Indians turned this Maggi alternative into a Swiggy Instamart blockbuster in 2025

In 2025, changing lifestyle trends in India were reflected more in what people bought than what they posted online. One clear sign: orders for Korean snacks on Instamart rose nearly five times compared with a year earlier, showing growing demand for global food trends.

The quick commerce app also revealed that 7 of the top 10 protein products ordered on its platform were protein bars. Moreover, 1 in every 127 orders included condoms. Instamart’s annual report, How India Instamarted 2025, captures how viral moments, health-first habits, and evolving social conversations translated into instant, doorstep deliveries across 128+ Indian cities.

Smartphones remained cultural icons too as new model drops triggered near-instant deliveries, with the phones reaching customers in under 3 minutes in cities like Pune and Ahmedabad. From premium tech paired with budget lime soda in the same cart to midnight Maggi cravings delivered in under two minutes, India embraced the joy of instant gratification with personality.

Korean Flavours, Delivered

Pop culture trends played out vividly in Instamart carts.

• Across India, ramen and instant noodles accounted for the overwhelming majority of Korean product orders, with SAMYANG Carbo Italian Hot Chicken Flavour Ramen emerging as the most-ordered Korean SKU nationwide
• Korean flavours surged across metros, with gochujang sauce orders in Bengaluru jumping nearly 5x year-on-year and noodles accounting for the majority of Korean product orders
• Nearly 9 in 10 Korean products ordered were noodles, underlining how pop culture cravings translated into comfort cooking
• Bangalore led Korean orders, placing 1.5x more than Mumbai, while August 17 at 7 PM saw peak noodle orders hit 7,600 in a single hour — dinner, but make it K-drama coded.
• Bangalore clocked in lakhs of Korean product orders in 2025, but interestingly, the city’s top Korean product wasn’t ramen; it was Hot & Spicy Korean Potato Chips. In Mumbai and Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai, spicy ramen noodles are dominating carts.
• K-Food Is No Longer a Metro Obsession: In Tier II cities, Korean-style chips and veg ramen dominated, while Tier III cities showed near-parity with metros in product preferences with ramen, Korean chips, and kimchi-style flavours all ranking among top SKUs. This mirrors how pop culture trends now travel faster and deeper than ever before.
• Midnight Mukbang: Korean food orders peaked during evening and late-night hours, aligning with binge-watching habits and social media-driven cravings.

Healthy bites

The appetite for health and wellness extended well beyond Tier-I cities.

• Bhopal recorded a 16x year-on-year growth in wellness-related orders, followed by cities like Varanasi, Ludhiana, and Warangal.
• Mumbai emerged as India’s matcha capital, followed by Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Kochi, Gurgaon, Pune and Bhubaneshwar.