Banana flavor is having a moment. Long associated with retro desserts, smoothies and childhood snacks, the flavor of America’s most eaten fresh fruit is showing up in unexpected ways across food and beverage this year, with banana’s share of all U.S. beverage launches doubling from 2021 to 2026.
With the flavor ripe for innovation, PepsiCo is meeting that momentum across its portfolio. From the new Quaker High Protein Instant Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Flavor to limited-edition beverages like Banana-Flavored Brisk and Banana-Flavored Gatorade, PepsiCo is using consumer listening, culinary creativity and unexpected retail channels to bring the flavor into people's homes.
Why banana flavor is having a moment in 2026
Part of the appeal of banana flavor is its ability to bridge familiarity and surprise. For PepsiCo’s R&D teams, that balance makes it a versatile and playful cue for innovation across beverages and beyond. That has created an opportunity to translate one trend across multiple brands while keeping each product true to its own occasion and role in the portfolio.
“Banana’s classic flavor and association with nostalgic desserts, like banana pudding and banana cream pie, make it an approachable flavor for food and beverage innovation,” said Jennifer Tartaglia, R&D director, senior flavorist at PepsiCo. “Banana flavoring pairs easily with the brands that consumers have enjoyed for years, like Brisk, Gatorade and Quaker, giving familiar products new tropical, creamy notes.”
How PepsiCo used social listening to launch Banana Brisk
For Brisk, the path to banana flavor started with its passionate fanbase. The brand’s social community had been asking for Banana-Flavored Brisk for years, and a mock banana product post became Brisk’s top-performing organic social post to date, generating more than 2.3 million organic impressions in its first 72 hours. Brisk answered the call and turned the consumer interest into a limited release on TikTok Shop of Banana-Flavored Brisk, which sold out within hours.
Gatorade brings banana flavor to everyday hydration
Gatorade brought banana flavor to a different beverage occasion: everyday hydration. The limited-edition Banana-Flavored Gatorade Thirst Quencher combines the popular flavor trend with Gatorade’s science-backed hydration, giving consumers a surprising new way to experience banana flavor. The product debuted as part of a limited-edition drop of bundles on Tik Tok Shop and Walmart.com, which included a 20 oz. bottle of Banana-Flavored Gatorade Thirst Quencher, plus an 8-count box of Gatorade Zero Mashups powders and a green 26 oz. Gatorade stainless steel bottle. The launch was designed to meet consumers where flavor discovery and culture increasingly happen — in fast-moving digital communities.