who charge you extra just to talk to your audience.

It’s like building a mansion on rented land: expensive, temporary, and the landlord can bulldoze it whenever they update their “community guidelines”. 🏠💥

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg is swimming in a pool filled with your ad spend. 🏊‍♂️💰

Your current situation:

❌ Zero follower data ownership 📊❌
❌ Organic reach = no-one watching! 🕵️‍♂️
❌ Ad costs rising faster than your therapy bills 📈💀
❌ Followers “export” button? Pure fantasy 🦄

The intervention your marketing needs:

✅ Stop being Instagram’s favourite ATM 🏧❌
✅ Own your audience 👑
✅ Lower your customer acquisition costs 💰
✅ Build marketing systems that own and control 🤖❤️

Throwing money at Instagram ads hoping for results is expensive self-harm with the worse ROI. 🔥

Ready to break up with Instagram’s abuse?

Book a strategy session and learn to build digital marketing that works for you, not against your bank account. 🚀

Stop renting your success. Start owning it.

Let’s craft the best digital marketing plan and social media strategy that boosts sales and customer lifetime value.

THE TOP 25 FOOD HASHTAGS ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026 – LIST

The top 25 Instagram Food Hashtags: The holy grail for marketers who think #cleaneating equals #cleanprofit. 🍔💸

In a display of professional desperation that would make food influencers jealous, thousands of marketers want to know the top 25 most used food-related hashtags on Instagram like they’re deciphering ancient scrolls that will unlock the secret to quarterly bonuses. 📜🔮

These food marketing experts are convinced that knowing the exact engagement metrics of #tasty will somehow transform their beige corporate cafeteria decorated with plastic plants content into viral gold, completely ignoring that their “authentic food journey” posts get buried faster than vegetables in a toddler’s plate by Instagram’s algorithm-powered ad tornado. 🌪️📊

But the most exciting part of this comedy show unfolds as users desperately scroll through endless ads for get-rich scams, dating apps, and meditation retreats while trying to find actual food content, creating a digital wasteland where #HomeCooking posts get suffocated by sponsored content about life insurance, mammaplasty procedures and teeth whitening. 💰

In the mean time, marketing managers are meeting their bosses to clutch hashtag research like participation trophies, demanding salary increases based on their “deep understanding of trending food culture,” which consists entirely of knowing that fish and chips eaten by seagulls content gets likes.

Marketers – like you – are wasting hours researching #foodies analytics while their own lunch consists of a sad desk salad and existential crisis, completely unaware that Instagram users are more likely to see ads for kitchen gadgets they’ll never use than the carefully curated food content they actually want to consume. 🥗😵

Instagram has become a beautiful disaster where organic food creators get shadowbanned while sponsored posts for meal replacement shakes dominate feeds like digital food poisoning.

The greatest social media achievement is watching marketers read this type of articles and mistake hashtag knowledge for sales strategy while Instagram’s algorithm ensures that authentic food content disappears faster than free samples at Costco, leaving marketers to celebrate their “food marketing expertise” while users abandon Instagram to find actual food content on their real fridge. 😩🥚🥫

Our best virtual assistants have uncovered the top 25 most popular food hashtags for Instagram.

Does Jamie Oliver use some of the top 25 most popular food hashtags for Instagram? Probably he does not need to, but you may do.

Some of the most relevant food hashtags to attract your most profitable customer segments.

25. #icecream

The #icecream hashtags is one of the top 25 most-used food hashtags on Instagram used in 49.8+ million posts.

Combine the #icecream hashtag with your favourite brand: #magnum – #häagendazs – #benandjerrys – #cornetto – #walls – #algida – #ola – #kibon – #drumstick and #dreyer’s – #edys – #breyers – #klondike or #popsicle

#icecream is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok

“As Instagram is showing content to just a few of your followers, forget about hashtags and invest in proven marketing strategies and activities that drive real sales in channels you fully control”

Mau – senior digital marketing specialist at eDigital. 

24. #foodies

The #foodies hashtags is one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on Instagram used in 52.8+ million posts.

Food marketers are also using some of the top 25 healthy food hashtags for Instagram

Most shared article this month: the top vegetarian food hashtags for Instagram

23. #tasty

#tasty is one of the top 25 most-used food hashtags on Instagram used in 70+ million posts.

Food creators are also using some of the top 25 most popular vegan food hashtags for Instagram

⚡️ Trending: Food influencers have also been using some of the most popular vegan hashtags on Instagram to acquire new fans and build their food businesses.

22. #foodgasm

#foodgasm is one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on Instagram used in 70.5+ million posts.

Trending this week: the most popular takeaway food in Australia

Popular food hashtags on Instagram are an important way to expand your Instagram audience and get more reach.

When you use a food hashtag, your post will appear on the page for that hashtag. If you use a hashtag on your Instagram Story, it could be included in the relevant hashtag Story, which also appears on the hashtag page.

21. #cooking

#cooking is one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on Instagram used in 72.1+ million posts.

#cooking is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok

Trending this week: the most popular takeaway food in Australia

Continue: the top 20 food hashtags on Instagram

Whey do people share food photos on Instagram?

Can the food photography, the captions and the hashtags you share on Instagram increase your food business sales?

Only a few food businesses have success on Instagram by developing unique dishes that become a trend.

This success does not rely on smart hashtagging or well-written captions. Their success is the result of great product development; in this case, this means launching innovative dishes that people become super curious about.

Examples include:

• The Dalgona Bobamisu, by the Burwood Hotel (Sydney, Australia). The Dalgona Bobamisu is a deconstructed tiramisu with boba pearls and a coffee foam called “dalgona”. The Dalgona trend had gone viral on Instagram during lockdown where people made the foamy coffee at home.

“This dish always appears on social media because They look good and taste really good so customers come back to eat it over and over. I analyse our social media reach and our videos of some of our dishes have a lot of reach in America as well, so it’s quite global”

Shirley Li, Burwood Hotel social media marketing specialist. Source: Daily Telegraph.

But among their top sellers is their Nuclear Fire Noodles – a combination of spicy instant ramen, shoestring fries, crispy seaweed and their nuclear fire hot sauce that has foodies going wild. Customers who come in and see their posters about them and their photos on Instagram get curious and want to try them. “It’s one of our biggest sellers and we have both the extreme version and the regular version” The pub also offers bubble tea-inspired cocktails for those craving something sweet after the firey noodles.

It’s all about unique Instagram food content these days if you want to bring in new customers to your food business and since COVID means consumers can’t travel, people still want to try new things locally and share the experience on Instagram.

“People expect us to only have steaks and burgers and schnitzels, which we do have. But our East meets West menu is a huge point of attraction.” Ms Li said.

And with border closures and a hunger to explore locally on the rise, people are gravitating to unique and lesser-known foods to eat and share.

Among them is Toastie Smith – a sandwich stand that gives the humble toastie a makeover by “loading” them with delicious toppings. Another hit on Instagram is Bubble Nini tea which combines the ever-popular bubble tea with a florist shop to create beverages that look as good as the bouquets they are surrounded by.

People on Instagram are also proving that the most shareable foods don’t have to be expensive with affordable foods like Bengong’s Tea & Bakery vividly melon and strawberry bread or Mr Hot Dog’s delicious fried Korean corn cakes being a hit on Instagram.

Restaurant owners are using: the best Allergen Guide Sheet Template for food and restaurant business owners.

Tip: Great hashtags are one piece of the swimming formula to increase the reach of your photos on Instagram. You may also want to pay attention to other elements that require a curious mind. For example, some restaurants are using fake (faux) artificial plants as decor for their food/dish photography but this may send a message to customers that you may also be using fake or artificial ingredients in the preparation of your dishes. Keep it natural and real. If you include a flower or a plant in your Instagram photography, then bring real natural ones.

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Continue: the top 20 food hashtags on Instagram

The top 25 trending food hashtags on Instagram in 2026

#cleaneating
#chef is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#tea Related: #pureleaf
#baking
#kitchen
#cookies
#brunch
#sushi
#bbq
#pasta is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#vegetarian
#hungry
#comida
#cheese is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#fruit
#burger
#seafood is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#eating is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#goodfood
#bread
#snack. related: #snacks is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#steak
#eggs
#cheesecake
#foodstyling

Some popular food influencers and chefs include:

• Nick DiGiovanni is an American celebrity chef. 21+ million subscribers on Youtube and 3+ million followers on Instagram.
• Matty Matheson is a Canadian chef, restaurateur and actor. He portrays the handyman Neil Fak on the FX series The Bear.

The top 25 food hashtags for bloggers in 2026

#smoothie
#streetfood is also one of the top 25 most popular food hashtags on TikTok
#tacos
#ramen
#foodart
#donuts Related: #donut
#homecooking
#goodeats
#homemadefood
#soup
#noodles
#picnic
#milk
#foodlove
#torta
#gelato
#foodforthought
#butter
#buffet
#tastyfood
#barbecue
#hotdog
#superfood
#chips
#foodforfoodies

Marketers are also using the top 25 most popular fitness hashtags on Instagram

The top 25 food hashtags for Instagram reels in 2026

#milkshake
#yogurt
#ubereats
#potatoes
#croissant Related: #katereid (Austraian baker) #lunecroissant #lunecroissanterie #croissantbakerie
#tiramisu
#superfoods
#fasting
#omnomnom
#soulfood
#homechef
#frenchtoast
#bubbletea
#supper
#roast
#feast
#kebab
#dumplings
#empanadas
#bagel
#deliciousness
#hotsauce
#burrito
#orangejuice
#fishandchips

Just in: the top 25 most-followed British influencers on Instagram

The top 25 food hashtags for Instagram stories in 2026

#foodreview
#seaweed
#udon
#dinnerparty
#tempura
#baguette
#tortilla
#frappe
#couscous
#eggsbenedict
#nycfoodie
#instachef
#madefromscratch
#scrambledeggs
#kefir
#fajitas
#sorbet
#shawarma
#gyoza
#nasigoreng
#arepas
#enchiladas
#quesadilla
#homemadepizza
#chickensoup

⭐️ Most views today the top gluten-free hashtags for Instagram

The top 25 food hashtags for new followers on Instagram in 2026

#laksa
#marmalade

Food creators are also using the top healthy food hashtags for Instagram

The most popular branded food hashtags in 2026

It is no surprise the top most popular branded food hashtags are for fast-food brands selling junk food.

• #starbucks
• #mcdonalds
• #wholefoods
• #subway
• #ubereats
• #kfc
• #traderjoes
• #nespresso
• #pizzahut
• #burgerking
• #dunkindonuts
• #chipotle
• #tacobell
• #dominos
• #nandos
• #timhortons
• #hellofresh
• #aldi
• #baskinrobbins
• #grubhub
• #wendys
• #jackintehbox
• #papajohns

⭐️ Most read today: the top 25 most popular vegan food hashtags on Instagram

• #justeat
• #deliveroo
• #blueapron
• #7eleven
• #dutchbros
• #publix
• #postmates
• #kroger
• #iga (related: #igasupermarket)
• #wegmans
• #woolworths
• #coles
• #wegmans
• #maccas R
• #skipthedishes
• #gloriajeans

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Junk food is helping the fitness industry

Some people may argue countries where most of the adult population is not physically fit, neglect the care of their bodies and follow harmful eating habits (junk food); are sending the message to their new generations (children) that it is normal to be unfit, out of shape or physically weak.

Popular hashtags such as #bodypositivity #bodyacceptace #loveyourbody are trending and maybe justify the addiction to eating junk food while people subscribe to popular fitness apps or virtual home gym programs to quickly burn fat.

You may find – in reality – most people can’t keep up with their fitness demands, routines or goals and – sadly – give up; making them less prone to keep consistent daily exercise and healthy food habits.

Some supermarkets and grocery stores are not helping either.

For example, you may visit Woolworths, Coles or other supermarket chains in Australia – to find out the food offered may not be that healthy; especially the packaged and/or processed food – taking most of the shelf space these days – containing high amounts of preservatives, unhealthy fats (trans fats), sugar, salt (sodium), additives such as artificial flavours and/or colours.

How you can help

Restaurant managers and food business owners who are not offering junk food or soft drinks in their venues are contributing to making their clients and local communities healthier.  Offering scientific-based information about the food you sell to your customers not only shows respect but will also delight customers who take pride in looking after themselves.

These actions will increase repeat visitation and customer loyalty. They will also decrease customer churn rate (Number of customers who visited you once and never come back).

When posting on social media, add hashtags that promote your commitment to healthy food such as:

#nonprocessed
#zerosugar
#nofat
#nosalt
#nopreservatives
#madelocally
#freshproduce
#nomsg
#noartificialflavours
#noartificialcolours

Food creators love travelling and are also using the top 25 most popular travel hashtags on Instagram

Tip: Add hashtags to your Instagram Stories to have chances of being displayed on the Instagram Explore page using the hashtag sticker (you can only add one hashtag) or use the text tool (you can add up to 10 hashtags), you can even hide them by placing a sticker on top of them or use the colour tool to make the hashtags invisible but still findable.

Continue: the top 20 food hashtags on Instagram

Food trends in 2026 will amplify new popular food hashtags

#Alternativeprotein

By 2035, Europe and North America are expected to have reached the point of “peak meat,” and consumption of animal proteins will begin to decline, pushed by concerns about the environmental costs of growing all the animals eaten, how those animals are treated and the consequences for human health of eating so much conventional protein.

Alternative proteins are no longer a niche market and have become a mainstream phenomenon. Restaurants, cafes and fast-food chains (especially in developed countries) are already offering plant-based meats and milk options. By 2035, 22% of all the meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy consumed around the globe is likely produced with an alternative protein.

For example, Twitter’s ‘Alternative Food” report suggested the #peaprotein hashtag on Twitter had a 42% YoY increase.

 

Expert tip > Combine your hashtags with the most popular food emojis as described in the list below.

Need a hand with your Instagram Marketing Strategy? Book a training session or hire one of our best Instagram Virtual Assistants today!

Continue: the top 20 food hashtags on Instagram

No surprise food and travel are so connected! You go to a new city or town and you want to try the local produce. Do not miss adding some of the top 25 most popular travel hashtags on Instagram

Have your say! 🗣

💬 Users’ comments about this top 25 most popular food hashtags on Instagram list:

• “Food marketers use #tasty hashtag like it could hit sales targets and justify a 20% salary raise. Instagram is anyway hiding your #lasagna under a hundreds of #detoxteas and #diet programs ads” 🍵🌿🔥➡️💩 Tyler McArthur

Send us your comment and get your opinion published!

🎬 Conclusion