India’s dessert category is evolving under the influence of social media buzz, café culture, and rising health-consciousness, reshaping how Indians indulge.
Gen Z is emerging as the main growth engine, with this Report decoding what drives their choices, and how brands can engage them.
While indulgence remains the core driver, health is gaining ground. This Report explores three consumer segments – Taste-first Indulgers, Sweet Spot Balancers and Health Prioritisers – revealing nuanced preferences beyond the obvious.
Despite ice cream’s strong market reach, consumption frequency is lagging. This Report spotlights the untapped opportunity to position ice cream as a post-meal treat to unlock everyday indulgence.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Types and frequency of dessert(s) consumed in the last three months
- Innovation to win over the crucial Gen Z dessert-eating cohort
- Decoding three consumer segments –Taste-first Indulgers, Sweet Spot Balancers and Health Prioritisers
- Exploring the ‘mindful indulgence’ opportunity
- Features for enhancing ice cream’s appeal as an after-meal treat
Drive relevance by innovating for Gen Zs. Create better desserts by understanding the three distinct mindsets that shape how Indians approach desserts. Make ice cream the go-to post-meal indulgence.
Tulsi Joshi, Principal Food & Drink Market Research Analyst, India
Market Definitions
This reports covers consumers’ attitudes towards foods that are consumed for dessert occasion or simply for indulgence. This report primarily covers sweet food categories like chocolate, sweet bakery items, traditional Indian sweets (mithai) and ice cream.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- The outlook for desserts in India, 2025
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- India’s dessert favourites: ice cream leads, followed by chocolate and mithai
- Graph 1: consumption frequency of select desserts in the last three months, 2025
- Ice cream dominates consumption, but mithai has an emotional edge
- Graph 2: occasion associations with select dessert types, 2025
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WIN OVER GEN Z WITH AUTHENTICITY, NOVELTY AND VISUAL APPEAL
- Dessert consumption declines with age, making Gen Zs the key engine of category growth
- Graph 3: dessert consumption in the last three months, by generation, 2025
- Chocolate and ice cream win reach, but sweet bakery wins frequency and buzz
- Graph 4: consumption frequency of select desserts in the last three months, by consumer segment, 2025
- Graph 5: social media posts with select terms published by users aged between 18-24 , 2024-25
- Sweet bakery offers the strongest Gen Z pull, but remains under-invested in packaged innovation
- Graph 6: % of Gen Z consumers frequently eating select dessert formats, by the dessert’s universe of conversations on social media, 2024-25
- Affluent Gen Zs are willing to pay more for authenticity, novelty and visual appeal in desserts
- Indian dessert brands lag behind their global peers on limited-edition, co-branded and seasonal innovation
- Graph 7: chocolate confectionery, ice cream, mithai and sweet bakery launches with select claims, 2022-25
- Now: use limited editions inspired by social micro-trends to win over Gen Z
- Graph 8: number of social media posts concerning select search terms, 2024-25
- Graph 9: Gen Zs’ willingness to pay more for select dessert innovation, 2025
- Green aesthetics enter India’s packaged food and drink market with kunafa and matcha
- Now: localise matcha through familiar flavour pairings
- Graph 10: top matcha flavour combinations in chocolate confectionery, sweet/savoury biscuits/cookies/crackers, ice cream and desserts and sweet bakery, 2020-25
- Now: use pistachio to ride the ‘green aesthetics’ wave
- Graph 11: ingredientscape of nuts, seeds and kernels in chocolate confectionery, ice cream and desserts and sweet bakery, 2016-25
- Pistachio delivers premium appeal across dessert formats
- Now: tap into Gen Z’s demand for functional, caffeine-led desserts
- Graph 12: consumer willingness to pay more for select dessert innovations, by generation, 2025
- Graph 13: select flavours in chocolate confectionery, sweet bakery and ice cream and desserts, 2016-25
- Now: tap into coffee culture through dessert flavours
- Now: use small-batch, collaboration and chef cues to drive premiumisation
- Address Gen Zs’ diverse texture preferences across city tiers
- Graph 14: top three preferred textures in desserts among Gen Z, by city tier, 2025
- Tailor dessert textures to Gen Z preferences across city tiers
- Now: capitalise on untapped melt-in-the-mouth textures in packaged desserts to target Gen Z
- Graph 15: top three preferred textures in desserts by Gen Z, 2025
- Graph 16: chocolate confectionery, sweet bakery, mithai and ice cream launches with a melt-in-the-mouth texture, 2020-25
- Now: capitalise on untapped melt-in-the-mouth textures in packaged desserts to targeting Gen Z
- Now: play up texture for visual delight
- Magnum unveils new Bonbon range, highlighting its signature cracking sound
- Now: engage Gen Z by incorporating textures that shine in captivating ASMR reels
- Next: J- and K-wave influence will further influence packaged desserts
- Next: multi-textures will rise to offer novel indulgence
- Future: lines will blur further between desserts and snacks to satiate Gen Z cravings for novelty
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DECODING THE BETTER-FOR-YOU TREND FOR DESSERTS
- Stress fuels indulgence, but consumers increasingly seek mindful permission
- Graph 17: frequency of seeking food and drink for mental wellness, by day-to-day level of stress experienced, 2025
- Graph 18: agreement with statements that best reflect consumers’ typical approach to eating desserts, 2025
- Three mindsets define how Indians approach desserts today
- Graph 19: consumer segments based on select statements related to desserts, 2025
- Three mindsets define how Indians approach desserts today
- Debunking the myth: stronger health intent does not equal higher interest in BFY desserts
- Graph 20: select dessert innovation consumers are willing to pay more for, by select consumer segments, 2025
- Debunking the myth: health intent does not automatically translate into lower sweetness preference
- Graph 21: level of sweetness preferred in desserts, by consumer segment, 2025
- Four ways to deliver mindful indulgence in desserts
- Now: reimagine indulgence, minus the sugar overload
- Graph 22: launches with ‘low/reduced sugar’ claim, by select categories, 2020-25
- Now: make portion-controlled indulgence easy to follow day to day
- Now: innovate with clean, familiar, better-for-you ingredients
- Now: protein- and fibre-rich desserts are an emerging niche; harness growing demand for macronutrients to increase consumption frequency
- Graph 23: chocolate confectionery, ice cream and desserts and sweet bakery launches with select claims, 2020-25
- Next: protein + fibre claims are rising; protein digestibility can be the next upgrade for protein-rich desserts
- Graph 24: food and drink launches with high/added protein AND high/added fibre claims, 2020-25
- Future: dessert brands will innovate to reduce sugar, while offering taste and wellness
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DRIVE ICE CREAM’S RELEVANCE AS A POST-MEAL TREAT
- Wide reach, narrow habit: ice cream remains an occasional treat, not a routine dessert
- Graph 25: consumption frequency of ice cream in the last three months, 2023 vs 2024
- Graph 26: reasons for consuming ice cream in the last three months, 2024
- When Indians do choose an after-meal dessert, ice cream is the single biggest choice
- Graph 27: top desert of choice for after meals, 2025
- Winning the after-meal occasion is less about indulgence escalation and more about restraint, familiarity and ease
- Graph 28: factors encouraging choice of ice cream more often than other desserts after meals, by select consumer segment, 2025
- Redefine ice cream indulgence by balancing sweetness, rather than reducing sugar
- Now: reframe from ‘low sugar’ to ‘mildly sweetened’ to retain indulgence cues, while making ice cream feel lighter, more refined and lifestyle-compatible
- Now: the lighter, the better; make ice cream’s texture light for post-meal consumption
- Graph 29: top textures among ice cream launches, 2020-25
- Next: infuse ice cream with fluffy/airy ingredients for lighter after-meal indulgence
- Now: offer guilt-free tiny treats – multipacks made for after-meal moments
- Now: build post-meal relevance by pairing classic flavours with seasonal fruits
- Graph 30: respondents who cite ‘flavours that pair well with seasonal fruits’ as an encouraging feature for consuming more ice cream after meals, by region, 2025
- Next: premium ice cream brands will focus on building relevance for modern lifestyles with portion-controlled indulgence
- Next: replicate to replace – innovate ice cream with other desserts to expand consumption occasions
- Future: gut-friendly ice creams will target after-meal occasions
- Key takeaways
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
- Social data research methodology
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