Pandan Is Quietly Becoming the New Matcha

Pandan-flavored SKUs at U.S. specialty grocery are up 138% YoY through April 2026 per SPINS, with Trader Joe's launching a pandan coconut cake in March and Van Leeuwen rolling a pandan-coconut pint nationwide in May. Blue Bottle, Verve, and Stumptown all added pandan lattes to spring menus.

Pandan is following the matcha playbook from 2016 — a vivid green Asian flavor with built-in Instagram appeal that crosses from heritage diaspora bakeries into mainstream specialty retail. Unlike matcha, pandan is cheap, shelf-stable as an extract, and naturally pairs with the coconut and brown-butter notes already trending in dessert.

Frozen dessert and RTD coffee are leading the breakout — both categories where a vibrant natural color drives shelf pickup. Asian-American founders (Bored & Hungry, Pinoy Cookie Co.) are getting national distribution deals, and big CPG R&D teams are now sampling pandan in cookie, granola, and yogurt prototypes.

Search interest for "pandan latte" on Google Trends hit an all-time high in April 2026, doubling year-on-year. Gen Z and millennial consumers describe pandan as "vanilla but greener" — a familiar comfort flavor with a novel hook, which is the exact profile that drove matcha to mass.

Brands launching now should lock in pandan supply contracts from Vietnam and the Philippines before the next price spike. Position pandan as 'vanilla's green cousin' for mainstream consumers; lead with authentic Southeast Asian origin stories for specialty channels. Expect private label entries by Q4 2026.